Review Revival - Reviews

Deep Review: Wampler EGO 76 [AMAZING Parallel Processing in a Box]

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 20:26:13 GMT

Deep Review: Wampler EGO 76 [AMAZING Parallel Processing in a Box]

Wampler EGO 76 - Click to Zoom (opens in new tab)

The Wampler Ego 76 Compressor is an amazing effects pedal designed to emulate the sound and functionality of the iconic 1176 studio compressor, but with some unique tweaks and improvements. It’s powered by an FET-based circuit and offers a huge range of controls, allowing for a high degree of customization and control over its delectable compression effect.

This attractive little box o' tone plays host to an all analogue circuit design, complete with 3PDT True Bypass switching. Only consuming a maximum of 20mA DC, it can be powered by nine volt battery or a standard 9v (center negative) AC adapter.

It seems as though Urei/Universal Audio 1176 peak limiter emulations have become highly desirable of late – especially within the guitar slingers’ community (and bass slingers’, and keyboard road agents’). I think most *compressianados would agree that 1176 copycats have become some of the trendiest, most highly sought type of compressor pedals over the past two or three years. For good reason! The famed studio compression giant snappily treats rascally dynamics with such aptness, that it has become not only an engineer’s reached for tool-of-choice, but has literally become an identifiable, hallmark ‘sound’. Brian Wampler’s most recent compressor pedal offering, the EGO 76, is his solution to achieving the revered, tone-livening greatness that 1176 rackmount compressors are known for, condensed into a BOSS-sized pedal, tailored specifically for guitarists’ needs.

** A compressianado is one who has a deep interest and above-average knowledge of audio compressors and their operation.

Where some modern compressor pedals have been designed to approach dynamics-control as cleanly and transparently as possible, the EGO 76 gads about confidently on the soulful, characterful side of squeeze town.

That’s not to say that this little laddio-of-tone isn’t capable of holding down compression duties sensibly and discreetly, but that would sort of be akin to using a Maserati MC20 to make a run to the grocery store, just to pick up milk, bread, n’ eggs. Sure, the EGO 76 can coast along as a polite, subtle compressor, but it thrives when you let it rev up the old dBv tachometer, as it were.

Some developers and hardware makers prefer that a review writer would never categorize their product(s) as being ‘expensive’. Phooey! Even though cost could be thought of as merely a relative term, most of us need assurance that our hard-earned scratch is potentially being invested into something that is road worthy (durable), works well, sounds great, and effectively meets our needs - without requiring a co-signed bank loan to acquire. I own a few Wampler pedals; I can honestly say that they all remain to be some of my favourite stompables, even after many years of faithful service. Much of what I admire and appreciate about Wampler Pedals®, is that their products generously meet and exceed the foregone criteria. The company’s fare are all manufactured to high quality specs, Made-in-USA, and are definitely value-vs-cost measurable in “average Joe” terms. The EGO 76 is a perfect case in point, requiring only $199 USD of said hard-earned dollars. Some of this pedal’s main (1176-based) competitors cost twice as much, or more!

Preamble: 1176 Peak Limiter - What’s the big deal?

The Urei 1176 peak limiter, created by Bill Putnum (founder of Universal Audio), was introduced in 1967. It quickly gained notoriety on account of its highly efficient FET (Field Effect Transistor), solid state blueprint. The 1176 was the first of its kind, and will always be regarded as the official “unofficial” transition period audio compressor; transmogrifying studio compression from heavy, high-maintenance, tube-based designs to more efficient, highly adaptive, solid-state units.

Unlike the decidedly more relaxed, lumbering tube units that preceded it, the 1176 grabbed audio peaks with incredibly fast attack times ranging from 20 μs to 800 μs (0.00002–0.0008 seconds) – to say it reacted quickly to audio spikes is a gross understatement. Although the 1176 relied on a fairly soft knee threshold approach, it was, nevertheless, a very responsive device. And too, the unit offered speedy release timings – as snappy as 50 ms, but capable of languishing as slowly as 1.1 seconds.

The 1176 was easily configured, manipulated by simple input and output level potentiometers, and four push-buttons. The latter were used to select either 4:1, 8:1, 12:1, or 20:1 ratios. A fifth (accidental?) ratio option could be engaged by pushing all four push buttons in at once, resulting in a ridiculously squished signal that really wasn’t usable under most normal circumstances – sometimes referred to as “British mode”. However, crafty mix engineers came up with a nifty bit of experimental studio trickery to exploit this zealous compression mode in a cool, highly effective way – it became affectionately referred to as ‘parallel processing’.

In brief, parallel compression was (and still is) the method of combining a pure, unprocessed sound source with a simultaneously over-compressed signal. The unprocessed source would be piped through one submix bus on a console, while its hyper-crushed alternate was simultaneously routed to an other submix channel. This radical-for-its-time method of audio production allowed an engineer to retain the original audio signal’s transient and attack, while concurrently bringing up the bloom and sustain (the tail, if you will) of the source via greatly exaggerated compression. Many of the great recordings from the 1970s – 1990s featured “bigger-than-life”, powerful drum sounds due in no small part to the creative use of 1176 compressors and parallel processing methodology. For that matter, many modern recordings still feature 1176-parallel compression.

Incorporating parallel compression techniques wasn’t constrained to drum tracks only; Eleven-Seventy-Six peak limiters also lent themselves very effectively to piano, guitar, bass, and other types of melodic instruments that had somewhat percussive attacks. Often, vocals were first processed through an 1176 to catch rogue spikes, to be followed by a slower, gentler unit, such as an LA-2A or Vari Mu compressor. Many mix engineers utilized 1176s not only to level out electric guitar parts, but also to create energy and excitement in them. The 1176’s FET (Field Effect Transistor) blueprint, in conjunction with its (input and output) transformers, just seemed to enhance and enliven every signal that it touched. There is a subtle, yet impactful, degree of harmonic saturation and brightened tonal colour imparted to any audio signal that passes through an 1176 – even if it isn’t actively compressing.

Mr. Brian Wampler

It is the 1176’s enhancing and audio-colouring essences that Brian Wampler sought to capture and aggrandize when he started bread-boarding his own personalized, inventive take on the famous 1176 circuit; ergo, the Wampler EGO 76. Brian wasn’t content to merely copycat the 1176’s schematic and hope for the best; rather, he worked arduously to confect a small form factor pedal that would effectually simulate an entire production chain – IE. Preamp >> Mixing desk >> 1176 outboard compressor.

What’s In The Box?

As far as I know, all Wampler pedals ship in the same kind of sturdy, grey cardboard cartons – this one is no different. It’s a fairly unassuming presentation overall, but thanks to its understated white racing stripe accent, and unique, bold type-face branding, this otherwise unpretentious box does have a sporty appeal about it. You won’t find any unnecessary, superfluous ‘box candy’, save a shiny Wampler logo sticker and a brief, but concise, Quick Reference Guide. The pedal comes lovingly swaddled in its very own Wampler-branded velvet drawstring pouch; the cocooned pedal is additionally ultra padded in an ample enveloping of bubble wrap. A Wampler® branded 9v alkaline battery comes pre-installed in the unit as well.

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** Quick Tip: If you’re not planning to power your Wampler pedal via battery, I strongly recommend that you unscrew the bottom panel and remove the battery. This way, your gear won’t be damaged by out-of-sight, out-of-mind battery corrosion.

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Here’s a mini grievance that some readers might scoff at me for notating in my review, but unlike all my previously obtained Wampler pedals, I was disappointed to find that the EGO 76 did not come with a set of (4) rubber/silicone peel n’ stick pads in the box. I understand that most pedal owners just slap hook n’ loop velcro onto the bottoms of all their stomp boxes, but some of us don’t. Personally, I found it very convenient to have those quads of rubber bumper pads caboodled into all my older Wampler pedal boxes.

At A Glance

The EGO 76 ostensibly presents itself in a sparkly, chameleon-sapphire finish that is chic, but also kinda funky looking – it exudes a cool, upscale retro vibe. This one is a bit of a departure from many of Wampler’s well-established four and five knob schemas, in that it showcases a six knob layout that is slightly reminiscent to that of a typical Chase Bliss pedal. Understandably, there’s only so much a builder can do to distinguish his/her design(s) from others’ offerings, so please take my comparison with a grain of salt. Like all Wampler® products, this one too is a robust little metal brick of quality, although the metal doesn’t seem to be quite as substantial as the kind that an old Wampler Ecstasy (circa 2007) or EGO Compressor V1 (circa 2009) was encased in.

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Crisp, white lettering captions all of the knurled aluminum knobs, making it a breeze to spot each parameter at a glance – these being: TONE, ATTACK, RELEASE, LEVEL, BLEND, and COMPRESS. The knobs feel super sturdy and offer a smooth, pleasant resistance; they are quite impervious to accidental nudging. Crisp, well-contrasted indicators reveal at a glimpse exactly where all parameters are positioned. An amply sized red LED power indicator sits to the left of a heavy-duty foot switch.

Speaking of the foot switch, my other Wampler pedals all house soft touch, relay-based foot switches. However, this one is outfitted with an extra sturdy, old time stomper’s switch not unlike the type you’d find on a vintage MXR pedal. In other words, it makes a solid ‘ka-click-snap’ every time it’s toe-tapped. Of course, Wampler® branding is handsomely stamped underneath the foot switch, underpinned with the assuring slogan, “Built in USA”.

As per most of Wampler’s other stomp-able gadgets that have been released over the past number of years, this one too features tight n’ sturdy front-mounted jacks and a standard 9v DC power port (center negative).

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How Does It Sound?

Tone: The most immediately noticed sonic attribute that EGO 76 imparts to your guitar’s signal, is an enlivened, slightly brightened (but never shrill) character; which, by the way, is part of why 1176 rackmount peak limiters are so well loved. This pedal induces harmonics enhancement and tonal thickening in a way that titillates the ear, making everything just sound . .‘more gooder’.

Enlivened and thickened at the same time?

While that might sound like a paradox of terms, it is an accurate description just the same. When I first plugged my 2016 Fender FSR Telecaster into the EGO 76, I was concerned that it would thin out the instrument’s lower mid-range fatness; in fact, it merely tightened the guitar’s low mids whilst adding subtle, but very complimentary harmonics. The same is true of how EGO 76 vivaciously deals with my various Stratocasters’ single coils as well.

The ‘TONE’ knob provides a wide sweep of adjustment. You have gads n’ gads of tonal lacquer at hand to gloss up your high end, if needed. Conversely, if your tone is too strident, simply dial the tone knob back to 10 o’ clock, or lower; this will aptly arrest any unwanted ice-pickiness. Brian Wampler himself refers to the E-76’s tone control as an active circuit. At its straight-up-at-noon position, the EQ is neutral, leaving the signal unaffected one way or the other. Clockwise rotation boosts the high mids and presence, doling out all the sparkle you could ever want. Oppositely, rolling the tone knob to the left ratchets down any shrillness your tone might be suffering from (ahem . . screechy Tele bridge pickup, anyone?).

Unsurprisingly, the EGO 76’s tonal imprint also becomes absolutely magical, and dare I say, indispensable, when it’s applied to humbucker’d guitars. A hot (read: dark) humbucker’s potential to sound tubby or overly weighty in the low mids vanishes; instead, it can be transformed into a delightfully more vivid, revitalized tone machine with just a quick clockwise twist of the E-76’s tone dial. As the netizens say, YMMV (your mileage may vary), but most often, I keep the tone knob set between 10:30 to noon when playing single coil guitars, whereas my Gibsons and Epiphones sound happiest with the tone goosed up to the 1 o’clock position or higher. In any case, the EGO 76 just seems to always sound great, even if you go postal with the tone control.

Compression: EGO 76 is capable of yielding very transparent dynamics tempering, in the sense that its degree of compression activity can be set to a moderate ‘happy-medium’, yet the resultant signal processing will remain inconspicuous. With a judicious proportioning of blended ‘dry’ (unprocessed) source audio, you can actually get quite aggressive with your buttons tweaking; still and all, it won’t negatively impact your sound. Of course, the extremely tight “all-buttons-in” crush mode is on tap too, but we’ll get ‘round to that topic a little later.

Sure, many contemporary compressor pedals have Mix/Blend knobs on them, and they do indeed prove to be quite effective at mitigating the dreaded squash and splattiness that compressor pedals of old succumbed to -- thanks to the option of combining original audio with processed signal. Be that as it may, Brian Wampler spent 18 months painstakingly masterminding this remarkable 1176-in-a-box, and one of the barrier breaking accomplishments of his undertaking is a seemingly perfected parallel processing ‘Blend’ formula -- it outdoes even his own previous designs. As good as the Wampler EGO V1 (and V2) and Cory Wong Compressors were/are, the newer EGO 76 seems to benefit from a finely-tuned, more sophisticated ‘Blend’ system.

As this juncture, I admit that I’d been concerned that I had hit a writer’s block. Try as I might, I just couldn’t seem to paint a keen, well-articulated paragraph to portrait how peculiarly the EGO 76 remains both indisputably characterful, and also stealthy at one and the same time. Nevertheless, that is exactly my conclusive finding. It’s downright suspicious how this darkly clad, stelliferous agent-of-tone can supercharge a clean signal so vibrantly, yet do so with 007 clandestinity -- eluding recognition as a mere compressor pedal “Jus’ doin’ its thing”.

ROSSsquatch

In no way do I mean to slight Wampler’s wonderful EGO Compressor V1 or V2; I’ve had my EGO Comp V2 for a few years now and I’m very fond of it. Nevertheless, the classic ROSS-Dynacomp blueprint that the previous EGO Comps were based on, should never really be considered transparent or stealthy, in my estimation. Even when a generous amount of dry source is blended in with the compressed signal, the EGO Comp V2 still has a small, ineludible degree of squash and tone blanketing about it. Without a doubt, there are plenty of occasions when ROSSsquatch compression is just what the doctor ordered; but, as discreet and careful as one might try to be with it, Dynacomp style compression unavoidably stamps its identifiable Bigfoot sonic footprint on pretty much any sound it processes. Again, I’m not saying that ROSS-ism isn’t a cool, highly favoured vibe - one that’s been rockin’ honky tonks and concert stages for decades - but let’s be honest; it really isn’t loved for its invisibility factor.

On the other hand, when you set the EGO 76 to a middling measure of compression, while using moderate attack and release timings, it seems to encapsulate your notes synergistically rather than just sitting on top of them and squishing them down carte blanche. With a sixty-forty or fifty-fifty blend of dry and compressed streams together, E-76 assimilates everything good about your instrument’s tonality, and outputs it sumptuously enhanced, enlivened, and rejuvenated. And oh man, do your clean leads ever become more fluid and easy to play!

Instead of wrestling with the physics limitations of your guitar’s upper register and thinner high strings, your notes will seem to unimpairedly leap off your fret board with muscular ease; nuances confidently come forward instead of hanging back in obscurity. At the polar opposite, your guitar’s heavier (read: louder) tubby-flubby wound strings will no longer overwhelm and drown out the quieter upper notes. The EGO 76 lifts and separates your notes in a very pleasing and musical way. It levels out dynamics beautifully, while adding a nice little fairy-dust sprinkling of sparkle. Although I’m describing a CLEAN tone scenario (to the naked ear), E-76 adds ever-so-subtle saturation and harmonics augmentation - creating bloom, excitement and substantive energy. Singing sustain and tube-like dynamics are entirely achievable while playing a clean Strat or Tele through the EGO 76 – I kid you not!

Down n’ Dirty

Heretofore we concentrated on EGO 76’s prowess within the scope of clean sounds, but let’s now ferret out how it deals with dirty tones. I gotta admit, I think this is the hippest, trippiest, coolest compressor that I’ve ever pushed with a low-to-mid gain overdrive pedal in front! Generally speaking, introducing additional compression into high gain, compounded distortion scenarios doesn’t generally prove to be feasible, since most distortion pedals and high gain amps are already compressing like the Mad Hatter. But, pairing colourful FET style compression with a moderate amount of gain, such as that provided by a Wampler Pantheon, or a Chase Bliss Brothers AM, does make a lot of sense in many cases.

It doesn’t take a “Mark Knopfler”, or a “Carlos Santana” to achieve significant quantities of sustain when playing a Les Paul R9 plugged into a revved up overdrive pedal, and cranked through a Mesa Boogie Filmore 50. But what about when you’re ‘Stratocastering’ through a low gain drive pedal into a Fender Deluxe Reverb, set at an intimate volume level? C’mon, y’all! As much as many of us love that sort of blues-friendly architecture, you’re not likely to experience a cornucopia of bent note sustentation in the latter circumstance.

Santana playing his 1968 Les Paul Custom

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This would be an ideal time to enter EGO 76 into the equation. Let’s say your song (or playing style) is best complimented by a semi-clean, ‘edge-of-breakup’ sonancy, but you also require some tasty harmonic colour and long-lasting resonance – herein is EXACTLY what the E-76 can empower you to pull off without a hitch.

Similarly to how it compliments and cooperates with clean tones so affably, the EGO 76 doesn’t get in the way of mild gain or crunchy overdrive; in fact, it elevates low-to-mid gain dirt flatteringly. I’ve found that moderate compression values (compress knob set between 10 o’clock to noon), with the ‘ATTACK’ and ‘RELEASE’ dials both set between 11 o’clock to 2 o’clock, in conjunction with a judicious amount of dry blend, will score every time. Equable saturation, PLUS huge sustain, plenty of attack and transience, without boring, squashed splattiness? You bet – EGO 76 for the win!

Raise the Union Jack and Go Brit, Mate

Ah, the iridescent colour of an 1176’s famous “all buttons in” mode! On its tod, this setting of beyond-extreme audio torture can be downright hideous and repulsive sounding. Grainy, crushed, distorted, and decimated – these apropos terms well describe what most signals sound like, after they’ve been ravaged by an FET blitzkrieg. However, when that blitzed sound is artfully commixed with the original source audio, unexpected blessing ensues; what you thought would only ever be a devilish maelstrom, redemptively comes to be transformed into rock n’ roll bliss! The sparkly little box o’ tone under inspection in this review, bestows said blessing magnanimously.

If you whack the ‘COMPRESS’ knob fully clockwise, you will effectively put the EGO 76 into “all buttons mode” - otherwise known as, “British Mode”. Everything gets ramped up now, Matey – volume, compression (obviously), saturation, and probably some other secret bits of “entire-processing-chain” emulation that Brian cautiously keeps ambiguous. Believe you me, you’re going to want a slew of clean blend dialed up too, otherwise the overall effect will be unwieldy and outrageous. Even so, with a bit of finessing, I promise that you’ll experience a tone n’ sustain state of euphoria. If you want big, Herculean sustain, expanded resonance, and jacked up harmonics – without relying on an overdrive or distortion pedal – this is the weapon-of-choice to make it all happen. True, these over-the-top settings can potentially increase your signal path’s noise floor (depending on pickup type), but, hey! It’s rock n’ roll, Baby!

Mysterious Ambiguity . .

Any journalist worth their salt, always strives to disclose as many nitty-gritty bits as they can about the subject or topic they’re covering -- giving their readers/viewers details that might not otherwise be revealed . After all, inquisitive minds need to know; right? Well dagburnit! I admit that as tactful and politely-pointed as I tried to be, I had to graciously concede to Wampler’s (the company) tight-lipped response to my query about what exactly the ‘COMPRESS’ knob does on the EGO 76. Brian and the good folks at Wampler Pedals® keep their cards mighty close to their chests regarding this one particularly enigmatic bullet point.

There’s a reason why I am briefly focusing on this point of intrigue: although the compress knob obviously affects the compression’s intensity, it doesn’t do so as straightforwardly as one might presume. On an 1176 peak limiter, there is an INPUT potentiometer to regulate (attenuate) the strength of incoming signals, which, of course, is directly determinant to how much the input level impacts the 1176’s fixed threshold setting. There is also a column of push buttons to engage a small assortment of stepped ratio amounts (4:1, 8:1, 12:1, and 20:1). Alas, it would seem as though the E-76’s ‘COMPRESS’ knob is some sort of dual function doodad (or possibly multi-function) – IE. Input level AND Ratio combined, and probably emulation of transformer interaction. However, I’m not certain that is all it’s doing; I can only guess.

To quote Brian Wampler himself:

Correct, it’s not a generic ratio. It’s controlling multiple things to give a similar reaction to what you find on the 1176.“

When an 1176 is in “all buttons in” mode, a few evolving, interactive operations occur simultaneously. A big part of what makes the EGO 76 such a remarkable 1176-esque tribute, is that Brian has managed to closely mimic that mysterious “all buttons” magic, when the pedal’s compress knob is dime’d out fully. In practical terms, this means that ginormous amounts of sustain, subtle (but controlled) saturation, and indefectible liveliness is ridiculously easy to attain.

I took the liberty of adding a bit more information about this fascinating aspect of the 1176. Here’s a concise, yet insightful, explanation about the “All Buttons” mode from the folks over at the ABBEY ROAD INSTITUTE.

In All-Button Mode, a few more things are happening; the ratio goes to somewhere between 12:1 and 20:1, and the bias points change all over the circuit. As a result, the attack and release times change. This change in attack and release times and the compression curve that results is the main contributor to the All-Button sound. This is what gives way to the trademark overdriven tone. The shape of the compression curve changes dramatically in All-Button. Where 4:1 is a gentle slope, All-Button is more like severe plateau! Furthermore, in All-Button mode there is a lag time on the attack of initial transients. This strange phenomenon might be described as a “reverse look-ahead”.

Concluding Remarks

It seems that no matter where you surf online these days, there is no shortage of YouTube Influencers and mainstream publications (print and/or web) constantly presenting every shiny new product as the next ‘MUST HAVE’ gadget. Sheesh! It seems as though greater and greater numbers of musicians and home studio owners are allowing themselves to be turned into media-programmed *Gassers, constantly suffering from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Hey, no judgment here – I get it. After all, collecting cool, good sounding pedals is just plumb addictive. Nevertheless, boutique pedals, power supplies, cabling, and all the other pedal board trimmings, can add up to substantial amounts of dough.

Then there was this one guy who stopped collecting pedals altogether – he said he spent less playing high stakes poker. *Buh dump dump.

** A Gasser is one who falls victim to GAS – “Gear Acquisition Syndrome”. Although this serious condition is treatable with caring, therapeutic counseling, the disease has been known to cause marital disturbances, poverty, and over-consumption of available living space.

I fondly remember the days when pedals, boards, and their accouterments, were all relatively affordable. We weren’t inundated, back in the day, with gazillions of boutique shops, small custom builders, and luxuriously-laden digital mini-computers-with-footswitches. No, sir! We had simple-to-use BOSS, Ibanez, DOD and MXR goodies. If you were a teen just starting out, or otherwise on a restrictive budget, there were always the Arion (and similar) offerings to choose from -- most of those were pretty durned good too. Nowadays, many of the specialty pedals and upper crust boutique fare cost as much as a month’s worth of groceries, or more!

I’ve been involved in various aspects of the music industry for more than 40 years now; while I don’t know it all, I have been around the block (quite a few times, actually . . .ha ha). From my standpoint, Wampler Pedals® is the present day, ‘BOSS’. What I mean by this comparative is: back in yesteryear, BOSS stompables were more or less considered the pinnacle of pedal quality. They were rugged, reliable, great-sounding, good-lookin’, and easy to dial in. Although BOSS pedals were sometimes a wee bit more expensive than some of their competitors’, they were ubiquitous and easy to obtain.

In like fashion, Wampler’s pedals are always made to exacting standards, using high grade components, and housed in sturdy metal cases. Wampler’s pedals sound great! To my eye, Wampler’s pedals all look pretty snazzy too – not overdone, but certainly eye-catching. They’re rugged - able to endure years of aggressive stage stompin’ like champs. Also, it seems to me that Brian himself is just “one of the guys”; he remembers what it’s like to be a gigging musician who needs good, reliable gear for fair prices. I laud and applaud Brian Wampler (the man) and Wampler Pedals (the company).

Does the EGO 76 have a tone-altering attribute? Well, yes n’ no – it really doesn’t change your base tone (unless you force it to), but it certainly does enhance and embellish whatever you play into it. E-76 isn’t transparent in the sense that it won’t in any way affect your tone (arguably, it betters it), but it is capable of being extremely inconspicuous while it’s leveling out uneven dynamics. Of course, extreme settings are immediately obvious; notwithstanding, it handles general workhorse compression duties without any pronounced, evidential artifacts or unwanted tone-suck.

A popular adjective that is bandied about on many of the gear forums nowadays is, “always on”. I honestly classify the EGO 76 as a device that can fit very comfortably in the coveted Always-on category. This pedal is literally one of those special gizmos that can be subtly configured, and then just left powered on all the time – you don’t notice it working . .

. . until you turn it off, that is.

Then, it’s like, “Hey! What happened to my sound? – something’s missing!”

To order your very own EGO 76, or to check out all the other très cool Wampler Pedals® goodies, click here:

>> www.WamplerPedals.com <<

5 Out of 5 Stars!

:: Pros

1176 peak limiter combined with a complete processing chain compacted into a BOSS-sized pedal. As far as I know, the EGO 76 is the only compressor of this type that offers such a comprehensive signal chain emulation.
While I don’t really consider it a ‘Transparent’ compressor, it is very inconspicuous.
Like all Wampler® products, this is a good lookin’, GREAT sounding pedal that provides reams of configuration. From discreet, inconspicuous balancing to full on “Brit Mode” crush, EGO 76 can do it all.
Excellent build quality – top-grade metal surface components.
Very well organized controls layout.
Ultra high grade analogue componentry throughout.
Boutique quality at “regular Joe” pricing.
It’s a Wampler® pedal – ‘nuff said.

:: Cons

I’m reaching here, but it is very important to always maintain objectivity and fairness. Here are the two small, less-than-perfect demerits I came up.

No complimentary rubber/silicone stick n’ peel feet like all my other Wampler pedals came with. *Aww, don’t mock me, you Velcro addict, you!
Although the foot switch is super heavy-duty, I would have preferred the usual soft-touch, relay-based type that my other Wampler pedals house.

<< Prev Review: Chase Bliss BrothersAM Overdrive

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

Intellectual Copyright 2012 - 2025 All rights Reserved. This review may not be copied or reproduced in whole, nor in part, without express written permission from the author.

Chase Bliss Brothers AM Review (2025) [EXCITING KoT Dual Overdrive]

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 03:00:00 GMT

Chase Bliss BROTHERS AM Review (2025) [EXCITING KoT Dual Overdrive]

Brothers AM - Click to Zoom

After only a few short months since its jaw-dropping reveal, Brothers AM (also referred to as BrAM hereafter) has become one of the most talked about and desired overdrive pedals to have ever been released. Brothers AM is a two channel drive pedal that promises a real-deal “King of Tone-like” experience, and then some. Upping the ante in true Chase Bliss fashion, BrAM not only delivers double sided Blues Breaker/King of Tone vibes with aplomb, but it also dishes up a delicious treble booster too! Unlike an original King of Tone unit, there is no need to open BrAM up in order to tweak any of its customizable options – everything is conveniently at hand on the pedal’s exterior.

Just in case you’ve been squirreled away in an underground bunker, and unable to get the skinny on new gear of late, this is probably one of the most exciting effects pedal releases since Roland came out with its CE-1 Chorus/Vibrato ensemble in 1975. Although the R&D stages took a total of five years to become finalized, this collaborative undertaking between Chase Bliss and revered pedal guru, Mike Piera (“Analog Mike” of Analog.man Pedals), took the guitar world by complete surprise! And little wonder – Analog.man’s famous King of Tone (KoT) has reached the mythos of such greats as Marshall’s Blues Breaker (circa 1991) and Bill Finnegan’s Klon Centaur (circa 1994).

By my estimation, Chase Bliss should be considered a boutique pedal builder. I fully realize that terms such as ‘bespoke’ and ‘boutique’ have become industry buzz words ad nauseam, but Chase Bliss’s BrAM truly does deserve to be considered as such. Like most nearly anything that’s a cut above, both in terms of quality and design, BrAM does require a substantial financial outlay -- actually, it comes at a very similar price point as the King of Tone itself requires. Where things become dramatically divergent, however, is that at the time of this publication, potential customers have to wait no fewer than six years (yes, 6 YEARS) on Analog.man’s waitlist in order to buy a KoT. Meanwhile, you can snag Brothers AM directly from Chase Bliss for the tidy sum of $399 USD, but you’ll typically only have to wait for a few delivery days to get it – certainly no longer than a few brief weeks.

