A spacious reverb that spans low-key plate and demented, enormous cosmic reverb colors is a gas to use and easy to own.
Fun to use. Wide spectrum of sounds. Nice build quality at a great price
Can be hard to remove high harmonic content at all but the least trebly tone settings.
$129
Walrus Fundamental Ambient
walrusaudio.com
With variable voices, accessible prices ranging from 99 to 129 bucks, and slide controls that evoke old synths and vintage Jen pedals, Walrus Audio’s Fundamental series effects are functional, stylish, and dish a lot of awesome sounds at a nice price. The newest addition to the Fundamental series, the Ambient, will be good news for budget-constrained atmospheric musicians that otherwise settle for less-durable pedals at the market’s most inexpensive extremes. Some of those pedals are pretty cool, but the Walrus’ construction quality, sense of substance, and function—which is flat-out fun—make it a substantial alternative to those entry-level artifacts for a minor additional investment. It puts a super-wide range of sounds at your disposal, too.
Though few may use Ambient in subtle applications, it is capable of nice sounds on that spectrum. By using the lowest mix, tone, and decay settings, you can create an appealing facsimile of studio plate reverb that isn’t slathered in cloying top-end harmonics—particularly in the deep mode (which adds low octave) and the sustain-rich lush setting. At advanced mix and decay settings, the Ambient can sound colossal, alien, and unreal in ways any serious sound designer would be happy to explore. Haze mode, which uses sample rate reduction to create grainier, fractured, lo-fi pictures, is its own awesomely weird animal. You can fashion outsized dream-pop textures, or, at the most extreme level and mix settings, use the tone slider in crossfade fashion to conjure scuzzy VHS horror tones that, frankly, freaked me out as I was playing them.
The legendary shred maestro—best known for his work as a solo artist and as a member of Return to Forever and other high-profile, hot-shot collabs—drops by to chat with Cory about his new epic full-length, Twentyfour. It features “sixteen brand-new compositions and they’re all very involved. I hope I don’t have to do this again.”
One of Di Meola’s biggest projects is, of course, the guitar trio he shared with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía and their thrilling 1981 record, Friday Night in San Francisco, which elevated the acoustic guitar ensemble to the level of high art. Di Meola shares the behind-the-scenes stories of that tour and the 2022 archival release from the next night’s concert, Saturday Night in San Francisco. He calls the ensemble’s dynamic a “real healthy competition” and explains, “I knew I was up against two guys who were relentless in their delivery of phenomenal ideas. When they finished a solo, it was like, ’Oh my god, what am I gonna come up with.”
No chat with Di Meola, who famously opened up his kitchen in the post-lockdown part of the pandemic, would be complete without a survey of Southern Italian food. Why is sfogliatelle the maestro’s favorite pastry, and where does he get his? If he’s on tour and there’s nowhere to eat but an Olive Garden, what’s his order? And much, much more.
Wong Notes is presented by DistroKid.
Use this link for 30% off your first year.
Blackstar's HT MK III Series amps offer four voices, Infinite Shape Feature, and Power Reduction down to 10%. The addition of CabRig DSP technology and USB-C connectivity for professional recording. ISF control allows for versatile tonal shaping.
Blackstar has unveiled the latest incarnation of the company’s vaunted HT compact tube amps – the MK III Series.
There are eight models in the range: HT-1R MK III combo, HT-1RH MK III head, HT-5R MK III combo, HT-5RH MK III head, HT-20R MK III combo, HT-20RH MK III head, HT-212VOC MK III cabinet, HT-112OC MK III cabinet.
A new addition is Blackstar’s advanced IR-based CabRig DSP technology, an embodiment of latest innovations in speaker, cab, mic, and room emulation. This technology, originally featured in the company’s St. James and AMPED products, represents Blackstar’s commitment to making Blackstar the ultimate tools for self-expression. Coupled with 4-channel audio via the USB-C, capturing professional quality valve tone in your DAW is simple.
The CabRig outs (XLR, Stereo Line Out, and USB) can also be used in Standby Mode making it ideal for both recording and silent stages too. Upgraded circuit board components and an all-new digital reverb with adjustable parameters further enhance the tone and performance.
Patented ISF (Infinite Shape Feature)
On the HT MK III amplifiers is Blackstar’s patented ISF. ISF stands for ‘Infinite Shape Feature’. Unique to Blackstar products, this control can take you from a more ‘American'-sounding amp all the way through to a classic ‘British’ amplifier and anywhere in between.
What does HT stand for?
‘HT’ stands for High Tension meaning the high voltage internal circuits needed to push valves to their full tonal potential. The HT name goes back to the very beginning of Blackstar and our first products: the HT valve pedals.
Prices for Blackstar’s new HT Series amps are:
- HT-1R-MKIII $499.99
- HT-1RH-MKIII $449.99
- HT-5R-MKIII $699.99
- HT-5RH-MKIII $649.99
- HT-20R-MKIII $899.99
- HT-20RH-MKIII $849.99
- HT-112OC-MKIII $299.99
- HT-212VOC-MKIII $499.99
For more information, please visit blackstaramps.com.