The Neunaber Seraphim is a shimmer reverb pedal: it takes the company's Wet Reverb sound and adds a shimmer effect, an octave-shifted layer on top of the reverb that can be switched on the fly12. Where most reverb pedals treat shimmer as one selectable mode among several, the Seraphim dedicates the whole pedal to it, which MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen noted is the unusual part: "The 'shimmer' effect is something that is found as a selectable option in several reverb pedals, but to have a whole pedal" built around it is not the norm3. As he put it, "Basically, this is a reverb pedal, based on the Wet, that can have variable amounts of shimmer added to the effect"3.
The pedal comes out of a family of Neunaber reverb pedals. The Seraphim Stereo Shimmer was introduced to the pedal lineup in October 2014, built on the same platform as the other Stereo Pedals2, and a mono version followed. The Seraphim Shimmer V2, described by the maker as an "Octave-shifted reverb," now appears on the discontinued products page4.
What the Seraphim does
Shimmer reverb is reverb with an octave-shifted component folded into the tail, so the decay seems to rise above the notes you played. Pedal of the Day's Mike B described the Seraphim's take on it as "a powerful but beautiful vocal choir-type realm to the notes you play," adjustable with the Shim knob6. The launch announcement pitched it as taking the "choir of angels" sound to a whole new level7.
The pedal shares its circuit family with the Neunaber Seraphim Stereo Shimmer, the stereo version of the effect, which carried controls for Effect Mix, Reverb Depth and Shimmer Level1. The mono Seraphim's W3T shimmer algorithm is the same as the algorithm on the Immerse Mk II5, and its buffered output is capable of driving long cables5.
One placement note from the manual: shimmer will have more sibilance if the pedal is placed after a speaker simulator rather than before5.
The controls
The current manual describes a streamlined control set5:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mix knob | Sets the balance between dry signal and reverb. Full counter-clockwise is 100% dry, full clockwise is 100% reverb, and approximately 3 o'clock is an even mix5 |
| Shimmer knob | Controls the amount of shimmer in the effect. Fully counter-clockwise there is no shimmer; inactive in reverb-only mode5 |
| Engage footswitch | Selects between engaged and bypassed; the LED lights when the effect is active5 |
| Effect control (alternate: hold Engage while turning) | Switches between the original shimmer algorithm and the W3T shimmer algorithm5 |
| Trails control (alternate) | Sets whether the bypassed signal has trails or cuts off immediately5 |
The original stereo pedal carried controls for Effect Mix, Reverb Depth and Shimmer Level1. On the mono Seraphim, the Mix knob controls the mix between the dry signal and reverb, with full counter-clockwise giving 100% dry signal, full clockwise giving 100% reverb, and approximately 3 o'clock giving an even mix5. An alternate Effect control, reached by holding Engage while turning, switches between the original shimmer algorithm and the W3T shimmer algorithm, the same algorithm as on the Immerse Mk II5.
Two shimmer algorithms and trails
The Effect control gives you two shimmer flavors5:
| Algorithm | Reverb-only LED | Shimmer LED | Knob direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original shimmer algorithm | Blue | Yellow | Counter-clockwise5 |
| W3T algorithm | Green | White | Clockwise5 |
The W3T algorithm is the same as the algorithm on the Neunaber Immerse Reverberator Mk II5, so players who know that pedal can get its shimmer character here. The Seraphim Stereo Shimmer was also compatible with Pedal Customizer Version 2.0 for editing7.
Trails are switchable rather than fixed. When Trails is on, the effect signal trails off naturally after the pedal is bypassed; when off, the effect cuts off immediately5. The bypass mode LED tells you which state you are in: magenta for trails off, cyan for trails on5.
Bypassing the effect does not lower power consumption, because it does not turn off power to the pedal5. There is no battery option: the pedal needs an external 9 V to 12 V DC center-negative adapter supplying 100 mA or more5.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Nominal input level | -10 dBV, instrument level5 |
| Maximum input level | 8 dBV5 |
| Input impedance | 1 MΩ5 |
| Output impedance | 1 kΩ5 |
| Frequency response, dry / bypassed | 20 Hz to 30 kHz, +/-1 dB5 |
| Total harmonic distortion, dry / bypassed | 0.01%5 |
| Signal-to-noise ratio, A-weighted, dry / bypassed | 116 dB5 |
| Level, enabled vs. bypass | 0 dB5 |
The manual also lists a signal-to-noise figure of 101 dB A-weighted with all knobs at 50%5, alongside the 116 dB dry/bypassed figure.
Videos
Neunaber Audio
Neunaber Audio
Neunaber Audio
Questions
Does the Neunaber Seraphim have trails?
Yes, and they are selectable. An alternate Trails control sets whether the bypassed signal trails off naturally after you disengage the pedal or cuts off immediately. A magenta LED indicates trails off and a cyan LED indicates trails on, so you can check the setting at a glance.
Is the Neunaber Seraphim stereo?
The Seraphim was also released as the Seraphim Stereo Shimmer, with stereo or mono input and output for two-amp setups. The stereo version was discontinued at the end of 2020, leaving the mono pedal as the version still covered by the current manual.
Is the Seraphim true bypass or buffered?
The pedal has a buffered output that the maker says is capable of driving long cables, and bypassing the effect does not lower power consumption. The Seraphim Stereo Shimmer was offered with optional true bypass. Level is 0 dB enabled versus bypassed.
Does the Seraphim take a battery?
No. It runs on a standard 5.5 mm OD x 2.1 mm ID center-negative pedal power adapter, which is not included. The adapter must supply between 9 V and 12 V DC and be capable of 100 mA or more.
Sources (7)
- Neunaber Offers Seraphim Stereo Shimmer, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2014-10-15
- Neunaber Audio Effects Unveils New Stereo Pedal v2 Line, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2014-10-16
- Neunaber Seraphim Stereo Shimmer review, MusicRadar, 2016-02-19
- Discontinued Products, Quilter Labs
- Seraphim User Guide, Quilter Labs
- Neunaber Audio Effects Seraphim Mono Shimmer, Pedal of the Day, 2015-05-07
- Neunaber Launches Seraphim Stereo Shimmer Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2014-10-09
