NAMM 2011: Tech 21 unveils three new pedals

NAMM 2011 PRESS RELEASE: The evolution of the chorus effect seems to have gotten stuck in '80s pop, along with over-processed guitars, cheesy synths and popped collars. This ain't that kind of chorus.

When we designed the Boost Chorus pedals we went back to the '70s, when choruses were rich, smooth and manly. We figured out what made these vintage stompboxes sound so good and poured that knowledge into a new kind of chorus pedal with greatly improved performance and a whole slew of never-before-heard sounds. Slapback, echo, flanging and doubling effects are all possible from the modestly named Boost Chorus pedals.

Boost Chorus

Designed primarily for guitar (but sounds great on everything else) the Boost Chorus features unprecedented tweakability for this type of pedal. No fewer than six controls allow players to easily dial-in the right tone, speed and depth of the effect.

The Mix control allows a 0-100% wet blend of the effect, while the Level control offers increasing amounts of boost to compensate for the volume loss perceived with chorus. The final control is the Pre-Delay, which alters the chorus' range to produce effects from flange/chorus, to regular chorus, to chorus/doubler.

The secret weapon is the Multi Voice switch. Engage this to bask in the multiple chorus voices of an Ensemble-style effect

Boost Chorus Bass

Because of the way traditional chorus pedals typically interact with their amps, most bass players would rather put an angry badger on their pedalboard. The Boost Chorus Bass avoids seasick tones, and badgers, through a specially-tailored design.

It features the same control set as the standard Boost Chorus, including the Multi Voice switch, but differs in having a Detune control in place of the Pre-Delay. The Detune control adjusts the pitch of the choral voices, adding sonic girth to create thick, lush, bass-perfect chorus.

Speed and Depth controls add modulation, so at minimum your fundamental notes are preserved. Finally, a chorus that works in harmony with your bass.

Roto Choir

No musician can deny the deep, swirling glory of a vintage rotating speaker cabinet, that uniquely lush, pulsing tone that brings any instrument to life. So, why doesn't everyone use one? Because they're the size and weight of a bulky refrigerator, cost big bucks and are more high-maintenance than a platinum diva.

But, imagine getting all of that inspiringly rich modulation with cutting-edge features in a studio-quiet, road-worthy pedal. Just one little pedal. Now imagine you can use that pedal with guitar and to record direct.

The Roto Choir recreates both the rotating lower speaker and the treble rotor horn - the only way to attain that complex, multi-dimensional tone. In fact, the Roto Choir utilises a specifically formulated SansAmp technology to deliver the entire signal chain - from the original tube power amp to the speaker and high-frequency rotor horn, to the microphone used to capture it. This is HD, 3D emulation.

The simple controls hide a wealth of options. Drive adds just the right amount of compression, harmonics and grit. Low and High sculpt the tube amp emulation with powerful EQ curves. The Fast/Slow footswitch allows users to ramp up, slow down or even stop the rotating speaker. There's also a dedicated control to custom set the Top Speed of your rotor. Want to vary the intensity of the effect? Simply adjust the Position control to move the Roto Choir's virtual mic closer or further from the horns.

Other features include a biamped/single-speaker mode switch, stereo output and a Speaker Sim switch for direct recording.

Find the easy way to celestial sounds you can get lost in with the Roto Choir.

Information taken from official press release, for more visit Tech 21

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