The Catalinbread Cloak Reverb and Shimmer (Mountain Edition) is a reverb pedal from Catalinbread, the Portland-based effects company. At its core it is a room style reverb, and Catalinbread says it sounds good used purely that way. The twist is the Shimmer knob: as you turn it up, harmonically rich overtones creep into the reverb trails, emphasizing three different orders of harmonics within them1.
Delicious Audio described it as the Portland company's take on shimmer reverb, built on a room reverb algorithm that can extend to hall size at higher settings2. Pedal of the Day, reviewing the original Cloak Reverb & Shimmer in December 2021, called it "a superb take on shimmer reverb"3.
What it does to your sound
The Cloak is a four-knob pedal. With the Shimmer knob fully counterclockwise you get a rich room reverb on its own; turned fully clockwise it serves up a harmonically rich shimmer1. The shimmer is not a separate effect stacked on top: the overtones live inside the reverb trails themselves, which is what gives the pedal its blended character.
The Room Size knob does two things at once, adjusting both the reverb decay length and a slight gain enhancement that Catalinbread says gives a more natural decay1. The maker describes the range as running from a cramped broom closet to as close to infinity as possible1, and Delicious Audio notes the underlying algorithm can stretch to hall size at higher settings2.
| Knob | What it does |
|---|---|
| Room Size | Adjusts reverb decay length plus a slight gain enhancement for a more natural decay1 |
| Shimmer | Blends the amount of shimmer in the room reverb, from rich room only to full harmonically rich shimmer1 |
| High Cut | Cuts higher-order harmonics to soften the edges at higher Shimmer settings1 |
| Mix | Sets the dry signal in the output, from 100 percent dry to 100 percent wet1 |
The High Cut filter
Shimmer reverbs can get bright and harsh as the harmonic overtones stack up. Pedal of the Day described the Cloak's specially designed low-pass filter as smoothing the harmonics out "before they get too out of hand and wreck up the signal path"3. The filter's cutoff sits at 5kHz, and the knob controls how much reduction happens past that point, from fully open down to cutting everything above 5kHz1.
Catalinbread's Lee Brady tuned the attenuation to keep a little crispiness for players using darker amps, while still allowing the high end to be cut completely for dark shimmer effects; he tested it on a Fender Princeton1. Delicious Audio found the High Cut knob makes the shimmer voice sound warmer and more pleasant2.
Where the circuit came from
The Cloak's design started in academia rather than from copying an existing pedal. Catalinbread says the inspiration came from a treatise on the optimal shimmer effect from the acoustics department at Stanford, together with old DSP papers on harmonic reverb1, a detail Delicious Audio also reported2. The pedal was designed by Lee Brady1.
Power and bypass
The Cloak runs from 9 to 18 volts on a standard DC center-negative pedal supply1. Catalinbread measured the current draw at around 60mA and recommends a supply providing at least 100mA1. At 18 volts the maker says you get more output and a healthier boost to the dry signal with increased headroom1.
The Cloak does not run on batteries1, and its ~60mA draw with a 100mA supply recommendation means it is better served by a dedicated or isolated output than a small daisy chain.
The pedal ships in trails mode, which is buffered: the preamp stays active even in bypass, and the reverb keeps decaying after you switch off1. Removing the back panel converts it to true bypass mode, in which turning the Cloak off immediately cuts the reverb signal1. Pedal of the Day confirmed both behaviors in its review of the original Cloak3.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the Cloak Reverb & Shimmer as a new release in December 2021 and found the room reverb excellent on its own, with the shimmer aspect being where the pedal got interesting3. Their verdict:
"crafted a superb take on shimmer reverb with the Cloak"
Pedal of the Day, December 20213
Delicious Audio covered the pedal as Catalinbread's take on shimmer reverb, highlighting the room-to-hall size range and the High Cut control as the key tone-shaping tools2.
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Questions
Does the Catalinbread Cloak run on a battery?
No. Catalinbread states plainly that the Cloak does not run on batteries. It needs a standard DC center-negative pedal power supply running from 9 to 18 volts, and the maker recommends a supply that provides at least 100mA. Running it at 18 volts gives more output and increased headroom on the dry signal.
Is the Catalinbread Cloak true bypass?
It can be. The Cloak ships in trails mode, which is buffered: the preamp stays active in bypass and the reverb keeps decaying after you switch off. Removing the back panel converts it to true bypass mode, where switching off immediately cuts the reverb signal.
How do you switch the Cloak from trails to true bypass?
Remove the pedal's back panel. Catalinbread ships the Cloak in trails mode, which is buffered and keeps the preamp active in bypass so the reverb decays naturally after switch-off. Taking off the back panel switches it to true bypass mode, where your signal is untouched and the reverb cuts off immediately when disengaged.
What does the High Cut knob do on the Cloak?
It cuts higher-order harmonics from the signal to soften the edges at higher Shimmer settings. The filter's cutoff sits at 5kHz, and the knob sets how much reduction happens past that point, from fully open down to cutting everything above 5kHz. Delicious Audio found it makes the shimmer voice sound warmer and more pleasant.
How much current does the Catalinbread Cloak draw?
Catalinbread's measured current draw is around 60mA, and the maker advises using a power supply that provides at least 100mA. It runs from 9 to 18 volts on a standard DC center-negative supply, with 18 volts offering more output and increased headroom for the dry signal.
Who designed the Catalinbread Cloak Reverb & Shimmer?
The Cloak was designed by Lee Brady of Catalinbread, the Portland, Oregon effects company. The circuit's inspiration came from academic work: a treatise on the optimal shimmer effect from the acoustics department at Stanford, along with old DSP papers on harmonic reverb.
Sources (3)
- Cloak Reverb and Shimmer (Mountain Edition) B-Stock, Catalinbread Effects
- Catalinbread Cloak Reverb + Shimmer, Delicious Audio, 2022-02-03
- Catalinbread Cloak Reverb & Shimmer, Pedal of the Day, 2021-12-18
