Walrus Audio Lillian Multi-stage Analog Phaser Review Demo
Wide-ranging, multi-stage phaser enables admission to subdued phase zones.
Ratings Pros: Cons: Street: Walrus Audio Lillian | Tones: Ease of Apply: Build/Blueprint: Value: |
The average guitarist probably doesn't regard phase as a subtle effect. Some players, in fact, might well inquire what the point of subtle phase could possibly be. But phase is, in fact, quite effective when used in mellow, less-than-peak-hallucination situations.
Any Small Stone or Phase xc devotee tin can tell y'all that there aren't many options for mellowing a vintage phaser. Mixing a phased guitar runway down in the studio will typically obscure everything but the peaks. That's a absurd sound in some settings, just it can also sound downright wishy-washy and superfluous. What's absurd well-nigh Walrus Sound's Lillian analog phaser is the ease with which you can motility betwixt extremely subtle, nigh subliminal, phase textures and trippier swirls with ease—thank you to a very cool effect blend control and a rate control that ranges to uncommonly slow rates.
Modulation Mojo Navigator
Most phasers are stupidly simple. The one-knob MXR Phase xc must be at least tied for the distinction of easiest-to-use of all time. And while the Lillian offers many more phase-crafting options than a Stage 90 or Pocket-size Stone, it'southward yet very unproblematic, super-intuitive, responsive, and inviting at the tactile level. The charge per unit, width, and feedback controls have neat sensitivity, precision, and range that makes subtle adjustments easy to dial in and hold.
The Lillian's fourth knob, the dry/stage/vibrato control, is the real key to the device'south versatility. It uses digital control to move smoothly between phase-free bespeak catamenia to intense fifty/50 moisture/dry phase mixes at the noon position, and wobblier, all-moisture, vibrato-inflected phase at the total-clockwise position. There are many cool blends in the spaces in between, as well.
The Lillian certainly isn't the first phaser with a mix control. And the phase/vibrato relationship dates back as far back equally old Magnatone amplifiers and the Uni-Vibe. But this alloy control, like the other controls on the Lillian, has satisfying sensitivity and interesting grey areas that brand information technology fun to zero in on very specific and often unique stage textures.
The simply other control is the 6/iv-phase toggle switch, which adds an actress two stages of thickening phase in the half-dozen position. The soft-relay footswitch, yet, does conceal 1 cool surprise: It can be held down for momentary activation of the phaser—a useful and expressive tool that might observe you situating the Lillian in a more accessible identify on your pedalboard.
The quality implied by the polish, precise knobs is evident elsewhere in the Lillian's structure. The printed circuit is auto populated and power and I/O jacks are board-mounted rather than affixed to the chassis. Such blueprint decisions might exist worrisome if yous use the Lillian away from the safety of a pedalboard, where kick, stomping, and bumping injuries from overzealous or impuissant bandmates become commonplace. Simply on the whole, it feels like a robust build.
There's a sometimes slight just perceptible bump in high-mid and top-finish presence compared to vintage 4-stage phasers.
Wing the Swirly Skies
In a general sense, the Lillian'southward voice seems ever-so-slightly geared toward contemporary production settings. At that place'southward a sometimes slight but perceptible bump in loftier-mid and acme-stop presence compared to vintage 4-phase phasers like the Small Stone and Phase 90. And there'south lot of flexibility to tailor those wave forms to stand out in high-mid-range-frontward productions. That said, there are myriad ways to situate the Lillian in the shadier corners of a mix, and that is the real beauty of the unit.
For starters, the charge per unit can exist set to preposterously deadening speeds that remain present, simply verge on undetectable until the moving ridge peak starts to reappear. And you lot can use the blend knob, width, and feedback to dial in ideal orientations with other instruments. Looping a clean rhythm track, adding stage from the Lillian, and manipulating these controls at hyper-deadening rates gives y'all a great experience for how the Lillian's subtle animation can enliven a very basic passage without adding stage in cartoonish doses. Vibrato-heavy settings at these slow rates audio particularly cool and unusual—adding trace elements of queasy pitch shift at mildly aggressive width and feedback levels. Such subtlety can be explored at faster rates, also. I loved speedier rates with the feedback, width, and moisture/dry mix dialed way back. And though these settings, along with the high-mid-forward voice, can brand the Lillian feel less than seamlessly integrated with your instrument tone, it'southward still a very constructive mode to add tasteful doses of motility without overwhelming a song.
The Lillian'south farthermost sounds are cool, too. High width settings tend to induce a very peaky and intense pulse in the modulations—particularly in 6-stage mode and at high feedback levels. This setting can be used as a unique commutation for tremolo in many contexts.
The Lillian's weak spots are few and largely subjective. For instance, the pedal's loftier-cease-forward voice offsets some of the perceived awareness of volume drop that phaser users tend to complain about. But you do sacrifice some of the thick, molasses-y, swirl that you hear in an old Small Stone or Phase 90. In that location's also nothing quite as wildly psychedelic and chewy as a Small Stone's "color" manner available among the Lillian's many phase-crafting options. Whether these qualities are positives or negatives in your phaser worldview is largely down to personal sense of taste.
The Verdict
The Lillian is a distinctly modern phaser. Its basic voice is vivid, it offers very precise levels of control, and it readily cuts through the morass of multiple effects. To achieve these advantages, information technology sacrifices some of the smooth depth and dimensionality of a Pocket-size Stone or Phase ninety. For many players, though, the Lillian's phase-crafting options, presence, and flexibility will brand the trade-off worthwhile.
Watch the Start Await:
Source: https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/walrus-audio-lillian-review
Post a Comment for "Walrus Audio Lillian Multi-stage Analog Phaser Review Demo"