The Rocket Surgeon Ice Caves Ambient Reverb is a compact reverb and delay pedal built around one idea: the sound of a frozen cavern. Rocket Surgeon describes the inspiration as icy sounds and memories reverberating from cavern walls, and Guitar.com says the pedal is designed to inject chimey trails into your tone12. Underneath the theme it is a feedback machine: an Ambience toggle selects between a delay preset and a reverb preset, and the Ice knob controls a feedback loop that can go from a subtle background wash to full oscillation13.
The two presets: reverb and delay
The Ambience switch is the heart of the pedal. It toggles between two presets that behave very differently1.
| Preset | What it does | What the Ice knob does |
|---|---|---|
| Reverb | Functions as a feedback loop for the whole circuit13 | Above 12 o'clock the pedal begins to drone in what Delicious Audio calls "glorious icy ambiance"3 |
| Delay | Functions as an analog delay1 | Self-oscillates when the Ice knob is around noon; keep it below noon to keep things manageable1 |
The reverb preset is where the pedal gets its name. Delicious Audio explains that the feedback loop in this position is for the whole circuit, so the wash builds on itself rather than just on the echoes3. The delay preset is a more conventional analog delay, but one that will run away into self-oscillation if you push the Ice knob toward noon, in the way classic analog echo units do1.
The controls
Five knobs shape the sound: Level, Depth, Echo, Brightness and Ice, alongside the Ambience toggle14.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Controls the output of the effect signal5 |
| Depth | Controls the "size" of the reverb5 |
| Echo | A pre-delay before the reverb; as you turn it up the wet signal is delayed and then reverberated3 |
| Brightness | Shapes the tonal color of the effect1 |
| Ice | Controls the feedback loop, working with the Ambience switch5 |
The Echo control is worth a second look for players new to ambient reverbs. It is a pre-delay, meaning the wet signal is held back briefly before the reverb blooms, which keeps dry notes articulate under a big wash3.
The Ice and Ambience controls interact: together they set the amount of feedback, from what Delicious Audio calls "subtle background to oscillation madness"3. Gearnews describes the Ice pot as working hand in hand with the Ambience toggle, controlling a feedback loop that either only affects the echo function of the pedal in delay mode, or runs through the entire circuit in reverb mode5.
"the Ice and Ambiance knobs, which interact to control the amount of feedback from subtle background to oscillation madness"
Inside the pedal
An internal trimmer lets you change the overall volume of the pedal when it is activated1. That is a useful touch for a pedal that can drone and oscillate: it gives you a way to set how loud the effect sits against your dry signal without touching the front-panel controls.
The pedal is true bypass, so the circuit drops out of the signal path entirely when switched off42.
What reviewers said
Premier Guitar reviewed the Ice Caves in August 2021 and found a lot to like in its unusual character, though the review noted one gap6:
"A few more basic, traditional reverb colors might be nice."
That is the trade-off the pedal asks for. It is designed to inject chimey trails into your tone, and one reviewer notes that a few more basic, traditional reverb colors might be nice, so a player who wants those traditional colors alongside the weird ones will need another pedal to cover them16.
Videos
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Ambient Endeavors
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Questions
Is the Rocket Surgeon Ice Caves true bypass?
Yes. Both the Guitar World launch report and the Premier Guitar press announcement list the Ice Caves as true bypass, so the pedal's circuit is fully out of the signal path when it is switched off.
What does the Ice knob do?
The Ice knob works with the Ambience toggle to control a feedback loop. In the delay position the loop only affects the echo function, while in the reverb position it runs through the whole circuit. Above 12 o'clock in reverb mode the pedal begins to drone in what Delicious Audio calls glorious icy ambiance.
Does the Ice Caves pedal self-oscillate?
Yes. In the delay preset the pedal self-oscillates when the Ice knob is around noon, and Guitar.com advises keeping the control below noon to keep things manageable. In the reverb preset, turning Ice above noon produces a droning, icy ambience.
What does the internal trimmer do?
Inside the pedal is an internal trimmer that changes the overall volume of the pedal when it is activated. It lets you match the effect level to your bypassed signal, or push the wet sound harder if you want.
How much did the Ice Caves cost at launch?
The Ice Caves Ambient Reverb launched at $199. Guitar World reported it available now for $199 on 12 December 2018, and Guitar.com listed the same $199 retail price two days later.
Sources (6)
- Rocket Surgeon unleashes the Ice Caves Ambient Reverb, Guitar.com, 2018-12-14
- Rocket Surgeon Introduces the Ice Caves Ambient Reverb, Premier Guitar, 2018-12-11
- Rocket Surgeon Ice Caves Ambient Reverb, Delicious Audio, 2018-12-12
- Rocket Surgeon Introduces New Ice Caves Ambient Reverb, Guitar World, 2018-12-12
- Rocket Surgeon Ice Caves Ambient Reverb: Glacial ambience for the adventurous, gearnews.com, 2018-12-13
- Rocket Surgeon Ice Caves Review, Premier Guitar, 2019-09-24
