I found your channel yesterday while looking for more in depth info about the Flanger Hoax. I immediately subscribed when I got the your diagramming and explanation of the signal flow. IMO, that is the way gear reviews should be executed. Maybe most people want nothing more than to hear endless knob twiddling and wanking about on the guitar with little, if any, actual technical information explaining the nuts, bolts, hows, and whys, but I (and 13k others) don't. You've found a solid balance between performance and lecture. Yes, "lecture", because your non-performance portions remind me of college professors who gave the best college lectures, professors who made learning a joy. I hope you continue this style of presentation going forward. BTW, you mentioned trainspotting in your review of the Microcosm and it revealed a lot of why I appreciate your style of presentation.
Thank you, that means a lot. It was the first track I recorded using my new Universal Audio Apollo interface, and I think that had something to do with it. I've never had an easier time dialing in the levels, which is good because I went with so many instrument on this one.
Darn it Jeff, I’ve had this pedal on and off my wish list for months… You’ve done such a great job showcasing and explaining it that I’ve decided it’ll be my self-purchased birthday present next month. Thanks for the timing! By the way, your smile and manner give such feel-good vibes, it’s always extra nice to watch and listen to your content.
Been waiting for this one, and did not disappoint. This is an excellent demo of a very cool pedal. Still personally torn between this and the Boss Tera Echo. I know, I know-not the same type of pedal per se, but sort of in a similar enough space.
Another AWESOME pedal. The little laser noises of the Tera Echo are the best, but yeah they totally exist in that "shortest path to creating something other-worldly-sounding" universe.
Oh man. That opening jam, had all the 90s feels. I was thrown right back to my college years! 😌✨ I always wondered about the name. I assumed it was riffing on DOD’s naming format, but the DOD fx40 is an eq pedal. Mystery solved! Thanks! Cool video! ✌️😌🎸
There's also a 1987 Canon 135mm f/2.8 "Soft Focus" lens that specializes in diffusing details around the subject, Glamour Shots style. That opening jam was one of my favorites, too. I started with the progression, and kept finding new layers to add. There's actually a synthesizer in there if you squint your ears enough.
Bought one of these shortly after it came out - Catalinbread B-stock sale, though mine looked brand new. I loved it as much as the demos made me think I would. I honestly only play with it dimed though and mix at noon or 1 o'clock. It only does one thing for me but it does it perfectly.
Nice! Yeah, Catalinbread definitely runs some nice sales, and I've never seen anyone complain about a B-Stock item. I'm definitely in the "top knobs maxed out, adjust mix to taste" camp as well.
oh boy does this sure sound great. during a closeup of the pedal's UI, i wondered at the extra voltage asked for... and then 4:26 happened. wow. as someone who voraciously hides behind huge wash effects since ...well, 1991... i would absolutely hide behind this wall. thank you!!
I'm glad you said Adam Schlesinger because when I was showing this idea to a friend the other day, they said "You realize that's the same chord progression as the chorus in "The Reason" by Hoobastank, right?"
Huh! That's in the same vein as my Hungry Robot Stargazer. The Stargazer has tap tempo though. It can do the whole shoe gaze thing and it does a short, delay-ish thing with the repeats. Kinda hard to explain, but yeah.... I like that Catlinbread pedal a lot too.
When looking for a one stop shop for both 80's shoegaze reverb pedals and top tier hydrogen leak detectors, trust Yamaha, accept no substitutions. In all seriousness I love this pedal (did you try powering it at 18v?). To me it's fantastic at creating nice ambient pads with my guitar that I love to feed into my EHX 360 to loop so I can lay down some gauze-y ambient pads to noodle over. The Soft Focus sorta exists in a similar category as the Mr Black Supermoon/Bloodmoon as well as the Walrus Fundamentals Ambient. Lots of people also compare it to the Keeley Realizer but I still prefer the CB Soft Focus a bit more. I agree though, I really think a pedal like this would shine best with a tone control and stereo outs but even as it is it's phenomenal and I use mine all the time
They should make a Motorcycle-mounted Shoegaze Detector. Yeah, I was really blown away with what this does in the reverb space that a normal "modulated delay" wasn't quite doing for me, and I think its preamp brings more to the table than just shimmer + modulation. It really is its own thing. I tried it at 18v and found the additional headroom nice, but was torn as to whether it was valuable enough to include in the video. Ultimately, I sided with brevity* * - I say this after acknowledging the 30 seconds I spent on a Yamaha joke :)
I found your channel yesterday while looking for more in depth info about the Flanger Hoax. I immediately subscribed when I got the your diagramming and explanation of the signal flow. IMO, that is the way gear reviews should be executed. Maybe most people want nothing more than to hear endless knob twiddling and wanking about on the guitar with little, if any, actual technical information explaining the nuts, bolts, hows, and whys, but I (and 13k others) don't. You've found a solid balance between performance and lecture. Yes, "lecture", because your non-performance portions remind me of college professors who gave the best college lectures, professors who made learning a joy. I hope you continue this style of presentation going forward. BTW, you mentioned trainspotting in your review of the Microcosm and it revealed a lot of why I appreciate your style of presentation.
it shoes
It shoe does
But does it gaze at shoes?
That was hands-down your best intro track so far! SWEET!
Thank you, that means a lot. It was the first track I recorded using my new Universal Audio Apollo interface, and I think that had something to do with it. I've never had an easier time dialing in the levels, which is good because I went with so many instrument on this one.
