The Catalinbread Soft Focus Deluxe is a dual-footswitch multi-effect pedal combining delay, distortion, and modulated reverb with shimmer algorithms1. It expands on the original Catalinbread Soft Focus, a reverb pedal Catalinbread launched in September 20222, by adding emulations of both the delay and reverb stages of the Yamaha FX500 rack unit1. The whole line traces back to the Soft Focus patch on the FX500, a preset popular with '90s shoegaze bands such as Slowdive, and Catalinbread describes the Soft Focus as an "instant shoegaze button"34.
Six shoegaze patches in one pedal
The Soft Focus Deluxe carries six algorithms, each delivering a different effect combination based on a set of popular patches used by '90s shoegaze bands4. A rotary knob selects between them1.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| 1 | Reproduces the classic Soft Focus patch: reverb, slight shimmer, chorus-like modulation, and smooth compression4 |
| 2 | Expands the reverb tone in cavernous ways with an extremely long decay, great for ambient tones4 |
| 3 | Doubled modulation with a second chorus and a higher modulation ceiling, for warbly textures4 |
| 4 | Emphasizes the octave overtones, delivering a lush symphonic effect4 |
| 6 | Adds delay to the Soft Focus patch, with momentary mix expression control for sudden time warps and momentary swells4 |
The distortion, tuned for shoegaze and tweakable with series/parallel options, can be added to any of these patches via the left footswitch4. For players chasing the full shoegaze sound, Catalinbread's own guidance on the line is simple: max all the knobs and adjust the mix to taste6.
The controls
The Soft Focus Deluxe offers Mix, Mod, Verb, Delay, and Time controls, plus a dedicated Distortion Level control1. On the original Soft Focus, the Modulation control governs the rate of an onboard chorus7, and the Symphony knob controls the level of the octave on the second signal path7. Catalinbread's manual notes that all controls are coupled to the tone of the reverb and musically interactive, giving players an expansive field of sounds to discover3.
Tap tempo and expression pedal functionality facilitate control of delay time and selected parameters4.
What reviewers said
Reviews of the Soft Focus Deluxe line were largely positive. One reviewer found that the pedal "sounds pretty close to the Yamaha FX500"18, and another wrote that "Catalinbread's offering might just have the simplicity and versatility to win over a wider range of guitarists, however"9. A third summed up the FX-40 Soft Focus simply: "Operation is intuitive and fun."10
"this Deluxe version provides guitarists interested in that genre with a multi-effect solution that can satisfy most, if not all, their needs"4
Delicious Audio, on the Soft Focus Deluxe's shoegaze suitability4
Reviews of the original Soft Focus line give a sense of how the family landed. One reviewer found it "sounds pretty close to the Yamaha FX500"8, while another wrote that "Catalinbread's offering might just have the simplicity and versatility to win over a wider range of guitarists, however"9. The operation of the FX-40 Soft Focus was described as "intuitive and fun"10, and the original was described as a "shoegazer's dream"2.
How it relates to the rest of the line
The Soft Focus Deluxe sits at the expanded end of a family that began with the Catalinbread FX40 Soft Focus Reverb in 20221112. A Soft Focus Gold variant, released in 2024, upgraded the look of the Soft Focus pedal while keeping its Mix control13. Catalinbread's broader reverb range includes the Catalinbread Talisman Ghost and other reverb pedals aimed at ambient and vintage-plate sounds.
Catalinbread states plainly in the Soft Focus manual that the pedal "is not an exact recreation but was exhaustively compared with our own FX500"37. Players expecting a literal Yamaha FX500 clone should treat the line as an interpretation.
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SHOEGAZER CHANNEL
Questions
What is the difference between the Soft Focus and the Soft Focus Deluxe?
The Deluxe expands on the original Soft Focus by adding delay and distortion to the modulated reverb and shimmer algorithms of the original. It is a dual-footswitch pedal with emulations of both the delay and reverb stages of the Yamaha FX500, plus tap tempo and expression pedal control, which the original did not have.
Does the Soft Focus Deluxe have tap tempo?
Yes. Tap tempo functionality works alongside expression pedal functionality to control the delay time and selected parameters. Mode 6 also allows momentary mix expression control for sudden time warps and momentary swells.
Can you use an expression pedal with the Soft Focus Deluxe?
Yes. Expression pedal functionality, together with tap tempo, facilitates control of delay time and selected parameters. Mode 6 adds delay to the Soft Focus patch and allows momentary mix expression control for sudden time warps and momentary swells.
Is the distortion on the Soft Focus Deluxe in series or parallel?
The distortion circuits are footswitchable and can operate in either series or parallel. The distortion is tuned for shoegaze and can be added to any of the six patches via the left footswitch.
What is the Soft Focus Deluxe based on?
It is based on the Soft Focus patch from the Yamaha FX500 rack unit, a preset popular with '90s shoegaze bands such as Slowdive. The Deluxe includes emulations of both the delay and reverb stages of the FX500, and Catalinbread notes its Soft Focus is an interpretation rather than an exact recreation.
Sources (13)
- Catalinbread Soft Focus Deluxe review: an ambitious upgrade, Guitar.com, 2025-06-16
- Catalinbread unveils Element Series pedals for simple rocky tones, Guitar.com, 2022-10-07
- Soft Focus Manual, Catalinbread Effects
- Catalinbread Soft Focus Deluxe, Delicious Audio, 2025-01-10
- The 7 Best Ambient Reverb Pedals for any Budget: From Subtle Space to Full Void, www.gearnews.com, 2026-06-22
- Soft Focus Reverb, Catalinbread Effects
- Catalinbread Soft Focus Reverb, Delicious Audio, 2022-12-06
- Catalinbread Soft Focus Reverb: Shoegaze in a pedal?, gearnews.com, 2022-09-08
- Catalinbread makes shoegazers' dreams come true with the FX40 Soft Focus Reverb, Guitar World, 2022-09-09
- Catalinbread Soft Focus Effects Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2022-12-11
- “An additive chorus effect that plays well as an 'always-on' tonal thickener with a twist”: Don't sleep on Catalinbread's Wake if you're looking for dream pop tones on your pedalboard, MusicRadar, 2025-04-30
- FX40 Soft Focus Reverb by Catalinbread, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Catalinbread Epoch Bias & Soft Focus Gold 2024 Updates, gearnews.com, 2024-02-28
