Kernom hits the heights once more with its Elipse Hybrid Modulation Playground / Multi-Modulator
Kernom devices are inspirational music making machines - giving you seamlessly morphing tones and textures to help you to dynamically shape and evolve your playing style!
The Kernom Elipse is instantly elegant and full of flavour, where it tends to lean fairly bright in its output, but is not as ’full-fat’ as some of my individual modulations - especially Harmonic Tremolo (vs JAM Pedals Harmonic Monk), Flanger (vs Krozz Airborn), and Phaser (vs Beetronics Larva). It sounds great with clean inputs, and pairs magnificently with gain / fuzz pedals - even at extremes of gain - it is beautifully calibrated by default.
Its output gets brighter also as you raised the Depth Control - where the Swirl @ 25% can really soften that beautifully - and the output mostly sounds better with a modicum of Swirl engaged in most circumstances except for the Flanger Mode - preferences will vary obviously!
Generally I prefer the ’on-the-line’ Mode demarcations - bar for Rotary and Flanger - where I prefer the next in-between voicings - both those sound better for my preferences at those settings.
Overall the Elipse is really easy to dial in, the easiest of the 3 Kernoms for sure, and you can get away with being a lot less precisee than on say the Moho Fuzz - where the Elipse typically works optimally with its Shape control in the Middle, and with Speed and Depth @ 2 o’c / 66.6%! Mix normally 50% of course except for Tremolo and Vibrato Modes.
Swirl I mostly use to soften the output - roll off some of the inherent brightness of the circuit. While for certain Modes, like - Rotary, Phaser and Vibe - higher settings of Swirl really enhance those particular modulations for me.
The Elipse covers off all my favourite modulation types bar the Boss Dimension - while having a Tri-Chorus instead kind of makes up for that. As mentioned at the top - the device is full of flavour - but not as fat and juicy as some of my other individual Modulation pedals. As an all-rounder - it’s really superb - especially with that magic combination of Analog and Digital. This pedal is very much the epitome of what Chase Bliss used to stand for - Analog Heart - with Digital Brain!
The Elipse is a very capable all-rounder - while it doesn't hit quite as hard for me as Kernom's Moho Magmatic Fuzz - which is still my favourite of the trio. All 3 Kernom devices have an inner magic about them - they're unique Augmented Analog Effects - and the way the Seamless Mood Morphing works is of course next level genius.
For me the Moho has lots of little surprises to discover along the Mood dial - there's not quite so many variations and cool hidden hot-spots on the Elipse - but it's still a hugely impressive and rewarding device. Even though it's an Analog Hybrid device - it has a little 'Strymon' about its output, which is no bad thing. Its forte really is in how well it pairs with everything you throw at it - before and after.
I kind of miss not having a Resonance control - and we're a control or two short in some areas in order to get the very most out of those individual modulations - but most players should really like what it delivers. It's a very unique device for sure and very Hi-Fidelity sounding.
The Elipse does most things very well and in the most clever of fashions, obviously with some limitations - where you don't really get that full-fat juiciness that say fully analog brands like JAM Pedals, Beetronics and Krozz can deliver. There's always choices to be made - and here the device has been honed and perfected for its pairing abilities - and making the most out of those 6 controls and 6 core Modulation types - where I think they've succeeded marvellously well at accomplishing the perfect all-rounder Analog / Hybrid Modulator.
I can see a lot of players combining those 3 Kernom Pedals on their Boards - the Ridge, Moho, and this new Elipse! I would expect a Delay and / or Reverb pedal next. It's always exciting to see what Kernom will come up with next - they are amazing engineers for sure - and their product quality - fit and finish - is second to none. So many clever decisions have been made here with so many smart little details - the enclosure is the perfect colour hue for me - and has that lovely sort of egg-shell finish to the touch - which typifies luxury products. Kernom are perfectionists, and the Elipse is pretty much the perfect device they could have come up with - another feather in their cap!
Controls
Controls - Shape (Waveform / Pulse Width - balanced in Middle : Sine + Triangle), Mood : Harmonic Tremolo [2] / Rotary / Chorus & Vibrato [3] / Flanger / Phaser / Vibe, LFO Speed, Depth, Mix : 0-100Hz, Swirl (Slow Phase + Drive), Preset Footswitch, On/Off Footswitch.
Rear Ports : Mono Audio In, Modo Audio Out, EXP, MIDI In, MIDI Out, 9V DC [-] 150mA
Shape = Combinationn of Sine and Triangle Waves with Pulse Width Modulation
CCW you get a Sharper / Narrower Pulse Width, in the Middle is perfect balance of waveforms / CW is Smoother / Wider Pulse Width. The full range of the Shape works wonderfully for Tremolo, Phaser and Vibe. While for the other modes it's mostly the Middle position which is the most optimal!
