Montreal based SolidGoldFX just released a new “character pedal” that emulates the sonic artifacts of vinyl: the NU-33.
Named after the Greek letter symbolizing spatial frequency and the RPMs of a turntable, the NU-33 is mostly a chorus and vibrato with the added option to mix in a varying amount of the hiss, crackle and pops produced by vinyl records.
You can add Flutter to taste, color it with 2 filter modes, shape it with 3 different waveforms, and dial in the original tone with an analog Blend.
A Manual Mode allows you to use it as a Doubler (i.e. a short delay between 15 and 50ms), while the left footswitch allows control of the modulation’s speed through a tap tempo function or to ramp up the speed when held. Stutter effects can also be achieved through the pedal’s hold-to-skip function with 3 selectable speed presets, while internal settings can make the NU-33 work with both expression pedals and CV.
The SolidGoldFX NU-33 Vinyl Engine Demo looks like a pedal bound to inspire those who, like us, believe that a clean tone without the character brought by a little bit of dirt tends to always sound a little too plain.
We added this pedal to our lists of Best Chorus Pedals and Best Lofi and Modulation Pedals with CV In.
There are very few things that we enjoy more around here than guitars and records. What could be more satisfying than putting your mitts on your favorite instrument or spinning a record and watching the needle drop on a limited color pressing?
We love vintage guitars for very much the same reasons we love listening to vinyl. While they might not play as great as a shiny new high-end, precision built custom axe, their magic lies in their flaws. Every ding and scrape tells a story, every little bit of player wear and lacquer checking lends a feeling and leads to inspiration. Same goes for records…. a little bit of noise and static pops add ambiance, allowing the listener to get lost in the music while mesmerized by the rotating platter…. its not so much about fidelity but rather warmth and texture to create a mood. We set out to combine our love for guitars with our love for records and the result is the NU-33.
Named after the Greek letter symbolizing spatial frequency and the RPMs of a turntable, the NU-33 is a lo-fi Vinyl modulator like no other. Designed to capture the vibe of some our favorite records such as a particularly worn out copy of Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality and an original pressing of Led Zeppelin I with just the perfect amount of static, the NU-33 serves up chorus and vibrato mixed with tastefully engineered hiss, crackle and pops to give your riffs just the right touch of vintage flair. The controls allow you to choose how much or how little flutter to add to your tone, color it with 2 additional filter modes, shape it with 3 different waveforms and dial in the mix with an analog blend; you can easily make this pedal sound as pretty and lush or as dark and sombre as you please.
Once we were finally happy with the way it sounded, it was time to pepper it with all the fun bits! Crammed in this little box is a manual mode to create a doubler ranging from 15ms to 50ms, an internally assignable expression pedal/CV input, multi-function foot switches for tap tempo and speed ramping, top jacks, relay based true bypass switching and a hold-to-skip function with 3 selectable speed presets to create a unique sonic stutter.
Well, with all that said, and whole lotta painstaking work leading up to this point, the NU-33 is finally here and all that’s left to do is to get lost in its immersive waves and textures.
