Catalinbread Soft Focus pedal

[panoramic]

Nothing you can't do with an MS-70 CDR three different ways.

Has the price of the actual original Yamaha unit gone up? Last time I looked, they were cheaper than this pedal, and it wasn't any more than a year ago.

yeah the OG unit had a lot of issues with smashing the clean sound into oblivion and this unit is much better in that respect. I used to mess with the yamaha and the quadraverb quite a lot in the 90's when that was how you got those sounds. Seems you can quite easily dial in a lot of sounds on this unit but then again, I am probably already able to get these sounds with a few pedals I have collecting dust in my room.

[mackerelmint]

Nothing you can't do with an MS-70 CDR three different ways.

Has the price of the actual original Yamaha unit gone up? Last time I looked, they were cheaper than this pedal, and it wasn't any more than a year ago.

yeah the OG unit had a lot of issues with smashing the clean sound into oblivion and this unit is much better in that respect. I used to mess with the yamaha and the quadraverb quite a lot in the 90's when that was how you got those sounds. Seems you can quite easily dial in a lot of sounds on this unit but then again, I am probably already able to get these sounds with a few pedals I have collecting dust in my room.

Ah, OK. I never knew that about the Yamaha. I almost got one on a few occasions, but after the Zoom pedal I kinda lost interest.

Improved is improved, and when progress has been made, vintage gear can become the realm of regressive cavemen.

[panoramic]

Nothing you can't do with an MS-70 CDR three different ways.

Has the price of the actual original Yamaha unit gone up? Last time I looked, they were cheaper than this pedal, and it wasn't any more than a year ago.

yeah the OG unit had a lot of issues with smashing the clean sound into oblivion and this unit is much better in that respect. I used to mess with the yamaha and the quadraverb quite a lot in the 90's when that was how you got those sounds. Seems you can quite easily dial in a lot of sounds on this unit but then again, I am probably already able to get these sounds with a few pedals I have collecting dust in my room.

Ah, OK. I never knew that about the Yamaha. I almost got one on a few occasions, but after the Zoom pedal I kinda lost interest.

Improved is improved, and when progress has been made, vintage gear can become the realm of regressive cavemen.

Right? Quadraverbs really mess with the clean sound on amps. I've used a lot of these rack units and a simple pedal version is a better answer but you've got a point with the cost/utility. I have a red panda context i can get close to many of these sounds with but the soft focus has an added chorus thing i don't have anything like that is of interest, but is it worth $180 is the question.

[jorri]

yeah the OG unit had a lot of issues with smashing the clean sound into oblivion and this unit is much better in that respect. I used to mess with the yamaha and the quadraverb quite a lot in the 90's when that was how you got those sounds. Seems you can quite easily dial in a lot of sounds on this unit but then again, I am probably already able to get these sounds with a few pedals I have collecting dust in my room.

Ah, OK. I never knew that about the Yamaha. I almost got one on a few occasions, but after the Zoom pedal I kinda lost interest.

Improved is improved, and when progress has been made, vintage gear can become the realm of regressive cavemen.

Right? Quadraverbs really mess with the clean sound on amps. I've used a lot of these rack units and a simple pedal version is a better answer but you've got a point with the cost/utility. I have a red panda context i can get close to many of these sounds with but the soft focus has an added chorus thing i don't have anything like that is of interest, but is it worth $180 is the question.

I use the Grain mode on Context 2. Fine enough, i maybe step on another reverb or modulated delay and use Plate. I think soft focus was just three reasonably standard things put together, except with the quirks of the particular reverb

[sal paradise]

Oook, so anyone who bought one: what do you think?

Asking for a friend.

The idea that rather than having 17 different options & swtiches, I could just turn a knob for modulation & one for
Octave seems easy. Expensive though, still.

[OffYourFace]

I want to try one these. I’ve got a Yamaha FX500 here to compare.

The old rack stuff is made for line level so the only way to ‘properly’ use it with a guitar amp (as in the front, not an effects loop) is guitar->DI box->rack unit->ReAmp box->amp. For the bypass, you’d need a bypass loop box before the DI. It’s a huge PITA obv and not worth it. I had a setup like this in a rack to use with a SF Twin reverb years ago. We used to dream of pedals like this in the mid 90s. The Magicstomp or whatever didn’t quite deliver.
So I think $209 is worth it haha.

Otoh, I wish catalinbread put a switch on it to go from instrument to line Level for use with synths. But I’d like to try it. Sounds kinda harsh in that 60cyclehum video.

