CMJ 2012 Issue! - The Deli

kitchen recording equipment news
Strymon Flint Review by Arthur Fleischmann
Stomp Box Exhibit
October 19&20
at Main Drag Music
Try these pedals!
200 + pedals displayed!
or Strymon’s own Favorite switch to alter or recall settings
on the fly hands free. A+ all around as nearly all personal
preferences and functionality are accounted.
Lovingly crafted in the USA, the Flint is feeling tour
ready and crams a multitude of both trem’ and
‘verb into a package just barely wider than my foot.
The ins and outs of the Flint are handled up top. Selectable
stereo input and stereo output as well as a multi-featured
“EXP” make it easy to work this pedal into a slew of different
set ups. A standard, 9v adapter powers the pedal with no
noise or hum. Additionally, the switching is handled by a
relay which makes for quieter, gentler switches without pops.
While powering up the Flint the user can set the function of
the “EXP” jack via the small toggles on the units face. This
allows access use of an expression pedal, tap tempo pedal,
With three available tremolo types and three very distinct
and different reverb styles to choose from, at first glance the
Flint can seem slightly intimidating. In use however positive
results are alarmingly simple to achieve. Tremolo controls
select between harmonic band filtering, power tube bias and
photocell algorithms written to emulate popular amplifier
tremolos of the 1960’s. Additional controls for Intensity and
Speed take you from pulsing blues twang to aggressive hard
chopping effects and everywhere in between. The reverb
controls select between a ’60s style spring tank, ’70s style
solid state plate, and an ’80s rack style digital hall all of
which are expansive and lush. Adjustable Mix, Decay and
Color controls make it super easy to add any variation from
a little springy splash to an almost infinite ambient pad like
hall. Need more editing? While holding both foot switches
down you can add a +/- 3 dB boost or cut to either or both
of the effects as well as change the tap subdivision for the
tremolo and even flip the order of the two effects.
What’s best is that it all sounds great. The pedal is fun to
play with almost anything plugged into it, even line level
instruments like keys and drum machines. Super low noise
A/D and D/A converters and 32 bit processing are all but
barely audible, and when you are only using the reverb
section the dry path is completely analog, offering you super
high quality sonics in a compact form. The Flint streets for
$299 USD and given its flexibility and sonic detail it’s worth
checking out hands down.
EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job Review by Shane O’Connor
The Earthquaker
Devices Tone
Job is a simple
three band EQ and level
booster pedal meant to
add subtle tone shifting
qualities. Unlike other
guitar EQ pedals, the
tone bender is subtle and
broad. I can liken the top
and bottom boosts to that
of a Pultec equalizer used
on guitars in the studio.
The top end can be
pushed to the maximum
and still provide a usable,
chiming guitar sound.
Similarly, the low band
can be cranked with the
top band attenuated for a smooth muted tone without
unwanted resonances and distortions.
I tested the Tone Job in conjunction with the EarthQuaker
Devices’ Speaker Cranker and Hoof Fuzz pedal, using it to push
the Cranker into distortion in a similar manner to how the
preamp section of a guitar amp would do with the power amp
and speaker cone. With the EQ set at unity, the level control
provided a secondary clean boost in the signal chain that was
ideal for crunchier sounds. More impressive was the boost
that the pedal provided with all three EQ bands at maximum
and the level control boosted as well. This setting allowed
the Speaker Cranker to create new harmonics and types of
distortion that I was not previously able to get on my pedal
board. In a town like New York City where guitarists are often
gigging with club backline, having these two pedals would
solidify your tone, regardless of what amp a venue provides.
The Tone Job was also useful as a gain stage before the
Hoof Fuzz. Although the Hoof has a very broad range of
fuzz possibilities, the creative EQ possible with the Tone Job
allows for a new set of distortions that can bring the Hoof
into a territory of ambient and washed out fuzz instead of
basic and “usable” fuzz that the pedal is known for. This
combination was great for layers of reverb and fuzz soaked
open chords on the chorus of a song that I have been
working on. I used the mid and treble bands of the Tone Job
to hit the Hoof Fuzz extremely hard while leaving the low
end out of the way to maintain root note clarity.
I found the mid band control to be most useful in cutting
when guitar sounds became too honky to fit into a mix. With
other pedals, the mid range can often blur guitar parts or
vocals. The mid band on the Tone Job pulled just enough
2kH in a subtle manner that did not interfere with the
integrity of the guitar signal.
50 the deli Fall 2012