The brains behind Rainger FX on what inspired his crunchy reverbs, DJ-inspired compressors, drone machines, and pressure-sensitive expression controllers.
This mini-but-monstrous bass fuzz and its manipulative assistant make for one dynamic duo.
Say hallo to my leettle fren! I couldn’t not say it—sorry—but more on Igor in a moment. The Dr. Freakenstein Dwarf Bass is a mini-format bass fuzz that dares to be different—I mean really dares to be different. The simple control set looks straight out of a ’60s sci-fi show and consists of a thumbwheel for volume and an oversized knob for governing the pitch of the harmonic overtones. At the front end of the pedal lives the LFO push-button that, when activated, sweeps the overtone up and down in a spaced-out, whoosh-y manner. The mix button to its right takes the pedal from all-out fuzz to about a 3:1 fuzz-to-clean-signal ratio when engaged. Igor is the dual-sensitive (just flip it over) mini-expression pad that manipulates the overtone or sparks a quicker modulation speed when the LFO is engaged.
The Dwarf Bass serves up fire-breathing grit, so look elsewhere if you’re in need of kinder, gentler fuzz. With the overtone dial at 1 o’clock, LFO button out, and the mix button engaged, I created sweet chaos with the help of Igor that likely scared the shit out of anyone within 100 feet of my house. I literally made sounds akin to a robotic troll squelching in terror (or pleasure) atop a smoking, consistent fuzz tone that inspired riffs galore apt for grindcore to alt-metal EDM. While a light dusting of fuzz isn’t available, it’s an impressively musical (albeit extreme) fuzz nonetheless. Take a spin yourself and you, too, may get hooked going down the wild-ride rabbit hole of this little box—and its little friend.
Test gear: Orange O Bass, Gallien-Krueger 800RB head, Orange OBC212 cab, Focusrite Scarlett 2i4
Recorded direct into Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 interface into GarageBand.
Clip 1 - Overtone dial at 1 o’clock, LFO button out, fuzz/clean mix button engaged
Ratings
Pros:
Igor. Compact and rugged. Fantastically raucous and weird bass-fuzz tones on tap. Internal passive/active switch. Built-in noise gate.
Cons:
Can’t really call it a versatile fuzz. Igor can be difficult to manipulate with precise control, especially on varying surfaces. Note: Neither “con” bothered me in the slightest.
Street:
$145
Rainger FX Dr. Freakenstein Dwarf Bass
raingerfx.com
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An effect that makes the guitar and drums "pump" together.
London, UK (March 20, 2017) -- Rainger FX guitar pedals have released the latest in their series of custom mini-pedals: the Deep Space Pulsar sidechainer, designed to put deep spaces in your sound!
While "side-chaining" a guitar signal—syncing it to dip in volume with each kick drum—is often done in the recording studio during mixdown, for the first time now it’s possible to do this in real-time, live, with full control – and sync it to a drum machine, DJ or live drummer.
An effect that makes the guitar and drums ‘pump’ together, the UK-built Deep Space Pulsar can do anything from spring-loaded rock rhythm guitar, to pulsing four-on-the-floor club sounds. This tiny but revolutionary analogue audio pedal comes ready for immediate use, the package including;
- Correctable tap tempo capable of syncing for minutes at a time, tempo input via a Rainger FX ‘Igor’ pressure pad
- A microphone that goes in your drummer’s kick drum to also trigger the effect
- Controls for the amount of dip and speed of release
- Rainger FX’s unique styling and mini-pedal enclosure (with no side sockets!)
- Very cool LED display showing the dip amount and release speed
- ‘Invert’ switch to do exactly the opposite (releasing a pulse of sound with each drum beat)
Street price $182, available from select dealers or from www.raingerfx.com directly.
For more information:
Rainger FX