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Strymon releases UltraViolet Vintage Vibe compact chorus and vibrato pedal

September 26, 2023 · 5 sources

Strymon announced the UltraViolet Vintage Vibe on September 26, 2023, expanding its compact series of pedals with a chorus and vibrato unit built to replicate the sounds of a vintage Shin-ei Uni-Vibe¹². The pedal is available now at a US list price of $259²³.

The UltraViolet uses digital DSP to reproduce vintage analog tones, and Strymon says its new vibe algorithm recreates the elements of the classic optical vibe circuit¹⁴. The circuit includes a discrete JFET input preamp, which Strymon describes as providing "unmatched touch-sensitivity and tone"¹. The pedal has three knobs for Speed, Intensity and Volume, a single footswitch, and two three-way toggle switches, one for mode and one for bias¹². The Volume knob provides up to 4dB of boost⁵⁴. Bias settings are Low, Mid and High¹.

The mode switch sets the wet/dry mix: Chorus at 50/50, Vibrato at 100 percent wet, and a new Blend mode at 70/30 dry and wet¹⁵. Strymon co-founder Pete Celi said the Blend mode gives "more subtle versions of the effect"¹.

"It can totally do the hyper-authentic '60s thing, but it can do a bunch of other stuff that makes it much more versatile than the original units."

Pete Celi, Strymon co-founder, MusicRadar¹

The pedal offers full MIDI implementation with 300 preset locations, USB-C connectivity, stereo inputs and outputs, and a mono/stereo switch¹²⁴. Gearnews reports the stereo input and output are TRS in a dual mono configuration, and that the pedal can be set to true or buffered bypass⁵. It runs on a 9V DC power supply, which is not included⁵. All jacks are mounted on the top of the unit¹.

Strymon head of marketing Sean Halley said the pedal "can do so much more than the originals could" and called it "the very first digital vibe I've ever heard that sounds this big"²³.

Sources (5)