WALRUS AUDIO
LUMINARY
REVIEW BY DAVID A. EVANS
STREET PRICE $319.00
Walrus Audio’s new
Luminary pedal is a very
cool polyphonic pitch shifter
with built-in Attack, Flutter
(tremolo), and Filter (EQ)
controls. In addition, the
Luminary features one of
the most intuitive control
layouts I’ve yet reviewed.
The interface is about as
simple as they come, and
about as useful as well:
four knobs control the level
of the pitch shifting over
four octaves. I love the
Luminary’s control knobs,
and not only because
they are of the somewhat
expensive, machinedmetal variety. Each pitch
channel features its own
level knob. If I wanted to
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add in just a bit of low end
and a whole lot of high
end, I could dial in the “-2”
octave knob to, say, 10
o’clock and the “+2” octave
knob to three o’clock. The
separate level knobs for
each octave channel really
allow for the sort of sonic
experimentation which
other, more limited pedals,
might restrict.
The Luminary also sounds
fantastic, and is capable
of producing a lush, nearly
orchestral wall of sound
which will take a simple
chord and transform it into
something grand. It was fun
to add in some octave up
and two octave up tones to
the mix and play something
Walrus Audio Luminary
akin to a creepy melody for
children—the sort of thing
that a horror film might
include on its soundtrack.
Alternatively, the Luminary
could produce a less creepy
but equally compelling
version of the pitch-shifted
opening to Radiohead’s “My
Iron Lung.”
The Luminary really shined
when its Attack and Flutter
settings came into play.
With Attack up around
10 o’clock, the Luminary
seemed to reverse my
signal, such was the effect
of the signal swelling it
introduced. Adding more
Attack produced a more
gradual swelling which
seemed to function in direct