3Leaf Groove Regulator Review

**Chronicle** · #1 01-30-2009, 09:35 PM

So after a long day at work, I got a special surprise to see my 3Leaf being home! It only took 2 days to get shipped from WA to NY O_O

So first off, very impressed with the powder coat finish on it. Adds some grip to the pedal and makes it feel durable.
The insides are very nicely put together and high-quality components can be made out. Based on a meatball circuit, it better be!

So the review:
It's a very versatile filter. The Sensitivity and Intensity knobs really shape the sound of the filter and the Decay and Attack knobs develop the envelope effect. More Decay, the longer the envelope runs.

The Hi/Lo range drastically affects the sound. The HI is more of a slurpy sound and the LO has all the low end you'll ever need.

The Feedback switch is still a mystery to me, the manual said it's useful for guitar players so i'll have to play with it on guitar later...

The up/down switch, as we all may know, changes the sweep of the filter. Very nice sounding in both options.

It's definitely a keeper but I might one day put it up against the WMD Fatman... We'll see. (TBH, I think the 3Leaf would win that fight)

teaser
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7292881

Playing with different knob combos and switches etcetc.
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7295399

3Leaf with Supercollder in Loop
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7295419

3Leaf with supercollider AND Prometheus in the Loop...pure nutz.
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7295456

BR2 -> Prometheus -> 3Leaf. I really liked how the Prometheus came out in this clip. A very unique sounding filter, and that's why I love it. If i had room on my board, the BR-2 would've been replaced by the 3Leaf.
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7295482

rcubed · #2 01-30-2009, 11:45 PM

I'm liking what I hear so far. Since I'm in the market for a filter I'm curious to see what you think of it compared to the Prometheus.

**Chronicle** · #3 01-31-2009, 08:37 AM

Well if the 3Leaf and Prometheus were on the same board, they would be used for different things. The Prometheus used for the s/h and the unique voicing of its filter, but it's a pain in the butt to get the filter working from s/h to up/down filtering because the FREQ has to change. The 3Leaf is a pedal i can leave in one setting and just have that funky groove to it without knob fiddling.

But I still love the Prometheus for what it does

I woke up a little too late and everyone in the house is still sleeping so all i could do is another teaser clip straight into my interface...so no mic'd clips until tonight :/
btw, i have the Devi ever BIT in the fx loop the whole time.
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7293805

lousybassist · #4 01-31-2009, 11:18 AM

Sounds good, thanks for the clips!

**Chronicle** · #5 01-31-2009, 11:35 AM

i'll do side by side comparisons with the prometheus/br-2/and 3leaf when i get home too. Also a lot of different pedals in the FX loop since it's my first effect with a loop.

fightthepower · #6 01-31-2009, 03:56 PM

A prometheus showed up at my door this afternoon, kick ass! For it's standard envelope sound, it's definitely spacy and closer to an fx25 than a funky 3leaf, qtron, etc.

The 3Leaf sounds good, definitely like a meatball (well if my grinder sounds like a meatball anyway) based pedal- wet and funky. Looking forward to your review-

**Chronicle** · #7 01-31-2009, 07:21 PM

Review and clips added

enjoy

Spencer! · #8 01-31-2009, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronicle

The Feedback switch is still a mystery to me, the manual said it's useful for guitar players so i'll have to play with it on guitar later...

Many people have been confused by this. When in the down position, the feedback switch makes the filter slightly less resonant. This helps reduce unwanted feedback when using the pedal with overdrives/fuzzes. Bassists normally don't have feedback problems, so I said in the manual that it's useful for guitarists.

It is a very subtle difference in sound. If you listen closely, though, you can hear it on bass.

Thanks for the review, glad you like it!

**Chronicle** · #9 01-31-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spencer!

Many people have been confused by this. When in the down position, the feedback switch makes the filter slightly less resonant. This helps reduce unwanted feedback when using the pedal with overdrives/fuzzes. Bassists normally don't have feedback problems, so I said in the manual that it's useful for guitarists.

It is a very subtle difference in sound. If you listen closely, though, you can hear it on bass.

Thanks for the review, glad you like it!

Thanks for the explanation! I should have tried the feedback switch with the supercollider clip..

Jared Lash · #10 01-31-2009, 09:44 PM

Nice clips.

I was skeptical, but Spencer did a great job of distilling that giant beast known as a Meatball into a very small enclosure.

I've only tried the original and not any of the clones (Groove Regulator, Grinder, Meatwad) but they all sound like the genuine article based on the clips I've heard.

Now we just need someone to clone the Doppleganger. (Holy infinite regression Batman!

)

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #11 01-31-2009, 10:50 PM

One rarely spoken of additional bit of design intelligence was keeping all the ins/outs/power at the top of the unit. I wish it was feasible for every pedal to do this- it makes fitting it in amongst a crowded pedalboard much easier.

**Chronicle** · #12 02-01-2009, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

One rarely spoken of additional bit of design intelligence was keeping all the ins/outs/power at the top of the unit. I wish it was feasible for every pedal to do this- it makes fitting it in amongst a crowded pedalboard much easier.

yeah it worked out pretty well here--

excane · #13 02-01-2009, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan R. Tyler

One rarely spoken of additional bit of design intelligence was keeping all the ins/outs/power at the top of the unit. I wish it was feasible for every pedal to do this- it makes fitting it in amongst a crowded pedalboard much easier.

A Big +1

It's one of my main criteria when seeking out new pedals.