Preamble Part 1 – Analog.man’s King of Tone

So, you’ve heard the stories, you’ve watched the videos, and you’ve searched through online forums, but the renowned King of Tone vibe remains elusive and difficult to procure. For most of us, we breathe out our disappointment with sighs of dejection and turn our attention to other well-deserving, more easily accessed alternatives such as, JHS’s Morning Glory, Wampler’s Pantheon, or MXR’s Duke of Tone. The latter being a previous collaboration between Dunlop and Analog.man, but more in keeping with Analog.man’s “Prince of Tone” overdrive pedal.

JHS Morning Glory (Click to Zoom)

Wampler Pantheon (Click to Zoom)

MXR Duke of Tone (Click to Zoom)

Just in case you’re a casual player who doesn’t dive too deeply into pedal-ology, nor suffers from chronic *Pedalitis, there’s an off chance you didn’t realize that the aforementioned overdrive pedals are all more-or-less based on the iconic Marshall Blues Breaker circuit. While the original Blues Breaker pedal was loved for its distinctive, throaty and creamy tone, it was not without its shortcomings. Namely, it fell victim to a relatively high noise floor; it also had a hard time keeping up with unity gain levels. As a low to mid gain overdrive with very modest output, you couldn’t utilize a Blues Breaker as an effective clean boost. Lastly, the original Blues Breaker was a bit of a tone-suck scoundrel too, but ya didn’t hear that from me. *Wink.

**Pedalitis is a not-so-rare form of compulsive pedal collecting disorder that many electric guitarists inexplicably seem to suffer from.

For some mysterious reason, Marshall stopped producing the Blues Breaker pedal in its original schema, and revised the product as “Blues Breaker II” in 1992. Nevertheless, it seems that the preferred model amongst avid collectors is the original, circa 1991. For the next 10 or 12 years, anyone who wanted the “Blues Breaker” sound, was pretty much constrained to securing one of the various iterations of Marshall’s own offerings.

Praise the Lord and pass the patch cable, because in 2003, one of the most beloved drive pedals to have ever been stomped, was created by a relatively unknown pedal-modder/electronics tech by the name of Mike Piera. Better known to musicians-in-the-know by his moniker, “Analog Mike”, he collaborated with his buddy, Jim Weider (The Band), to develop a Blues Breaker-inspired pedal that would take everything that the original was known for, but deliver all the sumptuous BB tone with boutique upgrades and features. The newly minted boutique box was christened, “King of Tone”. The timing of that monumental release couldn’t have been better planned – the Marshall Blues Breaker had gone out of production and was no longer being sold in local shops.

Marshall Blues Breaker (1991) - Click to Zoom

Analog.man King of Tone v4 - Click to Zoom

At last! A hand wired, all analog Blues Breaker (clone-but-not-a-clone?) was available; albeit quite obscurely since it could only be ordered directly from Analog.man - located in Bethel, Connecticut, USA. For the first few years of King of Tone’s production, Analog Mike built each and every KoT by hand himself. Soon, the Analog.man company grew and qualified personnel were hired to help keep up with the increasing demand. Nevertheless, this small, grass roots, boutique pedal shop relied on nothing more than word-of-mouth to gain notoriety. As such, only the most avid collectors and ardent tone chasers knew about Analog.man and the company’s stupendous boutique fare. Long passed legendary devices of rock n’ roll royalty, such as Rangemaster Treble Boosters, germanium Fuzz Faces, and Unicord Univibes were being re-imagined and made available to discriminating connoisseurs of tone.

In 2017, Mike and the Analog.man shop were specially presented in a full-length feature video by YouTube giants, Mick Taylor and Dan Steinhardt (That Pedal Show). Within weeks of That Pedal Show’s “Analog.man” episode, interest and demand for King of Tone pedals grew exponentially to 200 units per day! Within six short weeks, KoT manufacturing and sales went from being manageable to astoundingly overwhelming - all thanks to that one fated YouTube video.

** I’ve included the link to that video at the end of this article.

Suddenly, a ridiculously long wait-list for KoT units became an unfortunate necessity. Keeping true to his ideals, and Mike’s decades of electronics craftsmanship experience, Analog.man continued (and still continues) to build KoT pedals with high quality components. Every single King of Tone is fastidiously point-to-point hand wired – nothing built by Analog.man is mass produced or robotically assembled using surface mount PCBs.

Alas, many of the high quality components used to build KoTs are now rare and unobtainable. Over the years, Analog.man had quite literally stock piled certain integral components - many of which originated in Japan. Once the supply has been depleted, adaba da abada, that’ll be all, folks – they will be gone for good. According to Analog Mike, replacing any of the original-recipe components in the King of Tone would result in it being changed unfavourably (in his opinion). This also is a very pertinent reason for the inability of any copycat pedal to truly ‘nail’ the famous King of Tone sound.

Until very recently, that is . . .

Preamble Part II - Enter Brothers AM

“Nobody saw this coming!”

After five years of exhaustive research, testing, and development, Chase Bliss sent shockwaves throughout the guitar community world wide, with their unveiling of Brothers AM in mid April, 2025. For twenty years, enterprising pedal makers have attempted to replicate the inimitable greatness of Analog.man’s “King of Tone” overdrive pedal. Although a couple of attempts, such as 68 Pedals’ “King of Clone”, garnered a modicum of interest, nobody was truly successful in reproducing the elusive, one-of-a-kind KoT sound. Even Joel Korte (Founder/Owner of Chase Bliss) himself readily admits that BrAM is an homage (a very accurate homage) to the KoT; still, it is technologically impossible to create a 100 percent perfect KoT clone.

68 Pedals "King of Clone" - Click to Zoom

There’s no way to truly replicate Mike’s process, everything is simply too personal and hand-crafted (and made with finite, vintage NOS components). So we decided to focus on the aspects of the King of Tone that we could expand and take further. Instead of labouring over a perfect recreation, we decided to make an expanded counterpart.” – Joel Korte, Founder/Owner of Chase Bliss Audio

In the case of Brothers AM, the development and production of the device ought not to be classified as a mere copycat attempt; rather, this was a fully sanctioned, well-researched, collaborative undertaking between Joel Korte and Analog Mike. Whilst it’s true that Analog.man alone possesses the rare, ṳber quality components that are collectively responsible for creating the KoT’s exclusive tone, that’s not to say that there aren’t other high end, characteristic components that are unnervingly similar – IF one knows where and how to find them. Herein is where Brothers AM is unique and set apart from any other previous attempt to replicate the King of Tone.

In October of 2024, Joel and Mike went to Tokyo, Japan together. Mike had worked in Japan back in the 1980s; that’s when and where he sourced many of the components that are used to build Analog.man pedals. With Mike’s encouragement and guidance, Joel Korte was able to locate similar Japanese-made components, including rare, NOS (new old stock) parts that would enable Brothers AM to become a sustainable reality. Perhaps you can now better understand that BrAM is not just another KoT wannabe; rather, it is pretty much the closest thing to the original that you can hope to find, but with cake-icing Chase Bliss extras, such as MIDI control, presets saving, and expression control. Wow, man . . . just WOW! Ya dig?

What’s In The Box?

Cool Box! - Click to Zoom

Brothers AM ships in a sturdy, cardboard box. Although it isn’t an entirely plain, utilitarian affair, it’s evident that Chase Bliss cares about the environment by their choice of natural, (presumably recycled) packaging materials. The pedal itself is cradled securely in a stiff cardboard, egg-crate-like stabilizer. A concise, well written users manual is laid on top - it is a delightfully chartaceous booklet fabricated from good quality, recycled materials. The booklet is substantial enough, and very pleasingly formatted. Considering its diminutive size, the text is easy to read, and companioned with colourful, straightforward images. All in all, the user’s manual is one of the best I’ve seen – easy to digest, yet highly informative. Lastly, if collecting bits of swag is one of your idiosyncrasies, you’re rewarded with a shiny silver Chase Bliss sticker too.

My one, teensy tiny disappointment with the box’s contents, is that Clean didn’t come with a set of little rubber-silicone feet (feel free to mockingly say “awwww”, and roll your eyes at me). Most nearly every new pedal that I’ve unboxed over the past few years, did include a set of rubber bumpers that you could peel n’ stick to the bottom of the pedal, if required. True, most pedal users just slap velcro onto the bottom of their pedals and plunk em’ down on their hook n’ looped pedal boards, but some of us don't . . .

Click to Zoom High Res (Opens in new tab)

At A Glance

You’ll immediately notice that Brothers AM is gloriously presented in a shade of purple that is very similar to that of a good old King of Tone. ‘Brothers’ is clearly typed in bright, bold white font suffixed by the unmistakable Analog.man logo, instantly conveying a sense of legitimacy and approval on Analog.man’s part.

A sextet of knurled metal knobs, four mini toggle switches, a pair of relay-based foot switches, and a trio of moderately-sized LEDs occupy the top of the pedal – all arranged neatly and ergonomically. Although it’s a chockablock of controls on a compact gizmo approximately the same size as a typical BOSS pedal, everything is tactilely accessible and easily adjusted.

Chase Bliss AND Analog.man (opens in new tab)

The King of Tone is a two-in-one pedal; most commonly configured to provide an overdrive channel on one side, and a boost channel on the other. In suit, BrAM is also a dual drive pedal in which three of the six knobs are allocated to each individual channel – meaning, you get two sets of Gain, Tone, and Volume. Channel 1’s knobs (on the right) are distinguished by yellow markings; pink accented dials on the left belong to channel two. Furthermore, each channel has its own three position mini toggle switch for setting its individual gain characteristics: Boost, Overdrive or Distortion. Smack dab in the middle you’ll find another toggle switch that enables a super cool bonus feature: Treble Boost – akin to Analog.man’s famous “Beano” pedal.

Click to Zoom

One more mini toggle sits inconspicuously between the pair of near silent, relay-based foot switches at the bottom – the presets switch. In its center position, the pedal controls are all ‘live’, but two onboard presets are available by flicking this switch to either the left or the right. You are actually given two additional presets by setting the ‘BANK’ mini dip switch to ‘ON’ (located at the front of the pedal).

There are three easily-noticed LED indicators just above the foot switches: one for each respective channel, and one to show you when the pedal is engaging one of the onboard presets (presets mini toggle switched to the left, or to the right). When a channel is active and operating in default (normal) gain mode, its respective LED turns bright green. If the channel has its optional 25 percent gain boost applied, the LED will be bright red while the channel is engaged.

If you would like to permanently save your pedal settings to one of the onboard preset slots, press and hold a foot switch for three seconds; the presets LED will turn green. Then press and hold the alternate foot switch for three more seconds. The presets LED will flash a few times, indicating that your settings have been saved. If you want your settings to be saved to the presets switch’s left position, you begin by first holding down the left foot switch. Likewise, do the same process in the opposite order for the right-side slot.

BrAM Mini DIP Switches - Click to Zoom (Opens in new tab)

In keeping with what we’ve come to expect from Chase Bliss designs, there is a row of 16 mini dip switches at the front of the pedal, separated into two groupings: Control and Customize. Eight ‘customize’ mini dips facilitate nifty tweaks such as, 25% gain boost (one for each channel), master volume assignment, momentary bypass, and preset banks. The expression controllable features include Volume, Gain, Tone, and Treble Boost sweep.

On the pedal’s left side, you’ll find a pair of sturdy ¼” jacks for input and expression/CV, and a standard 9v power port (center negative). The opposite side features ¼” jacks for MIDI and output. Of course, in big bold lettering, both the Chase Bliss and Analog.man logos are emblazoned at the back of the pedal - again reinforcing the legitimacy of this Kingly collaborative accomplishment.

BrAM Left Side - Click to Zoom (opens in new tab)

BrAM Right Side - Click to Zoom (Opens in new tab)

To my eyes, BrAM’s fascia is very well presented. The pedal is thoughtfully laid out and accented tastefully so as to be found attractive, without being too ‘busy’ or visually off putting.

Digital Brain, Analogue Heart

As convenient, useful and multi-purposeful as modern digital modeling technology has become, most tone purists would zealously argue that absolutely nothing bests a really good sounding analog dirt pedal – I’m one of them. I too appreciate the pristine preciseness of top-flight digital effects, just as much as the next guy. For example, who could argue with the amazing algorithmic triumphs produced by Eventide and Strymon – especially with regard to their time-based FX, such as delays and reverbs? Be that as it may, when it comes to compression and overdrive, no computed algorithm that I’ve heard, or have experimented with, has yet to come close in direct side-by-side comparisons with upper class analogue kit.

Chase Bliss claims that this pedal has an analog heart, and boy, they are NOT kidding! This contraption plenteously pours out analog deliciousness as effortlessly as ice cold sweet tea goes down on a mid-summer’s day in South Georgia! It’s all here! Huge tone enhancement, perfect responsiveness to pick attack, rich harmonics, and that unmistakable analog magic that seems to invisibly envelop each and every note with organic mellifluousness. (organic mellifluousness?? . . . I had to pay extra to copyright that phrase.)

BrAM’s digital brain is what enables a user to incorporate this otherwise analog rock star into a modern, midi-driven setup with ease. Unlike a purely analog stomp box, Brothers AM accommodates user presets! Via an external MIDI switcher, BrAM is capable of storing, and recalling presets. But even if you’re an ol’ skool pedal stomper like me, and you don’t utilize any sort of external midi control apparatus, BrAM lets you easily recall a couple of presets by means of its ‘Presets’ mini toggle. Actually, you have four onboard presets, but as I’d noted in the previous section, you have to flip the ‘BANK’ mini DIP Switch at the top of the pedal to access the alternate preset bank.

Extensive Control

Where Brothers AM pulls way out ahead of the original King of Tone and wins the gold, is on the MIDI relay track. It’s not even a contest, since the KoT doesn’t integrate any sort of MIDI or expression functionality. When connected to a compatible MIDI controller, BrAM is capable of storing (and recalling) 122 user presets! I honestly can’t imagine that anyone would require over a hundred overdrive and/or clean boost variations from a single overdrive pedal, but nevertheless, the functionality is available. Beyond presets navigation, you can also engage/deactivate most nearly all of BrAM’s functions and features via MIDI. For example, you can activate the treble boost, or change the treble boost mode, or switch the gain structure mode, or turn the additional Gain boost on, and . . . well, you get the idea – all remotely via MIDI.

On the expression side of things, it’s pretty dawg gone cool to be able to dynamically change volume, gain, tone, and treble boost sweep (range from heel down to toe down on your expression pedal). All or any of those parameters can be assigned to expression control per their correlating mini DIP switches at the front of the pedal. A stand out expression pedal that I highly recommend, is the EP-1 from Mission Engineering.

Be sure to check out my in-depth review of the Mission Engineering EP-1 Expression Pedal - Click here

The Same, But Different

It is my understanding that both sides of Brothers AM are theoretically identical, with the sole distinction between them being a Treble Boost circuit - which is exclusive to channel one. Each channel can be configured to function as a clean boost, an overdrive, or as a distortion pedal via its respective (channel dependent) mini toggle switch. The two channels can be used in tandem or individually, but generally, channel one pipes into channel two, making for awesome sounding in-series setups that range from subtle to octane-fueled volume boosting, all the way through to face-ripping overdrive and distortion.

Click to Zoom (Opens in new tab)

Where Chase Bliss has designed and developed this pedal to be an “expanded counterpart” to the Analog.man KoT, a treble boost circuit in the vein of Analog.man’s famous “Beano Boost” – which itself is based on the vintage Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster (circa 1960s) - has been ingeniously implemented as well. Consistent with Chase Bliss’s usual modus operandi, you get not just one shade of treble boost, but two. These being a ‘normal’, slightly fuller-ranged boost, and its alternate, a decidedly more aggressive modern take that comes out with a searing high end push.

Again, I emphasize that each of BrAM’s channels can be sculpted to its own sonic shape and gain structure, completely distinct and independent of the other. That’s not to say that any personalized channel setting will ever deviate from the overall KoT character that the pedal capably dishes out, but there is a broad scope of harmonic molding on hand. For example, it’s ridiculously easy to apply a 25 percent gain boost to one channel, while leaving the other set to its default ‘normal’ gain mode (this is accomplished by activating the channel’s ‘Gain’ mini DIP switch at the front of the unit). Perhaps you’d like to really bring out more sheen (presence) in channel two, while leaving channel one’s presence level alone. It’s all here, and much more!

Click to Zoom

Analog.man’s King of Tone hosts a tidy bevy of handy-dandy tweaking options and user-adjustable modifications such as, additional gain boost, presence control, and the oh-so-important assignable channel modes. Alas, all those nifty tweakables are only accessible by removing the pedal’s base plate and making the desired adjustments via internal trim pots and mini DIP switches. In other words, as cool as the user mods are, the options are more or less intended to be set-and-forget tweakage – they aren’t flexibly available on-the-fly.

Contrariwise, Brothers AM lavishly extends all the aforementioned tweakery to you simplistically and conveniently. Thanks to its posse of mini DIP switches at the front, the easily-accessed hidden presence controls, the set of top mounted channel mode toggle switches, and of course, extensive MIDI-controllable architecture, BrAM facilitates easy-peasy options rejiggering – no screwdriver required!

How Does It Sound?

I venture to guess that the foremost question on the minds of most eager-beaver, prospective BrAM buyers is this: “Does it really sound like a King of Tone?”

Let me assure you that this pedal does indeed deliver a highly convincing KoT experience.

Very much in keeping with the original Marshall Blues Breaker’s style of smooth, creamy, toneful overdrive (and subsequently the King of Tone’s), Brothers AM delivers that same kind of delicious saturation and tone enhancement in spades! Even if you crank both channels’ Gain knobs to their max, with both channels set to Distortion mode, BrAM will retain exemplary note definition and clarity – even while playing full chords! The varying degrees of overdrive are smooth and sophisticated; harmonics are distinctive, complex and sumptuously pleasing to the ear. Although BrAM can be twiddled to produce gads of high end sizzle, it doesn’t come out sounding fizzy or brittle.

What? You’re concerned about its response to pick attack and your guitar’s volume knob settings? Fuhget about it, already! This is one of the most “amp-like-sensitive” pedals I’ve ever played through. BrAM responds to playing dynamics very nicely; it cleans up when you play delicately, and it snarls when you hit it a bit harder.

Boost: As a clean boost, BrAM holds up the headroom ceiling with Samson-like prowess. In this mode, Brothers AM is the most full-ranged and open sounding that it can be; it’s also the loudest. Boost mode takes your original tone and enriches it, making it ‘more gooder’. There is a tonne of (clean) gain/level on tap here, so if your objective is to pummel the input of your tube amp, causing copious amounts of natural tube overdrive to ensue, this one’s your Huckleberry for sure. Although it is possible to generate light amounts of (internal) soft clipping in Boost mode, you’ll most likely need to dial the gain knob up to 3 o’clock or higher to achieve it. For reference, my over wound Telecaster bridge pickup doesn’t produce any clipping in Boost mode unless I set the Gain knob to 3 o’clock, and even then, I have to really dig in before it starts to break up. Understandably, soft clipping might occur at a lower gain setting if you’re playing a guitar equipped with hot, high-output humbuckers.

OD/Overdrive: I think it’s safe to say that this is where both KoT and BrAM live the most comfortably. The Overdrive mode epitomizes that classic, quintessential King of Tone sound - the natural, transparent type of very-slightly-mid-boosted drive that brings misty-eyed joy to many a grown man. There’s no annoying, exaggerated “green screamer” mid hump to be heard; instead, the critical mid range frequencies are embellished beautifully in true, ‘just right’ Goldilocks fashion. Here, your original tone is lusciously enhanced; bathed in characterful, chewy, analog sweetness that can’t help but inspire, provoke and excite your guitar-ian sensibilities. Oh yeah, baby – this is the domain where tone is King!

Much like the OG Marshall Blues Breaker, and subsequently the King of Tone, BrAM’s default Overdrive gain structure sits relaxingly in the low to mid gain camp. You’re really not going to traverse into moderate crunch territory here, especially with single coil pickups, unless you dime the Gain knob. Thankfully, an additional 25 percent gain boost is easily activated on the crown of the pedal by means of a mini DIP switch (there are two Gain DIP switches – one per channel). Personally, I like to keep channel 1’s ‘Gain’ mini DIP set to ‘ON’ permanently. With the extra gain enabled, BrAM can churn out some very tasty, satisfying crunch. It’s easy to scale the amount of overdrive back, but once you’ve maxed the Gain knob (in default gain mode), there’s nowhere left to go. As such, I really dig having that extra 25 percent of saturation to play with. ;)

Distortion: In my honest opinion, labeling this mode as ‘Distortion’ is a bit of a misnomer. To my ears, the Distortion mode sounds very similar to the Overdrive – just somewhat gain-ier and more compressed. Although the distortion circuit does enlist a more aggressive type of clipping than the OD does, it still sounds much softer than that of a BOSS DS-1 or ProCo Rat. If a BOSS DS-1 were represented as a beach pail filled with fine grained, compacted sand, you could think of BrAM’s distortion mode as a gently heaped mound of course, loose gravel – there’s still space around the the notes, as it were. Instead of your notes being perfunctorily hard clipped, and stripped of most of their natural dynamics, BrAM’s distortion mode produces rounder edges and smoother aural textures – they retain a good amount of transient and attack, instead of just being squared off jaggedly. It sounds vastly more musical and organic (Arghhh! I resorted to taking advantage of over-used, wearisome buzzwords again).

Huge, singing sustain and rich, harmonic saturation are the most obvious characteristics presented here — absolutely perfect for big, bendy leads. The Distortion’s tonality is very much the same kind of delectable, ear-pleasing timbre heard in the Overdrive mode; albeit, I don’t find that the lower mid range here is as chewy and full sounding. I suspect that this small, but noticeable tonal variance is due to the compression element of the circuit clamping down harder on lower (but higher energy) notes. Distortion mode is also the lowest in output volume – don’t worry though, there is more than enough output level available to compensate for the lessened dynamic range, courtesy of the Volume knob.

IMPORTANT! — Don’t for a single moment think I’m reporting that BrAM is thin or anemic sounding. No, no, no! I’m merely pointing out that its Distortion mode doesn’t bear the same muscular low mids presence that a King-of-Tone does. As a general statement, BrAM retains a MUCH fuller frequency response than most overdrive pedals do - especially Tubescreamer and Klon types.

Ok, enough already! How close does it actually get to sounding like the REAL King of Tone?!

I guesstimate that Brothers AM will take you 93 to 96 percent of the way to KoT-ville. No KoT copycat attempt, by any other pedal builder, has come anywhere close to achieving the fantabulous results that BrAM carries off. Nonetheless, there are a couple of subtle dissemblances between the Analog.man original and this promising, newly-collaborated counterpart. Before we delve too deeply into the audio dissection though, l want to make it emphatically clear that the slight shades of difference are just that – subtle and slight.

Low Mids Magic: First, the King of Tone possesses a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ with regard to how it emulsifies low mids. The KoT seems to coat your signal’s low mids with a delicious, ever-so-slightly-thickened sonic sauce that creates an extra degree of tonal dimension, without becoming overbearing or muddy sounding. Brothers AM does not impart that exact same kind of low mids oomph. To my ears, BrAM comes across with improved articulation in the upper mids and highs, and a flatter EQ curve in the bottom end and low mids. Perhaps it even marginally rolls off a smidge of low mids, especially when it’s in Distortion mode. On the unit I have (1st batch after initial release, I think), I discern this particular tonal difference on the second channel a little bit more readily; channel 1 seems to be just a tad fuller sounding. Again, we’re talking about dialing in the ‘ear calipers’ to measure the minutest of sonic differentia.

Now before you huff n’ snort, and impatiently dismiss Brothers AM because it doesn’t deal out the exact same kind of low mids treatment that a KoT does, consider this: In a typical recording or live band scenario, tighter (low) mid range is a greatly appreciated benefit since it would be unlikely that your recording or band’s overall sound would suffer from muddy (low mids) build up. Sure, hefty, warm tones sound great whilst you’re playing on your tod in the basement, but those same warm tones can turn into a mud-fest very quickly in a full mix. Generally speaking, I find that BrAM maintains a wider, more hifi frequency spectrum than its forbearer; it can be made to sound a little more open and airy, where the KoT seems to cruise in an ever-so-slightly narrower frequency lane. Of course, you can certainly make BrAM sound more rounded by rolling back its tone control(s), but in general, you’ll require less clockwise rotation on its tone knobs than that typically dialed-in on a King of Tone.

Gain Structure: As a general statement, I guesstimate that Brothers AM has a slightly stronger amount of gain in reserve than a standard KoT has (*in default gain mode). And too, it seems to me that BrAM compresses just a teensy bit more than a King of Tone does; particularly its Overdrive and Distortion modes, and most specifically in the low mids. Perhaps this is why some higher gained settings on the BrAM don’t sound quite as weighty in the low mids as a KoT does; there’s most likely a tad more compression happening. Let me be clear though: there isn’t a large disparateness between the two pedals – the gain differences are minuscule, and the gradation of compression disparity is impalpable. The dissimilarities are more perceived/felt than immediately heard. As they say, “it’s a feel thing”.

As much as they love their respective KoT pedals, I’ve heard a few YouTube influencers say that overall, if they were forced to choose one or the other, they might prefer to keep a Brothers AM on their pedal board owing to its tremendous flexibility, superb tonality, smaller footprint, and undeniable KoT-like gain characteristics. Dan Steinhardt (That Pedal Show) and Phillip Carter (40 Watt Podcast) are a couple of such YouTube presenters.

What is a Treble Booster?

In a nut shell, a treble booster (TB hereafter) high passes (low cuts) lower frequencies, and then applies a moderate gain boost to everything else. What makes a treble booster unique is that the manner in which it boosts and overdrives, is unlike what you could do with a simple equalizer. In theory, a TB’s signal process is fairly simple, but in practice, it’s downright ingenious. A treble booster first cuts away lower frequencies, then adds unbiased gain and clipping. So really, most treble boosters aren’t actually adding frequency boosts and spikes like an equalizer would do; they’re simply cutting lows and then equal-temperament boosting everything that’s left.

Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster (Circa 1961)

For general overdrive use, I don’t engage the treble boost feature on Brothers AM, but there are a couple of scenarios in which it totally becomes an elite secret weapon for me. For example, using my old Epiphone Sheraton II (Korean, 2007) - that’s still valiantly enduring its original factory-fitted Epiphone ‘mudbuckers’ - I am able to wrangle up one of the coolest, most ear-grinning blues tones I’ve ever heard. In the neck position, with the tone knob rolled down a little on the guitar, I can achieve an articulate, vocal, “woman” tone by flipping BrAM’s Treble boost switch to the right. This is the classic, ‘Beano’ option; combining it with a modest gain setting in Overdrive mode creates a marvelous, distinctive blues flavour à la Deluxe. The resultant tone floats somewhere between ‘cocked wah’ and ‘cranked old tweed’. Instead of cringing under a wash of hackneyed Epiphone mud-buckery, I get caught up into a Bonamassa-worthy cloud of tone euphoria.

Another use case that behests you to flip the Treble Booster on, is if you want to really step out front of a dense mix, and let rip with a searing solo through your 4x12 half-stack. I guarantee that that BrAM’s TB is the super-charged, energy boost that’ll empower you to get the job done, son! Obviously, this is one of those tasks that would be easiest carried out by using a MIDI controller with Brothers AM, so that you could effect changes on-the-fly with the mere press of a foot switch.

For my old Blues-based/Classic Rock fuddy-duddy ears, the classic Beano treble boost provides plenty of rawness. Unless you’re playing a really dark sounding guitar or bass, or using an especially bassy/dark amp, the modern TB mode might prove to be too strident and brash. Then again, you never know when your arrangement or production might require some excessively snarly bite, so it’s good to know that an extra sizzily Treble Boost option is at hand should the need arise.

Concluding Remarks

I readily admit that I too am one of the umpteen thousands of guitarists whom has longed for an Analog.man, “King of Tone”, longer than I care to admit. I’m in my latter 50s now, so to be completely honest with you, signing up to a six year(+) waitlist (or longer), plus waiting for however long it would take for the pedal to be hand built and shipped to me, has caused me to shy away from adding my name to the KoT pool. After all, I wouldn’t get the blessed box-of-tone until I was 65 years of age or older! There is such a thing as diminishing returns, ya know. . .

Get a load of the ridiculous scalping prices oft-listed on Reverb-com and eBay! Very often, the prices that opportunistic sellers (*cough) are asking is more than DOUBLE the cost of a new KoT. If it happens to be one of the older revision 2 or rev3 KoTs in prospect, the gouging goes up to a few thousand dollars! Umm, no thank you! As desirable as the Kingly, ‘Holy Grail’ of OD pedals is purported to be, I think it would be outlandish to even consider letting someone rape my wallet with greatly over-inflated scalping prices. Besides, I’ve been very pleased with my trusty Wampler Pantheon; it too is a really, really good sounding take on the famous Blues Breaker circuit. But still, who wouldn’t love to have one of those enviable purple boxes of dual OD scrumptiousness? . . . Sigh.

