The Cusack Music Tap-A-Whirl V3 is a tremolo pedal with tap tempo built in, which Cusack Music describes as "the world's first analog tremolo pedal with tap tempo built in"1. Where a conventional tremolo makes you dial in speed with a knob and guess at the tempo, the Tap-A-Whirl lets you tap the speed in with your foot, in time with the song. Cusack Music calls it "a smooth, pristine tremolo effect, with the added benefit of tap-tempo"1.
The V3 is discontinued. It has been succeeded by the Tap-A-Whirl V4, which is covered below1.
A tap-tempo tremolo with 24 waveforms
The core of the pedal is its waveform selection. You choose from 24 predefined waveforms, including sine, ramp, blip, bleep, square, waver, echo and ping pong1. Sine is the smooth rise and fall most players picture when they think of tremolo; square chops the volume abruptly between two levels; the more unusual entries like blip, bleep, echo and ping pong shape the volume pattern in ways a simple speed-and-depth tremolo cannot. The Wave knob selects the waveform in combination with the Bank switch1.
The tap side works through the Tap Switch. Tap twice to set the tempo. The switch is also a modified "brake" control: holding it slows the tempo, holding it again speeds it up, and it defaults to slowing down when the effect is engaged2. That gives you a way to pull the tremolo speed down or push it back up mid-phrase without reaching for a knob.
The pedal can be used in stereo for what Cusack Music calls "ultra-wide soundscapes"1. The output jack is a stereo output, and the Right output is a modified inversion of the left channel2. In Mono, the Right output is active while the pedal is on but muted while it is off; in Stereo mode, both outputs are true bypassed2.
Controls, presets and stereo setup
The V3's controls are context-sensitive, which is worth understanding before you plug in2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bypass footswitch | Kicks the pedal between Bypass and Engaged2 |
| Tap Switch | Tap twice to set tempo; hold for the brake function (slows, then speeds up the tempo)2 |
| Option Knob | Adjusts Tap Divide when engaged and not holding Tap; Fade-In while in Bypass; Brake Speed while the Tap Switch is held for more than 1/2 second2 |
| Wave knob | Selects the waveform in combination with the Bank switch1 |
| Mode Switch | Toggles between Preset and Live modes2 |
| Right Level trim pot | Internal trim pot for the Right output level2 |
The Mode Switch is where the preset system lives. In Preset mode, changing the waveform loads that waveform's saved parameters, and any changes you make are temporary. In Live mode, all current settings apply to all waveforms2.
Fade-In, Brake Speed, Tap Divide and Tempo are programmable per waveform. You save them by pushing both footswitches at the same time. The settings are stored in EEPROM, and the manual notes they "will be saved even if the pedal is powered off, and the battery is unplugged"2.
The V3 has an internal Stereo Jumper: short A-B for Stereo, short B-C for Mono. The manual warns that using a mono plug on the output while the pedal is in Stereo mode causes the bypassed level to be loaded down, with weak sound and a loss of high end2. Check the jumper setting before wiring the pedal up.
Two practical points from the manual: the IN jack disconnects power, so unplug the input when the pedal is not in use2, and the RCA jack on the side takes an external tap tempo switch if you would rather tap from elsewhere on your board1.
The V4 and how it differs
The Tap-A-Whirl V4 replaced the V3 and carries the line forward. It keeps the analog signal path and the 24 waveforms, and it uses the [L] OUT for mono or both [R] and [L] OUT for stereo1. Its stereo output adds a phase control3, and its DEPTH knob controls the amplitude of the LFO, that is, how deep the tremolo is3.
The differences that matter day to day:
| Tap-A-Whirl V3 | Tap-A-Whirl V4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Signal path | Analog1 | Analog3 |
| Current draw | ~8mA1 | ~22mA3 |
| Bypass | True bypassed outputs in Stereo mode2 | Buffered bypass based on Cusack More Louder3 |
| Stereo | Right output is a modified inversion of the left2 | Stereo output with phase control3 |
The bypass change is the one a player will hear most. The V3 true-bypasses both outputs in Stereo mode2, while the V4 uses a buffered bypass based on Cusack More Louder3, which keeps a buffer in the signal path when the effect is off. The V4 also draws more current, about 22mA against the V3's ~8mA13, which is still modest but worth accounting for on a tight power supply. For comparison, another pedal in the Cusack lineup, the Screamer V3 overdrive, draws about 6mA4.
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Questions
Does the Tap-A-Whirl V3 run on a battery?
Yes. It runs on a standard center negative 9V DC supply or a 9V battery, and neither is included with the pedal. Settings saved to the pedal's EEPROM are retained even if the power is off and the battery is unplugged.
Is the Tap-A-Whirl true bypass?
In Stereo mode, both outputs are true bypassed, according to the V3 manual. In Mono mode the Right output is active while the pedal is on but muted while it is off, so the bypass behavior depends on how you have the outputs configured.
Can the Tap-A-Whirl use an external tap tempo switch?
Yes. The V3 has an RCA jack for an external tap tempo switch, so you can set the tremolo speed from a remote switch on your pedalboard instead of tapping the pedal's own Tap Switch.
How much current does the Tap-A-Whirl draw?
Cusack Music lists the V3's current draw at about 8mA, which is light enough that it can share a modest power supply with other low-draw pedals. For comparison, the later V4 draws about 22mA.
Is the Tap-A-Whirl analog or digital?
Cusack Music describes the V3 as the world's first analog tremolo pedal with tap tempo built in. The signal path is analog, while the tap tempo, waveform selection and preset storage are handled digitally.
Sources (4)
- Tap-a-Whirl Analog Tremolo with Tap Tempo, Cusack Music
- on:, Cusack Music, 2011-07-21
- TaW v4 Manual.ai, Cusack Music, 2023
- Screamer V3 Tube Style Overdrive Pedal, Cusack Music
