VibraThrob

Vibrato phaser that leads to lost afternoons

 

 

   

 

The VibraThrob vibrato rack effect module doesn't compare to any commercial pedal.  It is a clean, noise-free vibrato, or with the flip of a switch you can add back the dry signal to give you a phaser effect.  The phaser settings go from light to throbbing.  In that range you may find Leslie rotary speaker or P-45 tones, though it isn't designed to sound like any specific effect.  With only two stages, the effect goes from subtle to medium intensity, although it throbs nicely in the phaser setting.  

 

Description

The VibraTHrob is a two-stage vibrato that becomes a phaser by switching on a variable amount of the dry signal to add back to the vibrato.  With only two stages, the effect goes from subtle to a nice full vibrato/phaser.  The Speed and Depth controls give additional bounds on the effect so that all settings are usable.  You can find some nice trippy tones, but none of the full-on, over-the-top space sounds that more stages and wider ranges can produce.  It is easy to lose an afternoon just playing clean sounds through it, although you could probably lose the evening, too, by mixing it with other effects in your chain.  It is surprisingly clean and noise-free for a modulation effect.  

The MXR P-45 might be the closest cousin of the VibraThrob among commercial pedal offerings.  Both have only two stages, but the VibraThrob has more options, including the vibrato alone in addition to the range of phaser settings.  With the right mix of dry signal, you can also get some nice Leslie-like rotary speaker tones, maybe even a "Univibe light" tone, although not full-on Univibe as that really needs four stages.  The Speed and Depth are as you expect on a modulation effect.  The Throb control (used to be named Swirl control in our prototype) works only when the Phasing is turned on.  It adjusts the dry mix in a wider range than most modulation effects, from almost all dry to almost all wet.  The tones produced by the Throb control are somewhat non-linear.  Different levels of dry mix yield tones that sound more different than "just more intensity of the same".  Somewhere in there you should be able to find the dark side of the moon...

 

Configurations

  • VibraThrob - single configuration, standard controls provide a good range of good tones, so no options are offered

 

Options

  • None

 

Front Panel

  • On/Off indicator LED
  • Vibrato/Phaser speed LED 
  • Speed - vibrato/phaser speed
  • Depth - vibrato/phser depth
  • Throb - works only with Phasing turned on.  Controls mix of wet and dry signal
  • Phasing On/Off switch - select Vibrato or Phasing effect

 

Rear Panel

  • Audio In
  • Audio Out
  • On/Off Footswitch
  • On/Off Override
  • DC Power
  • DC Power LED

 

Module Width

  • 1.5" for standard configuration
  • Check availability for wing configs 

 

Power Consumption (aprox)

15 - 25 mA

 

Base Configurations

Part # Description List Price
MOD-VIBRATHROB VibraThrob module $250

 

Options

 N/A