The Flux Effects Liquid Tremolo is a tremolo guitar effects pedal from Flux Effects. Published reviewers came away impressed: in their second encounter with the pedal, the reviewer wrote, "we were extremely happy with our second encounter as well," describing it as "a wonder of sounds and textures with too many sounds and tones to count overall"1.
Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal in March 2017 and came away very positive, writing that the team "were extremely happy with our second encounter as well" and calling it a wonder of sounds and textures with too many sounds and tones to count overall1.
The controls: speed, depth, wave contours and tap multiplier
The front panel carries the expected basic Depth and Speed controls, which work as they should when the pedal is in Manual mode1. Around them sit the features that set the Liquid Tremolo apart:
- Wave contours: eight to choose from, listed by Pedal of the Day as Spin, Smooth & Warm, Thick & Punchy, Hard & Edgy, Slice, Plink, and Whip/Reverse, among others1
- Tap Multiplier: ranges from 1 to 6 times the original speed, so a tapped tempo can be divided or multiplied to fit the song1
- Tapsync Mode: the tremolo's speed is controlled by the Tapsync footswitch in this mode1
- Expression/CV input: accepts a 5v "CV" source, an expression pedal or a 250k volume pedal to adjust the Speed on the fly1
The wave contour choice is the heart of the pedal: it shapes how the volume rises and falls, so the same Speed and Depth settings read very differently from one contour to the next1.
Footswitches, presets and stereo connections
The Liquid Tremolo has two footswitches. One is the Tapsync footswitch, used to control speed in Tapsync Mode and to recall the saved preset when held for one full second1. The pedal stores one preset: you save it by holding down both footswitches, then recall it by holding the Tapsync switch down for one full second1.
On the stereo side, the pedal has stereo inputs and outputs, which Pedal of the Day says "make multiple amp setup a breeze"1. There is also a small Stereo Field adjustment trimpot on the back of the pedal that can open up how vast and expansive the stereo sound is1.
The Liquid Tremolo stores a single preset, not a bank of memories. If you need several saved tremolo sounds per song, this pedal gives you one.
Videos
Brett Kingman
Curtis Kent
Pedal of the Day
Questions
How many wave shapes does the Flux Effects Liquid Tremolo have?
Eight. Pedal of the Day lists the wave contours as Spin, Smooth & Warm, Thick & Punchy, Hard & Edgy, Slice, Plink, Whip/Reverse and one more, giving the tremolo a wide range of characters from soft swells to hard-chopped pulses. The chosen contour shapes how the volume rises and falls, so the same speed and depth settings can sound very different from one contour to the next.
Can the Liquid Tremolo speed be controlled with an expression pedal or CV?
Yes. The pedal accepts a 5v CV source, an expression pedal or a 250k volume pedal to adjust the Speed on the fly, according to Pedal of the Day. That means you can sweep the tremolo speed during a song without bending down to turn a knob, or drive it from a control voltage source on a larger rig.
How do you save a preset on the Liquid Tremolo?
Hold down both footswitches to save your most treasured tremolo preset, in Pedal of the Day's words. To recall it later, hold the Tapsync footswitch down for one full second. The pedal stores one preset, so it is a single favorite sound rather than a bank of memories.
Is the Flux Effects Liquid Tremolo stereo?
Yes. The pedal has stereo inputs and outputs, which Pedal of the Day says makes a multiple amp setup a breeze. There is also a small Stereo Field adjustment trimpot on the back of the pedal that can open up how vast and expansive the stereo sound is.
What does the Stereo Field trimpot do on the Liquid Tremolo?
It adjusts the width of the stereo image. Pedal of the Day describes a small Stereo Field adjustment trimpot on the back of the pedal that can open up how vast and expansive the stereo sound is. If you run the pedal into two amps or a stereo rig, this trimpot lets you set how wide the tremolo movement spreads across the two channels.
Sources (1)
- Flux Effects Liquid Tremolo, Pedal of the Day, 2017-03-08