Siren Pitch Vibrato

Before the days of analog delay/BBD IC’s pitch vibrato was not an easy effect to achieve. Most available technology either involved acoustics like rotating speakers or were impractical like modulating tape speed.

In the early days the world of music effects settled on vibrato simulations. The Univibe and Leslie being the two most obvious examples. They went on to become classics of their own.

Once analog delay technology became practical in the world of music, a number of flangers, chorus and echo effects became available in the mid to late 70’s. While the Pitch Vibrato effect was possible it was a rarity. Sometimes it was an also ran feature of a chorus effect, but the effect itself often lacked the attention it deserved.

We took great care for preserve dynamics and tone. The frequency response is tuned for a touch of shimmer. The input signal is never compressed and allows for impressive headroom even at 9 volt operation.

You’d think designing a vibrato effect would be simple. Take a chorus pedal and eliminate the dry signal. We found that what made a great chorus pedal did not translate to an exciting vibrato. Chorus effects are tuned with a slight delay to reduce comb filtering. The effected signal usually lacks dynamic range and high end sparkle. The imperfections are easily masked in a chorus effect by the dry signal. A pitch vibrato does not have this luxury.

Interaction, Dynamics and Control

The Siren not only lets your playing shine through, but also lets your playing control the effect. The enchant control senses how hard you play, and can slow down or speed up the vibrato. Keep this knob at the center position to maintain a steady vibrato rate.

The vibration knob controls the vibrato speed and intensity sets the depth.

Credits:

• Design- Brian Marshall
• Artwork- Greg Schober
• Demo- Amir Estakhrian, Brian Marshall

Notes about The Siren:

• Powered by an external regulated 9VDC adaptor with a negative center 2.1mm barrel style plug.
• Power supply is not included.
• If using a “daisy chain” power supply all other pedals MUST be negative ground.
• Current draw is less than 100mA.
• Length 4.4″ X Width 2.3″ X Height 1.0″
• Input impedance- 500k
• Output impedance- Less than 1K.
• The Siren is hand made in Oregon.
• Die cast metal enclosures for durability.
• 3PDT switches for true bypass switching.
• Red LED indicator.
• Three-year limited warranty.