EarthQuaker Transmisser Resonant Reverb Pedal Overview
The EarthQuaker Transmisser is a modulated reverb with extra-long decay fed to a highly resonant filter. It is the sonic recreation of blowing your signal to bits, shooting it through a black hole then beaming it back down on a cloud of cosmic dust. It is a Blazar for musical instruments.
- Highly tweakable modulated reverb
- Go from small sparkling spaces to endless intergalactic reverbs in seconds flat
- Expression input - Shape the modulation frequency on the fly
- True bypass switching
- Top-mounted jacks - for effortless pedalboard implementation
If you can't already tell, the Transmisser is not your every-day reverberation device. It does not do subtle. It does not do spring. It does not do a wood paneled rumpus room with 1" thick carpet. It will not recreate the classic sounds of the 60's, 70's and 80's. The Transmisser will create an ultimate soundscape-y backdrop to your all-night guitar freak-out. It'll quickly turn you into a one note per minute knob twiddler. It'll make you want to break out that dusty old expression pedal to do slow riding filter sweeps for days. It'll get you out of that stupid ergonomic chair, close that flaptop computer and force you to enjoy playing music again and that's the most important thing!
So how does it do what it does? The three controls across the top labeled Decay, Darkness and Freq affect the character of the reverberated signal. Decay controls the length of the reverb tail. Set it for one second or eternity depending on your mood. Darkness controls the overtones in the reverb tails. You can choose bright and shimmery or dark and dusty, your call dude. Freq controls the frequency of the resonant low pass filter. The filter is set just on the verge of oscillation and is really the heart of what makes the Transmisser the Transmisser. Even a subtle nudge of this control can take it from ethereal howl to a shimmery scream. This control can also be put under the spell of an expression control located on the Eastern side of the device.
The three controls across the bottom labeled Warp, Rate and Mix affect how the entire reverb processor behaves. Rate is hardwired for the optimum depth and controls the speed of the system-wide modulation in a narrow range that creates a sound far more unique than a simple modulated reverb. Not only does it modulate the reverberated signal, it also modulates the Freq and Darkness within a small range that is dependent on where the Warp control is set. Slower warble to supersonic ripples can be achieved by simply turning this tiny tonal teaser. Warp is a total system slew control. As you turn this control counter clockwise; the filter becomes deeper and more resonant, the decay becomes longer and warmer, the modulation grows wider and the whole system becomes more mellow and more chill. It's like pulling back the cape of a wise old wizard and discovering that the wizard is, in fact, wearing shorts and just wants to take it easy. Mix? Well, the mix controls how much awesome you want to blend with your boring old dry signal. It can go from nothing to probably way too much for you to handle.
The Transmisser has a fully analog dry signal path, fully digital reverberation path and electronic relay based true-bypass switching. It is powered by a standard 9-volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel and has a current draw of 70ma. Each Transmisser is populated by robots and assembled by glassy eyed human beans in a bunker buried 12 leagues under the sonic astronomy appreciation society of Akron, Ohio, USA.
