When it comes to reverb, very few pedal manufacturers have done as much to reinvent the category as EarthQuaker Devices has over the past couple of decades. The independent, family-owned company has a long history of opening new doors of experimentation for ambient adventurers with landmark pedals—like Afterneath, Dispatch Master and Astral Destiny—that have found their way to stages of every size the world wide.
Perhaps best described as a “soundscape generator,” Towers sends your input signal into a unique set of resonant filtered feedback networks to create a massive stereophonic expanse that’s rich in movement and atmosphere.
Towers is the type of reverb pedal that will sound incomprehensibly huge and haunting with all the settings maxed out, but it’s also the type of pedal that offers virtually endless possibilities for the users who take the time to explore its wide range of sounds. There’s something really special about the textures the pedal generates when its subtler settings are explored.
The sheer amount of possibilities is thanks in part to the pedal’s three distinct modes of operation. There’s a Manual Mode, which puts the player in charge of the filter frequencies and stereophonic movement. Then there’s Envelope Mode, where playing dynamics breathe and morph into ever-changing filter movements. Finally, in LFO Mode, the player surrenders control to a slow-moving oscillator that sweeps the filter frequencies and across the stereo field. And while anyone familiar with the brand’s history knows that Towers isn’t EarthQuaker Devices’ first or only reverb pedal, company President and Founder Jamie Stillman wants to ensure the market understands that Towers is a new type of reverb for the company and is by no means simply an evolution or fresh take on an existing pedal.
"I don't want people to think that we've redone the Afterneath, or that we've redone the Transmisser, or that we've redone the Astral Destiny,” Stillman explained, “Towers represents a linear progression of reverbs. It’s not an evolution of or update on any current or legacy device.”
Stillman is tight lipped when it comes to divulging too much information related to the secret sauce that gives Towers its unique voice, but did explain that the colorful, resonate movement that occurs in the reflections is created internally and isn’t the type of effect you could recreate with external hardware.
When it comes to the big questions most prospective purchasers ask themselves when trying to decide if they should buy a new pedal like “who is this pedal for?” and “would I benefit from adding this to my rig?” The answer is it’s really a pedal for any and every reverb-loving musician who is ready for something new. In the case of Stillman—the architect of Towers—it was something he wanted because he really loves having resonant filter movements in the tails of a reverb.
Ultimately, guitarists, synthesists, drummers, vocalists, and all other types of musicians in search of an expressive reverberant voice are encouraged to make a journey into the Towers, because all who do will be rewarded with massive resonate experimental reverbs, subtle expressive reflections, and a lifetime of ambient adventures.
