Most modelers don’t let you load your own IR files, though you can do so using dedicated software plug-ins such as Audio Ease’s Altiverb and Space Designer in Apple’s Logic Pro. And now you can add this technology (also known as convolution reverb) to your pedalboard, thanks to Logidy’s EPSi—the first load-your-own IR stompbox.
EPSi reads IR files from an SD memory card, and ships with a 1 GB card containing hundreds of shareware impulse responses. (Many more are available online.) Quality varies, but with searching and a bit of patience, you can assemble a fine IR library at no cost. (And if you have an IR-making utility, like the ones included with Logic and Altiverb, you can make and load your own IRs.)
Ratings
Pros:
Brings DAW-level sound design to your pedalboard.
Cons:
Tough to switch sounds on the fly.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$199 (direct)
Logidy EPSi
logidy.com
EPSi is a solid 4" x 4" stompbox with minimal controls: just a terse, three-character LED, a data knob, an enter button, and a bypass footswitch. To select a new sound, simply scroll to the desired IR number and press enter. Same with altering the reverb time or adjusting the wet/dry mix: scroll and enter. This system works fine, just don’t count on changing tones mid-song, or even mid-set. But hey, even if you use only one IR per show (a nice juicy spring to soak the sound of a no-reverb amp, maybe?), you may find EPSi useful in performance.
But the studio is where EPSi really shines. You have access to hundreds of sounds at once, or even thousands with a larger, pricier memory card. You can also swap between cheaper cards. (You can buy 1 GB cards for less than five bucks each.)
Swapping cards may be a good strategy. There are two versions of the latest EPSi software, which the pedal reads from the SD card along with the IR files. One is optimized for reverbs of up to six seconds, and the other is geared toward mimicking speakers and cabinets. (Yes, you can plug your amp’s direct audio output into EPSi, record direct, and clone the tones of countless cabinet/speaker/mic combinations with startling realism.) To switch software, just power up with the appropriate card inserted. Like most powerful digital effects, EPSi requires AC power, but thankfully an adapter is included.
To learn more about using IRs in the studio, check out the recent PG article "Impulse Control: Mastering Fake Spaces." It covers some extreme sound-design scenarios and includes a link to download some cool and free IR files.
Yet the stigma remains. So you’ve got to admire Oklahoma stompbox builder Robert Keeley for diving in with such enthusiasm on his latest pedal, the Seafoam Chorus. He giddily describes the Seafoam as his most exciting design since his popular compressors. According to Keeley, the Seafoam’s circuit is based on the notion of combining an IC chip rarely used for such applications—the ES56033—with an opto-isolator LFO. Whatever the methodology, the results are remarkable.
Foaming at the Mouth
Besides the expected rate and depth knobs, the Seafoam includes tone and blend controls, and they’re the real keys to this green machine’s potential. Turned counterclockwise, blend serves up the Doppler dandiness of vintage-style vibrato circuits. At the other extreme it conjures the Seafoam’s watery namesake effect. In between are intriguing blends. (Considering today’s chorus ambivalence, it stumps me why the Seafoam’s enclosure doesn’t proudly shout “Vibrato.” Plenty of players who won’t go near chorus have a soft spot for other pitch-warbling effects.)
Beach Bums and Rayguns
I tested the Seafoam using a Tele with Curtis Novak pickups, a Danelectro ’56 Reissue Baritone, a Schecter Ultra III with a TV Jones Magna’Tron, and a Gretsch solidbody with a P-90 bridge pickup. My test amps were an EL34-powered Jaguar HC50 combo and a 6973-powered Goodsell Valpreaux 21.
Given my predilection for taut tones with plenty of bite, I immediately took to the Seafoam’s tone knob. Many chorus pedals—especially vintage-style ones—either have no EQ control or a one-size-fits-all bright toggle. Without adequate tweakability, certain guitars need a level or treble boost to make the chorused signal cut through as well as non-chorused sounds. With the Seafoam, this concern is obliterated.
Thanks to the tone knob’s wide range, you can plug in a darker-sounding humbucker axe, set blend to the vibe side, adjust tone to taste, and put rate and depth past noon for a trippy “Black Hole Sun”-style solo. You can then switch to a bright single-coil guitar, tweak the tone again, dial back depth and rate, and add some slow echo for a hypnotic space-rock effect. In other words, the tone knob avoids having to compromise the strengths of either instrument. I can’t overstate how effective this control is, especially since the Seafoam’s sound becomes brighter as you shift from vibrato to chorus.
Ratings
Pros:
Great chorus and vibe tones, ranging from glossy to warm or weird. Exceptional tonal control.
Cons:
Could use an expression-pedal input or strategically located knob for real-time rate control.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$229
Keeley Seafoam Chorus
robertkeeley.com
Is Maggie There?
When vibrato aficionados get together, the acid test is often, “Yes—but can it do Magnatone vibrato? I thought not. Tsk-tsk.” Keeley doesn’t tout this as a Maggie in a box, and it’s not. But if you’re looking for a neck-snapping, motion-sickness-inducing vibe, you’ll find plenty of weirdness here. One of my favorite recipes was conjuring wicked ray-gun sounds by plugging my Dano Bari or my D-tuned Schecter into an EarthQuaker Devices Tone Reaper fuzz, and then into the Seafoam with rate and depth to 2 or 3 o’clock. Bring on the alien invasion!
The Seafoam sounds very good on the chorus side, too. With a clean tone and my Tele’s bridge pickup and Jazzmaster neck pickup engaged, I set rate and depth around noon for barely audible motion, perfect for Nile-style funk, and then nudged both higher for undulating ’80s new wave tones in the style of the Fixx. It’ll also do full-on slosh for your ’80s hard rock, or animate grunge tones with aplomb.
The Verdict
Whether you’re looking for over-the-top or subtle chorus/vibrato, the Seafoam flat-out delivers. Its tone-connoisseur sonics are remarkably moldable, thanks to the powerful tone knob. With some players or rigs, the blend control’s gradual vibrato/chorus taper might feel a bit too subtle. I usually set it to full vibrato, full chorus, or a 50/50 blend, but some players might find other blends invaluable. Headier effect users may lament the lack of an expression control input to alter the LFO rate in real time. (Even vintage-chorus fans might wish the rate knob were sized and positioned for easier foot-nudging.) Tweakers might also wish they could alternate between two or more favorite settings. But those things would cost more money and board space, not to mention sacrifice the simplicity most guitarists prize. When all’s said and done, players who prioritize stellar tones, straightforward operation, and economy of scale will be stoked by the quality and power of this compact, easy-to-use box.
Watch the Review Demo:
One bonus of using an original Maestro Echoplex EP-3 tape delay is the added color and bite of its preamp. MXR’s new Echoplex Preamp delivers this sound in a sturdy, elegant, and stupidly simple stompbox that even a pedal hater can love. Like the preamp it replicates, the pedal delivers relatively subtle overdrive. I used it on a session with an old Fender Vibro Champ for Crazy Horse-style grind on a rhythm guitar track. (It sounded fantastic cranked all the way, or almost there.) The Echoplex Preamp’s range and potency were more apparent with a bigger amp. Through a 30-watt, 2x10 blackface Tremolux, it enhanced picking dynamics and added organic-sounding dirt.
Test Gear: Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster, ’80s ’52 Reissue Fender Telecaster, ’64 Fender Tremolux, ’70s Fender Vibro Champ
Ratings
Pros:
Incredibly easy to use. Natural sounding overdrive. Sturdy construction. Responsive to picking dynamics at high gain.
Cons:
Lacks some range with smaller amps.
Street:
$119
Company
jimdunlop.com
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
