3 Leaf Audio Chromatron: Hendrix filter tones in a box?
A new filter pedal with an analogue vintage voice
If you are looking for a ’60s vibe Hendrix tone, the new 3 Leaf Audio’s Chromatron could be perfect for your guitar rig. It’s a state-variable analogue filter pedal with plenty of controls to tweak and loads of filter options.
Hendrix filters
Spencer Doren, the brains behind 3 Leaf Audio, has come up with a new pedal, the optically-controlled Chromatron. Stuck in development for nearly 10 years, the Chromatron is finally ready for release. To my ear, it has a very Hendrix-esque filter tone, and should integrate well into those set-ups configured for a classic, vintage tone.
Seven Dials
There are seven main knobs on the Chromatron that control how the filter responds.
They are: Response, Tone, Mix, Attack and Decay, along with Resonance and Boost. Resonance sets the level of filter feedback, while Boost sculpts the post-filter gain. When you are in expression control mode you’ll find that the Response, Attack and Decay knobs are temporarily disabled.
External expression pedals can be used to control the Chromatron’s filter cut off. The Mode footswitch then toggles between envelope and expression control modes, while Bypass turns the effect off completely.
The pedal also sports three mini-switches. Range sets the broad frequency range. Sweep toggles between normal or reverse filter. The When the Band switch is in the down position, the filter is in low-pass mode. The Up position sets it to bandpass. Plenty to play with on this pedal.
I also like that there is also an onboard FX Loop switch. You can choose whether or not to run another effect in the Chromatron’s built-in effect loop. That should make this a very creative pedal. It clearly offers more than your standard old filter.
3 Leaf Audio Chromatron · Source: 3 Leaf Audio
Unique envelope detection
The pedal uses an envelope detector circuit that mirrors the dynamics of your playing to make the pedal as “musical” as possible. So expect some touch sensitivity here.
3 Leaf Audio says it has used good quality audiophile-grade components in the circuit. Judging by the demo, it has a lovely, organic, chewy sound, with a defined, vintage voice. It should be shipping on 11 November and can be ordered directly from 3 Leaf Clover’s website.
RRP – USD 349 plus shipping/taxes
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