Eventide is the latest brand to hop on the resurging hype surrounding the cult classic Uni-Vibe pedal, with the effects specialist debuting its latest stompbox, the Riptide.
But there’s a twist: not only does the Riptide take inspiration from the famous vibe pedal favored by Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, and Robin Trower, it also has a dedicated overdrive section that pays homage to equally influential high gain sides – a Uni-Drive, if you will.
Rather than overcomplicating things, Eventide has boiled it down to the bare essentials: one footswitch and three knobs per side of the pedal, with a signal chain toggle switch allowing players to choose the order of effects.
While the Drive side has Drive, Tone and Level parameters, Vibe is dictated by Vibe, Speed, and Intensity. As we say, all fairly straightforward, but there are some notable extras: each side of the pedal has two effects, which are identifiable through different LED colors.
When using Drive, a Green LED signifies a “dynamic mid-range crunch” – basically, a TS-style drive – while Red is a “smooth and boosted overdrive.” On the other hand, Green Vibe is the traditional Uni-Vibe, while Red Vibe is a “deeper, phasey” effect. Each effect can be selected by pressing the LED itself.
As an added bonus – and like the majority of Eventide pedals – there is also room for five onboard presets, the option to connect an expression pedal for impromptu group parameter changes, and Buffered, Relay, DSP+FX, and Kill dry bypass options.
On the rear, there’s the aforementioned Exp jack, one input, and two outputs, as well as a mini USB connector for software updates and MIDI control. There’s also a MIDI-compatible TRS connection, which allows for preset changes, parameter tweaks, and more.
As we alluded to above, it's not the first new Uni-Vibe-inspired release we’ve seen in recent weeks. Last month, Strymon continued its small form factor renaissance with the affordable UltraViolet Vintage Vibe.
But here, Eventide has thought about more than just Vibe sounds, which makes the Riptide an especially intriguing offering. After all, Uni-Vibe clones are rather common – what are decidedly less common, though, are “Uni-Drives,” and since Vibes and drives work particularly well together, it’s quite nice to see them both placed under one metallic blue roof.
The Riptide – which is Eventide’s first pedal since the next-generation H90 Harmonizer multi-effects pedal – is available now for $299.
Visit Eventide for more information.