The Modulation Flavours
NOTE 1 : Speed & Depth Variable, but mostly for me @ 2 o'c [66.6%]
NOTE 2 : Mostly using Swirl to soften Modulation [25%] (rolls off some of the brightness!)
NOTE 3 : Middle Shape is usually Optimal except for Tremolo, Phaser and Vibe [All 3] and Chorus Types [Middle & FCW]
- Harmonic Tremolo - 50% Mix | Shape : All 3 | 25% Swirl
- Amplitude Tremolo - 100% Mix | Shape : All 3 | 25% Swirl
- Rotary - 50% Mix | Shape : Middle | 50% Swirl - [Prefer Rotary <|> Chorus INBTW]
- Vibrato - 100% Mix | Shape : Middle | 25% Swirl - [Prefer Depth @ 50%]
- Chorus - 50% Mix | Shape : Middle | 25% Swirl - [Prefer Depth @ 50%]
- Tri-Chorus - 50% Mix | Shape : FCW | 25% Swirl - [Prefer Depth @ 50%]
- Flanger - 50% Mix | Shape : Middle | 0 Swirl - [Prefer Flanger <|> Phaser INBTW]
- Phaser - 50% Mix | Shape : All 3 | upto 75% Swirl
- Vibe - 50% Mix | Shape : All 3 | 50% Swirl
Everything here sounds pretty great - for me the Tremolos and Chorus/Vibrato modes are particularly impressive, then Phaser, and Flanger. Rotary and Vibe are pretty fine really, but don't range quite syrupy enough - as to where I would really like them to go.
As mentioned up top, I have several richer sounding individual analog modulations, while the Elipse always leans towards the elegant - which is why I referenced Strymon. Strymon pedals have a singular knack in responding elegantly to everything you throw at them - so you can go from crystal clean sounds to full Metal Distortion - and you don't get any weird boomyness or unwanted flutter. The Elipse hits in much a similar way - where its super-power is definitely in how well it pairs with everything you throw at it.
Patented Hybrid Analog/Digital Circuit
The above visual is the main reference for the 'Device for Processing an Audio Signal' Patent.
"The invention relates to an audio processing device (DIS1) comprising two digital signal processing stages and an analog signal processing stage (ANA1)."
The patent was submitted by my good friend Jérémy and his development partner Antoine back in 2022.
The Patent describes a Hybrid circuit which combines Analog stage with AD and DA conversion, Biasing, Equalisation and Filtering, with a substantial dual Digital Control Layer.
In the case of the Elipse - there are analog tone generation components - including Transistors and Diodes - which are then converted to a digital signal - and augmented and manipulated by the digital controls - before being converted back to an analog signal. The core Delay Line here is a Digital effect too.
This is far from a regular BBD / OTA / VCA style of technology, and is very much its own innovation. Kernom label these devices as ' Augmented Analog Effects' - for which the 'Hybrid' label seems very apt. These devices are their own separate category really.
All Kernom devices are fully True Bypass too!
Expression
Expression on this pedal is a little odd to me - but it really works - it involves setting a high speed Favourite Preset for the Toe position of your Expression Pedal, so the Toe Position is always the Faster Preset Setting, and the Heel position is whatever you have dialled in on the pedal currently.
This gives you that classic Leslie / Rotary style ramping - where you can morph between the two speeds. While you don't get the 'Brake' function you typically have for those kinds of effects too!
MIDI
I refer you to my previous post on using a MIDI Switcher with the Moho. My pick of MIDI controllers is still the slimline Hotone Ampero Control ($120) - which works so well with the Moho. I will be getting a second one for pairing with this Elipse. It always pays to have a MIDI switcher for those Kernom pedals - as that's the only way you can access the 128 presets available!
Final Thoughts
This is a very unique device - I know of no other that allows you to seamlessly and progressively smoothly morph between effects in such an elegant fashion - with often interesting textures to be found in-between the main states. All three devices sound great - I like all of them, and especially the Moho still - which has so many serendipitous surprises onboard!
The Elipse has every essential modulation you might need and provides the full Modulation Workstation experience in a really innovative Hybrid circuit. It's the easiest to dial in of all the Kernom devices - and is a lot less fussy on its calibration - all those tapers are even and predictable!
For everything the Elipse delivers - combined with that exceptional manufacturing / build quality, then this is a fantastically priced device at €369 / $369 / £369. I'm not sure anyone else has this high a quality of manufacture - something you're only fully aware of when you get your hands on the device - how it feels and responds. These pedals are a little larger than I would like them to be perhaps - but they really deliver. All 3 Kernom pedals are at the pinnacle of engineering - and you're certainly getting the maximum bang for your bucks here.
Of course available direct from Kernom and at all Major dealers now. You can read up on the excellent Manual too.
Highly Recommended!
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