Universal Audio releases UAFX Brigade Chorus pedal

November 6, 2023 · 3 sources

Universal Audio released the UAFX Brigade Chorus & Vibrato, a compact digital pedal modeled on the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, together with the UAFX Flow Vintage Tremolo and the UAFX LA-2A Studio Compressor¹². Gearnews reported the three pedals on October 24, 2023, and Delicious Audio published its item on the Brigade on November 6, 2023¹².

The Brigade is a digital recreation of the CE-1, a bucket brigade-based device, and offers the original's two modes, Chorus and Vibrato¹². It also simulates the CE-1's preamp, which can be bypassed with a switch on the back; Delicious Audio wrote that the preamp's "subtle color made it a favorite of many guitarists, who would use the pedal at times even without the effect on"¹. A second rear switch selects true or buffered bypass¹. The pedal is mono, as the CE-1 was, while Universal Audio's multi-modulation Astra pedal is stereo¹. The Brigade has controls for Rate, Depth and Level¹. GuitarPlayer's listing gives the controls as Rate, Depth, Level, a Chorus/Vibrato switch, a bypass switch and a preamp switch, with input, output, power and USB sockets and 9V DC power³.

The Flow Vintage Tremolo offers three vintage tube-style tremolo voices: early Fender harmonic tremolo, a later '65-style round tremolo and square-wave tremolo². The LA-2A Studio Compressor emulates the classic LA2A limiter, a tube-based peak limiter most often used as a studio vocal compressor². Gearnews described the trio as bringing chorus, tremolo and LA2A-style limiting to the compact UAFX format for the first time².

Gearnews listed a US price of $199 MAP per pedal, and also gave $95.00 for the Brigade, $94.00 for the Flow and $151.00 for the LA-2A in its dealer listings². The two figures are not reconciled in the report.