conky wrote:Anyone in here use a univibe? I think I want one but dunno where to start. Don't want phasery swish or flanger jet planes.
Yeah, I've had some experience with Univibe-type pedals. There are two main differences from what I gather. I'm not sure how to describe those differences with engineering jargon as I lost the article I saved on the details—I have a feeling it has something to do with optics vs photocells, but they could be the same thing. But basically what I can tell from hearing different variants is that some have a smooth, natural LFO where the sweep is consistent like a phaser or flanger, while others have a more sudden phase inversion. It's like there are two waveforms within the sweep. For instance, if you set my current vibe, a Mojo Hand FX Villanova, to a slow tempo the pulse will jump as it reaches the end and quickly inverts back. There is only a slight phase sweep in the bulk of the curve, which makes it subtler and more vintage and raw. Most of the sound happens at the last moment. This makes it more like a harmonic tremolo. I personally am looking for something smoother for my vibe. The EQD The Depths has that sharp shift, but you have far more control over the abruptness of the jump. The Drybell Vibe Machine sounds awesome to me because its LFO sweep is a little more subtle and unobtrusive. It's also small. That might be the one I pick up next, but it's incredibly expensive and I don't know whether I can warrant it.
There are plenty of vibes to choose from, either boutique, vintage or mass produced versions. It often depends on what features you want, your budget and your size restrictions. Most vibes today are pretty big even the ones with just a few knobs. I need a small one so I'm limited to basically four or five. I'd look into the Voodoo Labs Micro Vibe and Lovepedal Pickle Vibe for small size and affordability, Mojo Hand FX Villanova Vibe (I could always sell you mine but I'm in Ireland) and EQD The Depths for a more versatile and compact take but with a higher price tage, or a second-hand Bearfoot FX Mint Green Vibe if you want something even more subtle than the Villanova. The Foxrox AquaVibe is awesome but it's rather wet and phasey, and the Pickle Vibe I mentioned is not a true photocell vibe. It's basically a phaser with some tweaks rebagded as a vibe.
Vibes are a pain in the butt, really. They're expensive, overweight as fuck, and the community is full of snobbery. The best thing to do is listen to a few clips and try a bunch out yourself.
