At our first Toronto Stompbox Exhibit we had the chance to play with Walrus Audio’s Luminary, and we were rather impressed. It’s definitely one of the most versatile “octavers” around, with its four-octave generator that allows for a wide variety of tones, ranging from pipe organ sounds to completely otherworldly noises.
The control scheme is actually very simple. There are 4 knobs for manipulating the waveform. You can go up or down 1 or 2 octaves, or come up with any blend combination in between, leading to some incredibly novel sounds. A blend knob lets you find the perfect wet/dry balance, and the attack parameter allows for perfect tracking set to the fastest setting – or a slower attack that adds a ‘bloom’ quality to the sound. ‘Flutter’ adds a chorus-like modulation effect, and ‘Filter’ lets the player tailor EQ to play the best with their chosen rig.
Some other great features of the Luminary include the ability to store up to 4 presets for quick access on the fly. An expression pedal can be used to unlock even more creative sounds and control almost all parameters available on the Luminary.
The new version 2 offers more refined control over the effect’s parameters.
Though the price point is fairly high ($319), for someone looking for a pedal to handle polyphonic octave effects, the Luminary simply shines – check out the demos below. – Brandon Stoner
