Reverb is by far the favorite effect of creative guitarists, and many companies are looking for new ways to package this effect in ways that bolster creativity. The JPTR FX Kaleidoscope belongs squarely to this niche.
There are a few unusual things about this pedal:
- the top left knob controls a Gain & Compression circuit placed after the reverb, which can squash your tails prolonging them for an ambient sustain.
- The three smaller knobs on the right control different parameters of the Reverb: Reverb Amount (bottom), Swell Amount (center, which makes the reverb fade in more or less gradually) and Feedback (top, which feeds the reverb signal back into the pedal causing slight modulation and self-oscillation at higher levels).
- Two of the three footswitches have very cool functions (the other one is just an on/off switch). Hold will trigger self-oscillation, while the Dry-Kill will remove the clean signal and only leave you with the effected one.
Hear how this baby sounds in the videos below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4-3_92Iw3o
If you are the kind of earth-dweller who loves to drench their chords in ambient infinitude, drown their fuzzes in a ceramic cave or even just subtly coat your rhythmic playing in a liquid swirl of overtones, then the KALEIDOSCOPE is exactly the reverb pedal that you’ve been searching for.
With a medley of reflective possibilities at each turn of a knob, KALEIDOSCOPE is a breath of fresh air to add to the end of any pedal chain. In fact, the only downside might be that your signal chain may never sound as exciting when it’s turned off!
Main Features:
· Textural Reverbs – from subtle spring-like tones, to vast ambient soundscapes and anywhere in between
· Compression Dial – add everything from subtle presence, to walls of distorted reverb
· Hold Switch – momentarily increases reverb feedback, for sustaining ethereal textures
· Kill-Dry Switch – instantly disappear into a pool of ambience by removing your dry signal with a single press
· Powered by regular 9 V DC PSU
(centre -, 2.1 mm, <120 mA current draw)
However, this isn’t just any ordinary big reverb in a pedal. Like its optical namesake, the KALEIDOSCOPE reflects your signal, be it once or more, each duplicate meshing together harmoniously while adding compression, modulation and copious amounts of feedback frenzy to your signal.
A pedal’s musicality is fundamental at JPTR FX. So, whether you use the pedal with your guitar, bass, drums, synths or even vocals to further explore the cavernous and layered reflective depths within, the KALEIDOSCOPE was designed to complement and adapt to all manner of musical styles and input signals.
Roll back the reverb and dime the feedback control for lush, rhythmic wobbles that twist and gyrate along to your sound-beds or turn everything up for a saturated, sustained sound. The Compression Dial comes right after the reverb, which really helps to really push your tails – as the reverb fades out, the compression pulls it back up to helping to elevate your seat in the mix. At the same time, 3 separate control stages offer you instant shifts in depth, texture and oscillation, ranging from the warm and haunting cloudscapes we have come to love, to an all-wet, crispy whisper with the help of the designated Kill-Dry Switch.
Plus – and if the mood strikes – push and hold the momentary switch at the heart of the KALEIDOSCOPE ‘s enclosure to extend your drones into perpetuity.
