The Starla Tap Tempo Tremolo effect by Dawner Prince, one of our favorite new makers coming to us from Croatia, is a really great audiophile-worthy Tremolo effect with Tap Tempo and some other bells and whistles worth mentioning. It comes encased in a sparkly purple enclosure. It has a relatively small footprint considering a pretty vast feature set.
The Feature Set:
It’s got all the typical controls and features one might expect from a Tremolo like a Waveform Selector knob, Depth knob, Speed knob, and Volume knob. But I would say it’s the additional features like the Step switch (tap tempo multiplier), Duty pot (modifies the symmetry of the waveform), and Sync connector (allows for cv sync I/O of the Speed parameter) that really make this baby stand out.
In Action:
Words I would use to describe this pedal are functional, useful, and clever. The fact that you can choose from 8 different wave shapes to modulate the volume makes this pedal unique. Usually you have a few classic choices and that’s it. Maybe a Symmetry (Duty) pot if you’re lucky, but being able to choose from 8 including Random make for some really interesting results. The play that you get between the Tap footswitch and the Step switch assure that you are always in time with the band and can be really fun to tweak live. Normally you would tap and the rate of your Tremolo would be the same as you tap, but the addition of the Step switch gives you 3 options to choose from. You can choose position 1 which is the same as you tap, position 2 which does twice as fast as you tap, or position 3 which does a triplet of what you tap. This, combined with the ability to tap different divisions of whatever it is that you are tapping to, can be very effective for having your Tremolo always be in time with the song. As a live musician, I freaking love this! Way to go Dawner Prince. If that’s not enough you can actually sync this pedal with an external analog clock signal using the Sync port via RCA connector, and depending on how you have the internal jumper set you can either receive or send CV sync! This could be used to sync an old drum machine or modular synthesizer.
Other facts worth mentioning are that the pedal is true bypass, has quarter inch I/O, and operates using a typical 9V pedal power adapter. The tactile functionality and useful and unique features for staying in sync with the band really make this pedal awesome and a stand out from the rest. I also really love the ability to select from the 8 wave shapes with Duty control. Overall, a clever Tremolo that plays well with others! – Gus Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmgWzmd6VIg
