An all analog chorus featuring a feedback control that can blur the line between chorus and flanger.
For starters, the Callisto MKII is 100 percent analog just like the original for some classic trembling warmth you can really feel. Just how much wobble you want can be dialed in with the Mix control, which achieves 100 percent wet or dry in either direction. Turning it all the way up delivers a wonderfully-tuned pitch vibrato that can add some spice to your solos or some disorienting tape-like warble designed to help you create your next bedroom pop record.
Classic Rate and Depth controls go beyond the basic two-knob chorus and into hi-fi territory that makes your guitar shine and sound equally great for both lead and rhythm applications, or any other instrument you find may be lacking in thickness. Catalinbread has also taken the liberty of adding a new Feedback control, which dumps a varying amount of signal from the output of the BBD chip back into the circuit after the filtering occurs, for a striking regenerative tone that blurs the line between chorus and flanger.
For more information and demo videos, please visit catalinbread.com. The Callisto MKII is out now and available for $209.99 at participating retailers.
Neural DSP built its reputation on producing high-quality plug-ins. But packing great sounds into an all-in-one floor unit is a very different design challenge than creating a plug-in. In the form of the Quad Cortex, however, Neural succeeds at creating an intuitive interface and adding interesting features that even seasoned fans of digital setups will find intriguing.
Like a Rock
The Quad Cortex feels solid. Eleven dual-purpose foot switches and an oversized master volume control are situated around a 7-inch full-color touch display. Around back are a wealth of different I/O options including multiple XLR and 1/4" inputs, independent XLR and 1/4" outputs, headphone jack, dedicated Neural Capture output, MIDI, two effects loops, and support for 8-in/8-out USB audio. You'd be hard pressed to find morerouting options on a comparable unit.
Recorded with a Fender Stratocaster directly into Logic Pro X from the Quad Cortex.
Clip 1 goes through various presets that are shipped in the unit. Clip 2 is a Wampler Hot Wired overdrive feeding a Fender-style amp emulation. The second half of the clip is a Neural Capture of the Hot Wired.
The foot switches not only feel sturdy, but double as rotary knobs that adjust various parameters depending on the function you have selected. For those hesitant to go digital because they miss manual level adjustments, this might be a game changer.
On the Grid
Whether you pull up a preset or start from scratch, the Quad Cortex displays a grid that illustrates almost any signal flow you can imagine. I started simple and loaded up a Fender-style amp impulse response from a Bassman 4x10 with Jensens, and a Myth Drive (Neural's Klon emulation). I monitored through a set of headphones and a powered Electro-Voice EKX 12-" speaker. The warmth and presence in the amp models is easy to hear, and the midrange and low end have a particularly authentic feel. Just to confirm what my ears were hearing, I tried similar patches on an HX Stomp and Kemper Stage. The Quad Cortex easily held its own.
Within about 20 minutes I had a fully functioning stereo setup that sounded great and was easy to tweak.
My next rig was more complicated: Two amps, effects in pre- and post-amp positions, plus an expression pedal. Using Vox-and Hiwatt-style emulations together allowed me to test the unit's wide-ranging "gig" functionality. Here you can use one of three different modes: scenes, presets, or stomps. These functions allow you to assign effects blocks to foot switches (stomp), move between different settings in a single rig (scene), or change rigs entirely (preset). Depending on how you set them up, these three modes offer nearly limitless options. I was able to move between amps, high- and low-dwell reverb settings, and a wacky Whammy-style effect that I operated via an expression pedal (not included). The programming wasn't without a bit of trial and error, but within about 20 minutes I had a fully functioning stereo setup that sounded great and was easy to tweak. With units like these I find that ease of use is nearly as important as sound quality. The Neural excels on this count.
With over 70 effects, Quad Cortex hits all the bases. There are faithful emulations of classic overdrives, compressors, filters, and pitch shifters alongside Neural's proprietary effects. I hope for more modulation effects in future updates, though. Having just one type of chorus, flanger, and phaser underutilizes the Neural's impressive power.
The Neural Cloud system definitely merits mention. It's the most streamlined method for sharing and discovering presets I've encountered. Once you connect your Quad Cortex to wi-fi and download the free mobile app, you can access thousands of user- and artist-sourced presets, captures, and IRs. In minutes I had the exact setup that Rabea Massaad used with Stormzy. Wild! It's a great way to reverse-engineer your own presets, too.
Capture It!
Neural Capture enables you to create a snapshot of an amp or pedal at a specific setting. The function works for amps, cabs, and overdrive pedals. (At press time, Neural mentions that higher-gain drives like fuzz pedals aren't compatible). I hooked up a Wampler Brent Mason Hot Wired following the instructions in the handy on-screen guide. (When capturing a pedal, you don't need to hook it up through an amp and speaker.) The Quad Cortex went through its process and out popped a fresh capture. Neural includes a handy preset template that allows you to A/B the capture and the original pedal. After a few tweaks I was able to mimic the sound without much discernible difference in tone.
