The Pladask Elektrisk SOLEN is a lofi delay pedal, described by its maker as having "features perfect for making your instrument sound all good and fucked, well-baked by the sun"1. It is a two-delay design: a short first delay with a resonance tap, and a second delay whose time runs from short and pleasant to slow and textured. Self-modulation, a momentary feedback switch and a wet-only option make it a tool for degraded, unstable repeats rather than clean echo. It sits alongside the maker's other delay designs such as the Tåken and the granular BAKLENGS, and belongs to the wider family of delay pedals.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| TIME | Delay time of delay 2. Can be short and pleasant, or slow and textured. |
| D. LVL | Volume of the delay effect. The maker notes this is not a dry/wet mixer. |
| FEED | Delay feedback, from a single repeat to runaway oscillation. Higher FEED and MOD settings drastically reduce the signal-to-noise ratio "in a feverish manner". |
| RES | Resonance: adds a tap for the first delay at roughly 40ms. Turning up FEED gives resonant delay repeats. |
| MOD | Self-modulation, added to delay 1, similar to the Romferd SMOD. |
| WET | Wet only: cuts out the dry sound. |
| Feedback switch | Momentarily maxes out the delay feedback. |
All control descriptions come from the maker's own documentation1.
How it behaves in use
The SOLEN's character comes from the interaction of its controls. The FEED knob spans everything from a single repeat to runaway oscillation, and the maker warns that pushing FEED and MOD together will drastically reduce the signal-to-noise ratio, which is the point of a lofi delay1. The feedback switch is momentary, so you can dip into maximum feedback for swells of self-oscillation and release back to your set level.
The WET switch cuts the dry signal out entirely, which is worth knowing when setting levels: D. LVL sets only the volume of the delay effect, not a blend between dry and wet1.
The D. LVL knob is not a dry/wet mixer. Your dry signal passes through separately, and the WET switch is what removes it.
Where it came from
Pladask Elektrisk describes the SOLEN as "the aftermath of a workshop at LydEksperimentKlubben, Trondheim"1, a Norwegian sound-experiment club. The MOD control's self-modulation is a lineage the maker traces itself, calling it similar to the Romferd SMOD1.
Questions
Is the Pladask Elektrisk SOLEN a dry/wet delay?
No. The D. LVL knob sets the volume of the delay effect, and the maker states plainly that it is not a dry/wet mixer. The pedal keeps your dry signal separate, and the WET switch cuts out the dry sound entirely when you want the delayed signal on its own.
What does the feedback switch do on the SOLEN?
The feedback switch momentarily maxes out the delay feedback. Combined with the FEED knob, which runs from a single repeat to runaway oscillation, it lets you push the repeats into self-oscillation for as long as you hold the switch.
What does the RES knob do on the SOLEN?
RES, short for Resonance, adds a tap for the first delay at roughly 40ms. Turning up the FEED knob along with it produces resonant delay repeats, a big part of the pedal's lofi character.
Who makes the Pladask Elektrisk SOLEN?
The SOLEN is made by Pladask Elektrisk, a Norwegian pedal builder. The pedal itself came out of a workshop at LydEksperimentKlubben in Trondheim, according to the maker.
Sources (1)
- Solen_ENG.pdf, Pladask Elektrisk, 2023
