Gamechanger Audio LIGHT Pedal - Optical Spring Reverb System

The LIGHT Pedal is the world’s first analog optical spring reverb system that uses infra-red optical sensors. This system is used to harvest the full timbral and harmonic range of the spring reverb tank. The LIGHT Pedal combines the best features of a classic spring reverb with the innovative optical sensor system and a powerful effects section. This combination opens up countless new types of reverb textures and sounds never heard before.

The LIGHT Pedal uses extremely sensitive optical sensors directed at different points of the spring. The optical sensors detect very subtle movements on the spring’s surface as sound-waves travel through it. This method allows to pick up a much wider range of frequencies, overtones and textures otherwise lost in the mechanical reverberation process. The optical sensors also open doors to effects that are new to spring reverbs, such as tremolo, modulation, feedback and added harmonics. The result is a wide variety of reverb sounds ranging from classic to experimental to pure magic.

The LIGHT Pedal’s user interface pushes the boundaries of spring reverb even further. The extended signal mix section allows for a very precise balance between the dry, classic reverb tone and the new and optical reverb signals. The ability to stack various effects and control them with playing dynamics or an expression pedal makes this pedal an advanced tool for sonic exploration. 

• Sounds ranging from classic spring tank tones to colorful optical spring reverb tones with modulation and added harmonics.
• Separate level controls for the dry signal, spring and optical reverbs. The dry signal can be attenuated and boosted.
• 6 unique effects: optics (frequency and texture calibration), sweep (modulation), tremolo, reflect (delay), feedback and harmonic (added harmonics and octave tracking). Multiple effect stacking options.
• Drive knob for adjusting the signal level sent to the reverb tank, thus affecting the reverb tank’s behavior.
• Tone knob ranges from rumbling lows to piercing highs.
• Simple one-knob envelope control produces either gated or ducking reverb.

All of the above effects are controlled with the ctrl knob, which can be responsive to playing dynamics. The first three effects (optical, sweep, trem) can be stacked with one of the remaining three effects.

THE CONTROLS

• 3 mix controls: dry, spring (classic spring sound) and optical (optical spring reverb sound);
• tone – shared between the spring and optical sounds, and does not apply to the instruments dry signal;
• 6-way effect selector knob
• ctrl – effect parameter control knob
• drive – spring tank’s input signal level;
• gate – primary function: gated and ducking reverb control; secondary function – ctrl knob envelope response control.
• tails – turns reverb tails on or off 
• latch – sets the pedal into latching mode (on) or into momentary mode (off).
• shock sensor - shuts off the wet signal output when mechanical impact or a shaking motion is detected; three levels of shock protection: off, soft and hard.
• soft footswitch – the primary function: toggling bypass; secondary functions – effects stacking, adjusting the envelope control over the effects, and entering the footswitch assignment mode.

I/O

The LIGHT Pedal is a mono pedal with a ¼’ jack input and output. The LIGHT Pedal also features an expression input for ¼’ TS and TRS jacks and is compatible with all expression pedal types, as well as CV signal (active range to +3.3 V). The expression pedal can be assigned to the ctrl, spring, optical, drive or the gate knobs.

The LIGHT Pedal uses a standard 9V DC center-negative power supply of at least 500 mA. The power supply is not included.