The Mr. Black Twin-Lazers is a true stereo dual phaser from Portland maker Mr. Black, unveiled in May 2023 and described as a "True Stereo Phase Shifter & Modulator." It carries two fully independent phase shifters, each switchable between 4 and 6 stages, and can run in stereo or be chained into a single 8- or 12-stage mono phaser. It sits in the wider field of phaser pedals as a stereo, preset-capable take on the effect.1
Stages and modes
The Twin-Lazers holds two fully independent phase shifters. The Shift knob sets a phase shift or lag of between 0° and 180° between the dual phaser-shifter oscillators, which is the stereo depth of the effect, while the Rate knob sets the phase oscillator rate and shows it on a pulsing LED next to the control. A full Mix control ranges from light swirl to full, thick phase-modulation.1
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rate | Sets the phase oscillator rate, shown by a pulsing LED next to the control1 |
| Shift | Sets a phase shift/lag of 0° to 180° between the dual phaser oscillators, the stereo depth1 |
| Mix | Goes from light swirl to full, thick phase modulation1 |
| Stage button | Switches from 4 to 6 stages1 |
| Save button / Preset footswitch | Saves a preset and recalls it1 |
On the dial, cycle times range from 0.2Hz (a 5 second cycle) to 5Hz (a 200mS cycle).1
Tap tempo and expression
The Tap/Exp. jack takes either a standard external tap-tempo footswitch or an expression pedal. Tap tempo resets the oscillator to the beginning of the cycle on the second press, and an external footswitch extends the oscillator range out to a 12.5 second maximum cycle. An expression pedal can be assigned to any or all controls on the fly: connect a standard expression pedal and rotate the desired control to the Orange region on the indicator dial.1
Power and size
The pedal runs from an "industry-standard" 2.1mm negative-center-pin DC input, drawing just under 70mA peak current, and is described as daisy-chain friendly. It measures 3.75"W x 4.72"L x 2"H and weighs 16oz.1
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, writing when the pedal was unveiled, called it "true-stereo phase shifting at its finest," noting that in a stereo rig at 90° the swirl seems to rotate around you. He also described it as handmade, with a focus on ease of use and a wide range of phase tones.1
Videos
Chicago Music Exchange
JayLeonardJ
Jack Deville
Questions
How many stages does the Mr. Black Twin-Lazers have?
Each of the two phasers runs 4 stages in Green mode or 6 stages in Red mode, selected with a button. When the two phasers are chained together in series-mono with a standard patch cable, the pedal becomes an 8-stage phaser in Green mode or a 12-stage phaser in Red mode.
What is the difference between Green and Red mode?
The mode sets the number of phase shift stages in each phaser: Green mode gives 4 stages per phaser, and Red mode gives 6 stages per phaser. Chained in series-mono, that works out to 8 stages total in Green mode and 12 stages total in Red mode.
Can the Twin-Lazers be used with an expression pedal?
Yes. Connecting a standard expression pedal to the Tap/Exp. jack lets you assign it to any or all of the controls on the fly, by rotating the desired control to the Orange region on the indicator dial.
Does the Twin-Lazers have tap tempo?
Yes. The tap-tempo oscillator automatically resets to the beginning of the cycle on the second tap-tempo press. A standard external tap-tempo footswitch can also be connected to the Tap/Exp. jack, which extends the oscillator range out to a 12.5 second maximum cycle.
What power does the Twin-Lazers need?
It uses an industry-standard 2.1mm negative-center-pin DC input and draws just under 70mA peak current. It is described as a compact, daisy-chain friendly pedal.
Can the Twin-Lazers be used in mono?
Yes. The two phasers can be run independently in stereo, or chained in series-mono via a standard patch cable, which turns the pedal into a single 8-stage or 12-stage phaser.
Sources (1)
- Mr. Black Twin-Lazers True Stereo Phase Shifter & Modulator, Delicious Audio, 2023-05-08
