Let’s get funky, shall we?
Continuing in their line of compact, bass-voiced pedals, Pigtronix has released the Bass Envelope Phaser, a unique take on the classic filter effect.
Even more so than their compressor and drive offerings, the controls on this unit are incredibly simple: knobs for Sensitivity and Resonance, and a switch that changes the wave-form.
In both modes the Sensitivity controls how responsive the effect is to your playing: with the switch in the down position, Sensitivity dialed to the left it’s very subtle, requiring you to dig in to get more response, while to the right it responds to even the softest touch. Oddly enough, with the switch in the up position the Sensitivity is reversed; I needed to play harder with it panned right as opposed to left. Hardly a complaint, and it may have just been the unit I played, but it’s worth noting.
With the switch in the down position, the effect sounds like a classic envelope filter. Resonance controls just how “wet” the signal gets: it’s very subtle with a slight chorus feel all the way to the left, incredibly squishy all the way to the right, and varying degrees between.
The up position made the wave sound more like a wah, and I got a lot of great sounds out of this. As I side, the Sensitivity was reversed in this mode, and messing with the Resonance made for a very effective auto-wah effect. I loved the sound of it while playing some double-stops with a droning D string in particular.
Being voiced for bass, it keeps low-end even down to a low E, but at some settings the effect doesn’t track as well. You never lose your signal and it never sounds glitchy like some pedals, but the effect tends to get lost the lower you go except at more extreme settings.
The Bass Envelope Phaser only runs at 18v (supply included), which can be a drawback. It also would have been even better if an expression input was included so you could change the Resonance or even Sensitivity without having to mess with the knobs, but was likely omitted for the sake of size and space.
In all its a very effective, touch sensitive filter that can get some nice, funky sounds while still maintaining a solid low bass frequency.
*Special thanks to Pigtronix for loaning this pedal for review purposes*
Specs:
Envelope Controlled Phasing
Fine Tuned for Bass Guitar
Up / Down direction switch
High Speed Staccato Envelope
18VDC 300mA supply included
Chassis Size – 2.4” x 4.4” x 1”
Circuit Design by Howard Davis
Sound Design by David Koltai
True Bypass
