4ms Noise Swash (Discontinued)

Turn it on, twist everything, and listen to the unhinged racket.

Overview

The 4ms Noise Swash is not a polite pedal or module. It starts fights, mutters to itself, and sometimes bursts into mechanical bird screams for no reason. 4ms Company (sometimes listed as 4ms Pedals) built it in several forms: a Eurorack module sold as a DIY kit, a standalone pedal in a die-cast aluminum box, and simpler "basic box" versions that float around in builder circles. Whatever the form, it's discontinued and hard to find.

It was never about clean tones or subtle modulation. It's a feedback monster that thrives on abuse. The pedal version has nine knobs and two stomps, True Bypass and Self-Osc. That's enough control to steer the madness, but not enough to ever feel in command. Owners report sounds ranging from “robot birds being massacred in a malfunctioning blender” to warm, high-gain distortion with a vintage tube-like character. Some use it as a crude oscillator (though it doesn't track well), others as a brutal audio mangler, and a few leave it self-oscillating and modulate it with clocks or envelopes for rhythmic bursts of angry noise. One user put it simply: “This one's great if you like flipping switches, playing with knobs and making a ton of noise.”

It's analog, at least most people think so. One user responded “I think so” when asked, which isn't much of an endorsement. But the discrete components and lack of digital ICs mentioned make it safe to assume it's all analog under the hood. The Eurorack version consumes about 40mA and takes up 16 HP. It adds an audio input to distort external signals or use them to trigger internal mayhem, plus a second CV input that modulates both the Swash and Noisegate sections with positive or negative voltage. Plug in a synth or a guitar and the Swash chews it up either way, often in ways you didn't expect.

Specifications

Manufacturer	4ms Company
Product Type	Eurorack module (DIY kit), Pedal, Basic box versions
Production Status	Discontinued
Power	Later kits include a 9V regulator (L7809/LM7809) and a 100uF power filter cap
Current Draw	~40mA
HP	16 HP
Dimensions	7" x 4" die-cast aluminum box (pedal version)
Integrated Circuit	TL062
Controls	Swash, Noisegate, Volume, Bass, Tone, Pregain, Postgain, Preclip, Low power, Self-osc, Postclip (pedal version); 9 knobs, 2 stomps (True Bypass, Self-Osc)
Self Oscillation Control	Original circuit uses a 1M Linear pot with an internal switch
Swash Knob	10-turn Bourns pot for fine adjustments
Audio Input	Allows external audio to be distorted or used to modulate internal chaos (Eurorack version)
CV Input	Second CV input controls Swash and Noisegate with positive/negative voltage (Eurorack version)

Key Features

Designed for Chaos, Not Convenience

The Noise Swash is a DIY-only affair, at least in its Eurorack form. The kit doesn't come as a completed unit. You build it, solder it, and hope it doesn't whistle on startup. One builder admitted, “I can't claim to understand this circuit!” It's for tinkerers, who won't mind a missing capacitor in the factory kit (one user noted there's “one missing capacitor”) or a 1k resistor missing on the volume pot's wiper. The original Bill of Materials calls for 6 x 1uF capacitors. One builder successfully swapped polarized electrolytics for non-polarized ones, and another suggests replacing the 100nF cap on the Tone pot with a 10nF for more effective control.

Knobs That Talk Back

The controls are extremely interactive. Turning one knob can completely reshape the behavior of the others. The Swash knob itself is a 10-turn Bourns pot, so it's made for tiny tweaks, dialing in just the right amount of instability. The Self-Osc control adjusts internal feedback and clicks off to disable, though some builds reportedly don't respond to the switch. You can bypass the switched pot entirely and use a regular pot with a separate SPST switch - 4ms themselves say it's an option. The Low Power knob simulates a dying battery, and according to users, each setting effectively turns the Swash into a different pedal.

Op-Amps and Oddities

The TL062 IC, a low-power JFET op-amp, is central to the circuit. Some builders report a constant high whistle, suspected to come from the TL062 stage, and suggest trying different chips to fix it. One builder swapped out a faulty TL062 and revived a non-working guitar signal. Another notes that the TL072 is less noisy and changes the Swash's behavior. The later kits include a 9V regulator (L7809/LM7809) and 100uF caps on input and output, plus 0.1uF bypass caps added by builders for stability. The pots are D-shaft, and while the kit includes a 10-pin power header, one builder opted for a shrouded, keyed header instead, which avoids accidental shorts.

Collectibility & Value

The 4ms Noise Swash is discontinued and hard to find—two words that usually spell “collector’s item.” And yet, the market tells a conflicted story. On one hand, a used unit was listed for £1,000 in April 2022. On the other, users are quick to point out it’s “not $1,000 cool,” suggesting that price might be more fever dream than fair value. More realistically, current listings show Eurorack module kits going for $135 and used pedals starting around $125. That kind of range tells you everything: some people treat it like rare art, others see it as a fun, disposable noise toy.

Ownership comes with quirks. Several users report a noticeable “squeal” bleed when the pedal is bypassed, which could be a dealbreaker in a quiet mix. Others have found the Self-Osc switch non-functional in their builds, or discovered the pedal making noise even when turned off. The TL062 seems to be a common culprit, so a few spares on hand aren't a bad idea. Maintenance is DIY all the way down. There's no factory support, no official schematics for version 1.4, and no clear path for repairs beyond swapping chips and checking for missing components.