Source Audio has announced the release of the Vertigo Tremolo, a powerful tremolo pedal with three onboard tremolo effects, stereo inputs and outputs, tap tempo (with Source Audio’s external tap tempo switch), and MIDI functionality when coupled with the Neuro Hub (formerly the Soundblox Hub). The Vertigo is the first pedal in Source Audio’s new One Series line of effects.
The One Series is a collection of streamlined, plug-and-play ready pedals with enhanced editing and preset saving capabilities when connected to Source Audio’s Neuro Mobile App (a free download for iOS and (coming soon) Android). “During our company’s ten year existence, we’ve come to understand how musicians interact with their effects,” says Source Audio President, Roger Smith. “There’s really a very wide spectrum – at one end there are the players who like to simply grab a pedal, plug it in and have it sound great. On the other end there are those who want to dig deep and intensely sculpt their sound. With the Vertigo Tremolo and the rest of the pedals in the One Series line, we truly believe that we’ve created a group of effects that will excite and inspire both sides of the spectrum and everybody in-between.”
The Vertigo offers three distinct tremolo effects. Normal tremolo delivers a precise renewal of the thumping “opto trem” amplitude modulation found in vintage Blackface Fenders. Harmonic tremolo revives the gentle sway of the Fender Super’s “Vibrato” effect from the early 60s – this vintage tremolo ping-pongs between a low and high frequency boost, creating a swinging phaser-ish effect. The mildly overdriven Bias tremolo creates the swampy “bias wiggle” of early tube bias modulation. The Vertigo takes the tonal possibilities a step further with its Shape knob that allows users to morph the tremolo’s wave shape from square, to sine or opto, to sawtooth.
Out of the box, the Vertigo Tremolo offers tremendous tonal range, but when connected to the Neuro Mobile App, the Vertigo gains additional functionality and effect possibilities. The Neuro App provides access to Source Audio’s free library of progressive tremolo patterns and hybrid modulation effects – each additional effect can be tweaked and stored in the user’s personal library of presets, shared with other Vertigo owners, or burned directly to the pedal. The App also offers an extended set of adjustable parameters including parametric EQ, wet/dry mix, tap tempo, low cut, and stereo separation.
The Vertigo also works with several of Source Audio’s external controllers and can receive MIDI messages. Plugging the Source Audio Tap Tempo Switch into the pedal’s Sensor Input engages the Vertigo’s tap tempo function. The tap tempo rate can also break down into beat divisions: quarter notes (one pulse per tap), eighth notes, triplets, and 16th notes. Similarly, the Vertigo’s tremolo rate will sync to MIDI clock messages sent from digital recording software via the Vertigo’s USB port or the Neuro Hub. External expression control is also possible with Source Audio’s Dual Expression Pedal as well as the Hot Hand 3 Universal Effects Controller. Expression control can be assigned to a single parameter or multiple parameters simultaneously.
When coupled with the Neuro Hub, the Vertigo is fully MIDI compatible, giving the pedal the power to save up to 128 presets easily recalled via MIDI program change (PC) messages.
“With the Vertigo and the other One Series effects pedals, we focused on making simple, great sounding, and easy to use stompboxes with added features that can keep even the most maniacal of tweakers engaged,” says Source Audio CTO, Jesse Remignanti. “The Neuro App interface opens up a world of possibilities for crafting and sharing custom tones. There’s really something for everyone!”
The Vertigo Tremolo is available for MSRP $209 USD (street $149 USD).
More information: Source Audio
