The Catalinbread Mirror (Proto 4224) is a delay pedal built around filter oscillation: the repeats pass through a filter whose cutoff moves on its own, and the Feedback control can push it into infinite self-oscillation. It is sold as a Proto Club release, a line of experimental designs from Catalinbread's engineers that never reached a full-scale release, and it was only available from December 2 to December 16123.
The controls
The Mirror keeps its control set to four knobs: FEEDBACK, which controls how many repeats you hear, from just one to infinite, and at higher settings the Mirror will self-oscillate; RATE, which controls the rate of filter oscillation, from deep and slow to raygun fast; MIX, your classic wet/dry mix; and DEPTH, which adjusts the amount of variance in the filter's cutoff frequency, from narrow at lower settings to wide at higher ones1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| FEEDBACK | Controls how many repeats you hear, from just one to infinite. At higher settings, the Mirror will self-oscillate. |
| RATE | Controls the rate of filter oscillation, from deep and slow to raygun fast. |
| DEPTH | Adjusts the amount of variance in the filter's cutoff frequency, from narrow at lower settings to wide at higher ones. |
| MIX | Your classic wet/dry mix. |
Source: Catalinbread product page4
The combination is unusual for a delay: instead of a tone or modulation section, the Rate and Depth knobs drive an oscillating filter that sweeps the repeats. Catalinbread's own description of the Rate range, "deep and slow to raygun fast," gives a sense of how far the sweep goes1.
Power
The Mirror accepts a pedal-standard center-negative DC plug capable of supplying between 9 and 18 volts, with at least 64mA of current, and the maker notes that over that figure is fine41.
Catalinbread warns that anything other than the specified power, meaning higher than 18 volts, center-positive, or AC, will cause the pedal to function improperly, with the worst case ruining the pedal4. Check your supply's polarity and voltage before plugging in, and keep the Mirror off a daisy chain that cannot supply at least 64mA.
A limited Proto Club release
The Mirror (Proto 4224) is part of Proto Club, a line initiative Catalinbread uses to release designs from engineers' passion projects that never reached a full-scale release. The maker explains the thinking behind the line123:
"they might have never seen a logical opening in the release schedule. We have special connections to everything we"
Release windows on Proto Club pedals are limited, and Catalinbread notes that some may only be available for a couple of weeks4. The Mirror's own window ran from December 2 to December 164. Other Proto Club releases include the Tritone Proto 227 pitch echo, the Lo-Fi Delay (Proto 5) and the Rando Delay (Proto 7).
A B-Stock version of the Mirror has also been listed, marked as shipping mid-April1.
Videos
60 Cycle Hum
Questions
What is the Catalinbread Proto Club?
Proto Club is a line initiative from Catalinbread for releasing experimental pedal designs from the company's engineers that never reached a full-scale release. Catalinbread says it has special connections to everything it creates and that some designs might never have found a logical opening in the release schedule. Release windows are limited, and some pedals may only be available for a couple of weeks.
Will the Catalinbread Mirror self-oscillate?
Yes. The Feedback knob controls how many repeats you hear, from just one to infinite, and Catalinbread states that at higher settings the Mirror will self-oscillate. The Rate knob then controls the speed of the filter oscillation, from deep and slow to what the maker calls raygun fast.
Is the Catalinbread Mirror a limited edition?
Yes. The Mirror (Proto 4224) is a Proto Club release with a limited availability window. Catalinbread listed it as only available from December 2 to December 16, and the company notes that release windows on Proto Club pedals are limited, with some available for only a couple of weeks.
What happens if you use AC or center-positive power on the Mirror?
Catalinbread warns that anything other than the specified power, meaning higher than 18 volts, center-positive, or AC, will cause the pedal to function improperly, with the worst case ruining the pedal. Use a pedal-standard center-negative DC plug supplying between 9 and 18 volts with at least 64mA of current.
Sources (4)
- Mirror (Proto 4224) B-Stock, Catalinbread Effects
- Filter Verb (Proto 462) B-Stock, Catalinbread Effects
- Pads (Proto 365), Catalinbread Effects
- Mirror (Proto 4224), Catalinbread Effects
