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Source Audio Tri-Mod Phaser Review

J

jufros

Nov 24, 2008
1,082
0
#1
First off, let me say that I have not been satisfied with either the phase 90 or the nano small stone because both pedals sweep through your low end frequencies regardless of how you set them. If I was plying in the higher register, low end loss was never a problem with the nano stone. But otherwise, I'd lose precious bottom and the band's volume would fluctuate whenever the phaser would sweep through my lower frequencies. I've used the digital PH-3 and had similar problems.

The Source Audio Tri-Mod Phaser lets you adjust the range of the frequency sweep. You can easily set it to sweep through higher frequencies and consequently, the phase effect is more pronounced. You can really hear the full sweep when it's not sweeping through less audible lower frequencies. It's also really easy to dial in a traditional phaser sound if you so desire.

There's also a 2-notch setting that can create some fairly convincing vibe sounds. I hadn't anticipated ever buying a vibe but this is a cool feature and I'll definitely explore it.

As far as I know, feature wise, this beats any digital phaser on the market. You have controls for frequency, envelope of LFO depth, rate (attack and decay in envelope phase mode), phase steps, and the option to manually calibrate steps as well.

The depth knob is immensely deep and useful.

Envelope phasing is absolutely incredible. I've quite heard anything quite like it. It's very responsive to your playing in a way that was immediately reminiscent of my FX25 (a band-pass filter). Depending on where you have the frequency knob set, you can create some envelope filteresque sounds or some completely whacky original sounds, especially if you run the phaser after your envelope filter, synth, synth combo, fuzz, etc. I am definitely going to use this feature a lot, at least as frequently as I use my envelope filters on their own. The sound quality is excellent, but you can get this effect to sound organic or decidedly digital depending on the settings you choose.

The LFO phasing is great as well, and the range of speeds available is totally on par with the Nano Stone and might actually exceed it. Again, the depth and frequency knobs are your best friends here.

I was looking into boutique-level phasers in the hopes that they might solve my low end loss problem, but I think this pedal was a much better alternative solution for me. It's extremely versatile and has excellent sound quality with its 56-bit processors. You really can't even compare it to the PH-3 at all and it sounds just as good my nano stone if I set it right.

I would highly recommend this pedal for anyone dissatisfied with their current phaser and looking for a more tweakable and versatile solution.

Here's a brief clip I put together today. I had about 5 minutes of free time in the studio so I picked a setting that I really like and that I think is really practical. I'm using the envelope phase mode with a low depth and fairly brisk attack/decay. I apologize in advance for the sloppiness.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_music.cfm?bandID=972288


Clips:

SA TMP: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Gemini Drive -> SA TMP: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
MXR BlowTorch -> SA TMP: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
EHX BMS -> Boss CE-5 -> SA TMP -> Duncan Shape Shifter: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Maxon AF-9 -> SA TMP: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#7
The pinkness should appeal to some people on here.

I've got to say, I'm interested. I'll have to see if I can justify the extra $60 over a Nano Stone if I don't particularly like the latter, and if I have any pedalboard space in September after I finish the first iteration of my board, but I'm definitely still in the market for this pedal.
 
#8
I'd be very interested to hear some bass clips. I'm not an analog snob, but phaser is one effect that I have yet to hear a digital version that I like. That said, the Tri-Mod has a very cool list of features and the soundclips on guitar sound pretty good.

Any chance you could record some samples for us jufros?
 
#11
Damn it, I was gonna buy a phaser but I just got stung with a deposit for my new house after our landlord said he didn't need one. This looks very tempting thousg, I didn't know they were so cheap, did you get a hothand controller with it? They say the hothand controller sells seperatley but I can't find anywhere that sells them
 
#17
Yes absolutely and I've used it for that purpose. One of my favorite new combos is

Bass -> LS-2 as a blender
In the blender:
MXR Bass Octave Deluxe -> MXR Blowtorch -> EBS BassIQ -> LS-2 return
LS-2 -> Boss CE-5 -> Source Audio Tri-Mod Phaser on envelope mode

This combo is absolutely insane. I can set the BassIQ and Tri-Mod Phaser to sweep together or set them to sweep differently. You can obviously also use the phaser in LFO mode for more traditional phaser sounds. The Tri-Mod sounds really really good and sometimes I can't tell that it's digital. I haven't tried the PolyPhaser or Pigtronix, but honestly, at this price point, I am WAY more than satisfied and am done with phasers.

The clip I posted is a good example of just how subtle it can get. I have the depth set VERY low on the envelope side. If you throw any dirt in front of it, the sweep is obviously much more pronounced. I absolutely love this thing after my Gemini Drive.

There wasn't much info here about this pedal, but I took the plunge and am really glad that I did.
 
#20
If you'd like to hear any particular settings, don't hesitate to ask.

I love that you can use really extreme depths and slow rates without the phaser sweeping through your fundamental. For those who were asking, I think the dirty clips showcase how extreme this pedal can get. The frequency knob is pretty sensitive, so dialing in a lush sweep that just misses your lows is a bit tricky at first, but I think it's well worth it.
 

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