Catalinbread Soft Focus Deluxe

The Catalinbread Soft Focus Deluxe expands on the popular non-deluxe version of the pedal by adding delay and distortion to the modulated reverb + shimmer algorithms offered by the original version based on a recreation of a patch found on the Yamaha FX500, a digital rack effect of the late ’80s that was commonly used by shoegaze bands, mostly famously Slowdive.

Because the typical shoegaze sound is based on distortion, delay, reverb, and chorus, this Deluxe version provides guitarists interested in that genre with a multi-effect solution that can satisfy most, if not all, their needs.

Another important upgrade here is the presence of 6 algorithms delivering different effect combinations based on a set of popular patch used by ’90s shoegaze bands:

• Mode 1 reproduces the classic Soft Focus patch — reverb, slight shimmer, chorus-like modulation, and smooth compression
• Mode 2 expands the reverb tone in cavernous ways with an extremely long decay, great for ambient tones
• Mode 3 implements a doubled modulation with a second chorus and a higher modulation ceiling, allowing the creation of interesting warbly textures
• Mode 4 emphasizes the octave overtones delivering a lush symphonic effect
• Mode 5 adds a major third to the octave up, also providing extra octave functionality via the “Delay” knob
• Mode 6 allows adds delay to the Soft Focus patch allowing momentary mix expression control for sudden time warps and momentary swells.

The distortion, tuned for shoegaze and tweakable with series/parallel options, can be added to any of these patches via the left footswitch, while tap tempo and expression pedal functionality facilitate control of delay time and selected parameters.

We added the Soft Focus Deluxe to our comprehensive article about the best pedals for shoegaze and ambient.

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