The Horrothia FX Berkeley Vibe is a vibrato pedal that brings the sound of the vibe machines from the late 1960s into a smaller enclosure. Pedal of the Day described it as "Bringing all the vintage glory of the vibe machines from decades past into a smaller enclosure" when they reviewed it on its release in April 20221.
Circuit and how it works
The Berkeley Vibe's signal path is almost exactly identical to the original late 60's vibe, according to Pedal of the Day. Some small key changes have been made in line with mods that were done in the late 60's to open up the low-end and add more liquid movement1.
The circuit uses carbon film resistors, Mylar caps, and transistors chosen for very similar or identical characteristics to the originals1.
At the heart of any vibe circuit are the photo-cells, the light-sensitive parts that the sweeping oscillator drives. In the original units a small bulb did that job. The Berkeley Vibe takes a different route:
- There are 4 photocells, but no bulb
- Hand chosen Vactrols are matched one by one in a custom test fixture1
The LFO that controls the photo-cells is digital but analog smoothed, modeled on the vintage bulb's nonlinear waveform behavior, so there are no uncharismatic spikes or glitches1.
Controls and bypass
The pedal offers chorus mode and vibrato behavior, and three internal trimmers let you further sculpt your sound. One of them, Phase Notch Depth, allows you to fine tune the balance between the wet and dry signals in chorus mode1.
For bypass, you can choose the mode yourself: either just switch off the LFO, or change to relay true bypass. The LFO-off option suits players who want the pedal's circuit to stay in the chain, while relay true bypass removes it entirely1.
You can also use a TRS-to-3.5mm cable to connect an expression pedal, letting you set the speed hands-free1.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day, reviewing the pedal when it was released in April 2022, called it "an incredible vibrato pedal" and summed it up this way1:
"the Berkeley Vibe is one of the best vibe re-creations to ever come through our doors."
Videos
Demos In The Dark
Pedal of the Day
Edge of Breakup 🎥 Guitars, Pickups, Amps & Pedals
Questions
Does the Berkeley Vibe use a bulb?
No. The Berkeley Vibe has 4 photocells but no bulb. Instead of a bulb it uses hand chosen Vactrols, matched one by one in a custom test fixture, so the photo-cell circuit keeps the vintage behavior without the lamp that original vibe units relied on.
Is the Horrothia Berkeley Vibe true bypass?
It is selectable. You can choose the bypass mode: either just switch off the LFO, which keeps the pedal's buffer in the chain, or change to relay true bypass, which removes the effect circuit entirely when the pedal is off.
Can I control the speed with an expression pedal?
Yes. You can use a TRS-to-3.5mm cable to connect an expression pedal, letting you set the speed hands-free while you play.
What does the Phase Notch Depth trimmer do?
Phase Notch Depth is an internal trimmer that allows you to fine tune the balance between the wet and dry signals in chorus mode. It shapes how much of the effected signal is blended against your clean tone.
Does the Berkeley Vibe have a chorus mode?
Yes. The pedal offers chorus mode and vibrato behavior, and the Phase Notch Depth internal trimmer fine tunes the balance between the wet and dry signals in chorus mode.
How many internal trimmers does the Berkeley Vibe have?
The Berkeley Vibe has 3 internal trimmers that let you further sculpt your sound, including the Phase Notch Depth trimmer for the chorus mode wet and dry balance.
Sources (1)
- Horrothia FX Berkeley Vibe, Pedal of the Day, 2022-04-04