I’m a tremolo nut. So Matthews Effects’ Conductor, which opens doors to interesting and functional tweaks on this underestimated effect, is cause for celebration.
If you’re only used to amp tremolo, the Conductor might seem a touch tricky. The wide-ranging depth knob is the only “typical” tremolo control. The pedal replaces the conventional speed/rate knob with tap-tempo and division controls, enabling super-precise and percussive tremolo settings. You can switch the waveform between sweetly contoured sine, ramp, and ramp-down forms, or the choppy on/off textures of the triangle/square wave. The output control is great: It not only compensates for perceived volume loss, but also adds a smooth and addictive clean boost that you miss when the effect is off. The tone control is useful for adding presence to tremolo pulses that might otherwise get lost in a busy mix
The lack of detents or clearly labeled settings on the division and waveform controls can feel a bit vague in the heat of performance, perhaps making the Conductor better suited to studio sound sculpting than onstage tweaking. That’s no bad thing, given that the Conductor has the stuff to be indispensible to modulation-crazed studio hounds. At 250 bones, the Conductor is pretty pricey. But you’d be hard pressed to find a tremolo machine more flexible, fun, and fat-sounding.
Test Gear: Fender Telecaster, Fender Tremolux
Ratings
Pros:
Beautiful, deep tremolo. Super-tweakable and precise. Useful tone and output controls. A potentially powerful studio ally.
Cons:
Clearer labeling and control detents would make the pedal more stage-friendly.
Street:
$250
Matthews Effects Conductor
matthewseffects.com
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