The Analog Man Albatross is a handmade pedal built to produce the "seagull" sound: the eerie, crying effect David Gilmour found by plugging his wah-wah pedal in backwards and manipulating his tone knob, as heard on ECHOES. The Albatross allows doing this without having to hook your wah up backwards. Analog Man describes it as the "ALBATROSS Seagull sounds/fixed wah Pedal!"1
How it works
The Albatross is controlled by the impedance of the signal entering the pedal1. That is what makes the guitar's own controls part of the effect: changing the signal's impedance at the input, most easily by rolling the guitar's volume or tone knob, drives the crying, fluttering response. To achieve the crying, fluttering effect, the manual says to roll down your guitar's tone knob and you will hear the signal begin to rhythmically cry or flutter1.
Because the pedal reacts to what the guitar sends it, it sits naturally in the family of filter pedals and wah pedals, but it is played with the hands on the guitar rather than with a treadle1.
Controls and versions
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Footswitch | Engages and bypasses the effect; true bypass when off1 |
| Side knob (Deluxe Version) | Set down all the way for seagull sounds; anywhere for fixed wah sounds1 |
| Optional toggle (Deluxe Version) | Enables use as a fixed wah1 |
The Deluxe Version can also be used as a FIXED WAH, with the optional toggle and knob1. On the standard version the pedal is dedicated to the seagull effect.
Power and bypass
Power jack, battery clip, and LED are standard1, so the pedal can run from a battery or an external supply without extra adapters. When it is switched off, it is true bypass1, meaning the pedal is removed from the signal path entirely.
Videos
Music Therapy Laz
Sources (1)
- Albatross.docx, Analog Man, 2022-06

