Yellowcake Lida Machine Analog Resonant Filter

It’s been a hot minute since we had anything from Yellowcake come through the office, but boy, was it worth the wait. The Lida Machine is an analog resonant filter, with hints of tremolo and vibrato, ring modulator, phaser and more jammed into an impressive-looking and sounding enclosure. With two footswitches and a lot of knobs, we’re ready to dive in and explore this beast immediately…

Also known as a VCF (Voltage Control Filter), the Lida Machine features two independently adjustable LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators), with one being switchable on and off to taste. Though the knobs may seem a bit daunting at first, once you plug in and get rolling, this pedal is exactly as fun as it looks to mess with and explore. The two LFOs control the one filter, resulting in a slew of differing tonal pairings and sonic settings. Each LFO has adjustable controls for Rate and Depth, while a Freq parameter sets the frequency of the VCF. Res adjusts the resonance of the filter, with oscillation starting around 4:00, Clean blends in your original dry signal and Level sets your overall output.

There’s also an expression jack that lets you adjust the Frequency hands-free, and a CV input lets you add in other modulation or synth-like modules to the mix. Control the waveform mode with the left hand toggle switch, selecting from Ramp, Triangle and Sawtooth, and control the overall range of the Rate with a Fast/Slow toggle switch. The original Lida Machine was an old medical, Russian-made device that transmits pulses of 40 MHz radio signal at pulse rates designed to match relaxed and sleeping states, and this effect will do just that, too, if you use it correctly. With big sweeps of sound, pulsing at calculated or random intervals, this filter can be extremely calming, but can also send your brain into the stratosphere if you so desire.

Basically, the Lida Machine doesn’t mess around, and is full of awe-inspiring tones and sounds, all of which will open your eyes and ears, and improve the way you approach your music. Part filter, a dash of tremolo, some vibrato and more encompass this machine, and it will leave a smile on your face and your audience wanting more. Cheers to Ryan and the Yellowcake crew for yet another awesome job well done – please check out their website for more gear, and don’t forget about the demo below, so you can see and hear what this thing can do!