dan_strakosch's Reviews

More than a phaser - versatile!

I've never been a fan of the Phase 90 or Small Stone - they just sound like a whooshing sound on top of my signal, not like they're really blending with the signal. Right away the Grand Orbiter fixes that by adding a Depth (blend) knob. Sweep ("tone") and Resonance (regeneration) knobs are also very useful, so I can have a subtle, dark phase in the background of my signal rather than this obnoxious WHOOOOOOOSH right up front.

This can also be used as a vibrato pedal, although a slightly less-useful one, since the depth knob acts as a volume knob, not a normal depth knob - so you'll need it full up. Still, bringing the regeneration all the way down and sweep all the way up gives you a pretty nice vibrato, and bringing the regen up a bit more gives you a slightly phasery vibrato. It's an interesting, almost haunted sound.

Finally, using it on mode 2 as a "fixed phaser" gives you a filter for tonal coloring. I find it useful over my bass to give the bass a different tone altogether.

Great booster, buffer and/or overdrive

First thing: I don't know why this is cheaper than a Super Hard-On. It's the same thing, but it has more capabilities and it's smaller. But it's cheaper. Doesn't make sense.

You can use this as a clean boost if you put the master volume (left knob) all the way up, which will bring you to unity volume with the gain all the way down. Then you can start cranking the gain to push your amp.

OR you can crank the gain but lower the volume to create a very natural, crunchy overdrive.

I use it as an overdrive, with the gain around 3-o-clock and the volume at like 10-o-clock. Works real well, doesn't get enough love.

Can do chorus/vibrato, too. Underrated modulation tool.

This is already a great flanger - the feedback and waveform toggles make it really versatile. I like using negative feedback for a more 'lo-fi', scooped sound. But the mix and regen knobs give it a second function as a chorus/vibrato pedal. With the mix all the way up and regen all the way down, it's a vibrato. With the mix around half-way, you can turn it into a very nice chorus (especially with the speed high and width low). The favorite switch means this can be a flanger/vibrato, flanger/chorus, chorus/vibrato combo. Stereo spread is great, too.

This thing rules

Too much for me to write right now. Just know... it gud. It's also a stereo USB interface, which some people don't know.