Reverb.com Listings - Click to Zoom (Opens in new tab)

When the head-snapping announcement came across my desk that Chase Bliss Audio had just released this totally unexpected overdrive pedal (April, 2025), following five secretive years of project R&D, and collaboration with ‘the man’ himself, I was totally stoked! Could it possibly be? Was there finally an honest-to-God, authentic KoT stand-in capable of reproducing that elusive, bigger-than-life, overdriven tone of regal renown? Having deeply investigated the compression greatness of Chase Bliss’s previous offering, the Clean Compressor, I was more than a little hopeful and expectant that Brothers AM would deliver everything that Chase Bliss promised it could – and maybe even more. Still, I wasn’t about to let fan-driven hyperbole sway me from the facts.

At the time of this publication (July 05, 2025), I’ve had my Brothers AM pedal for approximately eight weeks. Needless to say, I’ve put it through its paces with unrelenting intrigue and fastidious scrutiny. Just because it’s purple, and just because it bears the logos of two of the most distinguished names in pedal building history, and just because it’s presented as a more evolved King-of-Tone counterpart, were not reasons enough to influence my honest findings. As it turns out, I am absolutely over the moon with BrAM’s ability to deliver exactly what was promised by Chase Bliss. This little purple pedal eater sounds freakin’ awesome!

Has Brothers AM dethroned my Wampler Pantheon to reign over Blues Breaker-ish land? No, no it hasn’t; I like both of those respective Blues Breaker-y options very much. One thing that the Pantheon has over BrAM though, is its potential for big, bodacious bottom end and low mids (thanks to the Pantheon’s three-band EQ with active bass control). My sole, ‘armchair-tech’ recommendation to Joel Korte and the Chase Bliss fam, is that they consider adding one more hidden option; perhaps another mini toggle switch, to facilitate an optional 1.5 dB POST-Gain low mids bump. Barring that single suggestion, I gladly go on record to say that Brothers AM is indeed a highly respectable counterpart to the royal King-of-Tone. As a clean boost that seems to have a somethin’-special, fairy-dust quality about it, it’s unrivaled. As a KoT-type overdrive, it’s the best I’ve ever heard.

Unless your name has already been on Analog.man’s KoT waitlist for five years, 11 months, it behooves you to order a Brothers AM.

Unless you’re independently wealthy, or have decided to sell one of your kidneys, I don’t recommend that you foolishly pay some gougey scalper an exorbitant amount of money for an overdrive pedal.

The best (readily available) alternative to the mighty King of Tone, is Chase Bliss Audio’s Brothers AM.

“Get one, get one, you will see.
You will like it just like me, Sam I BrAM.”

To order your very own Brothers AM, and check out all the other très cool Chase Bliss Audio goodies . . .

>> www.ChaseBliss.com <<

5 Out of 5 Stars!

:: Pros

Even if it weren’t promising bona fide KoT type of sound, this is a fantastic Blues Breaker-based twin channel overdrive pedal.
The inclusion of an optional two-voiced Treble Booster greatly expands the pedal’s already wide breadth of sonic possibilities.
Excellent build quality – sturdy, all metal surface components.
Very well organized controls layout. Lots of doodads to tweak, yet it isn’t an overwhelming kludge.
Ultra high grade analogue componentry throughout.
MIDI capable.
Expression/CV controllable.
Digital implementation to facilitate presets management.
Two convenient on-board preset slots (a total of four if you flip the ‘Bank’ mini DIP switch), easily accessed with a simple toggle switch.
Cool lookin’ KoT-ish purple pedal.

:: Cons

Although Brothers AM sounds really, really good, and actually has an even fuller frequency range than the original KoT, aggressive gain settings lack the same low mids charm that a King of Tone has (most notably in Distortion mode).

<< Prev Review: Chase Bliss Clean Compressor Pedal

>> Next Review: Wampler EGO 76 Compressor Pedal

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

Intellectual Copyright 2012 - 2025 All rights Reserved. This review may not be copied or reproduced in whole, nor in part, without express written permission from the author.

Chase Bliss Clean [Definitive] Review (2025)

Tue, 13 May 2025 22:28:25 GMT

Chase Bliss Clean [Definitive] Review (2025)

Chase Bliss (also referred to as CB hereafter) has created one of the most unique and sonically impressive compact compressor pedals to have ever occupied a pedal board slot. While most compressor pedals could never be accused of being overtly inspiring, Chase Bliss’s Clean is a swift departure from the norm. Not only does this pretty FX box effortlessly chassé its way to the top of the queue, strictly on the merit of its compression mettle, but its out-of-the-box attributes take it into unexpected sonorant territories that do indeed illicit all kinds of inspiration.

Chase Bliss touts Clean as having a digital brain and an analogue heart. I concur - it’s a technological hybrid, if you will. Much of Clean’s uniqueness is owing to its ability to modulate the following: EQ, Swell, and Stereo Spread. In complete contrast to what one would typically expect from a compressor pedal, Clean even offers an interesting, somewhat distinct overdrive/distortion function - Dusty. Heck, it even has a set of ‘physics’ features that you can toggle to engage all manner of tonal flitter-flutters and kooky glitchings. Although Clean is pretty to look at, don’t let its stylish fascia beguile you! This fancy contraption is ruggedly constructed and outfitted with sturdy metal knobs, jacks, switches, and mini-toggles – no rinky dink plastic bits here, thank you.

Preamble

Stompin’ effects pedals has seriously been ‘a thing’ in the world of rock n’ roll since Jimi first seared the imaginations (and ears) of his long-haired, beaded, trippy-hippie minions with his mesmerizing Fuzzed and Univibed wizardry. To say that electric guitar slingers have been chasing tone for more than six decades now, is a comical understatement. Here’s the rub though; soulful, sustained, powerful guitar tone is typically associated with green boxed j-Fet OpAmps, rare germanium diodes, and/or overdriven preamp tubes (or valves, for our UK compatriots). Until recently, if you wanted tone-ful, powerful, dynamic cleans, your options were decidedly limited.

Enter compressors.

While it’s true that a strong, loud, clean tone is very achievable whilst ‘stratocastering’ through a Fender Twin Reverb® or a Roland JC-120 amp, doing so won’t necessarily produce rich sustain, ‘organic’ movement, and robust harmonics like a cranked Marshall Plexi can deliver. Also, even though a potent, undistorted Fender Twin is capable of peeling wall paint at 20 paces, the dynamics tend to be somewhat uninspiring and quite spike-y sounding. To address this issue, early pedal manufactures such as ROSS, MXR, and Roland/BOSS, all took their swing at the plate – to varying degrees of success.

It’s true that the various early compressor pedal offerings each had their share of die hard fans and aficionados, but by and large, they all had a propensity to be one trick ponies (maybe two tricks in some cases?). The compressors of yesteryear really didn’t let notes ‘breathe’ with a musical ebb and flow; instead, their sonic characteristics usually leaned towards a somewhat flat and static singularity. Most of the original compressor pedals tended to roll off too many highs, and they generally blanketed the player’s tone with a dull, squishy character. While this can be useful (and loved) for chicken pickin’ Tele mischief, OG compressor pedals were not a humbucker’s bosom buddies by any means.

The compression pedal quandary subsided considerably in the mid 2000s. Guitarists’ compression conditions improved nicely thanks to welcomed innovations from folks like Robert Keeley, Brian Wampler, and Josh Scott. Those guys dove into the deep end of the pedal pool with Olympian determination, toting more advanced, refined componentry in their respective gig bags of tricks. Not to mention, they each possessed mucho electronics smarts.

Brian Wampler - Wampler Pedals

Robert Keeley - Keeley Electronics

Josh Scott - JHS Pedals

Jubilation! Compressor pedal circuits had finally been developed to the the point where they were usable across a wider spectrum of musical styles and guitar types – the newer breed of comp pedals were quieter to boot! Sorely needed appointments such as blend/mix knobs, additional EQ parameters, and quality-improved components, all contributed to compressor pedals becoming more widely used throughout various musical genres, and found on more and more pedal boards. This begs the question: did we really need yet another (upscale, boutique) compressor pedal introduced into the fray?

Yes, I think we do indeed need another compressor – namely, Chase Bliss’s Clean!

DISCLAIMER: CB’s Clean is not your Dad’s old standard three or four knob compressor – it takes a fair amount of time (and experimentation) to become well-schooled with its breadth of functionality. Notwithstanding, I promise you, my fellow guitar-ian, that it is more than worth the time and effort it takes to become proficient with Clean’s multifariousness of operations.

What’s In The Box?

Clean ships in a sturdy, cardboard box. Although it isn’t an entirely plain, utilitarian affair, it’s evident that Chase Bliss cares about the environment by their choice of natural, (presumably recycled) packaging materials. The pedal itself is cradled securely in a stiff cardboard, egg-crate-like stabilizer. A concise, well written users manual is laid on top - it too seems to be fabricated from good quality, recycled materials. The booklet is substantial enough, and very pleasingly formatted. Considering its diminutive size, the text is easy to read and companioned with colourful, straightforward images. All in all, the user’s manual is one of the best I’ve seen – easy to digest, yet highly informative. Lastly, if collecting bits of swag is one of your idiosyncrasies, you’re rewarded with a shiny silver Chase Bliss sticker too.

My one, teensy tiny disappointment with the box’s contents, is that Clean didn’t come with a set of little rubber-silicone feet (feel free to mockingly say “awwww”, and roll your eyes at me). Most nearly every new pedal that I’ve unboxed over the past few years, did come with a set of rubber bumpers that you could peel n’ stick to the bottom of the pedal, if required. True, most pedal users just slap velcro onto the bottom of their pedals and plunk em’ down on their hook n’ looped pedal boards, but some of us don’t . . .

Click to Zoom (opens in new tab)

Unlike Eventide, and a couple other upscale pedal makers, Chase Bliss didn’t include a 9v AC adapter with the pedal either. I was slightly surprised by this obvious omission, since Clean cannot be powered by battery; it’s outfitted with an AC power connection only. Factoring in that CB Clean costs $100 more than an Eventide Ultra Tap or Tricerachorus, both of which do come with complimentary power packs, I was slightly taken aback by the exclusion of a handy little wall wart. I’m not knocking Chase Bliss for this, but it really would have been cool if they had bundled in an AC adapter. With regard to Clean’s AC-only power requirement, this unassuming little compression monster can gobble upwards of 300mA of power, so understandably, battery operation isn’t feasible.

At A Glance

This enticing little vixen of tone is easy on the eyes. Clean is a real pleasure to eyeball, greatly due to its crisp, clean layout (no pun intended) and spiffy motif. Clean is presented in a glossy off-white base accessorized with bright, colourful knobs and lettering. Obviously, the graphic arts personnel at Chase Bliss have very keen, well-honed design skills; this striking little device manages to come across visually as both demure and eye-catching all at once. Here we have a perfect example of how to encapsulate a stupendous amount of user-controllable features into a familiar, compact (BOSS-sized) pedal – all with an intuitive, tactilely-comfortable topology.

The top control surface is plenteously, yet tastefully laid out. The user’s eye is greeted by six attractive, knurled metal knobs (4x bright green + 2x bright blue), four neatly arranged mini toggle switches, three nicely proportioned LED indicators, and a sturdy pair of quiet relay-based foot-switches. Sounds like an overcrowded lot, right? On the contrary, although it might seem as though there are a few too many doodads to contend with at first glance, in fact, the schema is so masterfully organized that Clean is actually a breeze to work with.

Click to Zoom

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At the front end of the pedal, there is a strip of 16 mini dip switches - these are divided into two groupings: Control and Customize. The green labeled ‘Control’ dip switches facilitate eight different expression-controllable functions, whereas the blue labeled ‘Customize’ switches can engage eight enhanced, always-on features, such as the unexpected ‘Dusty’ function (more about this later).

On the pedal’s left side, you’ll find some usual suspects: a ¼” (stereo-capable TRS) input jack and a standard 9v DC (center negative) power port. Things diverge from the norm here though, where there is also an expression/CV input jack and a 1/8” sidechain port. The latter provides you with the means to interface this pedal with any compatible external audio device/instrument, while utilizing Clean as an outboard sidechain compressor. Let’s see you do that with an MXR Dynacomp . . .

Photo courtesy of Compressor Pedal Reviews.com | Click to Zoom

The right side of this little white magic brick is where you’ll find the requisite ¼” (stereo-capable TRS) output jack, a ¼” MIDI/Aux jack, and lastly, a micro USB port (connect to PC or MIDI CC controller). *As far as I understand it, a Chase Bliss MIDIbox is required to correctly interface Clean with a MIDI switcher, using a standard ¼” TRS cable.

Digital Brain, Analogue Soul

The friendly debate endlessly continues: digital vs. analogue. There is an army of ardent pedal collectors who swear religious-like allegiance to all things analogue (analog for USA folks), yet a large segment of today’s players demand the absolute preciseness of digital gadgetry. One camp champions the beloved warmth and organic character of analogue componentry, while their opposition extols the the virtues of digital clarity and exactness.

Personally, I enjoy and make use of both technological bases. Admittedly, when it comes to overdrive, fuzz and distortion pedals, analogue is my platform of choice. For that matter, I confess that many of my favourite modulation FX are the vintage analogue goodies by BOSS and MXR (CE-2, black label - made in Japan, anyone? How about a ‘74 MXR Phase 90?).

Part of what I am absolutely thrilled about, where CB’s Clean is concerned, is that this pedal seems to be the perfect blend of both technology types. The core - the heart, if you will, of Clean’s purpose for existing is its undeniable potency as a top tier, studio-grade, ANALOGUE compressor. That’s right, Clean, at its core, is an end-to-end analogue device. Seriously! If you were to completely ignore the eclectic, quirky, experimental, and digital attributes that are ingeniously built into Clean, you are still left with one of the most impressive, capable compressor pedals ever produced – bar none! Clean’s name is very apt; this thing truly is “clean” sounding!

Clean’s digital brain is what enables a user to incorporate this otherwise analog all star into a modern, midi-driven setup with relative ease. Unlike a purely analog stomp box, Clean accommodates user presets! Via an external MIDI switcher, Clean is capable of storing up to 122 presets. But even if you’re an ol’ skool pedal stomper like me, and you don’t utilize any sort of external midi control apparatus, Clean lets you instantly recall a couple of presets by means of its ‘Presets’ mini toggle. How cool is that!?

How Does It Sound?

Clean is a very transparent processor when used strictly as a compressor; it doesn’t alter or colour your instrument’s tone - unless, of course, you want it to. Unlike most compressor pedals that are based on traditional blueprints, Clean won’t dull your signal’s top end, or obscure your dynamics with a squished, ‘splatty’ sound (*providing you keep the EQ centered). Even while using fairly aggressive compression settings, Clean allows your playing to retain liveliness and energy, albeit with exceptionally well controlled dynamics and a welcome degree of tone thickening. Unless you go crazy with extreme settings, it is actually difficult to make Clean sound bad!

Those who warily raise a disparaging eyebrow at the obnoxiously noisy compressor pedals of yesteryear, will be very pleasantly surprised by how politely Clean behaves – no hissy fits will be thrown here. This pedal is whisper quiet, in that it never introduces untoward, extraneous noise and/or hiss. Gee, even its pair of relay-based foot switches are quiet to operate.

I suspect that one of the primary contributing factors to Clean’s ability to treat a signal so cleanly, and dare I say, transparently, is its two-stage compression architecture. Rather than relying solely on a single dynamics processor, Clean first takes audio unevenness in hand with its remarkable VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) compression section, and then sends the compressed signal into a variable, but highly refined, peak limiter. Technically, the limiter is more accurately described as a clipper, but due to its adaptive nature, it performs its limiting duties very aptly and inconspicuously. The user isn’t accorded any control over this ‘hidden’ second stage limiter; nevertheless, it is very effective at catching any rogue peaks or spike-y transients that might otherwise prove difficult to corral. Take a look at the signal flow diagram; it will help you visually understand Clean's processing path(s).

Click to see a Full HD View of the Complete Signal Chart (opens in new tab)

Clean boasts a remarkably high level of headroom – perhaps Chase Bliss has integrated a 18v voltage charge pump IC? I dunno; I’m not an electrical engineer. However, I can assure you of this: you need never worry about overloading Clean’s input stage. There is more than enough headroom to prevent it from ever sputtering out ugly, collapsed audio garble – even if you were to push it to the max with scorching hot, active pickups.

There is gads n’ gads of uncoloured gain on tap too; this pedal can effortlessly fulfill any ‘clean-boost’ needs you might ever have. Rather that offering a solitary ‘blend/mix’ knob, Chase Bliss has generously outfitted Clean with both a Dry (unprocessed) volume control, as well as a Wet (processed) dial. By the time you turn these knobs to their 2:00 o’clock positions respectively, the signal level is easily doubled, or greater. I dare ya to crank them up to 3:00 o’clock . . .

Clean provides an effective, but simple-to-use tilt EQ. Straight up at the noon position, the signal’s tone remains unaffected and flat. Clockwise rotation will high pass (low cut) the frequency range. Contrariwise, turning the EQ knob counter-clockwise filters out upper frequencies. In my experience, the actual usable sweep of the EQ knob is between 10:00 and 2 o’clock, with 9:00 and 3 o’clock being the absolute maximum settings that may be considered usable. Twisting the EQ dial any more than this just kinda-sorta takes you into deliberate kookiness territory - not really practical for typical EQ tweaking. I haven’t any official word from the manufacturer, but I guesstimate that the filter point is set somewhere in the 600 – 1000 Hz range. And too, this EQ circuitry might be enlisting variable Q and/or adaptive frequency centers, judging by how pronounced the frequency roll offs become at either end of the knob’s maximum range.

Yet and all, I’m really digging Clean’s EQ feature; muddy humbuckers can be coolly refined, while glassy single coils can easily be cajoled into warm relaxation. For a couple of quick reference points, let’s say that you’d like to record your ES-335 using the neck pickup, on a slow blues track. Unfortunately, a semi-hollow’s neck position often produces unwanted rumble and muddiness. On the other hand, a Strat or Tele’s bridge pickup provides the snappy, twangy tones that many of us love, but they become ear-fatiguingly shrill way too easily. Clean’s nifty EQ function sorts these kinds of issues out with just a quick twist of a single knob.

Compress to Impress

As I’d mentioned earlier, Clean has an analogue heart – and boy, does it ever have a big heart! Providing us with fully user-adjustable ratio, threshold, attack and release times (sometimes requiring a bit of hidden tweakery), this studio-grade compressor can be be configured to react with a feather light dynamics polish, all the way through to full-on crush-mode limiting and beyond. Unlike most old skool comp pedals, this one grants you full control over attack AND release timings.

DYNAMICS: The first knob to tweak is the Dynamics knob (aka. ratio). This one engages varying degrees of compression throughout the first half of its sweep. From counter-clockwise *OFF, up to the 11:30 position, you’ll get compression ranging from 1:1, all the way out to 10-to-one. From *OFF to 10 o’clock, the compression flows in quite gradually, but from 10:00 to noon, the ratio values increase very quickly. For most of my general guitar and bass compression needs, I’ve found that keeping the dynamics knob set at the 10 o’clock mark results in a moderate, happy-medium compression ratio of approximately 4:1. Notwithstanding, dialing it up to heftier compression values of 8:1 or higher, Clean continues to sound great – free of any heavy handed, tone-robbing ‘splatiness’.

When the Dynamics knob is set straight up at the 12 noon position, the compressor is functioning as a hard limiter. Continuing to turn the Dynamics control clockwise beyond 12:00, takes Clean into smooth, relaxed feed back limiting territory, but from 2:00 to 3 o’clock, the pedal morphs into a snappier FEED FORWARD limiter.

Beyond this point, the Dynamics knob introduces a unique-to-Clean compression algorithm called, “Sag’. In essence, this feature intentionally replicates the ‘sagging’ anomaly of over-saturated vacuum tubes, where the tubes intermittently collapse, as it were, under the strain of too much signal. This is experienced as a temporarily faltering, or ‘dying’ cadence in a tube amplifier’s operation under intensively overdriven conditions.

Quick tip: I’ve found that this clever SAG feature is best experienced while keeping the Dry level at unity gain, thus utilizing sag in a parallel processing configuration.

SENSITIVITY: The Sensitivity knob may be thought of as a familiar old threshold control. This tells Clean at what volume level (or playing intensity) it should start applying compression. When your input signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, compression (or limiting) begins to be applied to the signal – the louder the signal, the more the compressor will clamp down on it, up to the maximum amount determined by the Dynamics (aka ratio) control (Please excuse my nutshelled, “Compression for Dummies” explanation of threshold/sensitivity methodology). Maybe you want the compression to be active pretty much constantly, or perhaps you only wish it to engage while you’re boisterously strumming. In either case, and for everything in between, the Sensitivity knob doles out a very wide range of threshold adjustment.

Compression activity is visually indicated by the right most LED indicator. The luminosity of the LED intensifies in accordance with the degree of compression-to-threshold being actively applied. This (red) LED is NOT triggered by the Dynamics (ratio) amount; rather, it’s actuated in real time by the amount of signal that is exceeding the designated threshold (aka Sensitivity).

ATTACK: Directly below the Sensitivity dial, you’ll find the third critical compression parameter, ‘Attack’. To boil it down quickly, this user-adjustable parameter dictates how quickly the above-mentioned compression factors spring into action. At the knob’s left most position, the attack time is most nearly instantaneous (0.5ms), but it ranges all the way up to a lazy 300ms when turned fully clockwise. Most of the time, I keep this dial set anywhere from 11:00 to a smidge past noon; this results in nicely balanced dynamics control, without too vigorously chopping off pick attack and transients.

RELEASE: The final integral ingredient in a perfect compression recipe, is the release timing. Instead of being granted a dedicated knob for this, Clean provides us with a simple three-position mini toggle. Flicked to the left, Clean’s release is a super speedy 50ms; center detent is a very relaxed 650ms; and rightmost, the release time is stretched all the way out to 1.5 seconds. Personally, I find the fast setting of only 50ms to be too quick for most applications, but the middle setting of 650ms a couple hundred milliseconds too slow. Thus far, I haven’t had occasion to use the 1.5 second release time.

Fortunately, we can adjust the compressor’s release time by scooting into Clean’s hidden settings. To accomplish this, just hold down both foot switches for a couple of seconds - the outer LEDs (left and right) will turn bright green. Take note of where the ‘Attack’ knob is set, because this is the same dial used for making user-adjustable release time changes. *NOTE: the release toggle MUST be in its center position for this to work. For a more reasonable release time of 200 – 300ms, I tune the dial to sit between 9 and 10 o’clock. Now, release the foot switches and return the Attack knob to its previous position.

Compression-dependent Effects

To be perfectly frank, it is my unbiased opinion that CB Clean is one of the VERY BEST compressor pedals available. Its ability to dish out delicious compression ranging from subtle, ‘invisible’ dynamics treatment all the way through to brickwall limiting, while maintaining the integrity of your instrument’s tone and character, is nothing short of amazing. Nevertheless, Chase Bliss has ingeniously conjured up a few captivating ways to employ compression as the ignition point to creating some very intriguing modulation effects. It would literally take another few (Word Doc) pages to detail everything that Clean has to offer, but here are a few of its stand out features.

Tremolo-esque Modulation: Unlike the typical volume oscillation commonly used for tremolo, I like to think of Clean’s offering as somewhat more of a harmonic tremolo. If you flip the ‘EQ Mode’ toggle switch to the right, this will engage Clean’s ‘Vibe’ modulation; the Attack knob will now double-duty as a tremolo rate control. Obviously, the ‘Dynamics’ and ‘Sensitivity’ knobs determine the intensity of the Vibe. Like many of the other user-adjustable parameters on Clean, I’ve found that values between 9:00 to 3 o’clock are useful; going outside that area of sweep really just takes you into weirdness territory. Then again, maybe you want to venture off into experimental territory? *Wink.

It’s salient to note here that Clean’s other Dynamic EQ mode, ‘Shifty’, is actuated when the EQ toggle is snapped to the left. Now, EQ adjustments are applied to any signal that falls BELOW the fixed threshold ceiling (aka ‘Sensitivity’). A good example of this would be to have some of the highs rolled off while softly vamping over a twelve-bar blues progression – you know, for a velvety, jazzy tone. But when you dig in and start playing more aggressively, the signal will rise above the defined threshold point, bypassing the low pass filtering. This means that the high cut will no longer be applied, allowing your full range of signal to power through unaffectedly. When you finish your loud solo, or stinging fill line, and return to more subdued playing, the EQ roll off will again become active.

Swell Modulation: Clean is highly capable of delivering good sounding auto swells. As per all things compression oriented, the ‘Dynamics’ and ‘Sensitivity’ dials determine the magnitude of the swell effect. By default, the pedal is configured to provide “on demand” swells by holding down the left foot switch (momentary mode). If this workflow proves to be somewhat awkward or inconvenient for you, you can just flip the mini dip switch marked ‘latch’ at the top of the pedal to “ON” (this is one of the blue coloured ‘Control’ switches). This way, the foot switches operate in regular, latched “Off or On” mode. In order to finagle customized swell timings, you’ll need to pop into Clean’s hidden settings by holding down both foot switches until the two outer LEDs turn bright green. The ‘Wet’ knob now functions as a “Swell In” control, ranging from 100ms up to a lengthy four seconds. Likewise, the ‘Dry’ knob stands in as a “Swell Out” button, again with timings spanning 100ms out to 4 seconds.

WET = Swell In | DRY = Swell Out

Physics Modulation: Clean’s physics modulations can be a whole lot of twitchy, glitchy fun. If you flick the ‘Physics’ toggle switch to the left, subtle wobbly movement is introduced – personally, this subtler mode of operation is my preference. The effect here is delicate and understated, but it has an impact on your performance that is more felt (or perhaps indistinctly perceived), rather than obviously heard. Toggling over to the right side, physics modulation becomes immediately noticeable through unstable, glitchy randomness that sounds kooky and a little bit weird, but in a delightful way. Mind you, the more you increase the ‘Sensitivity’ dial, the more your signal will glitch; too light a ratio (sensitivity) setting just means you’ll have a barely affected sound. Remember! Clean is a compressor, thus all its additional quirky corollaries are entirely dependent upon the degree of compression you dial in.

Stereo Spread Modulation: I think it’s safe to assume that most old skool gigging guitarists (and bassists) usually perform using a monophonic setup (guitar > pedals > amp). Notwithstanding, many contemporary players are integrating cool stereo systems into their live rigs – thanks in no small part to stereo-capable digital modelling amps and/or devices like IK Multimedia’s ToneX or Kemper Profilers. Although Clean works perfectly in a straight-forward mono framework, it is entirely capable of being a full on stereo contraption, or alternatively, it can take your regular old mono input and output the signal in stereo. To accomplish the latter, simply put the mini dip switch labeled, “MISO”, into the ON position.

Once again, let’s dipsy doodle into the hidden settings mode (press both foot switches until the two outer LEDs turn bright green). Once we’ve gained access to the hidden settings, we can assign either EQ modulation (Vibe/harmonc tremolo), or volume modulation (aka. Swell), or both Vibe and Swell to the spread routing. The assignment is made via the ‘PHYSICS’ mini toggle switch: Left = Vibe, Right = Swell (volume), Center = both. If you have a couple of amps placed a few feet apart, the resultant stereo spread modulations are totally vibe-y and trippy – you’ll dig it, I promise.

DUSTY: “Come on, baby, come on and dust my broom” (Elmore James).

Who’d a thunk it – a ridiculously clean, transparent compression powerhouse that can also double down as a respectable dirt pedal!?

“What’ chu talkin’ bout, Willis!?”

It’s true, y’all – I ain’t lyin’! At the top of the pedal, you’ll find the ‘DUSTY’ switch (it’s located at the far left of the mini dip switch strip). Flipping DUSTY to the ON position, unmuzzles Clean’s second stage limiter/clipper, allowing for all sorts of clipped, overdriven tom-foolery.

Clean’s dustiness is quite distinct sounding from most overdrive and/or distortion pedals. It doesn’t create a green-screamer kind of tone, yet it has a throaty, smoothly saturated quality about it that is very pleasing to the ear. At its more extreme, harder-clipped settings, Clean’s DUSTY mode puts me in mind of a vintage DOD 250 Overdrive or an original MXR Distortion+, but with fuller, richer tonality, and not nearly so grainy sounding.

Speaking of ‘DUSTY’ tone, obviously Clean’s efficient tilt EQ has a great bearing upon the end result. If you find your single coil pickups are a little nasally or brittle sounding, just roll off some of those unwieldy highs. Likewise, muddy humbucker splutter can be removed with a quick clockwise twist of the EQ knob.

