Spaceman Effects Explorer

The Spaceman Effects Explorer is a compact phaser pedal: an optical six stage analog phaser with an all analog signal path, built as a small form factor reissue of the circuit from the company's first phaser, the Explorer Deluxe¹². Where the Deluxe came in a large enclosure made in small runs, the Explorer packs what Spaceman calls "full featured controls in a compact form factor"².

Spaceman describes the sound in its own words:

The Explorer was announced in January 2022 at a list price of $279, available in a trio of finish options³.

A six-stage optical phaser in a smaller box

The Explorer's phase shifting comes from six stages swept optically, using photocells rather than the transistor-based phase shift networks of many other phasers⁴⁶. Spaceman calls it "6 stages of optically swept phase shifting"⁴. Delicious Audio's product page describes the pedal as "a compact version of the Explorer Deluxe, a hand-built six-stage phaser"⁵.

The lineage is straightforward. MusicRadar reported in January 2022 that Spaceman "has scaled down the enclosure size and rebranded its Explorer Deluxe six stage phaser as simply the Explorer," and that "the Explorer features the exact same circuit as its larger, out-of-production and now eye-wateringly expensive predecessor"³. The Deluxe, first shown in 2018, was Spaceman's first phaser and the first Spaceman pedal with an expression input⁷. Pedal of the Day reviewed it in 2017 as a small-run, hand-built piece: "Made again in a small run, if you like phasers and come across one of these, don't hesitate to grab it up QUICK!"⁶

The Deluxe is now discontinued; All-Pedal's 2023 Microdose Phaser collaboration was described as based on it⁸.

Controls: Rate, Range and Shape

Three silver-faced dials control Rate, Range and Shape³.

The five LFO shapes on the Shape control are Sine, Saw-Down, Saw-Up, Triangle and Square⁶. Delicious Audio notes six additional waveshapes hidden behind a startup procedure: "additional waveshapes are accessible by applying power to the Explorer with the footswitch depressed," including three arpeggiated shapes, a stepped shape, an MW shape, and an inverted manually swept mode⁵.

Manual mode and the expression input

Manual mode is the sixth position of the Shape control. It disconnects the LFO and freezes the phase sweep, so the Rate knob controls the position of the sweep by hand⁵³⁶. This is the same behavior the Deluxe offered through its Speed control⁷.

The Explorer includes a CV/EXP pedal input². What it controls depends on the mode:

• With the five LFO wave shapes, the expression input controls the speed of the LFO²⁵.
• In Manual mode, it sweeps the phaser directly, with Rate setting the highest point and Range the lowest point of the sweep².

On the Deluxe, Delicious Audio described the payoff: "This allows for very cool 'wah-pedal' style phase sweeping, especially when combined with the Resonance control"⁷. Pedal of the Day's reviewer found the expression input practical for tempo: "it makes it so easy to set the pulse to match the tempo of whatever song you're playing in a second"⁶.

Power and build

The Explorer runs on 9 to 24V DC, negative center, through a 2.1mm jack¹, with a current draw of 51mA¹. Spaceman describes the higher end of that range as "up to 24V capable for high headroom use cases"⁵, matching the Deluxe, which could also be run at up to 24V for more clean headroom at its standard 9V operation⁶⁷.

The pedal sits in a cast-aluminum enclosure with a durable, engraved vinyl faceplate and a jewel indicator light⁵, and RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as handcrafted¹. The Deluxe used quality open-frame Switchcraft jacks⁷.

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