Octave pedals are extremely effective in creating otherworldly ambient tones and are used by many creative players as a more subtle alternative to synth pedals. The brand new Paradox Effects Obsidiana is a take on the format that adds several extra features that will intrigue the more adventurous guitarists.
In short, this device splits your signal into Two Octaves (1 up and 1 down) and sends them through a Low Pass Filter and a Delay (Retardo knob). A Direct knob lets you reintegrate the clean guitar tone.
The two buttons on the top center of the pedals allow the tweaking of the Octaves’ character:
VOZ:
Voz 1 (OFF) – Obsidiana voice: Clear and crystalline octaves, with a touch of warmth and presence.
Voz 2 (ON) – Ancient voice: Voice with frequency modulations, sounds similar to a Leslie organ.
RAÍZ:
Raíz 1 (OFF) – Conventional octaver, tracking the input signal in function with the “Retardo”(Lag) knob.
Raiz 2 (ON) – “Crystalized” octaver with syncopated ramifications, generating granulated maps of octaves that evolve in time, depending on the position of the “Regen” knob.
The Retardo (Delay) knob works differently with these two modes:
In Raiz 1 (OFF) mode, it controls the space between the attack and the voice of the note, similar to a Lag control. In Raíz 2 (ON) mode, it controls the space between the octave ramifications.
By pressing both Voz and Raiz buttons simultaneously you can change the quality of the filter, from a regular lo-pass to a synth-style resonant lo-pass.
The Regen knob controls the feedback of the octaved signals to provide more upper and lower octaves to the overall wet signal, creating a similar sensation to a sustained organ note.
From the looks and the sounds of it, it seems like the Paradox folks have come up with a very interesting device, hear its sounds in the videos below.
The Sound Of Forming Crystals
Obsidiana is an octave layering system in a polyphonic fashion, that sets itself apart from other octaves out there, multi-voice, two type filter options: 1 pole low pass, 2 pole resonant low pass filter, and a unique feature with branching octave trails, that can create syncopated rhythms or layers of reflective evolving pitches.
It responds well with both chords or single notes, able to process broad signal spectrums; seamlessly combining the power of a DSP, whilst maintaining a completely analog direct signal to maintain an overall warm and balanced voice.
As an integral effort here at Paradox Effects, we endeavored into a differentiator that could bring you a new spectrum of possibilities for a pedal of this kind, always fulfilling musical and functional needs.
Raiz mode consists in the decomposition of the sample signal, to create routes with nested delays that form soundscapes of octave particles, generating a syncopated sensation with each iteration.
Controls
OCTAVE DOWN: Controls the level of octave down.OCTAVE UP: Controls the level of octave up.
DIRECT: Controls the Dry signal output.
FILTER:
1p: A low-pass filter, brighter when turned to the right, darker to the left.
2p: Second order low-pass resonant filter, sounds more of a synthesizer; moving the “Filtro” knob or expression pedal you’ll have more drastic and spatial changes.EXP: Expression pedal TRS input, it controls the “Filtro” parameter, the knob still determines the MAX/MIN sweep of the filter.
LAG:
In Raiz 1 (OFF) mode, it controls the space between the attack and the voice of the note, similar to a Lag control. In Raíz 2 (ON) mode, it controls the space between the octave ramifications.REGEN:
Feedback of the octaved signals to provide more upper and lower octaves to the overall wet signal, creating a similar sensation to a sustained organ note.RAÍZ:
Raíz 1 (OFF) – Conventional octaver, tracking the input signal in function with the “Retardo”(Lag) knob.
Raiz 2 (ON) – “Crystalized” octaver with syncopated ramifications, generating granulated maps of octaves that evolve in time, depending on the position of the “Regen” knob.VOZ:
Voz 1 (OFF) – Obsidiana voice: Clear and crystalline octaves, with a touch of warmth and presence.
Voz 2 (ON) – Ancient voice: Voice with frequency modulations, sounds similar to a Leslie organ.Specifications
Power Supply: 9vDc (No battery option)
Min. Current Draw: 100mADimensions: 125(D) x 95(W) x 55(H) (with jacks and knobs)
Weight: 350gWe recommend using a regulated de 9 volt Dc power supply with our pedals, 2.1mm diameter positive barrel and negative center. Using one with poor regulation, not isolated and poor filtering can result in unexpected noise or unwanted higher voltages that can take the pedal out of operation and even cause damage.
