Matthews Effects The Chemist

Matthews Effects The Chemist is a multi-effect pedal that puts three modulation effects in one box: a chorus/vibrato, a polyphonic organ-style octaver, and a phaser. Matthews Effects calls it a "do-it-all modulation lab in a guitar pedal"¹, and Premier Guitar's reviewer called it "a capable and often unusual sounding multi-effect that doesn't take up a lot of pedalboard space"². Only one effect is active at a time³.

The pedal was first announced in June 2017 as the Chemist Atomic Modulator, a two-channel design combining chorus/vibrato, octave and phaser⁴. A V2 followed in 2019, adding a redesigned control layout and remote-control features⁵. Matthews Effects, the maker, also builds stompbox staples like overdrive and fuzz².

Chorus, phaser and octave in one pedal

The Chemist's three effects are named after elements, and each is selected with a slide switch²³¹:

Premier Guitar's reviewer spelled out the mapping: "Lithium (Li) corresponds to the octave effect, cobalt (Co) corresponds to chorus/vibrato, and irridium (Ir) corresponds to the phaser"². In Lithium mode, the pedal generates rich polyphonic organ textures using the octave and dry controls³.

Because the three effects share one set of knobs, the Chemist is not the same as stacking a dedicated chorus, phaser and octave pedal. The trade is board space and cost against having only one effect live at a time. On Sweetwater's demo of the V2, Mitch Gallagher made the space argument: "it really takes the place of two pedals in one"⁶.

The controls and the three modes

The Chemist's signature feature is its two rows of identical controls. A footswitch swaps between the top and bottom row, so you can set up two different sounds and jump between them instantly. Matthews Effects describes this as preset-like convenience: "With the controls always visible and editable on the fly, this works to give you the convenience of presets without having to program or menu dive"¹. Delicious Audio made the same point about the V2, noting the rows are "switchable on the fly without programming or menu diving"⁵.

Each row has three knobs, and two of them change jobs depending on which algorithm is selected³⁴:

Premier Guitar's reviewer put the Formula knob in plainer terms: "The formula knobs alter the resonance of the phaser, the depth of the chorus, or remove or add low octave relative to the high octave"². On the V2 demo, Gallagher described Reaction as "basically a blender or a mix control between the wet and the dry signal"⁶.

The V2 also has an expression pedal input, so you can sweep a knob hands-free⁶.

Remote control and switching

The original Chemist had a jack on its left side for connecting an aftermarket switcher to change between the two effects². The V2 expanded this: its external jack accepts a footswitch or a control output from a loop switcher, used to select which control row is active and to bypass the effect⁶.

Delicious Audio detailed the V2's "Alternate Jack Out": with a TRS cable, the tip controls the Alternate switch and the ring controls the Bypass switch, allowing both functions to be driven remotely⁵. Each row's algorithm is chosen independently with the slide switches on the side of the pedal⁵.

The Chemist and The Chemist V2

The original Chemist Atomic Modulator carried a $199 street price and only accepts a 9V barrel adaptor². A reviewer found it surprisingly versatile, working particularly well with amplifiers sporting higher headroom, and called it a viable choice for the player who moves between classic rock and chaos².

The Chemist V2 Atomic Modulator keeps the three algorithms, Cobalt a classic lush chorus, Iridium a swirlicious phaser, and Lithium a polyphonic organ octave effect¹. Its controls are always visible and editable on the fly, which the maker says gives you the convenience of presets, and it adds an expression pedal input¹⁶. The maker's current product page lists the V2 as sold out at £154.00¹.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's 2023 review was positive about the pedal's range. The reviewer found "the Chemist is surprisingly versatile. It works particularly well with amplifiers sporting higher headroom" and called it "a viable choice for the player who moves between classic rock and chaos"². The same review noted the practical limitation of the power section: the pedal only accepts a 9V barrel adaptor, with no room for a battery².

Sweetwater's Mitch Gallagher demonstrated the V2's three modes, the dual control rows and the external control features in a 2019 demo video⁶.

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