Introducing the new Mini-VUMP-Stereo (dark blue)!! The same function as the original Mini-VUMP (orange), but capable of handling stereo signals! And it’s the same 2″x2″ tiny form factor, so it fits anywhere on your pedalboard!
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Hey folks,
You’re on stage in between songs. You just changed your pedal settings and the next song is about to start. How are your levels? Too high? Too low? Maybe you’re not sure until the song starts and you hear yourself. Well, if you just had the Mini-VUMP (Voltage-Unit Meter Pedal), you could hit the Mute switch, strum your guitar, check your levels, and discover you left the Boost pedal on before you embarrass yourself on the next song!
You can also use this device to equalize the loudness of your pedals on your pedalboard! Just turn one pedal on and off and change your gain settings one pedal at a time.
Many of you saw the original video on YouTube and want to buy one. Great! That one was a prototype that worked O.K., but in mid-2020, I completely overhauled the microprocessor code and the circuitry and it works WAY better now! I also squeezed it down to fit into a TINY 2″ x 2″ x 1″ guitar pedal called the Mini-VUMP, about the smallest pedal you can make given the large size of those dastardly 1/4″ plugs. This is the dB test video. This is the built PCB test & demo video.
The Mini-VUMP features:
- Readout in deciBels (dB) — 0.5dB increments between -10dBv and +6dBv; 1dB increments otherwise. 30dB total dynamic range.
- Fast (peak) and slow (average) response switch. Fast matters for making sure you don’t clip signal on a bass guitar pop & slap, while Slow gives you a sense of the perceived loudness.
- Adjustable “zero” with selectible gain ranges. Minimum signal that can display 0.0dB is about 5mV(RMS), and maximum signal for displaying 0.0dB is about 1.0V(RMS).
- Minimum displayable signal is about -25 dB.
- Tiny 2″ x 2″ x 1″ size — The JoyeMusic “Mini” pedal size.
- Two 1/4″ jacks (in and out)
- Mute switch so you can check your levels in-between songs on stage
- Mute “go” aqua-colored indicator
- External 9V operation, center negative, just like any common guitar pedal
- The first few dozen will be entirely handmade in the USA by me!
- Will not color your signal tone!
Check back below once in a while for the latest updates to the story!
Email me at colin.joyemusic@gmail.com for availability! Free Priority shipping to Continental USA. International buyers pay shipping. See “How do I buy one” above.
——— FAQ: ———
- Q: Does the Mini-VUMP add gain or attenuation to the signal??
- A: No, it only monitors your signal level. It won’t color your sound at all.
- Q: What are the different colors??
- A: Orange was the original Mono model and has been replaced by the dark blue Stereo model.
- All the other colors are custom colors, which cost extra.
- Q: How do I choose between Analog VUMP and Mini-VUMP?
- A: In short, if you prefer a classic stereo-VU meter look, then the Analog VUMP is probably a better fit. The Analog VUMP can also e purchased the XLR connectors. If you need the extra precision you get from the digital display, however, then the Mini-VUMP is what you want.
- The classic analog stereo VU meters have about 1 dB step resolution from -7dB to +5dB. The Mini-VUMP gives you 1 dB steps all the way down to -24dB, and give 0.5dB steps between -10dB and +6dB. While the Mini can theoretically support 0.1dB up near the top, there’s just no need for that kind of resolution — Your ears can’t hear the difference!
——– TESTIMONIALS & UPDATES BELOW: (Newest at top) ———-
4/2/24: “Thank you, seriously, for designing and building this pedal: exactly what I was looking for, awesome concept and implementation. -Mike, GA”
2/25/24: “Just wanted to drop you a quick note about the pedal. I absolutely love it. It has made a huge difference with getting my pedals to be in unity with each other. My ear for loudness levels is terrible and your product has taken the guesswork out for me. Thank you so much for putting this solution together, it’s making a huge impact on my playing. I’m now saving up to purchase another one of your VU meter pedals. I love showing it to my other musician friends. — T.S., Utah”
1/23/24: “Thanks so much for creating this awesome product. I can’t tell you how much headache it has saved me on my pedal board. -RA, Georgia”
1/5/24: “Finally got a chance to plug the Mini-VUMP in and put it through some quick paces this afternoon. It works just perfectly! What a great tool for level-matching my HX Stomp patches. It takes all of the guesswork and ear-trickery out of the equation and gives me a hard number I can see quickly to ensure I am keeping my output consistent across presets.” — RJ, Michigan
9/19/22: “I want to express my gratitude for the product that you have made. It has made me, the band and the sound guy very happy!” — AT, Belgium
8/28/22: “Just got it today, and it’s so much sweeter than I even expected. Really a fantastic little box, thanks again!” –PC, Brooklyn
2/10/22: “I thought the Mini-VUMP would help immensely so I contacted you and bought one. Just this morning the Mini-VUMP was huge in helping me make my tone even better. I was now able to hear and see my guitar signal. So without pedals and the amp eq flat I started analyzing my guitar. While considering variations in plucking intensity, I checked the output after plucking each string. I expected variation but the difference was immense. So I adjusted the height of both pickups and then I further adjusted each pickup by adjusting individual pole screws. What a difference. Again, I could audibly and now visually, thanks to the Mini-VUMP, see the differences. My guitar tone is now even better.” — LL, New Jersey.