Darn it Jeff, I’ve had this pedal on and off my wish list for months… You’ve done such a great job showcasing and explaining it that I’ve decided it’ll be my self-purchased birthday present next month. Thanks for the timing!
By the way, your smile and manner give such feel-good vibes, it’s always extra nice to watch and listen to your content.
You have an intoxicating enthusiasm that keeps me coming back for more. I need to subscribe at some point!😲
Bringing the soft focus into sharp focus. Nice!
I had considered filming the whole thing through a Barbara Walters lens
@@StompboxBreakdown Ha!! That would've been awesome! Also, it sits well with your lovely sense of humour.
I once owned a Boss RV-3 in the early 90s. A great pedal. Would love to see a Waza Craft version.
You and Pete Thorn always have the best demo-tracks.
Happy Halloween 🎃
Wow, thanks for that! I hold Pete in very high regard, dude's a legend, and always innovating. Happy Halloween!!!
Love your vids man, you do such a great job showcasing these pedals!
Thank you so much. They sometimes take a while to put together, but I'm glad to have something I can be proud of. Glad you enjoy them.
Been waiting for this one, and did not disappoint. This is an excellent demo of a very cool pedal.
Still personally torn between this and the Boss Tera Echo. I know, I know-not the same type of pedal per se, but sort of in a similar enough space.
Another AWESOME pedal. The little laser noises of the Tera Echo are the best, but yeah they totally exist in that "shortest path to creating something other-worldly-sounding" universe.
They sound great together….
Oh man. That opening jam, had all the 90s feels. I was thrown right back to my college years! 😌✨
I always wondered about the name. I assumed it was riffing on DOD’s naming format, but the DOD fx40 is an eq pedal. Mystery solved! Thanks!
Cool video! ✌️😌🎸
There's also a 1987 Canon 135mm f/2.8 "Soft Focus" lens that specializes in diffusing details around the subject, Glamour Shots style.
That opening jam was one of my favorites, too. I started with the progression, and kept finding new layers to add. There's actually a synthesizer in there if you squint your ears enough.
Bought one of these shortly after it came out - Catalinbread B-stock sale, though mine looked brand new. I loved it as much as the demos made me think I would. I honestly only play with it dimed though and mix at noon or 1 o'clock. It only does one thing for me but it does it perfectly.
Nice! Yeah, Catalinbread definitely runs some nice sales, and I've never seen anyone complain about a B-Stock item. I'm definitely in the "top knobs maxed out, adjust mix to taste" camp as well.
oh boy does this sure sound great. during a closeup of the pedal's UI, i wondered at the extra voltage asked for... and then 4:26 happened. wow.
as someone who voraciously hides behind huge wash effects since ...well, 1991... i would absolutely hide behind this wall.
thank you!!
I like that wall
Pretty sure the ghost of Adam Schlesinger smiled and nodded about your guitar arrangements on this one.
I'm glad you said Adam Schlesinger because when I was showing this idea to a friend the other day, they said "You realize that's the same chord progression as the chorus in "The Reason" by Hoobastank, right?"
That's so nice! Plus, you get to bust out so many guitars for the demo!
Always a fun side effect of a multi-layered song idea.
Nice playing
Thank you!! Felt good.
"flavored reverb" awesome
Not stereo and $200? Oh, but I did just buy the Boss RV-3 'cause of this video. Also, great intro.
Huh! That's in the same vein as my Hungry Robot Stargazer. The Stargazer has tap tempo though. It can do the whole shoe gaze thing and it does a short, delay-ish thing with the repeats. Kinda hard to explain, but yeah.... I like that Catlinbread pedal a lot too.
Would this be any good for the sub-genres of shoegaze, such as sandalgaze, cloggaze and wellingtonbootgaze?
👏 I love the idea of hyper-regionalized shoe gaze based on footwear habits. DocMartengaze?
~ Cocteau Twins in a box.
Sneakergaze, highheelgaze, slippergaze, barefootgaze, sockswithholesinthemgaze. Okay i'll stop 😂
When looking for a one stop shop for both 80's shoegaze reverb pedals and top tier hydrogen leak detectors, trust Yamaha, accept no substitutions. In all seriousness I love this pedal (did you try powering it at 18v?). To me it's fantastic at creating nice ambient pads with my guitar that I love to feed into my EHX 360 to loop so I can lay down some gauze-y ambient pads to noodle over. The Soft Focus sorta exists in a similar category as the Mr Black Supermoon/Bloodmoon as well as the Walrus Fundamentals Ambient. Lots of people also compare it to the Keeley Realizer but I still prefer the CB Soft Focus a bit more. I agree though, I really think a pedal like this would shine best with a tone control and stereo outs but even as it is it's phenomenal and I use mine all the time
They should make a Motorcycle-mounted Shoegaze Detector. Yeah, I was really blown away with what this does in the reverb space that a normal "modulated delay" wasn't quite doing for me, and I think its preamp brings more to the table than just shimmer + modulation. It really is its own thing. I tried it at 18v and found the additional headroom nice, but was torn as to whether it was valuable enough to include in the video. Ultimately, I sided with brevity*
* - I say this after acknowledging the 30 seconds I spent on a Yamaha joke :)
Did you find this pedal always adds extra volume to your signal? It was overdriving my clean tone even with the pedal off. mayb mine is broken
I didn’t notice that on mine. There’s a trimpot on the inside, I wonder if yours has been messed with.
gaaaawdam!