DOD OD250 - Click to Zoom

MXR '74 Phase 90 - Click to Zoom

Unlike a dedicated overdrive-distortion pedal, Clean’s DUSTY feature can be a bit finicky to dial in, output-level wise. In order to get the clipping stage really cooking, it’s usually necessary to drive up the Dry and Wet knobs to 2 or 3 o’clock. Alas, this culminates in a substantial increase in output, with no easy way to reign it back in to unity gain level. As such, striking a good happy-medium between the ‘Sensitivity’ knob and the Wet and Dry knobs can be a bit of a balancing act. Nevertheless, after some experimentation you’ll be rewarded with some pretty cool overdrive tones. If you plan to use Clean’s DUSTY mode as a purposed overdrive/distortion effect on a regular basis, I strongly recommend that you save your favourite DUSTY setting to one of the two available preset switch positions.

A Few More Interesting Bits

Like I’ve already written above, it would take another number of pages to fully dissect all of Clean’s ancillary features, and put on display the myriad of use-case scenarios that you could fit Clean into. Still, here’s a quick summation of some of the pedal’s important, but not-so-obvious attributes.

Expression Control: Firstly, you can control Clean’s Dynamic, Attack, EQ, and Wet & Dry values dynamically with an expression pedal or CV device (Control Voltage). The range of controllable expression is determined by the minimum and maximum values you manually program in using the ‘Dry’ knob. *Don’t worry, the user manual shows you how to accomplish this.

Noise Gate: Clean also has a handy-dandy built-in Noise Gate that you can take advantage of. This will allow you to shut out hum, or other types of noise, when you aren’t actually playing. The Noise Gate is switched on by its respective mini dip switch at the top of the pedal – you’ll find it in the blue coloured ‘Customize’ group of switches. The noise gate’s parameters are set by yet again revisiting Clean’s Hidden Options. The ‘Dynamics’ knob will serve as the Gate’s Release control, while the ‘Sensitivity’ dial assumes Gate Threshold duty.

Sidechain Compression: Let’s say your band would like to implement the same kind of dynamics trickery than many recording engineers rely on to balance, or momentarily duck bass guitar out of the way when the kick drum hits. Or maybe you need a means of automatically lowering your output level while the keyboardist is soloing away in a Jerry Lee Lewis-like frenzy. Providing that any of the intended sources has a means of inputting audio signal into Clean’s 1/8” sidechain input, this is exactly the kinds of compression shenanigans that are possible.

Envelope Balance: Within Clean’s Hidden Options, the EQ knob functions as an internal sidechain filter. Do NOT think of it as an equalizer; rather, this parameter tells the compressor to ignore frequencies below a user-set delimitation. To clarify further, let’s say that you’re a bassist who doesn’t want Clean to be slammed by sub frequencies below 80 Hz, so that it won’t react quite so aggressively to lower notes. Invoking an Envelope filter point of 80 Hz forces the compressor to only react to frequencies ABOVE 80 Hz.

Please note that envelope balancing is applicable to both internal and also sidechain compression tasks.

Concluding Remarks

I can honestly say that out of all the compressor pedals I’ve used over the past 30+ years, Chase Bliss’s Clean is far and away the most powerful, customizable, and useful of them all. At it’s core, Clean is a super ‘clean’ VCA (voltage controlled amplifier) compressor that is remarkably adaptive and transparent. While it is certainly possible to make Clean’s signal processing obvious and bold, it gives you a long, long rope to try hang your sound with first – it’s not easy to make this pedal sound bad. Jus’ sayin’.

Some of the world’s most sought after mix bus compressors are VCA comps, such as SSL, G-Comp; API, 2500; Vertigo, VSC-3; and the Shadow Hills Dual. Thanks to Chase Bliss, ultra clean VCA compression, offering total control over ratio, attack, release, and threshold values, is fully at hand (or under foot) for the discriminate guitarist (or bassist, or keyboardist, or whomever). Given that Clean is so adaptive and configurable, it could readily be used as an outboard compressor within your home recording studio too – it most definitely is quiet and capable enough to fill this role. And too, because of its processing transparency and high headroom, there’s absolutely nothing preventing you from using Clean at the end of your pedal chain; as opposed to always placing it before most of the other pedals on your board.

Do not underestimate the ‘SAG’ feature. This Promethean element of Clean’s copious potential makes playing with clean tones “funner” and vibe-y-er. This innovative aspect of the pedal allows your clean (as in undistorted) lead lines to ebb and flow organically, much the same way that overdriven tube amps do. Honestly, I’m not trying to squirm out of accurately describing this feature; all I can say is that it behooves you to actually hands-on demo Clean for yourself at your favourite music shop.

5 out of 5 Stars!

:: Pros

Possibly the cleanest sounding, quietest compressor pedal on the market.
Excellent build quality – sturdy, all metal surface components.
Very well organized controls layout. Lots of doodads to tweak, yet it isn’t an overwhelming kludge.
Remarkable sound quality – ultra grade analogue componentry throughout.
Innovative, unexpected compression-driven modulation features (such as Vibe/Harmonic Tremolo and Stereo Spread FX).
MIDI capable.
Expression/CV controllable.
Sidechain capable.
The DUSTY feature allows Clean to hold down overdrive duties very respectably.
Digital implementation to facilitate presets management.
Two convenient on-board preset slots; the presets easily recalled with a simple toggle switch.
Attractive, eye-pleasing piece of kit.

I really haven’t any negative commentary to make about Clean; it’s an exemplary pedal in so many ways. However, in order to maintain an unbiased, fair overview of this spotlighted product, here are my ever-so-slightly neutralizing remarks. Feel free to take said remarks with a grain of salt though.

:: Cons

For a pedal that’s no larger than a typical BOSS stomp box, Clean does require a considerable amount of power (upwards of 300mA). Mind you, considering the enormous headroom and very high degree of processing quality that the pedal delivers, perhaps its hungry power requirements are unavoidable.
It’s petty of me, I know, but I would have liked to have found some anti-slip, peel n’ stick rubber/silicone feet in the box.
Not exactly a con, but the inclusion of a compatible AC power adapter would have been much appreciated.

<< Prev Review: Kiive Audio LunchBox Amp Plugin

>> Next Review: Chase Bliss Brothers AM Overdrive Pedal

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

Intellectual Copyright 2012 - 2025 All rights Reserved. This review may not be copied or reproduced in whole, nor in part, without express written permission from the author.

Kiive Audio LunchBox AMP Review (2023)

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 03:00:00 GMT

Kiive Audio LunchBox Review (2023)

Click for HD Image (opens in new tab)

LunchBox comes roaring out of your DAW with a growl and bite much larger than its compact silhouette might indicate that it is capable of. This fairly recent entrant into the world of in-the-box amp sims comes to us from Canadian producer/mixer/engineer/developer, Eddie Lucciola, and his impressive new company, “Kiive Audio”. Unlike large, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink suites, such as Overloud’s TH-U and IK Multimedia’s Amplitube, this amp sim somewhat follows Igor Nembrini’s solo amp examples in that it is a single, specialized amp accompanied by only a trio of essential onboard FX.

Kiive Audio doesn’t actually disclose what type of amp has been modelled here, other than it’s based on a British valve design from the 1960s. Judging by its handsome GUI though, I would assay it to be fashioned after a 10 watt VOX Domino, or something in that vein. Although the LunchBox is a small pony, it can do more than one trick – and it does them quite well. From clean jangle to raucous snarls, LunchBox delivers a very solid punch way above its weight class.

Kiive Audio is a new player on the digital field, coming to notoriety with the company's homerun smash, "Tape Face" - yet another take on the ever popular virtual Reel-to-Reel tape craze. The company is a small affair, comprised of Eddie Lucciola, Founder and Developer; and Pablo Ochoa, GUI Designer. Hailing from Canada myself, I can't help but hold a degree of pride in what this Canadian startup (Kiive Audio) has achieved since it began in 2020. Be that as it may, LunchBox can confidently step out on the world wide stage entirely on its own merits and impressive sonic properties.

At the time of this publication, LunchBox may be had for only $36.40 -- a huge 47% savings off the normal MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of $69.

In regard to platform compatibility, LunchBox is available natively for both Windows (Win 7 and later) and MacOS (10.7) in VST 2.x, AU and AAX plugin formats respectively. ** At the time of this publication, the plugin isn't available in VST3 format - at least not for Windows PC.

Of special interest, for a large portion of this review, I successfully had LunchBox running under wine-staging 8.13 within Kubuntu Linux v22.04 – no negative issues to report. I used yabridge to make the Windows VST accessible to my Linux-native installations of Reaper 6.8x and Tracktion Waveform 12.5.x with imperceptible delay, function loss, or performance degradation.

Authorization and Activation

Kiive Audio's software authorization/activation process is of the C/R (challenge-response) type. After you've purchased any one of their products, you’ll receive an email invoice listing your purchased products and respective download links. The links are temporary. If you need to re-download your plugins some time in the future, it will require you logging in to your Kiive user account. Unlike most online login processes, this one is a bit different in that you don’t use a combination of username and password. Instead, after you’ve submitted your email address, a customized one-time-only login link will be sent to your registered email account. Click the link you receive in the email and you’ll be automatically logged in to your user account. All in all, it's an unobtrusive activation method that doesn't seem to require periodic "phone home" licensing checks after activation. There doesn’t appear to be any type of offline activation available, so if you keep your DAW machine offline, this might pose a difficulty.

Don't worry, if you need to check for updates or re-download your plugins, you just go through the same steps noted above to get a fresh, new, one-time-only login.

At A Glance

This charming plugin is easy on the eyes and genuinely a pleasure to look at, greatly due to its clear layout and unpretentious presentation. Here we enjoy a mediumly subdued colour palette featuring a sand-taupe foundation augmented by an earthy, burnt orange-ish hued background, and muted, cranberry-like accents. The entire graphical design shows off tasteful, artfully-crafted 3D-esque protrusions, lighting effects and texturing. Overall, the plugin’s facade is of the photo-realistic variety, yet there is plenty of 3D-modelled styling to keep things visually interesting.

LunchBox’s GUI has base dimensions of approximately 930px x 650px, but it can be downsized to 75%, or upscaled by as much as 150%, ensuring that it will accommodate HD screen resolutions with ease. For anyone using 4k resolutions (or higher), a higher resizing factor of 200% or greater would probably be even more advantageous.

LunchBox presents one of the slickest, most intuitive user interfaces that I have ever seen on an amp sim plugin. Everything is laid out perfectly, with only the necessary parameters and controls to manage. The UI is free of any confusing or superfluous doodads that could potentially prove to be distracting, making for a super speedy workflow. Much like using a physical guitar amplifier, there are limited, but expected Gain and EQ knobs to tweak.

Speaking of the knobs, they operate fluidly and seem to have been well programmed to attenuate smoothly without being the least bit fiddly or herky-jerky. If you shift-click on any of the knobs, you can type in a specific value. Double clicking on any control resets it to its default value, as does alt-clicking (Option-click on MAC).

Click to view HD image (opens in a new tab)

The Appointments

There’s a capable 3-band parametric EQ on the amp’s faceplate, along with an oh-so-important active presence control. All of the tone controls default to 0dB at their straight up, 12 noon positions. Both ‘Low’ and ‘Mid’ range from -10dB to +10dB, but things begin to diverge a little hereon. The ‘High’ band sweeps from -10dB to +18dB, whilst the ‘Presence knob scales from -10dB to +8dB.

There is a substantial 30dB of AMP input gain primed and raring to go. The ‘Gain’ knob can get snarly pretty fast – by the time you reach 10 o’clock, even a squeaky clean single coil signal starts to break up. Keeping the gain knob set to 9 o’clock or lower, and compensating with higher ‘Master’ volume settings, will produce lovely, clear tones reminiscent of typical clean VOX and clean Marshall-esque sounds. By the way, the Master volume provides a maximum of +12dB of "power amp" output.

Down along the bottom of the GUI we’re accorded a tidy panel of simple controls to facilitate global plugin configuration. On each side you’ll find input and output dials – each of these can be set between -20dB to +20dB. You have a choice of three cabinet IRs onboard – these being a Marshall-like 4x12 selection, a decidedly VOX resemblant 4x12 cab, and a Mesa Boogie 2x12 offering. Alternatively, one can bypass the built-in IR engine entirely and enlist any other external IR loader such as Two Notes’ Torpedo Wall of Sound or Redwirez's MixIR. Oversampling options are conveniently available, variable from 2x up to a whopping 16x!

LunchBox Bottom Panel (amp view)

From right here on the main screen you can enable or bypass each of the three included ‘stomp boxes’. To actually adjust the FX, simply click on the ‘Stomp Box’ button. This switches focus from the main amp view to a gorgeous, pedals-on-the-floor perspective. Herein we’re provisioned with a very basic pedal arrangement consisting of a Klon lookalike (overdrive), a Delay unit, and a Room reverb. I have to give full 100% marks and Top-of-the-Class Kudos to Pablo Ochoa (Kiive's graphics designer) for the superlative visuals. Why, you'd swear it was your Grandmom's dinning room carpet that you're looking at on the Stomp Box page!

LunchBox Stomp FX - Click to View HD Image (opens in new tab)

Personally, I think it would have been apropos if the reverb pedal emulated a spring reverb, instead of a simple room/ambience effect. The room reverb should be retained, but placed elsewhere - perhaps moved to the global control panel on the bottom of the amp page?

Although the previously mentioned Input and Output volume controls do their jobs well, there isn’t, unfortunately, any form of signal metering or a clipping indicator. A pair of handy-dandy ‘Undo/Redo’ buttons is on deck, rounding out the amp page appointments.

Some might argue that a simple amp sim doesn’t require a built-in preset manager -- I beg to differ. While it’s true that one can rely on their DAW’s preset management system to save plugin settings, that methodology does not address the need of moving from one DAW (or host) to another; and being able to instantly and conveniently recall a previously favourited configuration.

Mr. Lucciola, with respect, I strongly recommend that you implement a preset manager into a (hopefully soon forthcoming) update, sir. . ."

How Does It Sound?

To my ears, Kiive Audio has definitely hit a strong 3rd base run here. Eddie Lucciola has done a commendable job of creating a highly convincing VOX-meets-Marshall Plexi amp sim. LunchBox’s clean and low gain tones are indeed very reminiscent of the beloved chime-y liveliness that VOX valve amps from the early 60s had become so famous for. Conversely, there is more than enough snarly gain on tap to take any rocker well into grunge, hard rock, and even classic metal territories. This amp sim is a faithful nod to classic tube amps; it really isn’t intended to be a Triple Rectifier stand in, so it isn’t best suited to djent or modern metal.

Tonally, there is a very wide sonic spectrum on offer here. Not only are the amp’s parametric EQ bands extremely variable, but the built-in cabinet IRs each contribute considerable tonality differentia as well. This amp sim has a genuineness about it that is gratifying, and it responds nicely to playing dynamics and pick attack. I especially like LunchBox for its edge-of-breakup, low gain and crunch tones - this is the sonic category in which it seems to excel. The upper mids and highs are generally pleasant without sounding unruly or rude -- unless you deliberately hype them. On the other hand, the low mids will turn tubby and overtly resonant quite easily if you aren't careful. The bass too, can get much too woolly and boomy if you don't scale the lows back by 3 to 6dB (possibly more depending on pickup type/position and IR selection). For this reason I don’t consider LunchBox to be well suited to modern metal or other musical genres where a tight, controlled high gain low end is absolutely necessary.

The low end woof and rumble is most profuse whilst playing through the MES 2x12 IR, where you’ll also quickly observe a rather mid-scooped profile. As such, I’ve found that cutting the lows by 6dB or 7dB, and boosting the mids by 3 or 4dB, results in a really good, full-bodied single coil tone (IE. Strats and Teles).

Click to View HD Image (opens in new tab)

Low mids (350 – 700 Hz) are most resonant and obvious when you’re using the VOX 4x12 Cab IR (BRIT VX 4x12). Keeping the low and mid knobs dialed back while bumping up the high and presence controls, makes single coils sing sweetly while still barking out low notes with authority.

Click to View HD Image (opens in new tab)

I was pleasantly surprised by the Marshall cab IR (BRIT MRS 4x12). I deem most vintage Marshall cab IRs to be rather boxy sounding in the mids and wooly on the low end. That is not the case here. This one comes across as the most evenly balanced sounding of the three onboard IR choices. As a blanket statement, the Marshall cab seems to pair with humbuckers more amiably than its VOX and MESA cousins do. Notwithstanding, thanks to the versatility of its 4-band parametric EQ, LunchBox can be tweaked to sound good with just about any guitar.

Click to View HD Image (opens in new tab)

A couple of very convenient and helpful features that Igor Nembrini has slipstreamed into most nearly all of his Nembrini® amp sims, is built-in high and low pass filters, and a basic noise gate. Alas, these handy amenities are nowhere to be found in the LunchBox plugin, so here’s hoping that Kiive Audio will implement them in a future update (an update, not a v2 paid upgrade . . . ahem). Where this is a fairly straightforward amp sim, and since basic filters and noise gating are some of the less challenging DSP bits to code in, I really don’t consider this to be an unreasonable expectation.

The onboard FX sound very good, if not limited in scope. I would like to see them be a bit more tweakable though. For instance, while the Echo pedal sounds lush and dimensional, it’s hard coded to be a ping-pong effect; it can’t be reconfigured to function as a simple (non ping pong) delay. Nevertheless, one of my favourite ways to exploit the Echo, is to dial in a short, slapback delay with a subtle wet mix of 12 to 15%. This trick results in a really wide, double-tracked type of sound that can indeed be very useful in many musical applications.

The “Klon looking” overdrive does reproduce somewhat convincing Klon-ish properties across some of a typical electric guitar’s frequency range, but it isn’t as even-toned or well-balanced as an actual Klon pedal or Klon clone is (Eg. Rocket Archer or Wampler Tumnus). The overdrive is not as mid-bumped as an Ibanez Tube Screamer, but to my ears, it does suffer from a bit of raspy, nasal tonality. The EP OD cuts lows a bit more than the actual hardware would, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, since this amp sim does have copious amounts of low end in reserve. I was really eager to try out the onboard ‘Klon’, but my hopeful excitement ebbed to moderate acceptance rather quickly. I’m not saying that the overdrive is bad – it’s actually quite decent. However, it is my considered opinion that if a developer is going to release a plugin that has a “Klon looking” component in the fray, they had better make double dog certain that their plugin accurately reproduces that famous, unmistakable Centaur tone. Jus’ Sayin’.

The third onboard FX is the ‘Roombience’ reverb. It’s an acceptable room-meets-plate reverb effect – it isn’t bad, but neither will it WOW you. Used judiciously, Roombience will add some pleasant ambient space to your guitar signal, but you “get what you get” with it. There are zero parameters to tweak other its wet/dry mix, so if its long-ish decay and overall EQ curve doesn’t fit your project’s needs, you’ll not be able to modify it in any way.

Generally, this amp sim does produce very cool, satisfying sonic flavours. Pumping a Les Paul through the BRIT MRS 4x12 cabinet IR using medium gain settings, dishes up some very sumptuous Marshall Plexi styled zest. I would prefer that its breadth of clean tones were a little more varied – it gets crunchy mighty fast. I appreciate the distinct properties of each of the three built-in cab IRs, but I am puzzled as to why Kiive Audio didn’t include an AC30 2x12 type of cabinet IR. Quite frankly, I would expect a VOX 2x12 configuration to be the default speaker choice in an amp sim of this type.

Lastly, there is a peculiar, unexpected anomaly exhibited by Kiive Audio’s implementation of oversampling in this plugin, in that the plugin’s output level rises quite dramatically as the oversampling multiplier is incremented. I’ve not experienced this particular irregularity in any other plugin – amp sim or other. While this isn’t an absolute deal-breaker, one must bear it in mind, so that any mix that you might be using LunchBox in, doesn’t suddenly go out of whack if you happen to change the level of oversampling. I recommend that Eddie L. put LunchBox back up on the bench so that he can fix this oddity as soon as possible.

Concluding Remarks

All in all, what LunchBox has to offer is tasty, and makes for a great musical snack, but I honestly feel that there’s room for improvement. A few additional functionary appointments would take this plugin from merely being a good ‘snack pack lunch’ to being a solid, full portion meal. A quality SPRING reverb emulation, high and low pass filters, a noise gate, and an AC30 2x12 cabinet IR would round this plugin out perfectly. It also wouldn’t hurt to have more user control over the FX. For example, having configuration options available to change the Echo from being a stereo ping-pong to a straight ahead delay would be much appreciated; as would having control over the reverb’s decay time.

Something that LunchBox has going for itself, in spades, is that it is extremely CPU and RAM friendly. Even when it’s set to 4x oversampling, LunchBox consumes less than 1% of my i7-10700 CPU (Reaper @44.1 kHz, 64 samples). Its memory requirements are nice n' light too. Even older i3 laptops shouldn't have any problem running a few simultaneous instances of this VST (or AAX).

>> Click here to visit the LunchBox product page <<

Here's a brief video to let you hear the different cabinet IRs and EQ range on a low gain setting.
I used my 2016 Fender FSR Telecaster in the bridge position.

Here's another short video presentation to quickly demonstrate the onboard FX. I used the same guitar clip for this demonstration. The amp was setup for a clean, "barely break-up" tone. I apologize for the few crackles - it is not the fault of the plugin. The crackling seems to be some sort of glitchy interaction between my Audient iD24 WDM drivers, Windows WASAPI, Reaper 6.81, and my screen recording software.

4 Out of 5 Stars

:: Pros

Cool, attractive, easy-to-use interface – scalable and 1080p/1440p compatible.
Excellent edge-of-breakup, low gain and crunch tones.
Nice clean tones are possible too, but there’s not a lot of wiggle room – it gets crunchy quickly.
Very CPU and RAM friendly.
Easy, unobtrusive authorization and copy protection.
Affordable - especially at the current price of $36 (as of the time of this publication).

:: Cons

The three built-in cabinet IRs are good, but the omission of an AC30 2x12 type of cab IR is a pretty serious oversight on Kiive Audio’s part.
It would be more beneficial to the user if there were a greater degree of control over a few important FX parameters, such as reverb decay time and delay type. I’d also recommend that Kiive Audio revisit their “Klon lookalike” overdrive and bring it closer to actual Centaur tonality.
Adjusting oversampling should definitely NOT change the plugin’s output level - this really ought to be addressed right away.

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>> Next Review: Chase Bliss Clean Compressor Pedal

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

Intellectual Copyright 2012 - 2023 All rights Reserved. This review may not be copied or reproduced in whole, nor in part, without express written permission from the author.

Audient ID24 USB Audio Interface Review (In Depth, 2023)

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 21:19:05 GMT

Audient ID24 Review (Definitive, 2023)

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The Audient iD24 is one of Audient’s most recent additions to its illustrious “ID” line of USB audio interfaces, boasting well above average sound quality, functionality, and reliability. This attractive, stylish studio-grade accessory provides a very well appointed surface layout and a convenient, easy-to-use software mixer control panel. Although this exciting piece of kit doesn’t have the “MkII” moniker appended to its name – such as the flagship iD44 MkII has - it may certainly be considered a second generation unit by cause of it benefitting from all the same technological advancements that its MkII iD brethren do. In essence, the iD24 replaces its highly regarded predecessor, the iD22.

Right out of the gate, I’d like to make it clear that one may consider the iD24 to be of the higher tiered, prosumer calibre, far out classing any average consumer-grade USB audio interface. Examples of the latter would be devices such as Focusrite’s Scarletts, Presonus’ Audiobox line, Steinberg’s entry and mid range UR series, and similar. Mind you, thousands upon thousands of home producers get along just fine with Scarletts and Audioboxes; and too, let’s not forget that their cost of entry is considerably less than that of the iD24. Notwithstanding, the build quality, functionality, feature set, and over-the-top, pristine audio quality inherent in Audient’s 2nd gen iD series of USB audio interfaces far exceeds that of typical consumer-grade gear.

So, just how much of an expenditure is required to obtain this piece of metal-encased audio luxury? Well, dear Reader, you needn’t hold your bated breath in trepidation. As of the time of this publication, the iD24 retails at Sweetwater, in the USA, for $399 USD. Here in Canada, Long & McQuade sell the iD24 for $549 CAD. Back home in the UK, our British neighbours can purchase one for £295 GBP at Andertons. As a point of reference, a Forcusrite Scarlett 4i4 may be had from Sweetwater (USA) for $259 USD.

Tech Spec Highlights:

The iD24 operates at 24-bit and supports sample rates up to 96kHz, but its internal 32-bit architecture ensures optimal audio quality way above its 24-bit pay grade.
Amazing ADC and DAC converters are on tap! It is very possible that Audient have crafted the quietest, most efficient converters to be found in any audio interface with a price tag south of $1500. Advanced circuitry of this kind guarantees that the iD24 delivers remarkable signal-to-noise ratio, high headroom, and a very wide dynamic range (DAC = 126 dB, ADC = 122 dB).
Deluxe, console grade Class-A preamps -- the exact same preamp type found in Audient’s high end mixing consoles, such as the ASP8024-HE.
Industrial grade Amphenol combi XLR - ¼” connectors. These provide both balanced XLR (Mic) connections and also line-level signals (such as produced by keyboard line outs).
An honest-to-goodness discrete JFET high Z instrument input that closely mimics a typical tube amp’s (clean) input.
Two sets of balanced ¼” TRS send/return inserts for patching in outboard hardware (such as compressors, EQs, deEssers, and etc.).
USB-C Bus powered, based on the USB 3 framework (*The actual transfer rate is still within USB 2.0 specifications though).
Physical console-like function buttons such as Cut, Dim, Mono, Talkbalk, and Phase Invert (*some of these functions require assignment via the iD mixer control software). There are also sturdy mini toggle switches (per channel) to enable 48v phantom power, a -10dB pad, and 80hz high pass filtering.
ADAT (S/PDIF compatible) TOSlink ports to facilitate channel expansion for up to eight additional mic preamp inputs.
There is 58dB of (extremely low noise) input gain available, and a supremely low THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) level of only 0.0015 percent.
Incredible low latency, real-time analogue signal monitoring - typically, live analogue signal monitoring (cue mix) is experienced at latency timings LOWER than 0.4 milliseconds!

** For the full list of iD24’s specifications and product details, feel free to visit the product’s home page. A link will be listed at the bottom of this page.

Cross Platform

Like most audio interfaces on the market, this one is perfectly at home on both Windows (versions 10 and 11) and OSX, beginning with macOS 10.13.6 (High Sierra) up to 13.x (Ventura). Both Intel and Apple Silicon CPUs are supported.

Here’s a special announcement to my fellow Linux enthusiasts. Although Audient really doesn’t advertise the fact, iD24 is more or less a USB class-compliant device; meaning it works swimmingly on contemporary builds of Linux. For example, this interface has been working a treat for me on my Kubuntu 22.04 LTS system (with both the 5.15 kernel and also the recently released 6.2 kernel). How unfortunate it is for we Linux users that Audient doesn’t officially support the open source community, nor do they develop a native Linux driver (and accompanying Mixer Control Software). As such, the iD24’s advanced routing options and extended features are frustratingly inaccessible in Linux. Nevertheless, all core functionality works flawlessly (for me), and while being handled by the Jack Audio protocol, latency timings are lower (IE. faster) than they are in Windows using iD’s official driver – perhaps as much as 20 or 25 percent lower!

At A Glance

The iD24 comes across as a sexy, modestly-sized block of premium metal fabrication. It exudes an understated air of class and sophistication, arrayed in an elegant smoke gray finish that can’t help but dress up any potential suitor’s studio desk or console. Perfectly spaced dials, switches and luminescent buttons are tastefully laid out over its highly accessible top surface. Smooth, frontal curves beckon an onlooker’s appreciative gaze, leading one’s eyes to continue admiring the equally attractive straight lines along the chassis sides. Subtly curved corners are seen all around, giving the unit a graceful, chic carriage. A set of sleek (*almost centered) 8-segment LED ladder meters and a discretely-placed USB connectivity indicator alluringly complete the iD24’s top panel.

Click to Zoom (new tab)

The chassis shape is most nearly flat and rectangular, having a barely perceptible incline from front to rear. Although the top-mounted controls and overall appearance do bear a negligible similarity to Universal Audio’s, “Apollo Twin”, the iD24 is much flatter -- unlike a UA Apollo, it is not wedge shaped.

Precisely flush-mounted I/O ports are conveniently located on the front face, providing ready access to a JFET High Z mono preamp input on the left, and a pair of stereo headphone outputs on the right – one of which is a 1/8” mini port. Whilst the pair of headphone ports share the same output circuit and a single volume control, they do provide a means of handily allowing two people to monitor output signals simultaneously.