Capturing an amp means capturing the properties of the entire signal chain including the speaker and mic. I set up my Revv D20 with an Avatar 1x12 cab and miked it up with a Shure SM57. The capture process is similar to a pedal, except there are more audible artifacts from the analog chain. After a few stops and starts I ended up with a fairly accurate capture of the amp. To my ears, the pedal capture was a bit more accurate. However, you can visit the online version of this review to hear the results for yourself.
The Verdict
The Quad Cortex is an immensely powerful unit. The complete array of features, tones, and expandability via Neural Capture make it a worthy peer to similar units. The grid system is a great way to organize complex routing options. It isn't perfect, and you'll want to consult the manual to optimize the deep functionality. But if you're interested in a more open digital ecosystem and recreating rigs that would occupy a whole rehearsal room in the analog world, the Quad Cortex is a truly impressive way to achieve those aims.
Spaceman Effects has built some of the most coveted pedals of the past decade. The company always seems guided by an exploratory design ethos that makes their boxes distinctive, and sometimes extraordinary. They tend to dig deep—into the potential of otherwise simple circuits, even into the potential of music and sound itself. They also seem to be unconstrained by the shackles of imitating classic circuits.
The adventurous impulses explain a lot about Spaceman's new Aurora Analog Flanger. It is, at times, a truly unique-sounding modulation device. It's geared unapologetically toward the experimentally minded. And while it may not be the easiest phaser in the world to wrangle, it's barrels of fun to use and spawns unusual musical ideas at many turns.
Spun at Sunrise
Like every Spaceman pedal I've ever encountered, the Aurora is built to endure. Jacks and footswitches are mounted to the enclosure independent of the circuit board. And though the board itself isn't quite as flashy or overflowing with visual Easter eggs as those in Aurora's predecessors, it's immaculately wired.
If you don't like a little homework, Aurora might not be the right flanger for you. Its control array is stacked with seven knobs and two footswitches, and the nature of their functions probably won't be immediately apparent to a flanger neophyte. That doesn't mean Aurora isn't intuitive. You can twist your way to any number of fairly conventional flanger and chorus sounds with a modicum of patience. But realizing the full potential of Aurora demands that you understand the many quirks and interrelationships among its controls, and that can be time-consuming business.
However it's employed, the trig switch is always a gas.
The heart of the Aurora is the 5-mode modulation selector. LFO 1 mode (which is most like a standard flanger pedal) and tape 1 mode (which approximates many of the sound properties of tape flanging) are both based on triangle waveforms. LFO 2 and tape 2 mode, however, produce ramp-up and ramp-down waveshapes, which change not just the modulation texture, but the functionality and relationship between certain controls. The comb filter function doesn't sweep through a waveform like a regular flanger, but it uses the Aurora's powerful filtering capabilities to generate super-focused sounds that take on pronounced metallic overtones at high regen (feedback) levels.
Mix, Match, ‘n’ Morph
While the volume, mix, and powerful regen controls work as you'd expect, the width, rate and range controls change function depending on the mode you select. In LFO 2 and Tape 2 mode, for instance, the rate controls the speed at which the wave rises, and range controls the rate at which it falls—enabling everything from hiccup-y, glitchy waveforms to metallic 12-string tones. Meanwhile, in LFO 1 and Tape 1 mode, the rate control governs speed of the triangle waves' rise and fall, while the range is dedicated to regulating waveform height.
The trigger switch also works a little differently in each mode. In most modes you can use the switch in a quick, momentary blast to warp a solo or riff, usually with a "wow" effect as it is introduced and removed. But you can also hold it down to generate dramatic, sustained sweeps. In comb mode, the trig switch toggles between frequency peaks set by the range and rate controls. However it is employed, the trig switch is always a gas. You can use it in lieu of a vibrato arm wiggle to punctuate a phrase, or fashion more chaotic concoctions with random stutters, pulses, and pitch shifts. Next time you're out of solo ideas, try this trick.
The Verdict
While there are more straight-ahead ways to get traditional flange sounds, the Spaceman Aurora generates effects that are more demented than the average flanger—and more subtle. There is a learning curve. And you'll have to invest time to get a feel for how the controls interact and how differently they behave in different modes. Like a lot of complex analog modulation tools without presets, Aurora might be most useful in the studio where you can leverage its flexibility and many sonic possibilities at leisure. But for more experienced and fearless flange flyers willing to invest the time into understanding the Aurora, the payoff is a boatload of rich traditional modulation colors—and heaps of uncommon and unexpected ones—that can enliven a studio or stage performance.
