Catalinbread Soft Focus Reverb Pedal.

Description

The Soft Focus patch on the Yamaha FX500 was widely used in the 90s by early shoegaze bands, most notably Slowdive on Souvlaki. With its roots in thatpatch, the Catalinbread Soft Focus is intended to be an instant shoegaze button, while addressing the most glaring issues of the original unit: no mix control,a sub-par preamp, and a ghastly tone-sucking bypass signal.

Plate Reverb

At its heart, the Soft Focus is a heavily modified plate reverb with adjustable time, which issubsequently split into three paths. One path contains a multi-voiced chorus modulator, another features a well-appointed octave-up mixed in with the reverb,and the third path leaves the reverb untouched.

Chorus

The Mod knob controls the rate of the chorus on path one, and the Symphony knob controls the level ofthe octave on path two. All controls are “coupled” to thetone of the reverb to give users an expansive playing field of sounds to discover and fine tune.

Power Requirements

The Soft Focus runs from 9 to 18 volts using a standard DC centre-negative power supply for pedals. Make sure youre using a supply that provides at least 100mA. Running the Soft Focus at 9V will sound great, but if you want a bit more output, a dry signal boost and increased headroom, try any voltage you like up to 18V! The Soft Focus does not run on batteries.

Controls

SYMPH (SYMPHONY): This knob mixes in a slight octave effect on the wet reverb signal. While subtle, this shifts the mood and character quite a bit. This is also tied to some frequencies in the reverb for more harmonic content.
MIX: This a wet/dry blend. Turn all the up for 100% wet and all the way down for 100% dry.
MOD: This parameter controls the rate of the multi-voiced chorus and changes some of the frequencies in the reverb oscillation.
VERB: This controls the decay time for the reverb.
VOL: Adds a bit of gain to the dry signal pre effect; can be used when bypassed in buffer/trails mode as a clean boost.

* For full quintessential shoegaze sounds, max all the knobs and adjust the mix to taste. However, every knob is musically interactive with one another for a truly versatile palette usable in a wide variety of styles.