Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

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nightgolf
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Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by nightgolf » Fri Dec 02, 2022 6:04 am

So I was really excited about the idea of replacing my Digiverb for reverse sounds, but I can't seem to find a good setting either with fully wet switch on or off - something about the warm/decay I believe just can't get close to what feels MBV-ish on any level, even going for some Slowdivey tones with the soft focus setting.

Is the circuit that different than the one in the loomer?

Want to love this pedal since an RV-7 is just outrageously priced right now.

Thanks buds.

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by pawnzito » Fri Dec 02, 2022 7:12 am

I bought one of the “shop exclusive” ones. All it’s settings are okay and fine but don’t have a lot of range. I can’t compare to the loomer but I have a handful of pedals that do reverse reverb and the realizer is the easiest to plug in. And get a usable sound, but it’s also pretty tame and adjustments don’t make a big difference. It’s like every Keeley pedal I’ve tried. As for the mbv or slow dive sounds, what are you stacking it with?

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by nightgolf » Fri Dec 02, 2022 9:59 am

pawnzito wrote:
Fri Dec 02, 2022 7:12 am
I bought one of the “shop exclusive” ones. All it’s settings are okay and fine but don’t have a lot of range. I can’t compare to the loomer but I have a handful of pedals that do reverse reverb and the realizer is the easiest to plug in. And get a usable sound, but it’s also pretty tame and adjustments don’t make a big difference. It’s like every Keeley pedal I’ve tried. As for the mbv or slow dive sounds, what are you stacking it with?
well i'm not going for like direct rip-offs lol but in my chain currently is an MXR OD i use as a boost/slight gain, a chorus, then my main OD, then the Realizer into the big muff before going down the rest of mod/time pedals. It's not EXACTLY what I want to use it for but I'm trying to get that reverb to push the fuzz into one of those ROARING sounds.

and this is also my first Keeley pedal, so that's good to know. Thanks! (edit: I also was only able to get the Audiomanic version, since the pedal partners one sold out)

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by Gavanti » Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:50 am

I liked the Loomer, especially the soft focus setting, but gave it up because the fuzz seemed redundant with others I had, and I could get some of the same effects with other Reverb pedals. I'd imagine they're the same circuit, so it could have been mismemory and/or the newness of the Loomer's sound, but the Realizer I picked up sounded one-dimensional and uninteresting in comparison. I wanted to like it but probably gave up on that pedal faster than almost any other I've tried. I hope my experience is not yours and that you find a way to make it work for you, but you're definitely not alone in feeling the Realizer is missing something.

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by Tafarel » Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:30 am

Gavanti wrote:
Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:50 am
I liked the Loomer, especially the soft focus setting, but gave it up because the fuzz seemed redundant with others I had, and I could get some of the same effects with other Reverb pedals. I'd imagine they're the same circuit, so it could have been mismemory and/or the newness of the Loomer's sound, but the Realizer I picked up sounded one-dimensional and uninteresting in comparison. I wanted to like it but probably gave up on that pedal faster than almost any other I've tried. I hope my experience is not yours and that you find a way to make it work for you, but you're definitely not alone in feeling the Realizer is missing something.
Wow! I have EXACTLY the same experience/response as you to both pedals. Yes, tame is the right word for the Realizer -- just lacking in all the areas that made that side of the Loomer really good. I think I had the Realizer for less than a month before I put it back up on Reverb.
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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by nightgolf » Fri Dec 02, 2022 2:36 pm

Tafarel wrote:
Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:30 am
Gavanti wrote:
Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:50 am
I liked the Loomer, especially the soft focus setting, but gave it up because the fuzz seemed redundant with others I had, and I could get some of the same effects with other Reverb pedals. I'd imagine they're the same circuit, so it could have been mismemory and/or the newness of the Loomer's sound, but the Realizer I picked up sounded one-dimensional and uninteresting in comparison. I wanted to like it but probably gave up on that pedal faster than almost any other I've tried. I hope my experience is not yours and that you find a way to make it work for you, but you're definitely not alone in feeling the Realizer is missing something.
Wow! I have EXACTLY the same experience/response as you to both pedals. Yes, tame is the right word for the Realizer -- just lacking in all the areas that made that side of the Loomer really good. I think I had the Realizer for less than a month before I put it back up on Reverb.
so what you're saying is that the Realizer is basically a JV version of the circuit in the loomer? fuck. i was just gonna get a loomer but then found this and Love my Op Amp big muff. Lame.

my best friend's got a relatively popular project and he just got a Loomer as part of a Keeley care package, gonna have to A/B that. ugh. lame.

moral of the story: RV-7's are too expensive now.

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by jorri » Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:41 pm

I never thought it resembled MBV from the demos at all really.

Digitech (btw Polara is the same) is pricier for a reason, i mean i keep seeing it on successful shoegaze bands boards alongside really expensive thing sometimes...yeh its very good and lively. Not entirely sure that sounds like a Yamaha either but i wasn't even that impressed with the Yamaha rack sound, its like...that was the only option available.

I use blackhole on my Space and Red panda context 2 but a) no more 'accurate' and b) probably pricier than what you suggested..they sound great though (um Kevin Shields even uses a Context now for this...) Used to have the copy on a Zoom MS-50G and it did the digitech thing except a bit like all the copies on that it just doesn't quite sound "as good quality" even though they're suitably fine in most circumstances.

