and a part that allows
the guitar to breathe,
the effect adds depth
and more texture.
In the Shimmer setting, the
Tweak knob adds an octave
above the note in the trails
as you turn it clockwise,
and an octave below
the root to as you turn it
counter-clockwise. This
octave below was difficult
to discern, but the octave
above was clearly present in
clean settings, suggesting
the more complex shoegaze
tones of the bands that
followed in My Bloody
Valentine’s wake, such
as Verve.
In the Echo mode, Golden
Summer provides a
wonderfully rich Space
Echo-type effect. The
Decay knob determines
the tempo for the repeats
(getting slower as you move
clockwise) and the Tweak
knob controls the number
of repeats (adding more as
you move clockwise), while
Reverb adds reverb to the
signal post-delay. This effect
is very clean, but can take
on a wonderful Spacemen
3-like murk as you bring
in the reverb. Although
it “only” offers 400
milliseconds of delay, it’s
easy to imagine the Golden
Summer as a primary delay
pedal, given the option to
dial Reverb in or out. O, if
only it had tap tempo.
All of the above features
are easy to dial in; Golden
Summer has gobs of reverb,
so you can drench your
signal or just add a touch
of the effect, and
sometimes “a touch”
in a busy mix can mean
more than you think, so
the sensitivity and range
of the controls are a
real boon.
Additionally, there’s a
buffered trails option and,
for better or worse, I found
the buffer really added
something to my signal,
which is too bad because
I think I’d prefer the “no
trails” option in practice.
I also found the more subtle
elements of the various
settings stood out a little
better with the buffer on.
pedals, it doesn’t disappear
in a mix. Your signal moves
back into the space carved
out by the reverb, but it
doesn’t sound smaller;
that’s a big deal to me, and
just one more reason why
Golden Summer is one to
remember.
WHAT WE LIKE
Lots of functionality,
including several
characteristics that
enable it to work
well in a mix.
CONCERNS
For those who want more
traditional, analog reverb
tones, Golden Summer
may not be the best
choice, although it does
a great job as a “straightforward” reverb pedal.
Finally, perhaps my favorite
element of Golden Summer
is that, unlike many reverb
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