A made-in-Greece phase-shifting machine offers alternatives to familiar filter, phase, and modulation tones.
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RatingsPros:A bevy of unique synth-, phase-, and filter-like tones. Well-built and creatively conceived. Cons: Expensive for a simple circuit. Functionality highly dependent on an expression pedal that is not included. Street: $216 Kleissonic Howl kleissonic.com | Tones: Ease of Use: Build/Design: Value: |
I have a friend that hates phasers. And while I think his sentiments are rather generalized and harsh, sometimes I sorta see his point. When you switch a phaser on, it runs through its phase cycle until you turn it off again. It sounds trippy, sure, but leaves you a semi-passive participant in tone-shaping while the phaser just ā¦ phases. I donāt suspect that perception of a phaserās limits is a widely held opinion. And being an enthusiastic phaser fan I certainly wouldnāt call this aspect of phaser performance a problem. But to whatever extent it is an issue for the guitar players of the world, the Greece-built Kleissonic Howl might be the solution.
The Howl, unlike most phase shifters, has no LFO. That means that there is nothing in the pedal to drive a phase sweep or control its rate. What Kleissonic offers instead is a means of routing your signal through a specific, fixed point of a phase cycle that you determine with the pedalās sweep knob or via manual shifting with an expression pedal (not included). In this sense, the Howl crosses some of the functionality of a wah with the sonic flavor of a phaser. The result is often unique tones that hint at both effects without recognizably being either.
Freeze the Phase
The Howl is not the first pedal to utilize the tone potential of fixed or āfrozenā phase points. Electro-Harmonix Bad Stone made use of the concept to great effect decades ago, and any cocked wah effect achieves similar results by locking in on a fixed point in a filter sweep. Itās not the first phaser to offer manual sweep functionality, either. Moogās legendary, but very expensive MF-103 is a great tool for this. But Kleissonic offers more manual control than the Bad Stone. Itās much less expensive than an MF-103. And many of the sounds the pedal generates are unique enough to prompt aural double-takes and induce a sense of haze and mystery. Plus, phase shift isnāt the only effect in the Kliessonic. Thereās also a drive section that can range from clean boost to near-fuzzy textures.
The Howlās simplicity is one of its greatest assets. If you crack the enclosure open to access the trimpots that determine phase frequency range and calibrate the stomp to your expression pedal, youāll find a clean, well-ordered printed circuit affixed to the enclosure via the pots and independent of the jacks and footswitch. For all the extra space though, thereās no battery option.
Ease describes the pedalās functionality, too. If you donāt have an expression pedal attached, you merely pinpoint your preferred phase-sweep point and its attendant tonality via the sweep knob, and set the level and gain to taste. If you have the pedal attached, you control the sweep as you would control the filter on a wah. The resulting tones are often more analog synth than pedal-like, though you can summon cool twists on envelope and wah filter tones as well. I also grew to like the warm lo-fi qualities of the gain control in its higher reaches, but occasionally wished for either fuzzier textures or rounder, warmer overdrive tones. Thankfully, the Howl interacts with fuzz and overdrive with civility.
The Verdict
Kleissonic is a resolutely creative pedal builder. And the Howl chases a very cool musical idea in a simple, creative way. Many of the pedalās tones evoke the sounds of cocked wahs, envelope filters, and filtered or aggressively EQād overdrive. But they also sound cutting, distinct, and unique, which can be gold in a studio. What youāre willing to pay for those sounds is another matter. While thereās no doubt that the Howl is a well-made, original design, itās expensive for a relatively simple circuit. And the fact that so much of the Kleissonicās functionality depends on an expression pedal thatās not included also makes the price seem high. But if you favor effects that make uncommon-to-freaky sounds more readily than clichĆ©d or classic ones (or youāre that weird friend who hates regular phasers), the Howl could be well worth the price.
A new phaser that allows users to create their own custom LFOs.
