The Old Blood Noise BL-44 Reverse is a new release by a boutique company that more than others has been leveraging the fascination for reverse effects through popular textural pedals like the Rever and the Minim. However, the BL-44 is a quirkier and experimental beast, blending true reverse with pitch bending and glitch-like effects in a very unique way.
First of all, this is not a reverse delay or reverb pedal – it’s just a pure reverse pedal, which means that it will play your signal backward. Now, you may wonder how much, or rather, how long of a sample it will play backward… That’s determined by the Clock fader, which also controls the thinking speed of the digital processor and the overall sample rate. This causes a change in pitch when you slide it while the effect is playing.
The Speed knob has a name that may be misleading: it has nothing to do with delay or modulation (neither of those effects are in this box) but it controls the speed at which the sample is played back, which translates into a lower pitch/stretched samples or a high pitch/rushed playback. It also adds unexpected digital artifacts to the signal, both at high settings, when parts of the sample are skipped for playback’s speed’s sake, and at lower ones, when the signal becomes more lo-fi and grainy.
The other two knobs are Volume and Mix, with the latter being particularly useful to reintegrate the dry signal for an effect that can be a little overwhelming at 100% wet settings.
This is definitely a pedal that deserves to be on our list of creative pedals!
Have a listen to what this pedal can do, and if you are interested in buying it, please use our Perfect Circuit affiliate program – at no extra cost.]
Old Blood Noise BL-44 Reverse, Builder’s Notes
The BL-44 Reverse from Old Blood Noise Endeavors is a unique playable effect that encourages you to ride the slider to create ethereal pitch effects or glitch effects. Based around clock manipulation, you can get crisp reverse effects or degraded, gritty, artifact-ridden sonic sauce. In conjunction with the Speed knob, the BL-44 can slide your pitch all over the place. Designed to be a playable effect, the BL-44 Reverse from OBNE is a unique effect that can open up the sonic possibilities of your setup.
BL-44 REVERSE FEATURES
- True reverse pedal
- Clock-based with slider for playing with audio rate textures
- Speed knob allows for pitch effects
- Dry/wet balance
- Volume knob
- Soft-touch switch
1 comment
Bob Cobb says:
Dec 11, 2022
Another pedal that promises ‘amazing ambient soundscapes and an ethereal wash of textures and all you have to do is hit a note and twiddle the knobs!’.
I hate crap like this. Just learn how to play the guitar, kids.