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by jorri » Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:44 pm

Slight update: no, Polara is much cheaper and everyone says its exactly the same as an RV7 but updated graphics and one new mode.

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:04 pm

I had a Polara recently and didn't find the reverse mode all that useful. Currently using an EHX Oceans 11, and being able to adjust the pre-delay and feedback is really useful – a similar control set to the Context.

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by manwithtitties » Mon Dec 05, 2022 1:51 am

while in no way the same effect, the old blood noise rever is surprisingly good at getting the 90s rack reverb sound, and is what i mainly use in my gaze band. 50-100% mixed verb with extra delay after fuzz, occasionally with the reverse delay on gets me pretty close to the mbv thing. i thought the digitech hardwire pedal was completely overrated and not very useful for the genre, and i sold it to a friend for a slight loss while the prices were starting to go insane.

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by Tafarel » Mon Dec 05, 2022 6:40 am

tequila_in_teacups wrote:
Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:04 pm
I had a Polara recently and didn't find the reverse mode all that useful. Currently using an EHX Oceans 11, and being able to adjust the pre-delay and feedback is really useful – a similar control set to the Context.
I had a Polara, as well. It sounded choked and neutered. I couldn't find a useful setting on it and sold it on.

One of the other guitarists in my band has had the RV-7 for a number of years. It makes an appearance on his pedal board from time to time, but it never stays for long. Sounds brilliant when he uses it, however.
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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by panoramic » Thu Dec 08, 2022 5:48 am

I bought an old blood rever when they first came out and I've tried the realizer, the rever does the MBV style reverb way way better. My Red Panda Context v1 on GATE mode does it way better as well and if you combine the two together well....it's like slowdive forever

The red Panda also has a plate mode that can dial in Cocteau Twins sounds etc. It all depends on how you approach the "shoegaze" thing.

I am super close to getting the soft focus pedal just to fuck around with but alas, $200 just to fuck with seems wasteful
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by jorri » Fri Dec 09, 2022 8:44 am

Tafarel wrote:
Mon Dec 05, 2022 6:40 am
tequila_in_teacups wrote:
Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:04 pm
I had a Polara recently and didn't find the reverse mode all that useful. Currently using an EHX Oceans 11, and being able to adjust the pre-delay and feedback is really useful – a similar control set to the Context.
I had a Polara, as well. It sounded choked and neutered. I couldn't find a useful setting on it and sold it on.

One of the other guitarists in my band has had the RV-7 for a number of years. It makes an appearance on his pedal board from time to time, but it never stays for long. Sounds brilliant when he uses it, however.
Its an odd one at first but i hear it sounding better one leads into some kind of drive. There really is not a lot of density to the fx, nor was there on the original yamaha but rather about smearing things, so it kind of seems to need the right drive/amp/playing/extra-verb imo?

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by manwithtitties » Sat Dec 10, 2022 2:24 pm

jorri wrote:
Fri Dec 09, 2022 8:44 am
Tafarel wrote:
Mon Dec 05, 2022 6:40 am
tequila_in_teacups wrote:
Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:04 pm
I had a Polara recently and didn't find the reverse mode all that useful. Currently using an EHX Oceans 11, and being able to adjust the pre-delay and feedback is really useful – a similar control set to the Context.
I had a Polara, as well. It sounded choked and neutered. I couldn't find a useful setting on it and sold it on.

One of the other guitarists in my band has had the RV-7 for a number of years. It makes an appearance on his pedal board from time to time, but it never stays for long. Sounds brilliant when he uses it, however.
Its an odd one at first but i hear it sounding better one leads into some kind of drive. There really is not a lot of density to the fx, nor was there on the original yamaha but rather about smearing things, so it kind of seems to need the right drive/amp/playing/extra-verb imo?
The hardwire sucked in front of drives as well imo

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Re: Anyone else have a Keeley Realizer pedal? What am I doing wrong?

Post by jorri » Mon Dec 12, 2022 5:18 pm

manwithtitties wrote:
Sat Dec 10, 2022 2:24 pm
jorri wrote:
Fri Dec 09, 2022 8:44 am
Tafarel wrote:
Mon Dec 05, 2022 6:40 am
I had a Polara, as well. It sounded choked and neutered. I couldn't find a useful setting on it and sold it on.

One of the other guitarists in my band has had the RV-7 for a number of years. It makes an appearance on his pedal board from time to time, but it never stays for long. Sounds brilliant when he uses it, however.
Its an odd one at first but i hear it sounding better one leads into some kind of drive. There really is not a lot of density to the fx, nor was there on the original yamaha but rather about smearing things, so it kind of seems to need the right drive/amp/playing/extra-verb imo?
The hardwire sucked in front of drives as well imo
The Context is a lot wetter and more diffuse on the diffuse mode. More what you're after...and me too as its what i use. I've seen used and used the hardwire to good effect though, more dry, less of a 'big verb' almost like its not a reverb but some swirly attack thing. Cathedral i had back when it first came out and thought it was the worst, yet some pedalboards of players i have though sounded great and made great recordshave used it...maybe its the combination with a big verb or delay after it.

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