[Tafarel]

Oook, so anyone who bought one: what do you think?

Asking for a friend.

The idea that rather than having 17 different options & swtiches, I could just turn a knob for modulation & one for
Octave seems easy. Expensive though, still.

I've used it live now about five times. I need something like this because I don't care to fiddle with settings during a performance. It is really lovely and works well in our context -- three guitars, bass, drums; huge oceanic sound; it fills up a lot of space. I need a set and forget pedal and this does the single trick it does very, very well.

I use a Blackhole -- all five presets, a Pladask Nordisk Draume, a Keeley Halo -- which I just got, a Mantic Proverb, and the Soft Focus. It presents something different to the other pedals, although I could probably dial in something similar on the Blackhole, but all the presets are taken up with other mission specific sounds.

[sal paradise]

I got a soft focus today. Running it at 9v both in front of the amp & on effects loop, it’s super subtle. Mod & synth are barely audible.

Anyone else found that?

[JazzmasterJonny]

Mine should be here tomorrow so I'll report back then.

From the demos I've seen it seems the controls are very interactive with one another and seem to need to be all pretty much on max to get the full on intense effect.

[sal paradise]

Mine should be here tomorrow so I'll report back then.

From the demos I've seen it seems the controls are very interactive with one another and seem to need to be all pretty much on max to get the full on intense effect.

Yeah, and it gets really noisy when the reverb is maxed & mix is high.

I just bought a Strymon flint & am returning the soft focus. I think I was expecting the ultimate guitar tone with the touch of a button. Hasn’t worked with my new setup. Will maybe pick one up 2nd hand in the future, because I love the sound in all the isolated videos.

[Larry Mal]

I've been hesitant to say much, because it's quite possibly me, but all the demos sound great and it doesn't sound all that great when I use it. A lot of the demos I've liked seem to be using a stereo rig, which I don't have.

[cestlamort]

But the pedal is mono, right?
I think some of the magic with the original effect is the stereo field it creates with two delays into reverb into a symphonic mod. That said, I dug out the FX500 the other day to give it a spin, and it didn't sound as good/lush/overwhelming as I remembered (by itself at least; I'd always run chorus and delay into it in the past).
I also dug out the Magicstomp, and I'd forgotten how staggeringly heavy it is (with the wall wart power brick). It's funny how similar the Magicstomp II (on board editing) is to working with the Eventide H9 without the app. A bit clumsy with lots of button presses, but fairly quick for small adjustments on the fly when you get used to it.

[jorri]

But the pedal is mono, right?
I think some of the magic with the original effect is the stereo field it creates with two delays into reverb into a symphonic mod. That said, I dug out the FX500 the other day to give it a spin, and it didn't sound as good/lush/overwhelming as I remembered (by itself at least; I'd always run chorus and delay into it in the past).
I also dug out the Magicstomp, and I'd forgotten how staggeringly heavy it is (with the wall wart power brick). It's funny how similar the Magicstomp II (on board editing) is to working with the Eventide H9 without the app. A bit clumsy with lots of button presses, but fairly quick for small adjustments on the fly when you get used to it.

I've liked the yamaha FX ive used. Early reflections was something i went back to and realised the imitator pedals still don't really do it. Simultaneously a bit more granular/pixelly and yet quite a bit more depth.
But what did i use? Not an FX500. Yamaha updated the algorythms for around a decade at least , on many devices. I used an A4000 sampler and had AW1600 recorder both with these same FX types on. Sold the former this week and had to test it- was only used for FX and they are even cheaper than the exclusively FX-processor racks. Perhaps they are better than what was available during the early 90s. The bypass obviously isn't. Wouldn't dream of hauling them around! Do these updated versions appear in the Magicstomp of the same era?

Best copy is still some random guy on instagram that doesn't sell. He just reprograms chips into single use pedals eith these fx on. I don't think theKeeley or Catalinbread or Red Panda are doing that but re-coding their own take using new chips or something. That said i still would prefer the Red Panda on the whole than a Yamaha or Midiverb (or don't forget the Korg Slowdive used too!).

[OffYourFace]

Best copy is still some random guy on instagram that doesn't sell. He just reprograms chips into single use pedals eith these fx on.

link?

[jorri]

Best copy is still some random guy on instagram that doesn't sell. He just reprograms chips into single use pedals eith these fx on.

link?

https://www.instagram.com/acoustagaze/?hl=en-gb might take some profile diving find more info. I think its just personal, no commercial intention afaik.