Moog Cluster Flux

What it is and how it works

In the broadest sense, Delicious Audio's review called the Cluster Flux a chorus/flanger pedal¹. Like any chorus or flanger, it works by delaying the signal and modulating that delay with an LFO: the pedal has six selectable LFO waveforms, which control how the delayed audio signal is modulated¹. The Time control is really setting a shorter or longer delay line, 5 to 50 ms for chorus, based on the setting of the Time knob¹.

The two modes are selectable via a rocker switch labeled "range"¹, and MusicRadar's review describes a red rocker switch to move between chorus and flange².

The controls: range, time, rate and tap tempo

The front panel combines the mode switch with knobs for the delay line, the LFO and the mix²¹:

The pedal has a standard "rate" knob for the speed of your oscillation¹, and two more pots under the waveform switch adjust the oscillator's Rate and Amount². Delicious Audio highlighted the tap tempo and external control options as features that set the effect module apart¹.

On the waveforms, Delicious Audio's review describes the character of each: "Sine waves will create the most familiar chorus and flange effects, while the square and triangle waves create something more jagged" and percussive, and the random LFO gets weird¹. MusicRadar's reviewer described building "a classic flanger effect built up from a healthy amount of triangled LFO to hear the rich, jet-like sound" recalling Bowie's Station to Station or the Beatles' Blue Jay Way, and a lush chorus free of the tinny digital vibe of inexpensive '80s analog emulators².

External control: expression pedal, MIDI and MIDI Clock

This is where the Cluster Flux goes beyond a conventional chorus or flanger pedal. The rear panel carries a full set of jacks for control and routing²:

• CV inputs for Feedback, Time, LFO Rate, Mix and LFO Amount²
• Left and Right outputs, with the second output configurable via DIP switches for different types of stereo outputs⁴²
• A MIDI jack²
• A Feedback Insert via standard 1/4" TRS patch cable²

LFO Rate, LFO Amount, Feedback, Time and Mix can also be controlled separately through expression pedals plugged into the unit³, and Delicious Audio noted you can control the rate, and every other parameter on the unit, with an external controller like an expression pedal¹.

The MIDI input allows control of Delay Time, Range, Feedback, Output Level, LFO Waveform, LFO Rate, LFO Amount and Mix⁵, and Delicious Audio confirmed that every parameter on the pedal, and several more "hidden" ones, are controllable via MIDI¹. A MIDI input also allows for MIDI-control interfacing, useful for computer sequencing or synching with a drum machine³. Modulation can be synced via MIDI Clock: "you can sync the Cluster Flux's modulation down to the tick via MIDI Clock"¹, and Molten Voltage listed the pedal in 2013 among devices "capable of synchronization to MIDI Clock"⁶.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's reviewer found the pedal delivered on its looks: "the Moog was as rich-sounding as the classy exterior suggests, kicking out oscillations in deep waves with controllable, bubbly chaos"³. MusicRadar's reviewer found the Tap Tempo knob quite responsive in live performance, with the LFO rate usually falling in line by the third tap².

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