The Intensive Care Audio FIDELEATER v.1 Lo-Fi Chorus Vibrato Delay is a lo-fi chorus/vibrato/delay pedal from Intensive Care Audio, a London builder. It puts three related effect types in one box: a modulated delay line that can read as a chorus with dry signal blended in, a vibrato with the dry signal removed, or a delay with extended time and intensified modulation. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as the maker's "take on the lo-fi modulation chorus/delay" and called it a pedal "for the treatment of Bland Guitar Syndrome and Excessive Aural Dryness"1.
What it does
Pedal of the Day's reviewer found the pedal goes beyond combining the three effect types: "This super-pedal not only mixes these effects genres together into a delicious auditory stew, but manages to create new" effects, in the reviewer's words, providing what they called countless hours and days of entertainment and experimentation2. The lo-fi character comes from the modulation and the switches described below, which push the circuit into glitchy territory at certain settings.
The controls
The pedal's front panel is a small set of knobs and rotary switches, with the two footswitches handling bypass and tempo2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| FREQ | Sets the frequency (speed) of the LFO2 |
| DEPTH | Sets the depth of the effect, providing serious glitching with certain settings above 12:002 |
| DRY/WET | Sets the amount of dry signal mixed in with the effect; fully counter-clockwise the pedal operates as a chorus, turning clockwise removes the dry signal creating a vibrato effect2 |
| WAVE FUNCTION | 8-position rotary switch selecting 1 of 8 available LFO waveforms: Random Slopes, Random Steps, Sweep, Sine, Triangle, Square, Ramp Down or Ramp Up2 |
| CONTRACT switch | Opens or closes a feedback path within the delay path; when open, the repeats create a luscious warbling2 |
| UNTIE switch | Extends the delay time so the pedal operates more like a delay than a chorus, intensifying the modulation and creating glitchy digital weirdness2 |
The eight LFO waveforms are the heart of the pedal's range: the random and stepped shapes give the lo-fi, unstable character, while Sine and Triangle give more conventional chorus and vibrato movement2.
Bypass and footswitches
The Fideleater v.1 uses soft touch, relay based trued bypass, so the effect is removed from the signal path when off21. The two soft-touch footswitches are arranged with BYPASS on the left and TAP TEMPO on the right, so the delay time can be set by tapping2.
Where it is built and where it stands
All Intensive Care Audio pedals are built in London, England, using high quality components21. Delicious Audio described the maker as "one of the most interesting emerging boutique makers of the new decade" and added the Fideleater V1 to its article on chorus pedals1. The pedal has since been released in a more compact version, reported by Delicious Audio in July 20231.
Videos
INTENSIVE CARE AUDIO
The Pedal Zone
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Where is the Intensive Care Audio Fideleater made?
All Intensive Care Audio pedals are built in London, England, using high quality components, according to both Pedal of the Day and Delicious Audio. The maker is described by Delicious Audio as one of the most interesting emerging boutique makers of the new decade.
Does the Fideleater v.1 have tap tempo?
Yes. The pedal has two soft-touch footswitches: the left one is BYPASS and the right one is TAP TEMPO, as described in Pedal of the Day's review.
Is the Fideleater v.1 true bypass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day and Delicious Audio both describe the pedal as featuring soft touch, relay based trued bypass.
How many LFO waveforms does the Fideleater v.1 offer?
Eight. The WAVE FUNCTION control is an 8-position rotary switch that selects one of eight LFO waveforms: Random Slopes, Random Steps, Sweep, Sine, Triangle, Square, Ramp Down or Ramp Up.
What do the Contract and Untie switches do?
The CONTRACT switch opens or closes a feedback path within the delay path; when open, the repeats create a luscious warbling. The UNTIE switch extends the delay time so the pedal operates more like a delay than a chorus, intensifying the modulation and creating glitchy digital weirdness.
Sources (2)
- Intensive Care Fideleater V1 Lo-Fi Chorus/Vibrato/Delay, Delicious Audio, 2023-07-26
- Intensive Care Audio FIDELEATER v.1 Lo-Fi Chorus Vibrato Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2021-12-08