Berlin, Germany (November 19, 2018) -- Two years after the last successful release by Kleissonic Boutique Pedals, an extremely useful and versatile two-notch phase-shifting pedal is finally unleashed, the Howl. It comes with three controls, Volume, Gain and Sweep ā exactly, no āRateā control! The Howl is not another common phaser, it has no built-in LFO and it is ideal for any instrument. It's also extremely useful for audio engineers and DJās both for recordings and mixing.
The two notches (signal cancellations) will allow musicians to dial in plenty of sound timbres and find their own tone sweet spot. Additionally, by plugging in an expression pedal, the user's foot works as a ācustom LFO.ā The idea behind it, is to have absolute control of the phase shifting frequencies, giving musician a brand new tool of musical expression.
The Howl works with any expression pedal with minimum 10KOhm and maximum 100KOhm. It can also work up to 250KOhm on demand. Two internal trimpots help the user easily calibrate the feeling of the expression pedal as well as the range of phase frequencies.
The Gain control provides up to +10db of ultra-clean boost of the overall sound at the mid point. From 12 oāclock onwards, gives more punch to the phase stage.
HOWL highlights include:
- Two notches (signal cancellations)
- Ideal for any instrument.
- Wide range of phase frequencies.
- Adjustable range of sweep for any expression pedal with Ā¼ TRS (Tip/Ring/Sleeve) where the reference voltage is on ātipā.
- Ultra-clean boost up to +10db at 12 o'clock
Specs:
- True Bypass
- Input impedance: 820KOhm
- Output impedance: 10KOhm
- Power: Center negative tip from 9-15 Volts DC
- Power consumption: 15mA
- Dimensions:120 x 95 x 34 (mm)
Kleissonic pedals are already being enjoyed by seminal bands and some of the best undergound musicians. The use of Kleissonic Pedals by Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), John Cummings (Mogwai), Efrim Menuck and David Bryant (Godspeed You! Black Emperor), Achilles Charmpilas(2 by Bukowski), Rob Campanella (The Brian Jonestown Massacre), Christian Bland (The Black Angels), Ripley Johnson (Wooden Shjips, Moon Duo), Tres Warren (Psychic Ills), Jakob Ilja (Element of Crime), Conrad Keely (..And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead), Rory Friers (And So I Watch You From Afar) and Giorgos Xylouris(Xylouris/White) is a testament to the quality and style.
All Kleissonic Pedals are designed and built in Berlin, Germany. The Howl carries retail suggested price of 195ā¬ (euros), and can be purchased directly from the Kleissonic online shop at www.kleissonic.com, or by the authorized dealers.
For more information:
Kleissonic Boutique Pedals
Gain can be adjusted by the volume control of the guitar, without changing the overall volume level.
Berlin, Germany (April 14, 2016) -- Two years after the last successfull release by Kleissonic Boutique Pedals, an extremely versatile and pioneering Fuzz pedal was finally unleashed, the Lucid. It comes with just two controls, Volume and Harmonics ā that's right, no Gain/Fuzz control! The Harmonics knob adjusts the harmonic consistency and range of the signal and the Volume knob controls the overall output. Gain can be adjusted by the volume control of the guitar, without changing the overall volume level.
Lucid essentially brings the power back where it belongs ā the guitarist's hands! It is extremely responsive to the player's dynamics and guitar tone and volume knobs, offering an unlimited range of tones right at the player's fingertips.
It cleans up nicely when you turn it down and doesn't get lost in the mix when it's cranked. The tone control of the guitar is also very effective and it doesn't get lost in the gain stages.
Lucid highlights include:
- Ideal also for studio and recording use.
- Choose your favourite fuzz colour with Lucid's unique harmonic control.
- Low noise operation. No buzz or hiss when input signal at minimum.
- Extremely sensitive to playing dynamics.
- Great response witth either cold or hot pickups.
- High input impedance, so there is no need for additional preamp when used with a piezo pickup.
- Wide range of power supply voltages from 9-18 Volts.
The Lucid carries retail suggested price of 175ā¬ (euros), and can be purchased directly from the Kleissonic online shop.
For more information:
Kleissonic