The Walrus Audio Slö Multi Texture Reverb is a compact reverb pedal aimed at players who want deep, modulated, ambient trails rather than a simple room sound. Walrus describes it as a pedal that "allows players to create lush, modulated, sleepy and ambient soundscapes," with deep modulation and long washy trails1. It arrived in 2019, announced that April, and guitar.com called it one of the year's must-try effects2.
It is a mono pedal with three switchable reverb modes, three modulation wave shapes, a mode-specific X knob and a hold-sustain function that lets you freeze a reverb trail with your foot. It is made in the USA3 and sits in a diecast enclosure the size of a standard compact pedal.
What the Slö does
The Slö is built for ambient and textural playing. In Sweetwater's demo video, Miles Patterson described it as giving "access to a lot of big Airy uh Spacey you know really ambient Reverb tones"6. On That Pedal Show, Mick Taylor and Daniel Steinhardt put it similarly, calling it a pedal "for damn lush modulated sleepy and ambient soundscapes"7.
The pedal's signature trick is its hold-sustain function. Josh Scott of JHS Pedals, covering it in his roundup of extraordinary reverbs, noted that "This pedal has a great hold-sustain function," and that he gravitated toward "the dark mode and the sync waveform" among its many settings8. Hold the footswitch and the reverb trail sustains under your foot, a common tool for ambient players who want a pad to solo over.
Reviewers were positive. Pedal of the Day called it "an incredible, versatile and expansive reverb, one that you'll cherish for years to come"9.
"the Slö is an incredible, versatile and expansive reverb, one that you'll cherish for years to come"
The controls and modes
The Slö has three reverb modes, selected by a toggle, and a front panel of knobs: decay, filter, mix, depth, and the X knob, whose job changes with the mode1011.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Decay | Sets the length of the reverb trail11 |
| Filter | A tone filter for the repeats12 |
| Mix | Blends dry and wet signal10 |
| Depth | Modulation depth on the reverb12 |
| X | A different parameter in each mode10 |
The three modes are Dark, Rise and Dream6. In Rise, an auto-swell reverb, the X knob controls the length of the rise after a note is played13. On top of the three modes, the Slö offers three wave shapes for the modulation, Sine, Warp and Sink, accessed by holding down the bypass footswitch while switching the algorithm toggle1:
- SINE: smooth and even pitch up and down modulation1
- WARP: asymmetric pitch up modulation, similar to a warped record1
- SINK: asymmetric pitch down modulation, a sinking detune similar to a Bigsby1
That Pedal Show also highlighted the filter control's reach, describing "the global tone control on all the repeats," which you can set "to stand up and sparkle or just" sit low and subtle7.
Walrus's own product page points players who need presets toward the Slötvå: "Want these sounds but need presets? Check out the Slötvå."14
From Slö to Slötvå and Slöer
The Slö spawned two successors. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen put the family line simply: "the Slö reverb begat the Slöer"15.
The Slötvå, released in January 2022 at a retail price of $22916, is a variant of the Slö that "adds on the ability to create and save three presets"17. Guitar.com described it as a new version of the Slö's multi-textured modulated reverb18. It has since been discontinued: Walrus's product page states "This product is discontinued and no longer available"19.
The Slötvå is discontinued and no longer available, per Walrus Audio's own product page19. The original Slö remains part of the lineup.
The Slöer, announced in July 2023, is the third addition to the Slö selection and the one that finally brought stereo20. Walrus says it "builds on our popular Slö lineup but adds two additional reverb algorithms, stereo width control" and more2122. It runs five reverb modes: the three from the Slö, Dark (Lower Octave), Rise (Ambient Swell) and Dream (Latching Pad), plus Rain (Delay Tap Diffusion) and Light (High Octave Shimmer)22. The stereo feature offers three adjustable width settings, and it launched in two finishes, midnight blue or matte black, at $34923. MusicRadar's reviewer called it "a worthwhile update on the popular Slö and Slötvå," listing buffered bypass and USA origin among its specs24.
| Slö | Slötvå | Slöer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released | 20195 | January 202218 | July 202320 |
| Price | not listed | $22916 | $34920 |
| Presets | No14 | Three savable presets17 | not stated |
| Stereo | No | No | Yes, with width control212526 |
| Modes | Dark, Rise, Dream6 | Dark, Rise, Dream6 | Dark, Rise, Dream, Rain, Light622 |
| Status | Current | Discontinued19 | Current |
Videos
Sweetwater's demo walks through the three modes and the X knob's per-mode behavior, with Miles Patterson showing the ambient territory the pedal covers6.
That Pedal Show looked at the Slö in a 2020 episode, discussing the tone control on the repeats and the pedal's modulated, sleepy character7.
Videos
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walrusaudioeffects
Questions
Is the Walrus Audio Slö true bypass?
No. The Slö uses buffered bypass rather than true bypass, as does the later Slöer. A buffered bypass keeps a buffer in the signal path when the pedal is off, which can help preserve high end over long cable runs, though players who prefer a fully disconnected signal path when bypassed should note the difference.
Is the Walrus Slö stereo?
No. The Slö is a mono reverb pedal. Stereo arrived with the Slöer Stereo Ambient Reverb in 2023, which Walrus describes as the stereo version of the Slötvå, adding stereo width control with three adjustable width settings alongside two additional reverb algorithms.
Is the Walrus Audio Slötvå discontinued?
Yes. Walrus Audio's own product page states the Slötvå Multi Texture Reverb is discontinued and no longer available. Released in January 2022 at a retail price of $229, it added the ability to create and save three presets to the Slö's sound set.
Where is the Walrus Audio Slö made?
The Slö is made in the USA, as reported in guitar.com's review of the pedal. The later Slöer Stereo Ambient Reverb is also listed as USA origin in MusicRadar's review. Walrus Audio is based in the United States and builds its pedals there.
How big is the Walrus Audio Slö?
The Slö comes in a diecast enclosure measuring 4.77 inches by 2.6 inches by 1.39 inches, roughly the footprint of a standard compact pedal. For comparison, the larger Slöer measures 4.79 by 3.62 by 2.25 inches including knobs.
Sources (26)
- Slö Multi Texture Reverb, Walrus Audio
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- Walrus Audio Slö Multi Texture Reverb Pedal Demo, Sweetwater, 2019-04-16
- Cornerstone Gladio, Neunaber Inspire, Walrus Slö, Aclam Dr Robert TPS Pedal Jams, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2020-02-26
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