Freeze time. Repeat. Repeat again.
So, this patch allows you to layer frozen reverbs, maintaining the distinction of each, even as you add to the sound. You can also fade the layers in and out, clear them, and play over two frozen layers into a long, ambient plate reverb. You can even record the layers silently, then fade them in behind your playing. Since each layer captures a different piece of audio, they remain distinct.
I love me a big ambient soundscape, but the long/frozen reverbs can get pretty dense if you’re not careful, and what begins as a melodic backdrop soon becomes… a lot of indistinct sound. This can also get pretty indistinct, I guess washed out, infinite reverbs will do that, but I think it maintains a certain degree of clarity, too.
Jason Moore, on the Facebook group, had asked about recreating Benn Jordan’s “L Switch Freeze.” As I considered how to reproduce it, I thought about how I might want to use a frozen reverb. So, this patch is definitely inspired by Benn’s patch, but takes it in a slightly different direction.
Stompswitches:
Left stompswitch, momentary, selects which reverb layer to send audio to/freezes reverbs. First, reverb one, then two, then three. As you switch from one to the next, the previous layer freezes. On the fourth tap, no audio is fed to any of the reverbs, and they are all set to infinite.
Middle stompswitch, momentary, clears reverbs/resets left stompswitch. Hold to clear reverbs (takes a couple of seconds). The next tap of the left stompswitch, no matter where you are, will take you back to the first position (audio feeding first reverb).
Right stompswitch, latching, fades reverbs in and out (reduces the dry/reverb mix to 0 at the audio balance). Non-destructive on its own.
Pixels at the top of the patch correspond to each reverb and show you which layers are currently frozen. (Emptied reverbs will still light up if they are in the frozen state, they just won’t produce sound. Another way to look at this is to think that the unlit pixel is the one audio is currently routed to. When all of the reverbs are frozen, audio isn’t routed to any of the reverb inputs and so none of the pixels are dimmed.)
Starred parameters:
The first page doesn’t have any starred parameters, but it is where all the reverbs reside. Changing their tone controls can help you shape the layers once they’re captured. The mix of each reverb essentially functions as a volume control for that reverb when it is frozen.
On the second page, amidst all the switching mechanics, are two slew limiters that have been starred. The first, on the left, controls the fade time for clearing the reverbs. The second, on the right, controls the fade time for changing the reverb mix.**
**I set the mix to a fairly heavy-handed amount, because most frozen reverbs don’t go for subtle. If you want to adjust the mix, adjust the connection from this slew limiter to the audio balance’s mix control (bottom of first page). The audio balance’s mix itself is biased to zero, so adjusting it will only add reverb (and make it impossible to reduce to silence).
Sound clip, Minilogue xD:
0:00-0:36–Setting layer 1, then 2, then 3, then playing over them with the dry signal. (Not recorded, but I should have: You can play through one of the plate reverbs while two other reverbs are frozen. You can hear it a little as I record the layers, but I don’t demonstrate it very well. Sorry!)
0:37-1:05–Same as above, but this time I remembered to show the reverbs fading away as I cleared the layers (middle stompswitch). (Whoops!)
1:06-1:55–Setting three layers, then using the right stompswitch to lower the mix (fading them out) then bringing them back as I pressed it again. Then fading them out again for fun. (Not recorded, but I should have: You can play over this with your dry signal. The fading does not affect the dry signal, only the reverbs.)
1:56-2:49–Using the right stompswitch to set the dry/reverb mix to 0, I record the layers silently as I play (or rather stab at some notes), then fade them in by pressing the right stompswitch again, increasing the reverb mix.
REV 1.1: If you downloaded this patch before ~8:55 PM EST on 5/10, there was an issue with the starting condition of the patch. The right footswitch was engaged, which brings the reverb mix to 0 and makes the pedal, at first glance, appear as a glorified bypass switch.
You can either download the patch again (it’s fine now!), use the patch as is (hold the middle and right footswitch to enter the performance mode, then click the right footswitch off), or remove the footswitch at the bottom right corner of the page labeled “Switching” and replace it (latching, normally one) and reconnect it to the input of the slew limiter adjacent to it.
This rules. You’re very creative with the switching.