control ( this is what X does ) to make the trails sound choppy or smeared . This program is one that users in the praise and worship realm might gravitate to most ; it really goes after that arial-mass-of-water-vapor style reverb that seems to be sought after so often . RFRCT ( Refract ) mode gives off an expansive reverb with lovely glitches to add some texture to trails . Here X controls the character of the trails . Air adds some wind noise to trails and an almost shimmer-like quality but without the harshness often encountered in a shimmer verb .
THOUGHTS …
Okay , that ’ s all the technical stuff . How does it sound and feel ? Personally , I find that some reverbs can sound good but just feel odd . With some reverbs it ’ s as though I lose the body and soul of my dry signal when I engage the effect . But not when using the R1 . The R1 feels like reverb is being added to your signal instead of taking your signal and processing it through the digital stuff of the pedal and combining it with reverb and then spitting it back out ( as I ’ ve sometimes experienced ). The R1 is not just another reverb pedal either . Walrus created some really beautiful algorithms to offer something different in a market swimming in reverb pedals . The texture and character of the BFR , RFRCT and Air are so inspiring and give so much to a riff to make it so much more than just a riff … on the guitar or keys even .
Switching presets yields a nice fade between the current preset and the newly selected preset - a very desirable and impressive feat . This allows for beautiful transitions between a simple plate verb to a huge RFRCT verb and back without signal cutting dry and ruining the moment in a piece .
The sustain and latch options allow for a stacking of sound or just freezing a moment in time just by either pressing and holding or just tapping respectively . In their manual Walrus says that “ due to the powerful architecture of the R1 , anytime you sustain a reverb , your guitar signal is rerouted through an identical reverb so anything you play over the sustained sound will have the same reverb applied to it that was sustained .” That ’ s pretty stinkin ’ powerful for such a little unit . That ’ s pretty powerful for any unit !
With everything that Walrus crammed into the R1 I fully expect to see more of these little wonderful machines on the boards of guitar players . It ’ s got the meat and potatoes sounds you will need with the option to get huge washed-out verbs as well as give creative textures quickly and easily . They didn ’ t take any shortcuts when striving to make a pedal that offers everything a player has wanted in a reverb pedal . And with the USB jack on the side you know they will be offering more goodies in the future with updates .
I very much enjoyed getting to know this pedal and was very impressed with how it sounds and what it offers . I most certainly recommend checking one out if you have the chance but especially if you are looking for a smaller formfactor that doesn ’ t compromise on features , algorithms and tone .
MAP : $ 349.00 www . WalrusAudio . com