Spaceman Voyager I
Analog Optical Tremolo
Portland, Oregon’s own Spaceman Effects
has built its reputation on no-compromise
build quality, sonic innovation, and small
batches of handmade pedals that are expertly
designed with the intent to get pedals nerds’
hearts palpitating furiously. Spaceman’s latest
creation creates palpitations of a different
kind as well, derived from a gorgeous optical
circuit that applies all manner of delicious,
artful tremulations to a guitar signal. This
creation is the Voyager I Analog Optical
Tremolo, and besides looking incredible and
sounding superb, it is blessed with a dynamic
control set that offers the compulsive knob
tweaker a lot of possibilities. It has some fairly
normal controls, including speed and depth,
as well as gain and level knobs for generating
some dirt, and a filter knob for transitioning
smoothly between varying degrees of warm
and mellow, or sparkling and defined. The
real fun happens when the envelope control
section is engaged, however, as the Voyager
will then begin reacting dynamically to the
input. The envelope’s Freq setting causes
the LFO speed to ramp up as you play more
aggressively, slowing down as you back off
the windmilling and play with a more gentle
touch. Switch to the Fade setting, and the
effect fades out as your picking hand becomes
more manic, fading back in when it begins to
calm. This kind of dynamic response makes
the Spaceman Voyager I tremolo more fun
than a barrel of monkeys, and a top pick for
tremolo addicts looking for a fresh fix.
ToneReport.com
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