Audient has outfitted the back panel of the iD24 with a full complement of I/O connectivity options. Here, the discriminating professional will be delighted to find a few outstanding appointments that aren’t typically seen on most consumer grade USB audio interfaces. These being:

A pair of ADAT ports to extend input capacity up to 10 channels (via an appropriate hardware addon, like an EVO SP8).
Two sets of preamp inserts to facilitate outboard signal processing hardware (such as compressors, deEssers, and equalizers).
A BNC wordclock output.
Four balanced outputs, providing two stereo pairs, plus the ability to alternate between them on the fly, AND with alternate speaker volume compensation when necessary.

On the rear panel, from left to right we have a USB-C port, a set of TOSlink ADAT (S/PDIF compatible) ports (In and Out), a BNC Wordclock connector, a quad of ¼” balanced TRS outputs, and a pair of high quality Amphenol combi inputs, flanked by their respective ¼” balanced TRS send/return inserts. Oh oh! Audient has omitted traditional MIDI DIN connectors here, which will surely be a perfunctory disappointment to those who regularly rely on traditional MIDI workflows and connectivity.

Click to Zoom (new tab)

What’s In The Box?

The iD24 comes snugly seated in a sleek, sturdy cardboard box. There’s nary a twinge of wiggle room; a couple of accessories are fitted in neatly and securely as well. Thankfully, a six foot USB-C cable is included along with a simple, but adequate, quick start booklet. It’s a simple affair void of superfluous marketing fluff or case candy, but customers are provided with a tidy little starter kit of additional software via online registration. The iD24’s moderately high price tag does NOT entail an impressive, all encompassing software bundle, but there are a few appreciable bits parceled in. These being:

2 GB of free samples from Loopcloud.
Arcade Loop Player by Output.
Torpedo Wall of Sound speaker-cab simulation plugin by Two Notes (limited version with 8 free cabs on board).
Cubase ™ LE DAW and Retrologue 2 (vintage analogue-style soft synth) from Steinberg.
PPG Wave 2™, drum module Attack™ and filter D-pole™ from Waldorf.
M-Tron Select by GForce®.
3 free online course by, “Produce Like a Pro”.
‘Originals: Cinematic Pads’ by Spitfire Audio.

It is my honest opinion that the included software bundle is somewhat underwhelming. In all fairness though, Audient aren’t selling a software bundle here; in actuality, they’re selling a superb USB audio interface with which they have thoughtfully bundled a few bits of handy music software. Although the software collection is modest, there certainly is enough caboodled in to enable new music creators to get underway without having to open up their pocketbooks even wider. I doubt that experienced producers and/or enthusiasts will be elated by any of the bundled ‘lite’ software bits, since those folks most likely already own one or more full version Pro DAW licenses. The same can be said of the included virtual instruments and plugins – the bundled free ‘Lite’ plugins will potentially wet a newcomer’s appetite for the respective uncrippled, paid variants.

I’m grateful that Audient ships a good USB-C cable with the iD24, but I honestly feel it would be all the better if they were to also include a decent USB-C to A cable to facilitate USB 3.x slots. After all, not everyone has USB-C ports on their computers; some computers only have one C port. To give an example, the z490 motherboard in my production PC has but a solitary USB-C port onboard. It’s understandable that Audient chose to make a C port the connection du jour because of the iD24’s relatively high power requirement (higher than USB 2.0 can reliably deliver). Just the same, a USB 3.1 BUS can also provide enough juice to power the iD’s energy needs.

Build Quality:

Build quality here is second to none! The iD24 is housed in a super solid, all metal chassis that is definitely road worthy while also serving as a very effective heat sink -- keeping the internal components safely cooled. Absolutely everything about this unit feels strong, sturdy and tight – you won’t hear any rattly bits shifting around if you give it a good shake. Excluding the luminescent push buttons, all of the knobs and switches are made of metal and yield a robust, firm tactility. Each of the three smaller dials (two input gain knobs and a headphone volume control) feel smooth and tight, offering a pleasant, oily resistance and fluid range of rotation. The eye-catching, large rotary volume control graduates smoothly, but does so with subtle, yet definite detents. Alas, this dual-purpose dial** is of the endless encoder variety, meaning it doesn’t have physical start and stop points like a typical potentiometer has.

** Dual purpose in that the volume knob can be assigned to scrolling functions within compatible software – for example, I’ve used it to scroll up and down in Reaper’s track arranger.

The function buttons (ID, DIM, CUT, F1, F2, F3) are composed of some sort of plastic material, but they certainly don’t feel cheap or flimsy. With the exception of the Wordclock BNC connector, all of iD24’s I/O ports are also made of a durable plastic-resin; again, these are very well fitted and don’t feel the least bit weak or fragile. Inserting a plug into any of the I/O jacks results in a solid, reassuring click; the inserted plug is held fast with a snug, secure fit. Finally, the interface will grip your desk securely thanks to its foursome of rubber-silicone, anti-slip feet -- not to mention, it weighs the better part of 2 lbs (almost 1 kilogram).

Driver Installation and Performance:

The driver installation process was easy-peasy for me. I simply downloaded the most recent device drivers from Audient’s web site and installed them (easily located by clicking on the ‘Downloads’ link on the product’s home page). The drivers and incorporated mixer software utility are quite small, topping in at only 22 MB, so the download and subsequent installation was quick and snappy. After the initial driver installation, iD’s driver app notified me of an available firmware update which also executed quickly and easily. I then rebooted my PC just for good measure . . .
After my system rebooted, I was off to the races with nary a glitch or hiccup of any kind.

As a matter of fact, these drivers might just be the most stable USB audio drivers that I have ever worked with. When using other brands of USB audio interfaces (you know . . the red ones, the blue ones, and others of their ilk) I’ve often experienced freezes, glitches, stutters, and general driver buggery. I’m absolutely thrilled to report that this is not the case with Audient’s iD24 drivers – these are obviously well coded and carefully scrutinized by the company’s Quality Assurance personnel.

The fastest, lowest latency USB audio drivers that I’ve had on my system were those by ESI-audio - accompanying their U86 XT and U168 XT units. Unfortunately, ESI’s drivers could be finicky and quirky from my own viewpoint. Although I don’t personally own an RME device, It’s safe to say that RME’s drivers are touted to be the fastest and most stable USB audio drivers on the planet. Be that as it may, you’ll need to pony up $1400 USD, or more, in order to realize said speed and stability. The Audient drivers aren’t quite as speedy as ESI-audio’s, but they are on par (speed wise) with Focusrite’s Gen 3 Scarlett drivers – which is certainly a respectable degree of latency for any USB interface.

I generally keep my sample rate set to good ole fashioned 44.1 kHz, with a buffer setting of 64 samples. These settings consistently deliver an input latency of 2.9 ms, output latency of 3.4 ms, and an audio return trip time of 7.89 ms. The virtual instrument processing time is even quicker, measuring only 6.93 ms. Bumping the sample rate up to 48 kHz drops the audio return trip time down to 7.67 ms, and blasting it up to 96 kHz lowers RT to a blazing 6.3 ms. These are very respectable and satisfactory latency values for a USB audio interface. Where the Audient USB audio drivers distinguish themselves and pull way ahead of their competitors, however, is with regard to their exemplary stability and reliability. You know the old adage, “You get what you pay for” . . . Well, part of paying for a more premium audio interface, such as the iD24, happily results in premium driver performance and stability too. Jus’ sayin’.

Appointments & Functions:

I’ve already notated the iD24’s main physical features, but it’s important to shine a proverbial spotlight on a few of the unit’s accoutrements. Firstly, the rotary control knobs are fabricated of hand-milled aluminum – there’s nothing cheap or common about them. Although the mini toggle switches used for activating 48v phantom power, -10dB pads, and 80 Hz high pass filtering are diminutive in stature, they are decidedly solid and hardy, made of honest-to-goodness metal. When you flip one of these little babies, your fingertips are rewarded with a satisfying, tight-feeling snap. When you press a function button, such as the dedicated Dim or Cut buttons, these too feel sturdy and substantial under hand. Moreover, when their assigned functions become activated, the buttons glow with a bright, luminescent blue light. Functional and purrrdy – what more could one ask for?

Speaking of the function buttons, let’s quickly take a closer peek at their purpose(s). There are three dedicated buttons: ID, Dim and Cut. The ID button reassigns the large volume dial for use as a scroll wheel within compatible software**. Dim will lower audio output by a pre-determined amount. By default, it seems to be around a 6dB – 7.5dB volume reduction, but neither the web site nor the downloadable user’s manual disclose the actual value. In any case, by bringing up the iD control software and viewing the “System Panel”, you can tweak this setting to best suit your own needs. (View > > Show System Panel). The third button is labeled, “Cut” - this one completely mutes audio output.

** For the record, there are four mainline DAWs that support Audient’s ‘ScrollControl’: Ableton Live, Cubase/Nuendo, Pro Tools and Logic Pro.

Moving along to the right side is where you'll locate the three F-Keys (Function Buttons). Buttons F1, F2, and F3 are user-programmable doodads that allow you to activate a number of monitoring functions from within the iD Software Mixer. For example, I’ve configured F1 to trigger the ‘MONO’ function, and I’ve set F2 to swap phase polarity.

I’m very impressed with the console-like, hands on accessibility that the iD24 provides. For good measure, all of the physically exposed functions are also available within the iD Mixer Control software, plus a few that aren’t actionable on the hardware itself. My, but isn’t this a wonderful juncture to cleverly segue into the software side of things . . .

The iD Mixer Control Software:

By default, an iD control icon will be added to your Computer Operating System’s task tray during driver installation. Double clicking on the icon calls up the iD Software Mixer, whose colour scheme visually matches the hardware unit perfectly. Although this isn’t a resizable GUI, its proportions are large enough to pleasingly accommodate my 24” monitor @1920 x 1080p resolution. Within the iD software, you’ll find four menu categories: File, View, Setup and Help.

File menu grants access to saving and loading user-saved mixer setups.
View lets you toggle the various input types, and the System Panel (for assigning F-Key button functions, manipulating DIM values, and other editable bits). The System Panel is also where a user can wrangle up CUE mix routing, Alternate speaker level compensations, DIM amounts, and general signal routes.
Under the Setup menu you can adjust sample rate, buffer values, clock source and loopback source.
The Help menu is where the iD knowledge base can be accessed from, where you can check for firmware updates, and where driver version identification is listed.

iD Software Mixer Control - Click to Zoom

The iD Software Mixer features three types of input channels: Microphone, Digital and DAW Returns. Each of the input types can be revealed or hidden by clicking on its respective small toggle located in the upper right corner of the iD Mixer GUI.

As one would expect, Mic inputs display incoming signal activity from iD24’s two analogue inputs. The Digital inputs receive optical signals; where the number of digital inputs shown is dependent on the digital input type (S/PDIF or ADAT) and the sample rate being used.

NOTE: The iD24 can host up to eight additional preamp inputs, but only at sample rates of 44.1kHz and 48kHz – the allowable number of additional inputs gets halved at a sample rate of 88.2kHz or higher.

DAW Returns are the signals being played back from your DAW. The iD24 has six DAW Return channels, allowing you set up multiple cue mixes or sends to outboard gear.

Each iD Software Mixer channel hosts a handy assortment of super convenient, console-like controls. These being: a nice long throw fader, a +10dB boost switch, Pan, Phase flip, Solo, Mute, **Stereo Group and a snazzy, tall multicolour signal meter.

** Stereo Group allows you to group two adjacent channels into a single stereo channel with a single fader controlling the level of both channels. When a channel is stereo grouped, the pans will automatically be set to hard left and hard right.

In the Mix section, you can select either of your independent CUE mixes and adjust their levels or solo them.

In the lower right corner of the Mixer UI is where you’ll see a neat grouping of six monitoring controls: TB (Talkback), Phase flip, Mono, ALT (for selecting an alternate set of speakers), DIM (reduces the output level by a preset amount) and CUT (mutes the output). As I’d mentioned before, TB, Phase flip, MONO and ALT can all be assigned to any of the three available F-Key function buttons (F1, F2, and F3).

A flexible talkback system is neatly tucked into the fray as well - you’ll find it on the System Panel, accessed from the ‘View’ menu. Obviously, either of the two analogue microphone inputs can be relegated to talkback duties, or any attached ADAT mic input. But where Audient have taken things even farther into convenience-ville, is that you can opt to use any ole USB or built-in gadget that you might have on hand. For instance, your laptop’s built in mic, a USB mic, or even a USB webcam mic can be drafted into talkback service. This is a very unique implementation, and demonstrates both ingenuity and consideration on Audient’s part. If you aren’t in a position to enlist additional mic pres through an ADAT addon, you can still make use of the talkback system without hobbling one of the two analogue mic channels - just go ahead and use whatever else you have at your disposal.

Audient has also ingeniously devised a modern content-creation component into the iD24 called, “Audio Loop-back”. Audio Loop-back gives you the ability to capture playback from multiple applications on your computer simultaneously in real-time with your live microphone signals! Such a non-typical feature as this lets you create a custom audio feed that can be sent to streaming software, like OBS. This cool, less-than-common integrant of the iD24 is aptly suited to contemporary content creators, podcasters and streamers. Audio Loop-back is also sure to be a prime benefit to educators and presenters, or anyone else who frequently prepares instructional videos.

Sound Quality:

Everything I’ve shared with you thus far about this audio interface hopefully gives you the impression that it is truly a finely crafted and feature-laden small studio ‘must have’. Nevertheless, as magnificent as iD24’s build quality is, as remarkable as its tactile appointments are, regardless of how stable the drivers and Mixer Control Software are, none of these attributes would be enough to take the iD24 across the finish line if its audio properties weren't up to snuff -- the quality of sound must of the same echelon. Agreed?

Hooray!
The fact of the matter is; audio quality IS the iD24’s most impressive attribute!

I’ve been duly impressed with my Presonus, “Quantum 2” thunderbolt audio interface since I picked it up at Long & McQuade in early 2022. It too boasts really impressive technical specs and very, very good sonic performance. Notwithstanding, as soon as I started playback of my most familiar pro reference tracks through the iD24, it was as if my monitor speakers were gloriously born again! I was immediately enthralled with the clarity, definition and dimensional sonority that was being emitted through my studio monitors.

My go-to studio monitors is a set of ESI-audio UniK 8+ speakers (Feel free to check out my Unik 8+ review here). To my ears, the iD24 paired with a good set of studio monitors (such as the UniK 8+), delivers an aural experience that possibly reaches beyond its designers’ intent. Else, Audient knew exactly just how good this circuit design was, but decided to bless the production community with it anyway – this device far out classes its modest monetary ticket.

The bass and low end are deep, but very well defined and never unpleasantly boomy. Midrange frequencies come through clean and articulately without suffering from a nasally honk or muddiness. The highs are exquisitely reproduced with crystalline openness, but never sound fizzy or unnaturally hyped. The iD24 presents the listener with a very detailed and well-defined sound stage. Stereo separation and auditory panorama are presented accurately and articulately. Suffice it to say, the iD24 bestows upon its users a truly flat, uncoloured frequency response. This, coupled with its outstanding signal-to-noise ratio and higher than average dynamic range, makes the Audient iD24 an audio engineer’s delight. At the higher sample rates of 88.2 kHz and 96 kHz, this titillating little audio wonder will doubtlessly satiate even the most demanding audiophile’s sonic appetite.

Headphone output is good here - not “headphone amp” great - but, certainly better than being merely adequate. Truth be told, cranking the headphone gain knob past the 2 o’clock position makes ‘phones monitoring uncomfortably loud for me. I listen through a faithful pair of 32 ohm Sennheiser HD-280 Pro headphones.

I have a nifty little passive monitor control gizmo from ESI-Audio called, “MoCo”. One of MoCo’s handy features, is its ability to route two different input sources to a single set of speakers. As such, I was able to quickly switch between my Quantum 2 and the iD24 during some very focused listening tests. Admittedly, there wasn’t a huge, night-and-day difference between them, but in my honest opinion, the Audient unit definitely came out on top by a 5 to 10 percent margin. Keeping things in perspective, the Presonus Quantum 2 used to retail here in Canada for just a sneeze under $1000. The iD24 retails for $549.

I’ll never part with my Quantum though – it does sound really, really good, and the speed of its drivers are absolutely amazing! The latency values with my Quantum 2 (thunderbolt) are LESS THAN HALF of what the iD24’s drivers can achieve – or any other USB audio interface for that matter (except maybe an RME Babyface?).

My solution? Quantum 2 for tracking and preliminary mixing – iD24 for more detailed mixing and mastering tasks. Oh, and for ALL vocal takes – the iD’s preamps are to live for!

Click to see full-sized image

On the topic of input signal character, Audient’s award winning, Class-A preamps are unequivocally the best you’ll find in any audio interface under $1500 (maybe even $2000)! You need never be concerned about whether or not these incredible preamps have a broad-enough, workable frequency range. These preamps can capture signals that extend far beyond the human hearing spectrum - they subsonically reach as low as 10 Hz, and can soar all the way out to a stratospheric 40 kHz!

As an aside, one can choose to bypass the unit’s built-in preamps by simply connecting an external mic preamp into one of the analogue channels’ insert return ports. This allows you to use an outboard, tube-driven, “colourful” preamp without relinquishing the benefits of Audient’s stellar 32-bit converters – it’s a win-win! Notwithstanding, I can’t foresee anyone wanting to bypass these magnificent preamps under normal circumstances.

The front-mounted (discrete) JFET High Z instrument input is hardwired to operate on analogue channel 1. While in use, this input takes priority over channel one’s rear combi connection. I’ve tested it with various guitars, ranging from single coil Strats n’ Teles to my humbucking Gibsons and Epiphones. I’ve found Audient’s claims to be spot on – it really does closely mimic the sort of response and characteristics that one would expect to find on a good tube amp’s (clean) input. There’s an indefectible je ne sais quoi about this tantalizing appointment that eludes simple description. When I initially perused the iD24 spec sheet, and read that this dedicated instrument input was a JFET component - one that inferred a tube amp-like responsivity - I was concerned that it would be difficult to record pristine, clean guitar and/or bass signals through it. Thankfully, these were not my findings at all. On the contrary, this input is very clear and defined; possessing a liveliness and richness that seems to capture guitar and bass better than the bog standard high Z inputs found on most consumer-grade audio interfaces. Audient, I’m sold!

CPU & Memory Consumption:

Even though this is a hardware item we’ve been taking a look at, let’s not forget that there is indeed a certain amount of CPU reliance that must be figured into the equation. Generally speaking, I find the Audient software drivers to be quick (low latency), reliable, and joyfully light on CPU and memory. Just how joyfully light, you might ask? On my Windows 10 x64 system (i7-10700 w/ 32GB of hyper speed RAM), the Audient iD app consumes 0% CPU at idle, and a minuscule 2 MB of memory. In direct comparison to my old Scarlett 2i4 or Presonus AudioBox 44VSL, the iD24’s driver efficiency is notably better.

Concluding Remarks:

I’ve enjoyed spending a lot of "quality time" with this desirable little audio vixen. Overall, I continue to be tremendously impressed with its features and performance. That said, there are a couple of neutralizing remarks that must be made to keep things fair and balanced.

First, the meters only display output signals. There isn’t any type of input level indication on the hardware itself – nada, zero, zilch. My Presonus Quantum 2 LED meters display both input signals and output signals simultaneously. Sorry, Audient – I really admire you, and your gear, but this painful lack of input level metering is a serious FAIL.

Second, there’s no input signal activity or clipping indicator. Sheesh! Even my 12 year old 1st gen Focusrite Scarlett had this feature built in. Again, this is a critical oversight on Audient’s part, in my honest opinion.

I appreciate having two headphone ports on the iD24, and I do understand that Audient most likely intended this to be a convenience rather than a spotlighted feature. After all, having both ¼” and 1/8” jacks at hand eliminates the muss n’ fuss of fishing around for that oft misplaced headphone jack adapter. However, I can’t help but muse about how nifty it would be if each port had its own volume control, and could maybe even be divvied up for separate cue mixes. Then again, perhaps that’s a carrot reserved for luring 'wasscially wabbits' over to Audient’s iD flagship: the iD44 MkII. *Wink.

Are these few unenthusiastic bemoanings enough to ultimately dissuade one from being pleased and impressed by the iD24? No, of course not! That’s why I reserved my nettled comments for the end of this review. All is not lost. As long as you’re using the iD Mixer Control Software, you will enjoy viewing a nice large input metering display. Heck, it might even make for more accurate, finer adjustments – so long as you don’t mind it taking up a substantial amount of screen-estate. Of course, producers who have a dual monitor setup could easily move the iD Mixer to its own monitor . . .

Nah! We want blinky lights and input metering on the hardware itself; don't we, gang!?

I’ve not experienced a single, solitary driver freeze or hardware crash using this device – trust me you, I've put it through its paces and then some. I’ve tested it thoroughly using Studio One (versions 5 and 6), Samplitude Pro X Suite (versions 5, 6 and 8), and Reaper 6.81. Each of those DAWs snuggled right up to the iD24 and successfully romanced it to no end - who knows what little songs might show up in 9 months . . . ahem. ASIO (latency) performance here is nearly on par with that of the ESI-audio “XT” line, which means it’s pretty darn zippy for a USB audio interface. Best of all, the drivers have proven to be stable and reliable – even under high CPU loads and large track counts.

Without hesitation, I recommend this audio-interface to anyone who is serious about audio quality (I mean, really serious). The superior preamps alone pretty much justify the iD24’s moderate, prosumer-level sticker price. Guitarists and Bassists will laud the sensational JFET instrument input. Having such a staple of console-like functionaries physically at hand is a workflow enhancer that just can’t be beat. Once you get used to professional features like these, you really, really don’t want to ever return to a more typical audio interface topology.

>> Click here to visit the iD24 product page <<

4.5 Out of 5 Stars

:: Pros

Outstanding build quality.
Industry leading 32-bit converters – above average headroom and extremely low noise.
Attractive, well laid-out top panel and perfectly arranged controls. This one yields a very console-like, hands on workflow.
Superior sound quality and flat frequency response.
Industry leading Class-A preamps.
High output and multi speaker capable.
Class compliant – works well in Linux (unfortunately, no native Linux drivers and no Linux version of the iD Software).
Simple and intuitive to configure.
Very respectable latency timings – super solid and reliable drivers.
Nice Mixer Control Software – intuitive and easy to use.
Audio Loop-back will rock a YouTuber’s world.
Talkback, just like the big boys have in pro studios - even with a simple USB mic.
It is quite convenient to have two headphone outputs, even if they do share the same circuit and volume knob.
It pretties up any desk – it’s kinda sexy lookin’.

:: Cons

No input metering.
No signal or clipping indicators on the unit itself.
It would be nice if there were also a USB 3 port on the iD24, or at least a USB-c to USB-a cable included in the box.
The complimentary software bundle is ok and will certainly enable newcomers to get up and running, but it’s not going to dazzle experienced producers.
The omission of traditional MIDI DIN connectors might be a deal breaker for some, especially those who work with vintage synths and other types of MIDI-connected devices.

<< Prev Review: Straight Ahead Samples' Atomic Big Band Horns Review

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

Intellectual Copyright 2012 - 2023 All rights Reserved. This review may not be copied or reproduced in whole, nor in part, without express written permission from the author.

Straight Ahead Samples' Atomic Big Band Horns Review

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 06:58:42 GMT

Straight Ahead Samples, Atomic Big Band Horns Review (Deep Reveal, 2023)

“Atomic Big Band! The Horns” is an exciting big band horn section available exclusively in the perennial Kontakt sample library format. This inspiring ensemble is comprised of 13 instruments: 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, and 5 saxophones. Of special interest is the sizzling lead trumpet and lead trombone. Exhilarating and complex horn arrangements can now be part of any DAW project much easier than one might suspect. Screamin' ensemble tuttis and ripping solos that come across with indefectible realism are finally possible too!

The most exciting and innovative feature of this powerful, bombastic sample library is Straight Ahead Samples’ new “Smart Delay” – an advanced AI scripting mechanism that ‘looks ahead’ and automatically makes intelligent articulation changes to recorded midi data; facilitating incredibly realistic-sounding performances. Multiple microphone setups and tonnes of stylistically-correct articulations are all caboodled into the fray as well.

Atomic Big Band is not a whimsical novelty; rather, it is a hard hitting, potent horns ensemble that champions an entirely new approach to horn sampling, and showcases itself as a specialized solution aimed straight at Big Band, Jazz, Funk and Pop productions. If you’re looking for mellow, emotive brass tones, or cinematic flavours, you’d be better off looking in the direction of something like e-Instruments, “Valves”. On the flip side, if you’re in need of exciting, assertive horns dripping with character and ferocious tone, this one will fit the bill consummately – especially if you’re looking to achieve the MOST realistic horn performances possible with a Kontakt library!

SA Samples’ Atomic Big Band Horns ring-a-ding-dings the til at a moderately dear MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) of $495 US buckaroos -- in other words, it’s not cheap. If you’re just a curious samples hoarder, then this sample library might seem to be a little too steep for casual purchase. If, however, you’re in the market for a serious powerhouse that can handle Big Band, Jazz, Pop, Rock and upbeat Blues with ease, and can also effectuate blistering solos, then you should definitely check this one out! Mind you, when you take into consideration that there are 13 individual instruments crammed in, all highly playable on their own, this calculates to only $38.50 per horn.

It’s pretty much a given within the contemporary music producers’ community, that Native Instruments’ Kontakt has become the all time de facto sampling format. It’s been 21 years now since Kontakt made its debut (as of the time of this publication), and it has continuously evolved and matured; so much so that it is not merely an option — it has become the primary sampling platform worldwide. Kontakt provides scripting and programmatic advancements that no other sampling engine currently on the market comes even close to achieving. Fortunately for us, innovative and doggedly-determined developers like Straight Ahead Samples (SA Samples hereafter), capitalize on Kontakt’s enormous potential, and craft nifty, niche instruments such as: Atomic Big Band! The Horns.

Atomic Big Band is not of the featherweight variety – it weighs in at a stout 17 GigaBytes. While seventeen GB is not a negligible amount of data, there are many triple-A-grade sample libraries reaching sizes of 50 GB, or greater, nowadays. Personally, I tend to favour sample sets that only require moderate storage capacities. Many home producers are using laptops, so having disk space ample enough to house gargantuan sample libraries is no trivial matter. Trying to keep up with larger and larger sample sizes means one must have multiple terabytes of speedy SSD (Solid State Drive) storage at hand; after all, trying to work with 50 GB+ sample libraries on a mechanical hard drive is neither efficient nor enjoyable. SSD prices are dropping to more reasonable figures these days; nevertheless, there is certainly a substantial cost to be taken into consideration if you’re thinking of increasing/upgrading your available disk space. I applaud SA Samples for keeping ABB’s size within acceptable proportions. Not only does ABB sound great, and offer sublime performance realism, but it does so without demanding inordinate disk real estate.

Authorization and Activation

Once a customer purchases Atomic Big Band, they’ll receive an email invoice listing their newly acquired serial number. The license code succours dual purposes. Firstly, one must register their code into an active Pulse account and subsequently download the requisite files with the Pulse application. Where this is a full-fledged Kontakt Player-licensed product, it must also be authorized in Native Access using the same license key. The good news is, even if you don’t own a full version of Kontakt, you can use this sample library with zero limitations in Native Instruments’ free Kontakt Player.

Please note: Kontakt 6 v6.71 is the base version requirement: this applies to both the full version of Kontakt and Kontakt Player.

The Pulse app is technically a bulk downloader, product updates manager, and noninvasive copy protection mechanism all conveniently rolled into one. If you ever need to re-download your purchased sample files sometime in the future, it won’t be a problem. Native Access works along these same lines, but there is one major difference between it and Pulse – Pulse distributed apps do not suddenly dissapear and become inaccessible after a period of time.

In Native Access, many of NI's older products (Eg. Komplete 7/Komplete 8 Pianos Collection) are not listed anymore, so if you lost the original installation files, you'll likely have a tough time getting a hold of them again. Mind you, some of the deprecated NI instruments can still be downloaded if you are lucky enough to find their obscure links on Native-Instruments’ web site . . .)

Andrew Aversa, founder and lead developer at Impact Soundworks, had this to say about Pulse Downloader:

This process invisibly watermarks your copy of the purchased product (regardless of format - Kontakt, VST, HISE, etc.). This is an extremely lightweight form of piracy protection that has literally 0 impact on the end-user as it takes milliseconds to perform and doesn't affect performance in any way. IMO, it's far superior to methods like dongles or always-on DRM that can be quite intrusive.”

