the tremolo effect speeds
up or slows down as the
note decays. Similarly, the
Env Depth knob, working
in conjunction with the
Depth knob (which controls
the overall depth of the
effect) determines whether
the intensity of the effect
increases or diminishes as
the note decays. This may
not sound intuitive, and, in
practice—at least initially—
it isn’t. But is an incredibly
cool feature, and one that
the manual does a very
good job of explaining. And,
if this sounds like a lot of
tweaking, remember there
are seven or eight preset
slots to which the user can
save his or her hard work.
Further, the Env controls
can be disabled simply
by setting them to noon,
allowing for more traditional
effects. However, I think
once people dig in to these
features they’ll be inspired
to use them. For those
who feel overwhelmed by
the Rate options, I won’t
mention that you can get
ring modulation out of the
pedal (oops), and instead
will note that the Super
Pulsar has a straight tap
tempo function (as well as
tempo divide features for
complex and fast settings.
But I’m not done describing
the features. If you look
at the Wave knob, it looks
like the pedal “only” offers
three wave shapes in the
first half of the knob’s travel:
Sine, Triangle and Square.
However, the Shape knob
allows the user to warp
these shapes, allowing for
a variety of tremolo effects.
Past noon on the Wave
knob are rhythmic settings
that allow the tremolo
effect to “pulse” to preset
intervals, which are further
affected by the Shape knob
(and can be modified by
the user). The Wave Invert
switch reverses whatever
modulation wave form is
in use, allowing the easy
creation of “backwards”
rise and fall times. There’s
also a plain ol’ volume
control to adjust output
to compensate for severe
modulation effects.
I haven’t even discussed
how useful the Mode button
can be (as it can activate
some functions with the
click of a footswitch), but
I need to talk about how
good this pedal sounds. If
the Super Pulsar has a sonic
signature, it’s big, open and
lush. I know the pedal is true
bypass—something EHX
doesn’t always offer—but
I have to wonder if there’s
more to the signal path
because in addition to being
astonishingly functional and
flexible, it’s a joy to listen to.
WHAT WE LIKE
The Super Pulsar offers
incredibly versatility that
really enables the user’s
creativity. It sounds amazing
and I think it is priced very
reasonably.
CONCERNS
I could complain about the
complicated interface, but
the manual really takes the
sting out of it. Instead,
I’ll note that I desperately
want this thing on my
board and, as of this
writing, I don’t know
how to make room
without giving up one
of my many wonderful
fuzzes—it’s just a little
too big. Of course, this may
not be a problem
for readers.
ToneReport.com
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