Certain facets of a rotary speaker’s mystery and magic can be approximated via phasers, vibratos, choruses, or flangers. But replicating anything more than a small percentage of a rotary speaker’s sonic complexity in a stompbox takes a keen-eared designer, a fair bit of R&D, and a digital engine that can crunch a few numbers. As a consequence, really good rotary simulations are typically pretty expensive. And because a lot of players view them as one-trick ponies, they are relatively few in number.
Keeley’s Rotary, as the name suggests, specializes in emulating the ineffable, Doppler-y, delicious tones of a Leslie. But it is hardly limited. In addition to super-thick, syrupy, and head-spinning sounds, the rangeful blend control enables many subtle, subdued, and just-barely-there modulation washes—the kind that add critical, transformative, animating energy to spare arrangements. The drive control is a tasty thickening agent that adds color, equalization nuance, and significant push at more pronounced modulation levels. Keeley also added a 3-position mid boost—presumably to help overcome perceived volume loss inherent to modulation effects, but also to add pep in moments where phase cancellation seems to swipe energy. In concert with the drive, it can be used as a dedicated tone control—helping match the pedal to different pickups, amps, and musical moods. Secondary controls for chasing extra-slow speeds and customizing ramp rates also make it easy to tailor the Rotary for very specific placement in a mix or an arrangement. But the real value in the Rotary for many will be the wobbly prettiness of the many modulations here—particularly in stereo—and the musical provocation they so readily supply.
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Guitarists are used to coveting cranky, old gear, but if you’re not a rack user, the H3000 might not be for you! If you ever see one of these in a studio, be sure to take some time to check it out, and maybe give the plugin a try.