1/9/22: “I finally got around to rebuilding my pedal board tonight and I must say, the Mini-VUMP is AWESOME! In less than 10 min., I was able to set output levels on all of my effects for equivalent output whether on or off AND set my boost pedal for precisely 6db of boost. Couldn`t have hoped for better results. The amp sounds so much better when it is receiving a legitimate line level input signal. Everyone who uses a pedalboard needs one of these. I have literally been waiting decades for someone to bring this product to market. Thanks for finally making it happen.” — JD, Woodway, Texas.
7/30/21: “Now I have these two beauties, and after the first tests I’m really happy with them. Now some time for fine tuning and learning to know each other. But man these things look & feel rocksolid! And the black and white style looks awesome. Really really great thanks from overseas.” — Janosch, Germany with a custom black & white pair, shown below.
6/11/21: Another happy customer says: “I really enjoy the pedal! It definitely performed the exact job I wanted it to – making my rig’s volume become more balanced (and showing me some bad pedals that are no longer on the board!). So far, playing with my band feels better now that my volume isn’t drowning out everyone else and then being inaudible under every other sound.” — Clayton F., IL
6/1/21: Another testimonial, from Eli Z. in Israel: “Proudly added it to my pedalboard and the sticker to my pedalboard box.”
5/13/21: Still a few Mini-VUMP pedals left. Contact me to buy one! The customers who have received their pedals so far LOVE them! Below is Mike’s pedalboard in FL — Hey, look! He still has room for ANOTHER JoyeMusic “Mini” pedal!!
4/30/21: About 20 or so Mini-VUMPs are completed and ready to ship! I have 18 customers on the list, so there are only a precious few not yet spoken for! The first unit shipped out today! I will make more. Contact me to get on the list: colin.joyemusic@gmail.com .
3/21/21: Just got a batch of 15 pedal cases machined and powder-coated, all ready for engraving. I feel confident about the powder coating now. They just look DELICIOUS! Tomorrow, I need to buy more electronic parts so I can make more PCBs.
3/1/2021: I got the first case powder coated in metallic Illusion Orange. It’s a two-step coating process with the sparkling powder base followed by a clear top coat to activate it. It looks amazing, even for my first attempt!
2/20/2021: I built the first four PCBs and THEY WORKED THE FIRST TIME!! This is so awesome! I’m really excited to get these electronics into the cases now. Machining and powder coating them is the next step.
1/27/2021: Just got my awesome color sample coupons from PrismaticPowders.com . Yes, I’m going with “Illusion Orange” on the Mini-VUMP! I also liked “Tangerine Twist,” but it wasn’t as metallic as I wanted it. I’ll get Hawaiian Teal for the next pedal – It’s awesome too.
I pretty much have the code finished up for the microcontroller. Still one minor glitch to clean up [FIXED!], but it’s working beautifully otherwise. Can’t wait to test it on the actual PCB.
1/25/2021: Yay! I finally managed to get all the parts to fit inside that tiny enclosure! 40 PCB blanks are on order, and should arrive by mid-Feb. All parts are in-stock now to start making pedals! I got a reflow oven from Whizoo.com to do the SMD soldering, and it works GREAT.
Still on the to-do list: Buy powder-coating paint for painting the pedals, dial-indicate my CNC engraver for lettering, build a test fixture to quality-check each pedal, and make minor changes to the C-coding for the microcontroller. I am SUPER excited. I’ve wanted to get into the pedal-making and this is FINALLY my start. It feels like things are coming together!
The external features are:
- Mute/Power footswitch
- Zero-reference level control (a variable pre-gain so you can set your arbitrary signal to “0dB”).
- 1/4″ input and output.
- High-visibility yellow display.
- “Mute” indicator LED.
- 9v center-positive pedal power input.
The operating modes are selected by internal DIP switch as follows:
- Select between power-always-on (always monitor signal) and power-on only when muted.
- Select between peak-monitoring mode or average-monitoring mode.
- Select pre-gain depending on the device you’re monitoring (4 levels).
Depending on the settings, you can display 0.0dB with input as low as about 5 mVRMS to up about 1.05 VRMS. Dynamic range on the display spans about -25dB to +6dB.
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