Over the years, we’ve reviewed some awesome pedals from our Canadian friends Fairfield Circuitry, and today we get to do it once more. The Shallow Water is a K-Field Modulator pedal, one that mixes in elements of chorus, flanger, vibrato and more, to form a distinctly exclusive new type of effect. Built using simulation mathematics and old tape echo flavors, this hard-to-classify pedal is right up our alley.
A Rate control starts this unassuming silver beauty off right, adjusting the time intervals at which random pitch fluctuations occur. Huh? Exactly. This pedal is one for the experimenters, and don’t be surprised if you have a hard time recreating a single sound from this behemoth. The Damp knob controls the slope of the modulating signal, from quick and sudden to so slow they’re barely audible. At these settings, playing with the Mix knob is key, to get some dry signal integrated and produce a special chorus-type of sound.
The Depth knob adjusts the overall intensity of the modulation, while Volume sets the output, with unity being right around 12:00. LPG is the most fun control here, as it adjusts the level of the envelope going to the low pass filter and gate circuit. Lower settings will yield darker, more subtle effects, while brighter and more sustained notes occur when set past 1:00 or so.
Open this baby up, and you have even more control options. First, a Boost switch helps set the overall gain, and a Pad switch allows you to use Line Levels and reduce gain and impedance as well. You can further adjust the recovery filter’s lowest frequency, which helps to emphasize the low pass filter’s presence, and raise the threshold of sensitivity. The trimpots are very sensitive as always, so be careful here, and make slow, minimal changes as you proceed.
Always pushing the envelope in their designs and sonic creations, Fairfield Circuitry has done it again with the Shallow Water K-Field Modulator. While not a super over-the-top effect, it can bring depth, personality and experimentation to your sound, while not being too obnoxious or boisterous. Categorized using words like uncertain, subtle and nostalgic, this effect is one that you really need to spend some time with, before figuring out what it is capable of, and how it will work in your live and studio setups. Cheers to Guillame and the Fairfield crew for another interesting and out-of-the-box creation – as always, we can’t wait to see what they come up with next!
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