NPD and review - Subdecay Quantum Starlight Flanger
Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 4:52 pm
So I just received one of the new Subdecay pedals in the mail today and I thought I'd offer my opinions and experiences in case anyone was interested in picking one up while they were still in stock. Unfortunately, I do not have any recording equipment, so all you'll have to go by is my pretty picture and text review. I keep saving up for a Zoom Q3HD, but when I have enough I end up blowing it on a pedal. Pedals are so much fun and creative than a video camera. 
... well, at least with my limited photography skills. 
Anyway, so far I've only tried it in the loop of my amp, but it seems to like it there and I don't have any major urge to move it about. I had hoped it would feel at home in the loop because my amp has a well-designed valve buffer in it, while the signal chain from my guitar to the amp only has a cheapy transistor buffer at the end of the chain. The fewer pedals in that chain the better, in my opinion.
Overall, the sounds are a fine balance between metallic and juicy, which is what I was hoping for. With distortion it can sound both very clear and unobtrusive. With my favourite settings on the Starlight set, and a clean sound coming from the Memphis, I had anticipated the need to tweak my amps' controls when clicking to the drive channel of my Fryette Memphis, but the transition was smooth; there was no need to tweak or fuck about. I liked that.
The Random mode was definitely the funnest and also the most musical. I can imagine spending most of my time there. I also REALLY liked the fixed mode. It is a very unique setting that was an ingenious addition. It adds this subtle, but still obviously apparent, effect to your guitar tone and makes you appear to be playing through all sorts of different instruments depending on the position of the speed knob; which determines the resonance or 'pitch' of the sweep.
The classic flanger sounds are all there as well, as far as I know. This is the only flanger I've ever owned, and my previous experience with them is minimal, but it sounds good and that's what matters, right? If you want a classic flanger, sure, it can do that. I was able to copp the EVH and Mr. Big sound when running around the fretboard like a horny teenager. That's not what I'll be personally using the flanger for, but that type of thing is available if it's what you do.
It's hard to achieve a subtle flanging tone with a faster speed using the first few modes on the shape knob. Even with the regen all the way down, it's hard to avoid that seasick warble at faster speeds, and sometimes I'm just not in the mood for that. I think a mix knob would have been useful for these occasions, but I don't know whether such an addition would have been possible internally. It seems pretty tight in there. I think also if I took the pedal out of the loop then it wouldn't be so in-your-face.
And of course, as with any good pedal, if you tweak it enough you can bring up the speed without overpowering your signal with too much modulation. Some of you are going to love the intensity of the Starlight, but I am usually trying to find settings that sit in the background and add layers rather than hold at the forefront. To alleviate some of that deep warble, using the Tri/Sqr combination mode works. It becomes a little more metallic and mixes with your clean signal in a deeper way, and thus becomes part of your sound. The workmanship is also top-notch, obviously, but I don't need to bullshit anyone with those details.
tl;dr
Random and Manual mode are worth the price of admission alone. Classic sounds as well as intense sounds are all there, and it combines metallic intensity with a lushes juiciness that I haven't experienced with the vintage flangers I've tried.
... well, at least with my limited photography skills. Anyway, so far I've only tried it in the loop of my amp, but it seems to like it there and I don't have any major urge to move it about. I had hoped it would feel at home in the loop because my amp has a well-designed valve buffer in it, while the signal chain from my guitar to the amp only has a cheapy transistor buffer at the end of the chain. The fewer pedals in that chain the better, in my opinion.
Overall, the sounds are a fine balance between metallic and juicy, which is what I was hoping for. With distortion it can sound both very clear and unobtrusive. With my favourite settings on the Starlight set, and a clean sound coming from the Memphis, I had anticipated the need to tweak my amps' controls when clicking to the drive channel of my Fryette Memphis, but the transition was smooth; there was no need to tweak or fuck about. I liked that.
The Random mode was definitely the funnest and also the most musical. I can imagine spending most of my time there. I also REALLY liked the fixed mode. It is a very unique setting that was an ingenious addition. It adds this subtle, but still obviously apparent, effect to your guitar tone and makes you appear to be playing through all sorts of different instruments depending on the position of the speed knob; which determines the resonance or 'pitch' of the sweep.
The classic flanger sounds are all there as well, as far as I know. This is the only flanger I've ever owned, and my previous experience with them is minimal, but it sounds good and that's what matters, right? If you want a classic flanger, sure, it can do that. I was able to copp the EVH and Mr. Big sound when running around the fretboard like a horny teenager. That's not what I'll be personally using the flanger for, but that type of thing is available if it's what you do.
It's hard to achieve a subtle flanging tone with a faster speed using the first few modes on the shape knob. Even with the regen all the way down, it's hard to avoid that seasick warble at faster speeds, and sometimes I'm just not in the mood for that. I think a mix knob would have been useful for these occasions, but I don't know whether such an addition would have been possible internally. It seems pretty tight in there. I think also if I took the pedal out of the loop then it wouldn't be so in-your-face.
And of course, as with any good pedal, if you tweak it enough you can bring up the speed without overpowering your signal with too much modulation. Some of you are going to love the intensity of the Starlight, but I am usually trying to find settings that sit in the background and add layers rather than hold at the forefront. To alleviate some of that deep warble, using the Tri/Sqr combination mode works. It becomes a little more metallic and mixes with your clean signal in a deeper way, and thus becomes part of your sound. The workmanship is also top-notch, obviously, but I don't need to bullshit anyone with those details.
tl;dr
Random and Manual mode are worth the price of admission alone. Classic sounds as well as intense sounds are all there, and it combines metallic intensity with a lushes juiciness that I haven't experienced with the vintage flangers I've tried.