Lastly, SA Samples is very quick in their response to bug reports. The company works diligently to upstream updates via the Pulse delivery system as quickly as they can.

What’s on Tap?

“Atomic Big Band! The Horns” is comprised of thirteen individual instruments – these are:

Atomic Lead Alto Sax
Atomic Alto Sax 2
Atomic Tenor Sax 1
Atomic Tenor Sax 2
Atomic Baritone Sax
Atomic Lead Trumpet
Atomic Trumpet 2

Atomic Trumpet 3
Atomic Trumpet 4
Atomic Lead Trombone
Atomic Trombone 2
Atomic Trombone 3
Atomic Bass Trombone

Obviously, the word, ‘Lead,’ in a couple of the instruments’ titles denotes that those particular selections are well suited to soloing or lead melody playing, but quite frankly, I’ve found that all the Atomic horns fare well in those roles. That said, the Lead Trumpet and Lead Trombone each possess that extra bit of “X” factor that does indeed edge them out to front chair positions.

Each instrument serves up a heaping portion of tasty, appropriate articulations; many of them common to all thirteen instruments, Eg. Doits, Falls (short & long), Scoops, Flops, Crescendos, Half & Whole step Trills, Gliss runs, Half step Bends, along with your expected legato, staccato, forte seasonings – you’re gonna jus’ love the trumpet shakes and the trombone hairpins! Since the various horns live in differing octave ranges, their respective note ranges and keyswitches occupy varying regions of a standard eight octave keyboard. For those who will be composing with a 61 key midi controller (or smaller), you’ll likely need to transpose your keyboard down by an octave or two at times. Notwithstanding, there is a very strong cohesion and continuity throughout the entire package.

As satisfying as it is to have superlative, distinct choices ready for use, Atomic Big Band looms biggest, boldest and badass-iest when it’s employed as an ensemble. Thus, there are six thoughtfully-organized NKMs (Native Kontakt Multi-instruments) on hand, where each instrument is designated to its own midi channel. The multis on offer supply Sax, Trumpet and Trombone sections, along with a few all rounders: 70s Pop Horn Trio, Pop Horn Quartet, and Modern Funk Horns.

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Getting To Know The Band Members

Each ABB instrument bears the identical appearance and similar graphical appointments of its band mates: these being a crisply contrasted white on black motif and eye-catching tangerine accents (or maybe they’re peach coloured?). There are three Options pages for configuring an instrument’s relevant parameters: Performance, Sound and Control.

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:: Performance

The “Performance” page grants control over basic play style options, where items such as Vibrato, Staccato triggering (by velocity), and Long Scoop triggering (by velocity) can be toggled on and off. Dynamics may be regulated by key velocity or mod wheel movements. The trumpets and trombones are accompanied by a full roster of very cool-sounding mutes too – these are selectable from the ‘Mute Select’ drop down menu.

:: Sound

Scooting on over to the “Sound” screen is where we find a reverb switch, and a solitary rotary knob for dialing in the wet/dry balance of the luscious, on-board convolution reverb. And lemme tell ya, this is a really nice sounding reverb, y’all! There are four microphone channels to work with: Close, Tape, Room and Bleed. One may prefer to use any single channel on its tod, or a combination thereof to set up a soundstage tailored to their liking. Although the mic channels are more or less presented as stereo pairs, the individual samples themselves are all monophonic. This makes panning and positioning much easier in a typical mix.

It is recommended that you use either the ‘Close’ OR the ‘Tape’ channels, rather than trying to combine them. Attempting to combine these two might result in phasing issues. This is by cause of both configurations using the same original samples. There is a major difference between them, however. In the case of the ‘Tape’ channel, the original samples are not merely being processed by Kontakt’s built in tape saturation effect; rather, the samples were fed through an honest-to-goodness physical 1” (one inch) tape machine and ‘re-recorded’.

:: Control

Lastly, the “Control” page is the area where a user can tweak certain parameters – most notably the ones that are actionable on the performance page. Under the Miscellaneous subsection, you can enable trumpet mute key switches, and assign them to a keyboard region of choice. Here too, ‘Long Scoop Speed’ can be set, thereby modifying the time it takes for scooped notes to reach their intended pitch. This is obviously important where tempo accuracy is concerned.

Is this just more of the “Same Ole, Same Ole”, being huckstered via Clever Marketing?

Some netizens have expressed a degree of skepticism about whether SA Samples has simply reused previously released samples, or if this package is a whole new deal.

I assure you that “Atomic Big Bands! The Horns” is built from the ground up using new, dedicated samples specific to this product – no reused “leftovers” are being served. Furthermore, in regard to the multiples of saxes, trumpets and trombones, not only was each horn individually sampled, but they were each played by different musicians. The company made a public blog post to address this concern. Feel free to read their encouraging response here:
https://www.straightaheadsamples.com/post/what-s-the-difference-between-birth-of-the-trumpet-and-the-trumpets-in-atomic-big-band

Over the considerable period of time that I’ve invested into this review, I’ve enjoyed corresponding infrequently with SA Samples’ co-founder and primary public relations representative, Trey Pollard. I’ve found the man himself, and SA Samples the company, to be genuine and sincere. On the whole, SA Samples puts a great deal of emphasis on maintaining a high bar of musical integrity in every single product they develop. For instance, you won’t hear sample loops in ABB! The developers chose instead to use honest-to-goodness real (unlooped) samples throughout.

This is what Trey Pollard from Straight Ahead Samples, said to me on the subject of sample-looping:

Long notes are as long as are realistically possible to play. At fortissimo, it takes TONS of air to play, and our whole philosophy of sampling is that if a real player can't do it, the samples shouldn't either. In general, I don't like sampling things unless I can give the user a complete version of that sound. Take a sax for example, a couple of growl sustains isn't helpful at all if you can't connect them to the notes before and after them. (Side note: we are working on a sax library that will entirely provide that growly, blues-y, Texas tenor type sound). ”

In my experience, SA Samples does its utmost to provide timely, effective customer support (as best as a small company possibly can). You will often see the company engaging with the public, and responding to questions and concerns on a few internet forums. Over the 12 years since Reviewer Revival’s inception (est. 2011), I can attest that SA Samples is one of the most straight forward, down-to-earth companies that I have had the pleasure of interacting with.

What Is “Smart Delay”

“Atomic Big Band! The Horns” dramatically distinguishes itself, and in some crucial ways, far outclasses any other horn ensemble library currently available. This is due principally to the elaborate Smart Delay technology that’s built in. SA Samples has ingeniously created a deeply refined, highly evolved scripting mechanism that smartly interprets midi notes, and accurately implements thousands (yes, thousands) of appropriate connecting notes and other hard-to-define embellishments.

Without divulging any trade secrets, suffice it to say that the developer extracts a myriad of articulations, note lengths, transitions, and idiosyncratic characteristics, from actual performances that have been fastidiously captured in specially controlled recording environments. By Trey Pollard’s own admission, “This level of realism is only achievable when a real (professional) musician is really digging in to what they are playing. That's the key to it all.”

I think it’s safe to say that many of us wind up spending a considerable amount of time and effort, tweaking and editing our midi-recorded brass and horns parts after the fact. Post production midi editing is not a bad thing, nor is it an unreasonable expectation. After all, how many of us are proficient trumpeters, saxophonists, trombonists, and et cetera, and have a large collection of these instruments on hand, and have the requisite environment to practice, play and record said instruments?

In all fairness to some of SA Samples’ competitors, it is certainly possible to create quite realistic-sounding horn sections with many of the other Kontakt libraries on the market. For example, I’ve enjoyed good success by utilizing e-Instruments’, “Session Horns Pro”, and/or “Chris Hein Horns Complete” in a number of projects. I’ve also wrangled up some convincing horn arrangements by taking advantage of Impact Soundworks’ auto chord multis in their “Straight Ahead Jazz Horns” package. Nevertheless, I don’t rely on those sample libraries to create ultra realistic, attention-grabbing musical focal points; instead, I incorporate them into my projects as complimentary instrumentation elements: they do a bang up job of delivering authentic-sounding pads, swells, stabs and ornamental phrases.

Virtual instruments have come a long, long way over the past couple of decades, thanks to developers constructing their sample sets with multiple velocity layers, round robins, keyswitches and KSP scripts. Notwithstanding, well-trained ears can still oft times hear the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) differences between real and sampled performances.

What if there were a next-generation, innovative sample library that could finally make it possible to use horn samples in a decidedly more sophisticated, primary role -- without them sounding programmed and ‘midi-ish’?

Enter Atomic Big Band and Smart Delay!

Smart Delay is an absolute Rock Star! I’ve become enthralled and fascinated with the unrivaled degree of realism that this component generates. Here’s a super simple breakdown of how to use Smart Delay:

First, play in your desired midi phrase(s) and/or segments. Don’t worry about trying to toggle any desired keyswitches in real time – simply play the necessary notes.

Next, manually nudge out-of-time notes into place or apply quantizing to the pertinent midi clip(s).
Third, enable ‘Smart Delay’ on all applicable ABB instruments, and move the relevant midi clip(s) BACK by four quarter note beats on your DAW project’s timeline.
Finally, rewind your DAW’s playback cursor to a couple of measures preceding your newly composed midi clip(s). Hit, ‘play’, and prepare yourself to be more than a little amazed. Atomic Big Band and Smart Delay really does make it this effortless to take simple midi input, and turn it into a highly convincing, lifelike performance!

Smart Delay analyzes the notes you’ve played, and (dare I say) intelligently applies human-like performance decisions such as scoops, staccatos, and subtle pitch variances to an otherwise uninspiring composition. Under the hood, a stupendous number of fine details and performance embellishments - that are elsewise impossible to execute, or program by hand - will dynamically be put into operation. As a matter of fact, ABB draws from a collosal pool of 2000 variations PER PITCH to effectuate this heretofore unheard of level of realism.

Of course, you can further exploit the enormous power of Atomic Big Band’s ‘Smart Delay’ feature by diving into to your DAW’s piano roll/midi editor, and manually penciling in some of ABB’s tasty keyswitches. Go ahead, I double-dog-dare you to stretch some of your midi notes out, and add a few well-placed fall, scoop, hairpin, or gliss run articulations to the composition – you’ll be absolutely stunned by the veristic results! Smart Delay makes use of a truly unprecedented number of note variations; I can’t emphasize enough, just how far beyond simple round-robining and legato transitioning this goes.

The Big Debate: Sampling vs Modelling

Most brass and woodwind libraries share a common (negative) attribute -- they lack a sense of intentionality, particularly when playing melodic or solo instrumental lines. SA Samples’ new, trailblazing sampling technology solves this problem to a very significant degree. Arguably, most modelled and semi-modelled virtual instruments do fare better than their sample library counter parts, specifically as regards versatility, velocity range and expressivity. Be that as it may, most modelled VIs still can’t reproduce the kinds of realistic timbres that Straight Ahead Samples' libraries can.

I am not aware of any other [sample library] undertaking that has even attempted to solve the issue of connecting notes in such a fluid, lifelike way. Many sample libraries feature extremely well polished samples. I don’t doubt that the players who were sequestered to perform said samples, played their respective instruments superbly. Those same sample libraries host an extensive array of correct articulations and a huge cache of round robin samples to boot. Where most libraries do fall short, however, is that they just present you with loads of keyswitches, but leave it up to you to try connect the notes authentically. SA Samples is the first developer to tackle this elusive issue of moving from one note to the next, and making the notes come out sounding fluidly connected — and one hundred percent BELIEVABLE. In this regard, “Atomic Big Band! The Horns” far outshines any other sample library that I know of.

Ok, But How Does It Sound?

To my ears, Atomic Big Band’s individual instruments all sound great – they swiftly go into the extraordinary category when ‘Smart Delay’ mode is employed. I commenced this review firmly orientated in ABB’s real time mode because I wanted to establish a strong, accurate sense of how the raw samples sounded, without being distracted by Smart Delay’s wizardry. It didn’t take long for me to deduce that each instrument sounds positively first-class! Each one dispenses husky, even-balanced tone throughout its respective range. You won’t hear any wimpy, anemic tonalities here. Most importantly, all of Atomic Big Band’s horns sound really, really, ‘REAL’! The samples don’t sound as though they were hastily recorded and subsequently ‘fixed’ in post production. On the contrary, these samples genuinely sound like bona fide, superbly captured performance pieces.

This library is far better suited to the more energetic side of things, than it is to soft, delicate applications. That’s not to say that ABB can’t be somewhat subdued and gentle when necessary, but that’s not really its forte. By my observation, ABB’s instruments all share one particular, unmistakable earmark – sonic authenticity! There’s a naturalistic, difficult-to-define purity about them that by and large, seems to elude many other sample libraries of its kind.

Remember I wrote earlier about the four mix channels found on each instrument’s Sound page? By default, only the ‘Close’ mic is activated, and yes, the close mic’d samples are seriously good. However, blending in generous amounts of Room and Bleed signals will open up the sound stage immensely, and take things to a whole other level.

The instruments will veritably jump to life and produce some decidedly ‘horn-y’ excitement (horn-y as in saxophones, trumpets and trombones – Oh behave, reader!).

Loads of character and vibe-y-ness will leap out of your speakers with an effervescence and liveliness that must be experienced first hand to be properly understood. There’s full-bodied, vibe-y tone, and pizzazz in spades while playing in Atomic-ville!

Now on to a bit of measured critique. . .

I haven’t confirmed my guesstimations with Trey, but it seems to me that there are generally two or three actual (physical) velocity layers reserved for each sustained note, per instrument. I guesstimate that the wide range of perceived dynamics changes heard in real-time mode, are being actualized via Kontakt scripting, rather than by triggering multiples of physical, velocity-layered samples. I’ve double (and even triple) checked my findings using both Mod Wheel and Key strike velocity modes. In both modes, I detect a mellow toned sample being enlisted for lower velocities, and a brighter, more aggressive-sounding sample coming into play for the higher velocities (specifically with regard to sustained articulations). So then, it seems to me that there are but two physical velocity layers allotted to each sustain-articulated note.

I distinctly hear the (sometimes abrupt) sample differences when I repeatedly play a note with short, staccato-like key presses, while slowly adjusting my keyboard’s mod wheel (from soft to loud). It should be asserted, however, that this anomaly is imperceptible when making dynamics adjustments whilst holding a legato or tongued note. Volume transitions are much more seamless when you’re making dynamics adjustments to a sustained, held note.

I was slightly dismayed (at first) when I noticed that ABB instruments also lack round robin samples where sustained articulations are concerned: these being the Legato, Tongued and Forte-piano inflections. I do perceive a few round robins being cycled when staccato and staccatissimo articulations are in use though. I suspect that the same is true of the other ornamental articulations as well. Again, these conclusions are derived solely in relation to real-time circumstances. As I’d pointed out previously, there is a ginormous pool of 2000 note variations, PER PITCH, that ABB draws from while ‘Smart Delay’ is in operation.

I have one, and only one, major complaint against ABB – there aren’t any “growls” on call in the Atomic Saxophone libraries. What?! No growls?! I deem it to be not only apropos, but very necessary, that a sample library of this nature have growl articulations in the scrum. While it’s good that SA Samples has a “Texas-blues”, roadhouse type of solo Tenor Sax library in the works, it is my firm conviction that at least one of the Atomic Tenor Saxophones should have also included growl articulations. Sure, a dedicated solo sax library devoted to the Texas Blues genre will be laudable and (hopefully) lucrative for the company, but in my considered opinion, it really doesn’t excuse the sore lack of sax growls in this collection.

A Nuts n’ Bolts Perspective

On the topics of velocities and dynamics, I can assure you that volume (dynamics) changes are appreciably varied and smooth in ABB. But, to my ears, most of the work is being done programmatically, as opposed to large numbers of sampled velocity layers being streamed from disk. REMEMBER! These findings are demarcated to real-time functionality only, and are not applicable to ‘Smart Delay’. While my neutralizing comments about the scantness of round robins and physical sample layers in ABB’s real-time mode might come across as uncomplimentary, it isn’t at all my intention to be overtly negative. My distinct impression of Atomic Big Band is that it really isn’t purposed for use in real-time mode -- beyond playing in the requisite notes needed for your arrangement. The magic happens when performance duties are carried out by ‘Smart Delay’.

I could be way off base here, but my understanding of how SA Samples’ intends this library to be used, is for a user to divide their workflow into two distinct processes. The first step is to input a melodic or compositional part without worrying too much about articulations and keyswitches. After your notes have been recorded, quantize or manually nudge them, and then pass the performance and styling responsibilities over to the (mostly) automated Smart Delay. Where it used to be a daunting challenge to cajole convincing performances out of most other horn sample libraries, it has now become much, much simpler to accomplish because of “Atomic Big Band! The Horns”.

Concluding Remarks

I sincerely hope that this rather contemplative, and peering inspection of “Atomic Big Band! The Horns”, will help you develop an appreciation for just how revolutionary and relevant this sample library is -- especially in regard to Pop, Jazz, Blues, Funk, and other non-orchestral production needs. At the end of the day, when you combine first-rate sampling quality, with a staggering number of note variations, and unprecedented, highly evolved scripting, you come away with an altogether brilliant sample library that greatly exceeds every other product of its kind.

>> Click here to visit the Atomic Big Band! The Horns product page <<

4.5 out of 5 Stars

:: Pros

SMART DELAY! No competing sample library comes remotely close to achieving the degree of lifelike performance and realism that “Atomic Big Band! The Horns” is capable of.
Compared to the traditional way of working with horn samples, only minimal effort is required to create legit-sounding compositions.
Straight Ahead Samples doesn’t ignore bug reports – updates are upstreamed through the Pulse delivery system as quickly as possible.
Well designed, uncluttered user interface that’s easy to understand and use.
Pureness and authenticity – no looped samples, and no fake sounds.
Absolutely drenched with vibe-y-ness and character.

:: Cons

I’m not sure if the lack of round robins and multiple physical velocity layers in Real-Time mode is a “con”, but it would be nice to have just a little bit more on this front.
It’s somewhat pricey. This sample library is a niche product and does what other libraries can’t do, but it does require some financial deliberation to acquire it. You do get a LOT for your money though.
It would kick things up a couple of BIG notches if the Atomic Saxes were capable of “growls”. I’m still muttering under my breath about this one . . .

Interested in Getting Better Acquainted with SA Samples?

CLICK HERE to read an exclusive interview with Straight Ahead Samples' mastermind, Trey Pollard.

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

Intellectual Copyright 2012 - 2023 All rights Reserved. This review may not be copied or reproduced in whole, nor in part, without express written permission from the author.

Wave Arts Panorama 7 Review (2023)

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 22:57:46 GMT

Wave Arts Panorama 7 Review (In-Depth, 2023)

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Wave Arts Panorama 7 is a virtual 3D spacial panning plugin; one that promises to deliver realistic 3D audio positioning that goes way beyond typical binaural panning. Wave Arts purports that their new virtual acoustics processor can produce highly realistic auditory scenes via 3D audio and acoustic environment modeling technologies; thereby simulating the acoustics of sound propagation in real spaces.

The biggest news being heralded by Wave Arts regarding Pan 7, is the exciting, new “position sequencer”. This can be used for trajectory automation and beat-synced musical effects (automated uber 3D panning, as it were). The sequencer works by panning the sound along a set of trajectory way points. Another interesting feature that has been reinforced in Panorama 7 is its implementation of boundary reflections. Theoretically, the listener will more strongly perceive changes in the simulated environment’s early room reflections as the sound moves throughout its virtual space. Although this was introduced as far back as version 4, the feature is now high-lighted and more easily accessed.

This seventh iteration of Wave Arts’ (WA, hereafter) long-standing acoustic-ambiance processor is the first Wave Arts plugin (of hopefully many) to be released with a sumptuous, high resolution, dark-themed interface – complete with resizing options to boot! As of the time of this publication, I see that WA’s MultiDynamics 7 has also been recently unveiled sporting a similar high res frontage – fingers crossed that all of Wave Arts individual plugins and bundled suites will be given equal treatment.

Even after a brief play with Panorama 7, I quickly realized that this is not just a fanciful toy, but rather, a complex and niche plugin that will prove to be useful in various mix scenarios. As such, it is reasonably priced at $129 (USD) MSRP, but may be had for as little as $25 if you are a license holder of Panorama 6 ($75 to upgrade from version 5). Considering that this plugin provides sound positioning and panning features that are impossible to achieve through typical DAW panning, or even with 3rd party panning plugins, the price tag is well justified.

Wave Arts announced Panorama 7 to be the “Definitive 3D spatializer”. Pan 7 pledges to work well on typical stereo loudspeakers; just as it does on headphones. That’s a bold claim to make when competing products, such as Dear Reality’s “DearVR Pro”, occupy the same type of retail space (pun intended). I’ve had contact with Wave Arts founder and lead developer, Bill Gardner, since 2016. In all that time, I’ve never found the gentleman himself, nor the Wave Arts company, to be even remotely accusable of resorting to ‘snake oil’ gimmickry or hyperbole. That said, if Wave Arts makes such a bold claim about Panorama 7’s ability to impress our auditory senses, it certainly bears looking into.

In regard to platform compatibility, Panorama 7 is available natively for both Windows (Win 7 and later) and MacOS (10.11 El Capitan or later) in VST, VST3, AU and AAX plugin formats respectively.

Of special interest, for a large portion of this review, I successfully had Panorama 7 running under wine-staging 8.9 within Kubuntu Linux v22.04 – no negative issues to report. I used yabridge to make the Windows VST and VST3 accessible to my Linux-native installations of Reaper 6.x and Tracktion Waveform 12.5.x with imperceptible delay, function loss, or performance degradation.

Authorization and Activation

Wave Arts customers have not one, but two methods of product activation to choose from: C/R and iLok. Firstly, WA’s own server-client, challenge-response system requires naught but a one-time internet connection to initially activate the plugin on your computer. You can then keep your system offline, if you so choose; the plugin will function indefinitely without ever needing to periodically “phone home”. Wave Arts’ C/R authorization grants licensing on 3 devices. Alternatively, two iLok protection slots are available per license as well.

Overall, WA’s challenge-response mechanism works well, but as of the time of this publication, there doesn’t seem to be any user-friendly means of managing activations for yourself. For example, if you’d like to retire an activation on your old computer so that it can be transferred to a new (or different) system, you can’t do so within your user account on the Wave Arts web site. There is a “Deregister” menu option within the plugin itself. Nevertheless, you will need to contact customer support at some point, especially in the case of a system failure – you can’t “Deregister” a plugin on a non-functioning computer.

In all fairness, the Wave Arts company is very quick to respond to customer care issues, and customers are treated with utmost respect and understanding. This speaks well of the company, but still, it isn’t the most convenient way for a customer to manage their own purchased licenses. PreSonus, Arturia, AudioModeling, Modartt, and many other companies, now provide this sort of control. The lack of user-level license governance certainly isn’t a deal breaker, but hopefully WA will set up a self-care license management system on the their web site in the not-too-distant future.

What are HRIRs?

It’s safe to say that Panorama 7’s efficacy is largely due to the plugin’s utilization of head-related impulse responses (HRIRs). This technology is akin to speaker cabinet impulse response captures and convolution reverb IR recordings, but considerably more technically involved. The distinct difference between typical speaker cabinet IRs (Impulse Responses) or stereo ambience IRs, and head-related-impulse-responses, is that HRIR responses are measured on full spectrum, 360 degree panoramas as opposed to simple monophonic or stereo recordings. Obviously, this is why Wave Arts has aptly named its plugin, “Panorama”. If you generally understand cabinet IR and reverb IR enginery, you’ll have an easier time developing an understanding of what HRIR technology is.

Head-related impulse responses (HRIRs) make the creation of ideally-conditioned virtual acoustic scenes possible, thereby allowing the human auditory system to pin point sounds with a very high degree of accuracy throughout a 360 degree listening environment. This is exactly what Wave Arts intended to provide for recordists, mix engineers, and (home) producers with this plugin: an effective means to facilitate 3D panning in pretty much any DAW via a well designed, intuitive plugin. This now begets the question: has Wave Arts succeeded? As a general statement, I would say, yes – Wave Arts was successful in their mission. While listening to musical elements that have been processed with Panorama 7 through headphones, the results are very convincing. Listening on typical 2.0 stereo monitor speakers, the outcomes are not quite as impressive, although still very evocative. However, I’m jumping ahead of myself and will share my findings on the subject further into this review.

In conjunction with the aforementioned HRIRs, one can easily convert SOFA (Spatially Oriented Format for Acoustics) files into Panorama format as well. It’s safe to assume that most users will stick with what Wave Arts has pre-built into the plugin, but for anyone who has need for specific SOFA files, WA has craftily fan-dangled a nifty ancillary app for this very purpose. Aptly named, “Sofa2Pan”, the free application is conveniently downloadable from Wave Arts’ web site.

Get Your Head in the Game

Brand new to Panorama 7, is Wave Arts’ compelling “Near Head” modeling, which has been scrupulously coded to increase the realism and perceived accuracy of audio-source points close to the head. This scientific work of programmatic art operates on the principle of estimating head shadowing based on a spherical head model (that last phrase is a direct quote from Wave Arts). To ensure that credible results are realized over typical stereo loudspeaker setups, stereo pan and stereo passthru HRIRs are also on hand.

Speaking of the new head modeling in Pan 7, the first graphical element to immediately catch a user’s eye is the generously proportioned “head” display on the left side of the Panorama interface. In keeping with the multi-dimensional nature of the plugin, there are four view perspectives to work with: Top, Side, Rear and 3D, where 3D is actually a graphical illustration of the virtual environment itself. Thanks to this wonderful new imagistic depiction of how the plugin is manipulating any audio signal that it’s processing, it is easier than ever to visualize the positioning of your 3D audio element(s) – making it more easily understood than it was in previous iterations of the software. For example, using the ‘Side’ view lets you adjust the height (or “y” axis) of a sound source as well as its 360 degree lateral plane within the ‘Top’ perspective.

Earlier generations of Panorama handled virtual distances of up to 10 feet; this has been exponentially increased to a span of 100 feet in Pan 7. Obviously, volume is lessened the farther away a sound source is from the listener, but fortunately, Wave Arts has included volume compensation controls to help offset inordinate level drops. I would have liked to have seen a simple limiter fitted into the fray as well, in order to prevent accidental clipping and/or extreme volume increases while automating or sequencing the 3D positioning at close proximities.

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Side view - Click to Zoom

Rear view - Click to Zoom

3D view - Click to Zoom

A well-implemented doppler effect is conveniently on tap too -- this one really comes into its own when position-sequencing is being utilized. Subtle, lifelike pitch variations can be heard as an automated/sequenced sound source travels past (or around) the modeled stationary head. I’m impressed and delighted by the believable and authentic-sounding results produced by this feature of Panorama 7.

As impressive as this 3D audio positioning technology is, the intended results become all the more convincing when combined with the evolved reverberation and reflections algorithms that have also been built into Panorama. I suspect that Wave Arts’ experience with developing and refining their MasterVerb reverb plugin has contributed in no small part to the detail and realism heard here.

Enabling ‘Reflections’ on the right side panel of the interface, instantiates six spatialized reflections. These (early) reflections bounce off the walls, floor and ceiling of the virtual room invoking a really great sense of space. You can also commix sundry room items such as curtains or tiles into the virtual environment to further augment its effect. The ambience is additionally enhanced if you also enable late diffused reverberation.

There are a handful of effective presets available for establishing early reflection room sizes, ranging from a small booth all the way up to larger spaces. Although there isn’t a preset labeled, “Hall”, the ‘Large Room’ and ‘Big Space’ presets will take you into similar sonic territory.

In suit, you’ll find a dedicated ‘Reverb’ section for shaping and configuring the tails and late reflections of your chosen virtual space. Here too is a selection of six area types to choose from; again covering zones as small as a compact booth up to an indeterminate ‘Big Space’. By the way, when WA lists the preset as ‘Big Space’, they mean it - the reverb decay length can be stretched out for one whole minute (60 seconds)! Of course, both high and low frequency reverb damping is readily on hand as well.

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Reflections - Click to Zoom

Reverb - Click to Zoom

Position Sequencer: I Like To Move It, Move It

The position sequencer works by moving the sound-source along a set of position waypoints. Each sequence can have up to eight waypoints added; each node can be positioned wherever you’d like throughout the virtual space, on both the x and y axis (in other words, a full 360 degree panorama). As with the other sections of this plugin, there is a tidy bevy of thoughtfully constructed sequencer presets to choose from out of the box – these vary from somewhat basic orbital and flyby movements, to creative, vertigo-inducing maneuvers. Just in case it isn’t obvious, I’d like to point out that you can also easily use the sequencer to create unique modulation effects that are typically beyond the reach of most modulation-specific effects (Chorus, Flanging, Rotary, Speaker, Doppler, and etc).

