Molten Voltage Molten MIDI 2

The Molten MIDI 2 is a programmable stompbox made by Molten Voltage that acts as a sequenced pitch shifter MIDI controller for the DigiTech Whammy. It connects to a Whammy pedal with a single MIDI cable and, in the maker's words, "lets you access notes that aren't normally available on the Whammy and sequence them into elegant harmonies." Molten Voltage describes it as offering five original new ways to control the Whammy 4¹.

What it does to your sound

The Whammy is a pitch-shifting pedal, and the Molten MIDI 2 sits in front of it as a controller rather than a sound-shaping effect of its own. Its core trick, per the maker, is reaching pitch settings the Whammy cannot select on its own and sequencing them, either with automatic looping or one change per button press¹. Premier Guitar's review adds a detail experienced Whammy users will appreciate: the Molten MIDI 2 can set the Whammy's internal circuitry to think its expression pedal is set at any position in its sweep².

Controls and modes

The unit's footswitch is a Start/Stop/Step button. Premier Guitar's reviewer described putting it to work directly: "I stomped on the Molten MIDI 2's Start/Stop/Step button, and the device's first preset kicked in." The same button starts and stops the program sequence and steps through presets².

Guitar World's September 2010 review, by Chris Gill, lists five effect types³:

• Loop Portamento
• Loop No Portamento
• Step Portamento
• Step No Portamento
• "Different"

Loop and Step set whether a sequence repeats automatically or advances one setting per press, and the Portamento options set whether pitch slides between positions or jumps³¹.

Programming and presets

The Molten MIDI 2 stores 15 programs¹. Programs are created manually on the unit or with Molten Voltage's free Programming Utility, which the maker offers in Mac and PC versions as downloads from the product page¹. Premier Guitar's review confirms both routes, noting that each program "can be programmed either manually or by way of" the computer program².

Where it came from

The Molten MIDI 2 is a tweaked version of Molten Voltage's original Molten MIDI design, according to Premier Guitar². Guitar World's review of the unit appeared in its September 2010 issue, which listed a list price of $109.00³. The maker's product page also notes the unit has been on tour with Radiohead¹.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's reviewer tested the unit with a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom through an Egnater Tourmaster combo and a DigiTech Whammy IV Reissue². The verdict leaned on musicality rather than extremes: "The Molten MIDI 2's greatest strength, however, is that it forces the use of the Whammy to be musical." The review's summary line was that "Molten Voltage offers a sequenced pitch shifter that has fantastic results"².

For more on where a controller like this fits, see the site's MIDI pedals page.

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