The folks over at Red Panda make some wacky pedals, plain and simple (check out the Particle, for example). One pedal that doesn’t fly off the radar into crazytown is the Context Reverb, which is just a hands-down great and versatile reverb pedal. So many settings to chooses from, and controls on top of controls to dial it all in, the Context may appear complex, but once you sit down with it for a little while, it’ll become you new best friend.
There are a bunch of control options on the Context, and it makes for a fascinating excursion into the depths of reverb, and even beyond a little bit. Blend allows you to control the amount of the Wet or Dry signal that comes through the pedal, always a handy knob to have, especially with a reverb pedal. Delay sets the pre-delay amount, which can have some intriguing effects on the reverb sound itself, and works great when in the Delay mode. Decay is your reverb time, from short and sweet to enormous and roomy. Dampening helps to control the high frequencies, making it possible to add some darker tones into the overall mix.
Now for the Modes, of which there are plenty. Room gets right to the point, shoving the reverb right down your amp’s throat. Hall is more open and ambient, a much slower response than the Room mode. Cathedral is extremely live and bright-sounding, while Gated gives you just a snippet of your reverb tone before abruptly cutting it off. Plate is also a shinier reverb setting, and Delay mixes your reverb signal into a beautiful set of repeats. Each of these modes are unique and special in their own right, and using the 4 control knobs with each one is days of fun, creating all sorts of textures and different reverberated sounds to fit your individual needs.
The Context is True-Bypass, but if you want it to be able to trail off when disengaged, you can adjust that internally. As always, high quality components are used (Burr-Brown op amps, WIMA poly film caps, Neutrik jacks), and it also features 24-bit A/D and D/A converters. An awesome package crammed into a relatively small enclosure, the folks at Red Panda have nailed it again with the Context Reverb. This might be a good introduction to their pedals, and is a little more user-friendly than some of their other stuff.
Submitted by Mike B, Website