The sequencing can either be set to host-defined, BPM (Beats per Minute) synchronization, or free run at oscillation rates ranging from a barely discernible snail’s pace to sensory-overloading chaos. Like any sequencer worth its digital salt, there is a healthy assortment of rhythmic dividers and time signature modifiers at our avail as well.

Position sequencer - Click to Zoom (new tab)

Be WARNED! By switching between the three principle ‘head views’, and arranging their own customized waypoint layouts by distance, trajectory, and height, one could accidentally wile away a good amount of time experimenting with the stupendous amount of creative potential quiescent within Pan 7’s sequencer. This increases the potentiality of drastic, negative impact in regard to one’s personal hygiene, employment standing and relationship status; Jus’ sayin’. *Wink.

But, How Does It Sound?

To my ears, Wave Arts has definitely hit a home run here. The newly added "near head model" considerably improves spatialization realism close to the head. WA has added proper binaural-to-speaker conversion presets via the passthru HRIR, making for much better, non-phased, reproduction when played over typical loudspeakers. The reverb component has been tweaked to remove lateral bias in early reflections, so it now sounds more centered and controlled. Although Wave Arts’ dedicated reverb plugin (MasterVerb) might not enjoy the fanfare and marketing hype of some competing reverb plugins, the WA ambience algorithms are equally as lush and enveloping as any.

According to Bill Gardner (WA founder and lead developer) the 3D engine in Panorama 7 is mostly the same as in Pan 6, but certain parts have been rewritten and refined under the hood. Despite the fact the engine difference is subtle, the accumulated end results of new additions plus bits of code tweaking make for a noticeable sonic improvement over previous generations of the Panorama plugin.

I won’t lie. The impressive spatialization capabilities of the headphone-oriented modes in Pan 7 still upstage their loudspeaker counterparts -- particularly where behind-the-head factors are concerned. Nevertheless, version seven is a strong degree better on this front than its predecessors. Where Panorama 7 really distinguishes itself through a set of loudspeakers is when it is being used for 3D-esque stereo panning. I have enjoyed the plugin’s ability to not only create dramatic stereo pans, but its impactful front-to-rear positioning within a mix is equally enthralling. Heck, this attribute alone accords Pan 7 to become any mix engineer’s secret panning weapon of choice.

If you have ever tried to place a stereo-recorded piano sample library within a typical stereo mix, you know how much of a challenge working with stereo instruments of that nature can be. If you try to ‘de-stereoize’ them, collapsing them to mono, all kinds of unwanted phasing issues and tonal imbalances can occur tout de suite. I’m struck with how well Pan 7 can accomplish this task though. Go ahead – download the 30-day fully functional demo; I’m confident that you too will be duly impressed by this dynamo of x, y, z panning mastery.

Of Special Interest: Cue the Air Raid Sirens

Panorama 7’s beautiful new interface was designed by Voger Design in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Not only is their UI/UX (User Interface/ User Experience) work worthy of the highest accolades, but to have continued working during the daily threat of bombardment and/or armoured ground assault is absolutely flabbergasting.

For those of us who live in the so-called free world - especially western, first world nations – it might be outside our sphere of experience (and imagination) to understand what it is like to live in a region that suffers bombardment and a constant threat of deadly attack. Yet, these are exactly the conditions that Serhii Sukhodolsky, and his talented team at Voger Design, have been enduring since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February of 2022.

Ukrainian soldiers evacuating civilians in Kiev.

In adjunct to this review, I encourage you to also read a brief introduction to the Voger team by visiting the following link on Wave Arts’ web site:
https://wavearts.com/about/news/meet-voger-design-our-ui-developers-from-ukraine

Concluding Remarks

Wave Arts is not alone in the specialized field of 3D spatialization software development, but the company is certainly one of the pioneers of that domain. Now, with the seventh rendering of their 3D audio code d’excellence, WA has once again positioned Panorama to be the one first reached for. As exemplified throughout Wave Arts’ entire line of plugins, Pan 7 is light on system resources – especially in direct comparison to competing products such as DearVR Pro (DearVR can be quite CPU intensive at times). Thanks to the fabulous new high resolution GUI and complete design overhaul, this plugin is super intuitive to navigate. When every facet is weighed into the equation, I honestly don’t feel that any other product currently on the market (in its category) does so much, so well, and so affordably as Panorama 7 does.

>> Click here to visit the Wave Arts Panorama 7 Product Page <<

4.5 out of 5 Stars

:: Pros

Beautiful, intuitive user interface – resizeable and high resolution ready.
High quality, convincing 3D audio spatialization.
Great fun, but also useful position-sequencing.
Effective, sensible selection of presets – no superfluous bloat.
Probably the most CPU-friendly plugin of its type.
Easy, unobtrusive authorization and copy protection.
Reasonably priced and very affable upgrade costs.

:: Cons

Certainly not a deal breaker, but a more convenient means of managing product activations would be greatly appreciated. However, let me be very clear that this is NOT a negative of the plugin itself, but rather, merely a bit of an inconvenience in certain activation scenarios.
I recommend that Wave Arts strongly considers incorporating a brickwall limiter at the plugin’s final output stage to prevent unintentional clipping.

<< Prev Review: AAS Chromaphone 3 Object Modeling Softsynth

>> Next Review: Straight Ahead Samples' Atomic Big Band! The Horns (Kontakt Sample Library)

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

Intellectual Copyright 2012 - 2023 All rights Reserved. This review may not be copied or reproduced in whole, nor in part, without express written permission from the author

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Applied Acoustics Chromaphone 3 Review (2023)

Sun, 11 Jun 2023 22:49:36 GMT

AAS Chromaphone 3 Review (BEST, 2023) | Reviewers Revival

AAS Chromaphone 3

Chromaphone 3 by Applied Acoustic Systems (AAS hereafter) is a powerful, dual-apparatus software synthesizer that specializes in acoustic object modelling. Boasting eight physically modeled acoustic resonators and a dual-voice, multi-timbral engine, it allows a user to illicit highly convincing instrumental tones out of it, all the way through to creative, otherworldly sounds. Showcasing a fresh new interface design that is freely resizeable and 4k ready, Chromaphone 3 delivers an exciting, unique musical experience without sacrificing an iota of ease-of-use.

Chromaphone 3 computationally materializes eight physical modeled resonators. These being: strings, plates, drum heads, membranes, beams, bars, and two types of tubes. Any of these can be used in solo, pairs, or in duo-paired combinations to reproduce very realistic sounding real-life instruments. Not surprisingly, there is huge potential inconspicuously concealed under the hood that lends itself to also creating original sonic textures that defy physical instrument limitations.

Version 3’s predecessors, Chromaphone and Chromaphone 2, masterfully carved out their own physical modelling niche, and subsequently raised their own bar-of-excellence to Olympian levels. It’s not unreasonable to conclude that only AAS (Applied Acoustics Systems) itself could develop a third iteration of the instrument that behests a cautious shopper to seriously consider upgrading or making a first time acquisition. Priced normally at $199 (USD) for the synth by itself, or $399 for the Sound Packs Bundle (includes 16 deluxe expansion packs), Chromaphone 3 may well be considered a moderate purchase that the average plugin collector might not want to make whimsically. Fortunately, licensees of earlier versions can upgrade to version 3 for as little as $79 (USD).

In regard to platform compatibility, Chromaphone 3 is available natively for both Windows (Win 10 and later) and MacOS (10.11 El Capitan or later). An Intel core i5 (circa 2015) or newer is recommended. The software can be easily downloaded and taken out for a 15 day trial run with zero restrictions.

Of special interest, for a large portion of this review, I very successfully had Chromaphone 3 running under wine (wine-staging v8.9) within Kubuntu Linux v22.04 – with no negative issues to report. I used yabridge to make the VST and VST3 accessible to my Linux-native installation of Reaper 6.x with imperceptible delay, function loss, or performance degradation. ** Please note that this is in no way officially supported by Applied Acoustics Samples.

AAS's software authorization/activation process is of the C/R (challenge-response) type. After you've purchased any one of their products, you can easily download a customized installer from your AAS user account. The customized installers contain pertinent licensing information - like name and serial number - and will attempt to automatically connect to their activation servers during the product installation. All in all, it's an unobtrusive activation method that doesn't require periodic "phone home" licensing checks after activation. If you choose to keep your DAW PC offline, there is an offline process available as well, but of course, it will require you to activate your specific machine's unique identifier while online with a separate device.

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More is Better . .

I applaud developers like Rob Papen and AAS for always including legacy presets from their earlier products whenever they release a new variant. In suit, Chromaphone 3 not only retains all of its predecessor’s factory library, but all 670+ original (v2) presets have been revitalized and repackaged as so-called remastered patches. This goes a long way in maintaining a strong degree of backward compatibility and ensuring that you can easily find your favourite factory sounds without having to try rebuild them from scratch. AAS haven’t exactly reinvented the wheel sound-wise here, but Chromaphone 3 does ship with 421 exhilarating new presets that really show off its fresh, contemporary dual engine attributes.

Speaking of the new dual engine (or maybe better referred to as dual layered) system, it’s important to note that each engine can still be initialized and used individually, if one so chooses (closely mimicking previous iterations of Chromaphone). However, Chromaphone 3’s savoir faire and power becomes immediately evident once you start exploring the instrument’s new duality properties. Each engine can be configured, tweaked and zeroed-in completely independent of the other with its own resonator, effects chain, and modelling parameters. On the surface, one might mistakenly appraise this synth to be merely a simplistic novelty. In fact, Chromaphone 3 is a deep, engaging instrument that presents itself with a refined, graceful interface – one that belies the enormous complexity hidden behind its attractive visage.

Fresh, New, Polished Interface

Yes! Chromaphone 3 is fully resizeable and looks sharp and clear at any screen resolution. In the lower right corner of the GUI you’ll find an inconspicuous, but most welcome diagonal resizing tag.

Navigation, presentation and user control have all been reworked and redesigned whilst retaining AAS’s identifiable product motif. Gone is the somewhat dated (although pleasantly functional) typical AAS facade from the mid 2000s; instead, the user is greeted here with a decidedly more modernistic and fluid layout – one which makes preset browsing, patch editing, and effects instantiation quick and intuitive.

It’s worth noting that AAS has gone back and revisited most nearly all of their previous generation VIs and have outfitted those with resizeable interfaces as well. This is noteworthy and laudable considering that most of their competitors use this highly sought after functionality as a reason to charge for upgrades. Instead, AAS has done this for us as 100% FREE updates – not paid upgrades. If you are content to remain with Chromaphone 2, Ultra-Analog 2, and other AAS items from the previous generation, you will benefit from resizeable GUIs at no extra cost to you.

Although this new interface design resides on the brighter side of the hue spectrum, it thankfully manages to come across slightly muted by the designers’ careful choice of balancing demure, but eye-catching accents against a soft, light gray background. Even after spending lengthy periods of time reviewing Chromaphone 3, my sensitive, 56 year old peepers weren’t unduly stressed. Notwithstanding, I would really appreciate having an optional dark gray theme to select as well. Here’s hoping that m. Verge and his gang at AAS will consider implementing this recommendation into a future Chromaphone 3 update.

Navigation

:: Home

By default, the VI (Virtual Instrument) presents itself with an attractive, uncluttered Home screen when you first launch it. Here you are presented with an amply-proportioned preset panel, a global volume control, and a tidy, attractive LED meter along the top. Just below the preset panel we have four centered navigation tabs: Home, Browser, Edit and Settings. Taking up the largest area of the Home page, is the pair of centralized square panels depicting the currently active resonators. The bottom quarter of the home page is occupied by a pitch wheel slider and a foursome of handy-dandy macro controls. Of course, these can all be midi (or host) assigned, or midi learned. Lastly, an unobtrusive virtual keyboard rests along the bottom.

Click Picture to Zoom

:: Browser

Preset browsing is now much more accommodating and elegant over that which was provided in Chromaphone 2. That’s not to imply that older AAS virtual instruments were difficult to navigate or weighed down with cludgy, unwieldy preset browsers, but in comparison to Chromaphone 3’s spiffy avant-garde library manager, the older ones pale considerably. This nifty new arrangement is neatly categorized and a breeze to perambulate through – complete with newbie-proof save, save as, undo, redo, and compare buttons. It’s practically impossible to lose your way or get mixed up using this easy-peasy preset manager – all presets are tagged by type, author, style, and et cetera.

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:: Editor

I suspect that most users will be intrigued by, and satisfied with the diverse range of included presets, owing to the fact that they are so expertly curated for us by AAS. Be that as it may, for anyone who enjoys tweaking, tinkering or flat-out creating their own sounds, heading over to the ‘Editor’ tab will surely gratify any tweaker’s desires. On this page the user can manipulate each engine’s parameters via three sub category tabs: Mode, Synth and Effects.

:: Mode

This subsection is where keyboard modes (poly, mono and unison), and keyboard split points can be set. Here too is where you’ll find the arppegiator casually positioned on the right side of the page. And by the way, the arppegiator is super simple to use; however, it doesn’t provide more than 16 steps. You can generate sequences in various divisions ranging from quarter notes all the way up to 32nd notes – including triplets. For me personally that’s plenty, but I do understand that some ardent synthesists like to employ 32 steps of arpeggiation or even more. Both engine layers can be soloed, muted, enabled/disabled and configured individually – including their arp settings.

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:: Synth

All the usual bread n’ butter controls are at the user’s avail under the Synth tab: ADSR, Waveform type, Noise, LFO type, Envelope, and so forth. Both exciter types are represented with plenty of control over their sensitivity, characteristics and overall influence upon the objects themselves. This brings us to the next stage of sound creation in C3; here you find the eight varieties of object resonators. Most of the resonators are malleable through similar sets of parameters excepting the tube types – these have Decay, Release and Radius knobs only. Each resonator (or pair of resonators) can be tuned (by pitch) and have their strike force, ‘physical’ position (distance from the virtual object), harmonic density, rate of decay, low frequency oscillation, material composition, and much more governed here. In a nutshell, there is much contained in the Synth section of Chromaphone 3’s immense customization options to experiment with if one so desires.

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:: Effects

Of the five available FX rack slots per engine (or more accurately, per layer), three of them are fixed, meaning they are not hot swappable: A four band EQ, Compressor, and Reverb. Two effects spaces in the center can each house one of the many effects on offer: Chorus, Flange, Distortion, Wah, Delay, Phaser, Autowah, Guitar Amp, and et cetera.

Polishing off the effects feature set, AAS has outfitted Chromaphone 3 with a Master Effects rack too! Both engines/layers are routed through the master effects as the final stage of signal processing.

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I am quickly inserting a brief sidebar statement here about the on-board effects. In a word, they are superb! As a matter of fact, AAS has developed such luxurious-sounding effects that they compare favourably with most nearly any third party’s FX plugins. It would be really cool to have these effects available as individual plugins on their own, unconstrained from the instruments (or bundled together as a multi slotted rack like IK Multimedia’s MixBox or Slate Digital’s VMR).

:: Settings

Not the least of all we come to the fourth tab: Settings. This is the page where all necessary nuts n’ bolts configurations are organized. Herein you can set a preferred GUI zoom level, adjust global tuning properties, delimit note priority (first note played or last note played), programme midi control change assignments, set up pitch bend values, and adjust other important universal parameters. Of particular interest are the Macro button designations, where each one can be assigned to any one of the available 127 midi CCs.

Click Picture to Zoom

My Disclaimer: I openly admit that I am not a synth programming expert; my production skills fit well in the more traditional sphere of audio recording and classic instrumentation. You’re much more likely to hear vintage electric pianos, saxophones, acoustic drums, blues-based electric guitars, and so forth in my own recording projects than you are to hear EDM (Electronic Dance Music) elements. As such, having an opportunity to incorporate unique, powerful synthesized components into an otherwise traditional music project, without needing a degree in modular synthesis design, is a huge advantage. It is my considered, honest opinion that VIs in the ilk of those developed by AAS are a godsend. I am a huge fan of software synths that provide user-friendly interfaces on the surface, yet harness a shedload of power and delightsome sonority discreetly on the inside.

Chromaphone In Operation

My Second Disclaimer: This is a fairly in-depth review; it should not be considered a “how to manual”. It is beyond the scope of this article to dive too deeply into all the intricacies that comprise Chromaphone 3. That said, let’s share an overview of what you can expect from this deceptively powerful object modelling synth. :)

Resonators, what are they?

Simply put, resonators are the real-world, physical objects that C3 (Chromaphone 3) is imitating - or ‘modelling’, if you will. The particular objects/resonators present in this case are: String, Beam, Drumhead, Marimba, Membrane, Plate, Tube and Manual – where Manual allows creative user control over four layers of sound partials. Most objects will resonate when they are struck, correct? -- and so, AAS calls the objects they have modelled in this synthesizer, ‘Resonators’.

The lion’s share of C3’s resonators are of a percussive nature, although a couple of them are more sustained wave/melodic in character: namely, String and Membrane. Hmmm, well on second thought, where membrane is kinda-sorta a square shaped adaptation of the round Drumhead resonator, it fits somewhere in the middle as a hybrid, one could say. The tubes, perhaps, can also be considered hybrid resonators due to the fact that if you *excite them with noise (ie. wind or breath), they take on a more pipe organ-esque role; else struck with a mallet exciter, they comfortably sashay over into the percussive camp.

Now that I’ve mentioned *exciters, allow me to define what they are in basic terms. It is my understanding that exciters are the physically modelled properties used to initiate a response (or vibration, as it were) from any of the eight resonators. C3 utilizes only a couple of exciters: Noise and mallet. Don’t be dissuaded by this though – these two exciters cover a lot of ground.

In express relativity as regards Chromaphone 3, I find it easiest to think of the noise exciter as though it were wind. I live in a region that is frequently vexed with moderate to strong winds, so I am all too aware of how much force and excitement that wind is capable of levying against stationary objects (eg. when trying to sleep in an upstairs bedroom in a 120 year old country house during a fierce winter storm). As I mentioned above, using the noise exciter to activate movement/vibration/resonance from a tube resonator will yield the same sorts of tones as one would expect to hear from a pipe organ, a blown bottle, or a flute.

On the other hand, the mallet exciter is much more easily understood. It’s fair to assume that most of our readers are at least passingly familiar with mallets – the felt-tipped sticks (or other material) used to strike timpanis, vibraphones, marimbas, and many other types of percussive instruments.

A Pair or Coupled?

Each layer (or engine) within C3 provisions us with two resonators. These can be setup to work in parallel, or as one feeding into the other. In simplest terms, I like to think of it as follows: one mallet (or wind) exciting two resonating objects simultaneously, or one mallet (or wind) hitting the first object, and that object’s resonance more or less exciting the next object. It is beyond the scope of a review article to delve too deeply into this topic, but suffice it to say that you hear dramatic differences between normal mode and “coupled” mode. Pages 38 – 40 of Chromaphone 3’s substantial user manual gives a somewhat scientific and detailed explanation of the concepts behind this unique form of synthesis.

Ok, But How Does It Sound?

This is an easy question to answer: C3 sounds great! This instrument produces a lush, luxurious sonic palette unlike any other. Sure, there are other fabulous sounding synths on the market: Tone2’s Saurus 4, U-He’s Diva, Rob Papen’s Predator 3 (or Blue 3), and Lennar Digitals’ Sylenth 1 are prime examples. But for all that, Chromaphone 3 is certainly the King of the Hill within its unique niche of percussive-melodic object modelling synthesis. There isn’t anything about Chromaphone 3 that is meant to directly impersonate any sort of analogue synthesis; it’s purely digital in the very best kind of way. I particularly like the bell, marimba, and vibraphone-esque tones this powerhouse is capable of reproducing. My old Blues-Rock heart tends to gravitate towards real-life sounds more so than the experimental, ethereal or electronic kinds. As such, some of the presets are somewhat lost on me, but I suspect that they would be very captivating indeed to Dance, Trance, Techno and EDM artists.

While I personally feel that C3 shines brightest in regard to its percussive-melodic tones, some very intriguing string-like vibes can be effortlessly coaxed out of it too. As a quick example, factory preset, “Da Slappa”, does a dandy job of reproducing a slapped J-Bass style of sound. Overall, Chromaphone 3’s string sounds are acceptable to my ears, but not exceptional by any means. I think of them as nifty can-use-in-a-pinch bonuses on top of the amazing percussive-melodic presets. In all fairness, Applied Acoustics's equally impressive “String Studio VS-3” and “Ultra Analog VA-3” are better suited to virtual strings duties.

If you have the CPU power to spare, C3 can be configured to produce absolutely brilliant tones – deep, rich and crystalline. On my audio-optimized Intel i7-10700 Windows 10 system, I generally found that using medium density resonators resulted in excellent sound quality while maintaining moderate CPU requirements. For some of the factory presets that have been fabricated to use ‘FULL’ density, I noticed that simply readjusting them to utilize ‘High’ density was enough to make the instrument play nicely on my PC. As the netizens like to say, your mileage may vary.

It’s A Powerful Instrument – It Needs Power

I am very impressed with the rich, enthralling sonic quality that Chromaphone 3 is capable of producing. The sounds are lush -- void of thin, ‘tinny’, or cheap-sounding artifacts. When you consider that many of the presets are specific to metallic or percussive object resonators, such as beams, marimbas, and plates, it is outstanding that the resultant tones are so crystal clear, harmonically vibrant, and detailed –- free of sterile, ‘ping-y’, or unpleasant metallic-ness (as though there really were such a word as metallic-ness).

The dual-layered engine(s) in Chromaphone 3 are akin to the single engine in the instrument’s predecessor, Chromaphone 2 (but further refined). That is to say, each engine is comprised of not just one, but two resonators. Now that Chromaphone facilitates a maximum of four resonators at any given time, it certainly qualifies as a truly multi-timbral design. When you also weigh into consideration the raft of FX choices also on hand, this makes for some mighty impressive sounds. Notwithstanding, this abundant pool of real-time computation does require a reasonably robust computer to pull it all off well.

Applied Acoustics Systems’ co-founder and CEO, Marc-Pierre Verge, had this to say about Chromaphone 3’s increase in CPU requirements.

https://www.applied-acoustics.com/chromaphone-3/resources/#faq

Chromaphone 3 can indeed be CPU intensive. Now that it is bi-timbral, there are literally two Chromaphone instances running in parallel which obviously increases the load. CPU usage varies greatly from preset to preset, and it depends on the modules which are switched On, and the quality factor of the resonators. We have an FAQ that explains this a little and gives some strategies to lower the load.

The Chromaphone 2 factory library has been remastered for Chromaphone 3. All these presets are single layer and therefore do not take more CPU than they used to in Chromaphone 2.”

Generally speaking, I am confident that most DAW PCs that have been built since 2016 should be able to handle a few simultaneous instances of Chromaphone 3 without too much trouble. If you refrain from using full-on multi-timbral patches constantly, and choose to rely on some single engine instances instead, the CPU requirements scale back accordingly. As a point of reference, anyone who is familiar with the CPU demands that softsynths like U-He’s DIVA and Repro-5 make, will find that some of Chromaphone 3’s heavier patches require similar processing power.

Concluding Remarks

Many contemporary softsynths are capable of producing bell, marimba, and other types of melodic-percussive tones (with varying degrees of success). However, none of them excel at it and dominate the field with such prowess and power like Chromaphone 3 does. I go so far as to say that C3 actually bests many percussive-melodic sample libraries – both sonically and functionally.

The resizeable GUI is not only very attractive, but it is also majorly intuitive and easily navigated. It is my honest impression that the folks at AAS put some serious thought and planning into the revitalization of Chromaphone – this isn’t just a quick n’ dirty repackaging of the “same ole, same ole” with an extra couple of knobs and some inconsequential new features. Chromaphone 3 takes everything good about its predecessor and truly makes it better in every way.

>> Click here to visit the AAS Chromaphone 3 Product Page <<

>> Check out these Chromaphone videos <<

4.5 Out of 5 Stars

:: Pros

Vastly improved User Interface.
High quality, convincing percussive-melodic tones, with some very intriguing creative sounds too.
Almost 1000 factory presets – 421 of them are new and the previous version’s presets have all been retained and remastered.
Some patches can be CPU heavy, but scaling back the resonator density levels makes the synth play nicely on older computers.
Easy, unobtrusive authorization and copy protection.

:: Cons

String patches, while good, are not quite as impressive as the melodic-percussive choices.
Some presets are very CPU demanding – thankfully, they can be easily reconfigured to scale back the requirements.
The GUI is attractive, but it is quite bright. An optional darker skin would be much appreciated.

<< Prev Review: Mission Engineering EP-1 Expression Pedal

>> Next Review: Wave Arts Panorama 7 3D Spatialization Plugin

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

Intellectual Copyright 2012 - 2023 All rights Reserved. This review may not be copied or reproduced in whole, nor in part, without express written permission from the author

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Mission Engineering EP-1 Expression Pedal Review

Tue, 10 May 2022 03:36:20 GMT

Mission Engineering EP-1 Expression Pedal [Exciting, Deep] Review

Mission Engineering EP-1 (Click to Zoom)

I must never be so impudent as to think that I can speak for the masses, but it is certainly my own frustrated findings that getting ahold of a good quality, sturdy expression pedal is no easy undertaking. How about it, dear Reader, are you more than a little disenchanted with the seemingly endless parade of over-priced, cheaply-made, plastik-y, fly-weight expression pedals that lay in wait on Amazon's web pages or on your local retailer's shelves?

You know the kind I'm talking about, right?; with their short, wired-in (read: non-field-replaceable) cables and flimsy plastic construction. Oh sure, most of them will indeed provide you with the means to execute volume swooshes, wah sweeps, and sundry other expression assignments - that is until the plastic bits snap off, or they slip from underfoot, or the no-name potentiometer crackles and dies, or the thin cable breaks.

It just so happens that our friends at Mission Engineering offer quite a few guaranteed, hand-crafted remedies for the aforementioned expression pedal quandary - one in particular is the EP-1 Expression Pedal.

As with all of Mission Engineering's arsenal of gadgetry and stompable FX weaponry, the EP-1 is built to last; and it does so with style! I guesstimate that over 98 percent of the pedal is fabricated from solid metal. The couple of non-metallic parts are made of strong, commercial-grade plastic that bears absolutely no similarity to the kind found in a $50 device. Oh, since we've discreetly stepped into the topic of lucre, let's note that Mission's products are not cheap. They aren't cheaply made. They aren't cheaply shipped. They don't house cheap electronic componentry. As such, the EP-1 certainly does not fall into impulse purchase or thoughtless GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) territory - it retails for $149 US Dollars.

When compared to the price tag affixed to an M-Audio EXP, or a Roland EV-5, you might gasp in a brief moment of sticker shock; however, even a few minutes of usage will assure you that a Mission Engineering pedal is definitely worth the extra coinage. It’s also worth highlighting that Mission’s Made in USA build quality is top-notch, to boot!

A Company on a Mission:

It’s a fair assumption to think that most boutique builders start out with the intention of filling a specific niche, or to fulfill a need that isn’t being addressed by current market offerings. Mission Engineering could be considered a case in point. Although Mission has never really tried to sell itself as a “boutique” company, it nevertheless can by definition be considered as such.

Established 2009, Mission Engineering started working from out of founder, James Lebihan's, home garage in Petaluma, California. The emerging company’s first “product on a mission” was their Mission SP-1, an innovative switching expression pedal designed to work with the new generation of digital amplifiers and effects.

We hear a lot of buzz and hyperbole now-a-days about boutique effects, instruments, accessories, and such – especially within the guitar slingers’ community. While it is true that many of these so-called boutique offerings are well constructed from premium materials, and boast nifty features that outshine those of the bog-standard variety found on retail shelves, they aren’t always truly boutique in the strictest sense of the word. Examples of a departure from boutique status to mass-produced retail lines are companies such as: Wampler, JHS, and Strymon.

This is not necessarily a bad thing since it makes it possible for Joe Average to buy himself a top-tier device (or instrument) at his local music shop rather than having to wait months, or even longer, to finally acquire his longed-for analogue grail. Be that as it may, we all know that once you start mass producing your products, corners tend to get shaved off, and profits, rather than craftsmanship, begin to play a more decisive role. A simple illustration of this is to compare the heft and solidness of an old [INSERT BOUTIQUE BUILDER NAME HERE] stomp box to one of the current, readily available retail models. Sure, the quality is still pretty good, but in my estimation, it isn’t quite on par with the old, pre-mass production units.

