Strymon has been busy over the last 12 months, announcing the NightSky – its most experimental multi-reverb yet – back in September, as well as its brand-new, ultra-smart pedal controller, the Conduit MIDI Hub.
Now, the effects powerhouse has unveiled its latest stompbox, a “multidimensional phaser” named Zelzah.
Consisting of two different phasers in one – a four-stage phaser on the left-hand side, which offers an array of more classic-style tones – and a six-stage phaser on the right, providing “phasing, flanging, chorus, and all points in between”.
The four-stage phaser is built around three distinct sweep patterns: Classic – which offers a “familiar vintage sound” (aka Phase 90) via a single LFO with a warped triangle shape – Barber – which seeks to sonically emulate the continuously rising visual effect of a barber's pole – and Envelope – which dynamically responds to the player's input like an envelope filter would.
Further controls for the four-stage phaser include Speed (which adjusts the LFO rate), Depth (which sets the range of the LFO) and Mix (which controls wet/dry balance).
The six-stage phaser features a resonance circuit – which can be set to Off, Mild and Strong – as well as Speed, Depth and Voice knobs. The latter – described as a “groundbreaking new phaser algorithm” – simultaneously controls over 30 different parameters, “all working in harmony for an inspiring musical experience”.
“Not only do you get thick, juicy, phasing with pure vintage vibe,” Strymon explains, “but as you turn the Voice knob clockwise, our new modified all-pass structure expands the time response of the cascading all-pass filters seamlessly and continuously, adding spaciousness and airiness to the sound.”
In addition, the Zelzah boasts full stereo in and out capabilities, with independently adjustable stereo spread on each phaser, selectable buffered or true bypass functionality, and full-featured MIDI implementation.
“Step on Zelzah, play one chord, and you're instantly taken back to a world of classic phaser tones as they were always meant to sound, perfectly voiced, with tons of vibe,” Strymon explains.
“Vintage four-stage and six-stage phasing with controls that allow seamless transitions to vibrato, gorgeous flanging and chorus, and new sounds never heard before – all instantly musical with great tone all the way across every dial.”
The Zelzah is available now for $349. For more information, head to Strymon.
