MWFX Tremolo

The MWFX Tremolo is a tremolo pedal from UK builder MWFX: it raises and lowers your volume in a repeating cycle, the way the tremolo circuit of a vintage amplifier does. What sets it apart from most tremolo pedals is what it sends out of the box as well as what it puts into your signal: a CV (control voltage) output that carries its waveforms to synthesizers and other gear, and a clock input that synchronizes its LFO to an external pulse. It has tap tempo, true bypass switching, and runs on an ordinary 9V pedal supply¹.

MWFX describes it as "the second version of the MWFX Tremolo pedal with tap tempo, interesting waveforms and upgraded features"¹. Both the original listing and the second version, the MWFX Tremolo with Clock Input and CV Output, were listed on MWFX's site at a price of £175.00¹².

The controls

MWFX's control list for the pedal is short. Depth sets how deep the variation in volume goes, from a gentle shimmer to a hard on/off chop, and Tap gives you tap tempo so you set the speed by foot rather than hunting for a knob position mid-song¹².

That is a leaner control set than many current tremolos. The Voodoo Lab Tremolo spreads the same job across Speed and Intensity knobs³, while the MXR Tremolo uses Speed, Gain and Depth knobs plus a choice of six waveforms⁴. On the MWFX, the waveform selection is part of the pedal's design rather than a front panel switch, and the waveforms themselves are what MWFX points to when it calls the pedal's sounds "interesting"¹.

Power and connections

The pedal takes a standard 9V center negative supply through a 2.1mm plug and draws 35mA¹. MWFX notes the power supply is not supplied with the pedal, so you will want a typical Boss-style adapter or a pedalboard power brick output. At 35mA it is a light load: for comparison, the Voodoo Lab Tremolo draws 30mA³¹ and the MXR Tremolo draws 180mA⁴, so one isolated output of almost any brick will run it comfortably.

On the audio side, input impedance is 500kΩ and output impedance is 100Ω, figures that suit it to being placed anywhere on a pedalboard without loading down passive pickups¹.

CV output and clock input

This is the part that makes the MWFX Tremolo unusual. MWFX describes the pedal as having "CV output for communicating the various waveforms to synthesizers and a Clock Input for synchronising the LFO"¹.

• CV output: 0-5V, carrying the pedal's waveforms out to synthesizers and other voltage-controlled gear¹
• Clock input: reacts to the leading edge of a positive signal, up to a maximum of 20V, so an external pulse or clock can lock the tremolo's speed to the rest of a setup¹
• Connections: both signals are on 1/4" jack sockets at the back of the pedal¹

For a player, this means the tremolo can become part of a larger electronic music rig: the LFO that moves your guitar's volume can simultaneously sweep a filter on a modular synth, and the whole system can run in time from one clock. The second version adds an upgraded VCA for increased headroom².

A few other tremolo makers offer similar hooks. OKKO FX notes a 5V clock input and output available on request on its T3 Tremolo for integration in synth setups. On the MWFX, the CV output runs 0-5v, the clock input reacts to the leading edge of a positive signal (max 20v), and both signals are accessible via 1/4" jack sockets located at the back of the pedal⁵²¹.

History and versions

The pedal currently listed is the second version of the MWFX Tremolo, adding tap tempo, the waveform set and the upgraded features over the first¹. The second version, sold as the Tremolo with Clock Input and CV Output, carries the upgraded VCA for increased headroom². MWFX gives no release dates for either version.

Both versions were listed on MWFX's site at £175.00¹².

Questions