It is this writer’s honest opinion that Mission Engineering rides comfortably somewhere in the middle – perhaps not quite a full-on boutique builder, but neither is Mission a robotic, assembly-droid manufacturer. As a matter of fact, the EP-1 unit that I am reviewing for you was assembled specifically for Reviewer’s Revival – it was NOT yanked off a shelf in some retail warehouse.

To quote Paul Shedden, President and Co-owner of Mission Engineering:

We build everything to order and it is usually a 10 - 15 day build time. We were definitely boutique at the start and many of our products are still made in a boutique build process eg. hand tinning, wiring, and etc."

Eschewing the common practice of utilizing the most cost effective, (read: cheapest) shipping materials from overseas, the EP-1 comes double-boxed in a durable shipping carton. The packaging alone immediately gives one a sense of confidence that we’re dealing with some top grade stuff here. You won't find any of that flimsy, cheap, barely-thicker-than-a-greeting-card stuff that many so-called budget products come packaged in. The actual product box that I received is a thick-walled, plain white box that securely holds its precious cargo in place with absolute minimal slippage. Plainly stamped on the box are the comforting words of quality assurance: “Made in USA” - I suspect that holds true for both the contents and box alike. *Wink.

The expression pedal comes snugly blanketed inside its box in a thick plastic bag. Joining it is a small instructions sheet, and a little plastic zip-bag containing an Allen wrench. Although it’s a simple little caboodle, the bits are all neatly tucked in place.

* The included Allen wrench is used to tighten the pedal’s tension should it ever be necessary

Build Quality & Form:

I've nicknamed my EP-1, "The Little Sherman Tank". Weighing in at just a little over three pounds (3 Lbs.), the EP-1 has some strapping, muscular heft to it. Go ahead – give it a good shake, but you won’t hear (or feel) any loose, rattly bits. The all-metal chassis shows off smooth, graceful lines and exudes a strong, athletic carriage.

Mission Engineering often builds their pedals on a per order basis, offering the EP-1 in few different colours and finishes: black, red, silver and green. I think it’s fair to say that this pedal gives off a decidedly vintage vibe, reminiscent of a classic Crybaby or maybe an old Vox volume pedal. In any case, although it could never be accused of being a gussied up piece of bling, the EP-1 is a darn good lookin’ specimen!

My particular unit stands at attention dressed-up in a green matte finish that has an almost powdered texture. I didn’t actually want to mar or scratch it, but for my investigation’s sake, I did tap all over the chassis with a medium-sized, hard plastic screwdriver handle. I’m happy to report that there were no resultant chips, marks, or dents. In all fairness, I do not suspect that most buyers would be so careless as to toss this artful piece of sculpture into a dusty gig bag, where it could get knocked against old stomp boxes and metal guitar jacks. Nevertheless, just in case someone were foolish enough to do so, the finish seems to be quite hardy and impervious to accidental mishandling.

The pivoting ‘gas pedal’ treadle is highly slip resistant thanks to a thick, treaded rubber pad that pretty much covers the entire top surface. Of course, Mission’s unmistakable logo crowns the upper portion of the pad, adding a spiffy, yet austere appearance. In keeping with the anti-slip theme, we find a quad set of sturdy rubber feet on the bottom of the expression pedal – and don’t you know, they’re the good gripp-y kind.

EP-1 Top Down View (Click to Zoom)

Mission Engineering EP-1 (Click to Zoom)

To prevent clanks, clacks or scrapes, there are a pair of rubber shocks at the top of the pedal and a rubber stopper at the heel. The ¼ “ I/O jack is decidedly sturdy and provides a solid, snug cable connection. To ensure years of smooth pedalin’, a healthy dollop of white grease has been applied to the cog and control arm.

It seems to me that side-loaded I/O jacks accommodate guitar pedal boards well enough, but for keyboard usage, I feel that it would be more convenient if the expression port were mounted up on the front end of the pedal. Be that as it may, a right-angled jack neatens things up nicely, while reducing the risk of damage caused by tramping down on a straight jack sticking out of the side.

Mission Engineering EP-1 in green matte finish (Click to Zoom)

Right Angle TRS Streamlines Things Nicely (Click to Zoom)

Another small hesitation I have that prevents me from awarding the Mission EP-1 an absolutely perfect score, is its slightly shallow pivot range. I would prefer that the pedal yielded another half an inch of physical sweep from “heel back” to “toe down” - maybe even just ¼ of an inch more would suffice. A good example of the type of pedal sweep that I'm talking about is observed in a good ole' Yamaha EP-1. However, I have gotten used to the lesser arc and quicker travel of the the EP-1 so let's chalk it up to just a small niggle.

Yamaha EP-1 Expression Pedal

Mission Engineering's President and Co-Owner, Paul Shedden, had this to say:

. . . the reason for the sweep is because an expression pedal has to be a jack-of-all-trades. It will be used with effects like Wah that need a shorter sweep on one end, and then volume control the other end where the sweep is typically longer. When we designed the chassis and its sweep, we had to find a happy medium where it would work across all possible uses/control types."

Thank you for the explanation, Mr. Shedden, but this is the juncture where I will offer up my frame of thought on the matter. When I compare the pivot range of the EP-1 to that of an old Morley Wah®, or my 25 year old BOSS FV-300L volume pedal, it feels slightly too shallow – making it a bit tricky to execute small expression movements. Of course, as the netizens like to say, YMMV (Your mileage may vary). I would estimate the Mission EP-1 to have a pedal sweep comparable to that found on a bog standard Dunlop Cry Baby wah pedal.

Guitar FX Yes, But What About MIDI Keyboards?

I suspect that Mission Engineering pedals are more commonly found on guitar players' pedal boards, than under keyboard racks and piano stands. Notwithstanding, it has traditionally been keyboardists whom have utilized expression pedals for a lot longer than guitar slingers have. Using auxiliary expression devices to manipulate guitar-oriented digital stomp box FX parameters is something that has really only come into vogue over the past decade or so; whereas keyboardists and synth players have been hooking expression pedals up to their Yamahas and Rolands (and Viruses, Nords, and et cetera) over the past three decades or longer.

Unfortunately, a great many of the familiar expression pedals used by keyboardists are not known to be especially durable or highly accurate. It's not my intention to bash any company's product(s), but I suspect that there are many others, like myself, who were forced to replace their Roland FV-5, Yamaha FC-7, M-Audio EXP, or other, because the pedal just didn't hold up well under steady use. I know with absolute certainty that Mission Engineering produces extremely well-made, long lasting devices on account of my exposure to the Mission SP-H9 **. What I haven’t had first hand experience with, is whether or not Mission expression pedals play nicely with MIDI keyboards.

>> Click here to check out my in-depth Mission SP-H9 Review <<

Keyboard 1: Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol A61

I have three MIDI controller keyboards that I can test the EP-1 with: An Arturia Keylab 61 (1st gen), an Arturia Keylab 61 MKII, and a Native-Instruments Komplete Kontrol A61. I’ve been using my Native Instruments keyboard the most of late, so it was the one that was already set up and connected to my primary DAW PC on the day that the courier delivered the EP-1. I carefully, but excitedly, removed the little green "Sherman Tank" (my nickname for the EP-1) from its carton and connected the anxiously awaiting TRS cable that hung from the pedal port of my NI keyboard. I proceeded to fire up Studio One Pro 5 and instantiated an instance of AudioModeling's Tenor Sax v3. With great anticipation, I pulled the pedal back to full 'heel' position in preparation for some dynamic and expressive saxophone emulation.

But . . .

Nada! No joy. The expression range went from 0 to 60 with just the slightest twitch of my ankle. Worse still, there was no further change in expression until the pedal sweep reached 80 percent of the way forward to its full 'toe down' position, at which time the degree of expression sprang to 100 percent. Sugar Snaps! Dagnabbit! I knew without a shadow of a doubt that all three of my MIDI keyboards were supposed to work with pretty much any standard expression pedal that incorporates a 10k ohm potentiometer. This is exactly what the EP-1 provides - and it just so happens that it does so with a top-tier Dunlop linear pot (TRS tip to wiper). "Hmmm, what if the TRS termination needs to be reversed?", I mused. Since the EP-1 doesn't provide any kind of physical TRS configuration switch, off I went into the Komplete Kontrol software to bring up the MIDI Control Editor.

Sure enough, within the pedal configuration section of Komplete Kontrol's MIDI Control Editor, there is an option to reverse the TRS connection type. Upon making this simple change, and quickly calibrating the pedal within the software, the EP-1 worked perfectly for me. I was off to the races, and every single virtual instrument that I tested the EP-1 with produced accurate, smooth expressivity. IK Multimedia's Hammond B-3X, and other Hammond Organ VIs (virtual instruments), all produced lifelike, dynamic volume swells. The previously mentioned AudioModeling Tenor Sax became an absolute joy to play. Thanks to the EP-1, I was able to coax extremely realistic, nuanced performances out of the Tenor Sax VI. In regard to the EP-1's responsiveness and 'feel', I assess it to be practically instantaneous in reaction time. The amount of tactile resistance and superbly-graded logarithmic control is excellent. EP-1's tracking and accuracy of expression operation is flawless.

Komplete Kontrol TRS Inversion (Click to Zoom)

> Click here for my in-depth Komplete Kontrol A61 Review <

Keyboard 2: Arturia Keylab 61 MKII

Nuthin' to see here folks, just move along . . .

Seriously though, the information I'd received from Arturia's tech support agent, Leo, was spot on. Having read plenty of rumblings and grumblings on quite a few online forums concerning Arturia keyboards’ finickiness with various expression pedals, the lads at Mission Engineering and myself felt that it would be wisest to check into device compatibility between the Keylab 61 and the Mission EP-1. Here's what Leo, from Arturia, apprised me:

Hello Brother Charles, thank you for reaching out to us. You'll find some information regarding the different expression pedal wiring you may find on the market and their compatibilities:
https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=800#8037 (** The link requires special permissions to view and I was unable to actually read it. **)

On our end we're in the first category mentioned in the article even if Arturia isn't clearly listed, so to clarify:

Keyboard manufacturers:
Clavia (Nord), CME, Emu, Kurzweil, M Audio, Novation, Oberheim, Roland, Voce (+some pre-1995 Korg products) and Arturia

Pedal wiring:
Wiper of pot connected to plug Tip, top of pot connected to plug Ring, bottom of pot connected to plug Sleeve.

Compatible Pedals:
M Audio EX-P (Which has a useful polarity switch) https://www.m-audio.com/products/view/ex-p
Roland EV-5 www.roland.com/products/en/EV-5/index.html
Roland EV-7 http://www.roland.com/products/ev-7/
Lead Foot LFX-1 https://www.thomann.de/gb/lead_foot_lfx1.htm"

In a nutshell, I can assure you that a Mission EP-1 expression pedal is indeed 100 percent compatible with Arturia's Keylab MIDI controller keyboards. The pedal worked flawlessly for me from the moment I plugged it into the Keylab's Expression port.

>> Click here to read my full KeyLab 61 MK2 Review <<

Both the Arturia MIDI Control software and Native Instruments' Komplete Kontrol application facilitate assignable midi minimum and maximum values. Personally, I consider this to be a very convenient feature owing to the fact that there are times when it is actually counter-productive to have the full range of 0 to 127. An example of this is when I'm controlling AudioModeling's Saxophone v3 VIs with my midi keyboard - keeping the minimum value of "0" actually can make the virtual instruments quite fiddly and over sensitive. If I set a minimum value of 25 or 30, I still have loads of expression on hand (er, underfoot that is), but I don't accidentally silence the saxophone's output. *Wink.

Many BOSS/Roland expression and volume pedals house a discreetly positioned, handy-dandy 'Minimum Volume' knob. I think that if a similar implementation were built into the Mission expression pedals, it would kick their compatibility factor up a notch. And too, if an onboard TRS inversion/polarity switch could be sneaked onto the chassis, the EP-1 would be just about perfect.

Concluding Remarks:

On a scale of 1 to 10, it is this reviewer's honest-to-God opinion that the Mission Engineering EP-1 Expression Pedal deserves an above average grade of 9 out of 10. I demerit a half point on account of the slightly shallow pivot range. I deduct another half point because of the lack of a TRS configuration switch. Otherwise, I deem this unit to be most nearly faultless in design and performance. As regards build quality, good looks, and reliability, I honestly don't think it can be beat.

Now a quick word about the company itself. . .

I’ve interacted with both Paul and James, the leaders/owners of Mission Engineering, on quite a few occasions. A consistent quality and attitude I’ve observed in both men is their unwavering care and concern for their customers and the needs of musicians. Trust me you, there is a huge difference between practiced, professional (read: fake) hyperbole and genuine customer care. Mission Engineering literally is “A company on a mission”. It seems to me that the mission is to address certain niche needs within the musicians community by developing and making high quality, well-made gear. Notice I didn’t say within the music industry - I said, ‘the musicians community’. Mission is after all a business, and as such, it must make a reasonable profit to continue being productive. Notwithstanding, the MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of Mission’s products is very fair when you consider the extremely high degree of materials and build quality put into every single one of the products they produce.

>> Click here to visit the Mission Engineering EP-1 Product Page <<

9 out of 10 Stars

:: Pros

Top-of-the-Class Build Quality.
Assembled by hand in USA.
Attractive design - this is a good lookin’ piece of gear.
Compatibility with any keyboard or FX that works with 10k Pots.

:: Cons

Not a deal breaker, but I would prefer that the pivot range were just a little longer.
Not really a con, but it would be really cool to see a 'Minimum Value' trim knob and a TRS Inversion Switch added to the Mission EP-1.

<< Prev Review: Mission Engineering SP-H9 Expression Pedal

>> Next Review: AAS Chromaphone 3 Acoustic Resonator Synth

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

Intellectual Copyright 2012 - 2022 All rights Reserved. This review may not be copied or reproduced in whole, nor in part, without express written permission from the author.

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Mission Engineering SP-H9 Expression Pedal Review [Eventide H9]

Sat, 09 May 2020 03:00:00 GMT

Mission Engineering SP-H9 Expression Pedal Review

Mission Engineering SP-H9

Without a doubt, one of the finest multi-purposed digital effects processors to have ever adorned a musician’s pedal board is Eventide’s “H9 Harmonizer”. If you haven’t already checked out my previous installment on the H9, I invite you to do so (Eventide H9 Max Review Link). It is my considered opinion that there are only a couple of ways to improve a pedal board that has been armed with an H9:

A) Add a second H9.
B) Pair it with a compatible expression pedal.

Fortunately, the latter suggestion is what we’re taking a look at in this review; thanks to Mission Engineering’s decidedly apropos SP-H9 Expression Pedal.

At first glance it’s obvious that Mission SP-H9’s stylish fascia perfectly matches that of Eventide’s digital wonder box; however, its likeness isn’t the only adjunct that has been meticulously designed to seamlessly integrate with an H9. You’ll be pleased to know that this expression controller also provides a TS (On/Off) toe button to facilitate on-the-fly bypass functionality and other handy momentary control. What’s more, a solitary ¼ “ TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) cable is all that’s required to make the necessary connection.

Mission Engineering’s MSRP lists the SP-H9 at $149 (USD) / $202 (CAD). While it’s true that there are some lower priced expression pedals on the market, none of them - and I do mean NONE – are so perfectly compatible with an Eventide H9. It’s also worth noting that Mission’s Made in USA build quality is top-notch, to boot!

This is not necessarily a bad thing since it makes it possible for Joe Average to buy himself a top-tier device (or instrument) at his local music shop rather than having to wait months, or even longer, to finally acquire his longed-for analogue grail. Be that as it may, we all know that once you start mass producing your products, corners tend to get shaved off, and profits, rather than craftsmanship, begins to play a more decisive role. A simple illustration of this is to compare the heft and solidness of an old [INSERT BOUTIQUE BUILDER NAME HERE] stomp box to one of the current, readily available retail models. Sure, the quality is still pretty good, but in my estimation, it isn’t quite on par with the old, pre-mass production units.

It is this writer’s honest opinion that Mission Engineering rides comfortably somewhere in the middle – perhaps not quite a full-on boutique builder, but neither is Mission a robotic, assembly-droid manufacturer. As a matter of fact, the SP-H9 unit that I am reviewing for you was assembled specifically for Reviewer’s Revival – it was NOT yanked off a shelf in some retail warehouse.

To quote Paul Shedden, President and Co-owner of Mission Engineering:

We build everything to order and it is usually a 10 - 15 day build time. We were definitely boutique at the start and many of our products are still made in a boutique build process eg. hand tinning, wiring, and etc."

What’s in the Box:

Eschewing the common practice of utilizing the most cost effective, (read: cheapest) shipping materials from overseas, my SP-H9 came double-boxed in a durable shipping carton. The packaging alone immediately gives one a sense of confidence that we’re dealing with some top grade stuff here. Un-unnn! None of that flimsy, cheap, barely-thicker-than-a-greeting-card stuff (the kind that many products are being retailed in these days) is to be seen. The actual product box that I received is a thick-walled, plain white box that securely holds its precious cargo in place with absolute minimal slippage. Plainly stamped on the box are the comforting words of quality assurance: “Made in USA” - I suspect that holds true for both the contents and box alike. *Wink.

The expression pedal comes snugly blanketed inside its box in a thick plastic bag. Joining it is a small instructions sheet, and a little plastic zip-bag containing an Allen wrench, a small felt pad, a couple of threaded nuts, and a plastic washer. Although it’s a simple little caboodle, the bits are all neatly tucked in place.

:: Click to Zoom Pictures ::

Build Quality & Form:

Weighing in at just a little over three pounds (3 Lbs.), the SP-H9 has some strapping, athletic heft to it. Go ahead – give it a good shake, but you won’t hear (or feel) any loose, rattly bits. The all-metal chassis shows off smooth, graceful lines and exudes a classy, uptown presence. I didn’t actually want to mar its gorgeous white finish, but for my investigation’s sake, I did tap all over the chassis with a medium-sized, plastic screwdriver handle. I’m happy to report that there were no resultant chips, marks, nor dents. In all fairness, I do not suspect that most buyers would be so careless as to toss this beautiful piece of sculpture into a dusty gig bag, where it could get knocked against old stomp boxes and metal guitar jacks. Nevertheless, just in case someone was foolish enough to do so, the finish seems to be quite hardy and impervious to accidental mishandling.

The pivoting ‘gas pedal’ itself is slip resistant thanks to a thick, treaded rubber pad that pretty much covers the entire top surface. Of course, Mission’s unmistakeable logo crowns the upper portion of the pad, adding a spiffy, yet austere appearance. In keeping with the anti-slip theme, we find a quad set of sturdy rubber feet on the bottom of the expression pedal – and don’t you know, they’re the good gripp-y kind.

As you’d hope for, the toe switch seems to be quite beefy and ‘feels’ like it’s a Switchcraft brand, or similarly well-made component. The pivoting action of the pedal is smooth and consistent, yielding a reassuring, firm resistance throughout its arc. The gear mechanism is honest-to-goodness metal; lubricated with a healthy glob of white mechanical grease. To prevent clanks, clacks or scrapes, there are a pair of rubber shocks at the top of the pedal and a rubber stopper at the heel. A small, round felt pad protects the toe-switch from getting crushed. Each of the ¼ “ I/O jacks are decidedly sturdy and provide solid, snug cable connections.

Metal Gear Mechanism & Solid Toe Switch

Rubber Shock Posts

:: Click to Zoom Pictures ::

Performance and Functionality:

As stellar as the above-mentioned build quality proves to be, the looming question before the round table is:

Just how well does this knighted, shiny white potentiometer carry out its mission?”

Quite frankly, I was expecting the SP-H9 to function perfectly with my Eventide unit requiring very little, if any, twiddlesome hoop jumping. After all, if a device is touted as being a speciality gizmo, one expects it to live up to its claim . . . right? My presumption was not unfounded as that’s exactly what my initial encounter turned out to be – truly plug and play! I connected an ordinary ¼ “ TRS cable from Output 1 of the expression pedal into the H9’s expression input jack. Et voila! The SP-H9’s red LED shone brightly and the expression control was effectual straightaway.

There are a couple of reasonable explanations for this that spring to mind. Firstly, James Lebihan (Mission Engineering’s Founder/Owner) designed the SP-H9’s circuitry to be 100% compatible with Eventide’s digital wonder box. Secondly, the Eventide H9 boasts a marvelous expression-auto-calibration mode. Personally, I give the nod to James’ precise design.

In regard to the SP-H9's responsiveness and 'feel', I assess it to be practically instantaneous in reaction time. The amount of tactile resistance and superbly-graded logarithmic control is excellent. The tracking and accuracy of expression operation is flawless.

My one small hesitation with awarding this pedal an absolutely perfect score is its slightly shallow pivot range. I would prefer that it offered another ¼ “ of physical sweep from “heel back” to “toe down” - maybe even just one eighth of an inch more would suffice. When I compare the pivot range of the SP-H9 to that of an old Morley Wah®, or my 25 year old BOSS FV-300L volume pedal, it feels slightly too shallow – making it a bit tricky to execute small expression movements. Of course, as the netizens like to say, YMMV (Your mileage may vary).

Mission Engineering's President and Co-Owner, Paul Shedden had this to say:

". . . the reason for the sweep is because an expression pedal has to be a jack-of-all-trades. It will be used with effects like Wah that need a shorter sweep on one end, and then volume control the other end where the sweep is typically longer. When we designed the chassis and its sweep, we had to find a happy medium where it would work across all possible uses/control types."

I've used classic "Cry Baby" pedals, old Morley Wahs, and various others - including a Roland EV-5 expression pedal. SP-H9's pivot range is just a tad too shallow (for me personally). Notwithstanding, I do agree with Mr. Shedden that Mission Engineering has indeed crafted a pretty good 'happy medium' for Wah effects, changing faux Leslie (Rotary) speeds, and many other expression tasks on the Eventide H9. Fear not! You will not be sorely disappointed if you purchase one of these magnificent controllers; just don't expect as wide a sweep as you've been accustomed to on some other heel-rocking-gadgets. The SP-H9 uses pretty much the same casing and footprint that other Mission Engineering pedals do; such as the Mission EP-1.

>> Click here to read my in-depth Mission EP-1 Review <<

:: One tap or two, Sir?

So here's the rub. In addition to the SP-H9 being righteously compatible with its Eventide namesake as a typical expression controller, it also provides an onboard toe-switch. Over and above that, you can connect a second momentary switch thanks to its auxiliary input jack - how cool is that!?

Click to Zoom

If you're one of the savvy sorts, you (hopefully) make use of the super cool n' agile H9 Control app to configure your Eventide stomp box. Within the H9 Control app, simply go to Pedal Settings -> General -> and locate the {Use Expression Pedal, Aux Switch or Both} menu item. Select the option labeled, “Both”. Your twitchy toes will now be able to engage/disable various H9 pedal & H9 algorithm functions.

Various assignments can be set for the toe-switch (and auxiliary switch, if connected). Since this is a review article and not a How To Document, I won’t bore you with superfluous details. Nevertheless, a good example of why you might want to use the onboard toe-switch would be to commission it to activate the H9’s built-in tuner. While this might sound like too simple a task to delegate to the SP-H9, it frees one from having to bend down for the purpose of pressing & holding both of the H9’s switches for three seconds, just to access the tuner functionality. Perhaps you’d rather designate the toe switch to trigger the “Performance Button” (a.k.a. middle footswitch) on the H9. In total there are 16 assignable Aux switch mappings at your avail - six of them are dedicated to the H9's Looper. Additionally, there are 10 more empty slots whereby you can concoct your own mapping assignments.

:: Click to Zoom Pictures ::

Concluding Remarks:

On a scale of 1 to 10, it is this reviewer's honest-to-God opinion that the Mission Engineering SP-H9 Expression Pedal deserves a lofty rating of 9.5. I've demerited a mere half point on account of the slightly shallow pivot range. Otherwise, I deem this unit to be faultless in design, performance and build quality. The ease of implementation with an Eventide H9 is unparalleled. Facilitating an auxiliary momentary TS switch seriously kicks it up a notch; allowing easy-peasy tap tempo adjustments. If you already subscribe to the Eventide H9 eco system, I can’t recommend this one highly enough!

:: Click to Zoom Pictures ::

9.5 out of 10

:: Pros

Top-of-the-Class Build Quality.
Assembled by hand in USA.
Attractive design – perfectly matching the Eventide H9.
100% Compatibility with the Eventide H9.
An onboard toe-switch allows for convenient, on-the-fly momentary switch operations.
An auxiliary input facilitates extra functionality such as easy tap tempo.

:: Cons

Not a deal breaker, but I would prefer that the pivot range were just a little longer.

<< Prev Review: Arturia Keylab 61 MKII Midi Keyboard Controller

>> Next Review: Mission Engineering EP-1 Expression Pedal

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Brother Charles is a freelance writer, Gospel music artist and minister. Charles had been a professional touring musician during the nineties; working primarily as a lead guitarist in the Canadian country music industry. Brother Charles is also involved with music production and quality home recording."

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Review Revival - Reviews

Deep Review: Wampler EGO 76 [AMAZING Parallel Processing in a Box]

Deep Review: Wampler EGO 76 [AMAZING Parallel Processing in a Box]

​Preamble: 1176 Peak Limiter - What’s the big deal?

What’s In The Box?

​At A Glance

How Does It Sound?

Down n’ Dirty

​Raise the Union Jack and Go Brit, Mate

​Mysterious Ambiguity . .

​Concluding Remarks

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Chase Bliss Brothers AM Review (2025) [EXCITING KoT Dual Overdrive]

Chase Bliss BROTHERS AM Review (2025) [EXCITING KoT Dual Overdrive]

​Preamble Part 1 – Analog.man’s King of Tone

​Preamble Part II - Enter Brothers AM

What’s In The Box?

​At A Glance

Digital Brain, Analogue Heart

Extensive Control

​The Same, But Different

​How Does It Sound?

What is a Treble Booster?

​Concluding Remarks

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Chase Bliss Clean [Definitive] Review (2025)

Chase Bliss Clean [Definitive] Review (2025)

Preamble

What’s In The Box?

​At A Glance

​Digital Brain, Analogue Soul

How Does It Sound?

​Compress to Impress

​Compression-dependent Effects

A Few More Interesting Bits

​Concluding Remarks

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Kiive Audio LunchBox AMP Review (2023)

Kiive Audio LunchBox Review (2023)

Authorization and Activation

​At A Glance

​The Appointments

How Does It Sound?

Concluding Remarks

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Audient ID24 USB Audio Interface Review (In Depth, 2023)

Audient ID24 Review (Definitive, 2023)

Tech Spec Highlights:

Cross Platform

At A Glance

​What’s In The Box?

​Build Quality:

​Driver Installation and Performance:

​Appointments & Functions:

​The iD Mixer Control Software:

​Sound Quality:

​CPU & Memory Consumption:

Concluding Remarks:

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Straight Ahead Samples' Atomic Big Band Horns Review

Straight Ahead Samples, Atomic Big Band Horns Review (Deep Reveal, 2023)

​Authorization and Activation

What’s on Tap?

​Getting To Know The Band Members

​Is this just more of the “Same Ole, Same Ole”, being huckstered via Clever Marketing?

​What Is “Smart Delay”

​Ok, But How Does It Sound?

​Now on to a bit of measured critique. . .

​A Nuts n’ Bolts Perspective

​Concluding Remarks

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Wave Arts Panorama 7 Review (2023)

Wave Arts Panorama 7 Review (In-Depth, 2023)

Authorization and Activation

What are HRIRs?

Get Your Head in the Game

Position Sequencer: I Like To Move It, Move It

But, How Does It Sound?

Of Special Interest: Cue the Air Raid Sirens

Preamble: 1176 Peak Limiter - What’s the big deal?

At A Glance

Raise the Union Jack and Go Brit, Mate

Mysterious Ambiguity . .

Concluding Remarks

Preamble Part 1 – Analog.man’s King of Tone

Preamble Part II - Enter Brothers AM

At A Glance

The Same, But Different

How Does It Sound?

Concluding Remarks

At A Glance

Digital Brain, Analogue Soul

Compress to Impress

Compression-dependent Effects

Concluding Remarks

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At A Glance

The Appointments

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What’s In The Box?

Build Quality:

Driver Installation and Performance:

Appointments & Functions:

The iD Mixer Control Software:

Sound Quality:

CPU & Memory Consumption:

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Authorization and Activation

Getting To Know The Band Members

Is this just more of the “Same Ole, Same Ole”, being huckstered via Clever Marketing?

What Is “Smart Delay”

Ok, But How Does It Sound?

Now on to a bit of measured critique. . .

A Nuts n’ Bolts Perspective

Concluding Remarks

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Fresh, New, Polished Interface

Stay in the Loop - Subscribe Today!

Stay in the Loop - Subscribe Today!

Stay in the Loop - Subscribe Today!