SpiralCaster Cohen Hartman reveals his 12 all-time favourite pedals

These are in order of where they appear in his video - not in my visual - which I had to rearrange slightly for aesthetic balance :

• 06:40 - Kodex Audio GFX-91W 10-Second Modulated Digital Delay [Mono] - €299 / $278
• 09:56 - Swamp Witch SILVER BIRCH Model-T style Overdrive / Distortion - $200 / £215
• 11:50 - TEFI Vintage Lab MALINCONIA Analog Lo-Fi Machine - €368 / $405
• 14:38 - Alexander Pedals FEVER PITCH Quad Stereo Pitch-Shifters with Modulation - $299
• 17:34 - Spaceman Effects SPUTNIK III Germanium Fuzz - $269
• 19:44 - Strymon NIGHTSKY Experimental Reverb - $429
• 22:53 - Cooper FX ARCADES Modular Multi-FX - [discontinued] - $330
• 26:03 - Echo Fix EF-P2 Real Spring Reverb - $499 AUD / $333 USD
• 29:29 - Walrus Audio MAKO M1 Stereo High-Fidelity Modulation Machine - $249
• 31:46 - Hologram Electronics MICROCOSM Multi-FX - $459
• 34:27 - SILKTONE FUZZ (Germanium FF) - $269
• 36:39 - Swamp Witch SEASON OF THE WITCH Modulated Digital PT2399 Digital Delay [Mono] - $250

Of that selection I've featured all bar 4 on this site to date - the exceptions being the Alexander Pedals Fever Pitch, Echo Fix EF-P2, and the 2 Swamp Witch ones. For which small brand (Swamp Witch) only the Silver Birch is available in the UK - courtesy of my friend Andy's Break The Machine boutique - so that one still remains a possibility for me, while I already own a number of killer Model-T types - including Kuro Custom Audio's Exegol!

For the Alexander Fever Pitch - there was a lot going on at that time, I never really liked that brownish plain enclosure - and in fact always hoped for a neater Leap Series version of that. Readers will know that the horizontal 1590-BB format of enclosures is far from my favourite type! And finally for the Echo Fix EF-P2 I don't have a relationship with that brand - but do have one with Anasounds and Crazy Tube Circuits - which have competing Real Spring Tank pedals of their own. This is often so much about who you know!

I overlap in ownership - and entirely concur with Cohens' selection of the Spaceman Sputnik III, Strymon NightSky, Cooper FX Arcades, Hologram Microcosm, and Silktone Germanium Fuzz. That means there are 5 pedals we are in total agreement about!

Within this selection there are 3 spatial effects here which are Mono only - the Kodex GFX-91W, Echo Fix EF-P2, and Swamp Witch Season of the Witch, and thus not really suitable for my rig - and as mentioned where there are competing forces at play too!

Which leaves the TEFI Malinconia - which I've already professed to like - but it's rather dear for a spontaneous purchase - and I will approach it more opportunistically. And finally the Walrus M1 is mostly pretty decent - it has my well loved Harmonic Tremolo variant onboard - but not really close enough to the JAM Pedals full-flavour benchmark, and it's missing 2 of my favourite modulations - the Boss Dimension C/D, and the Flanger! How am I supposed to get my EVH and Andy Summer on without a Flanger! I so like that form factor though that I've reviewed and reconsidered the M1 several times over - but it never passes my full criteria test - and that remains mostly a non-viable target for me. My favourite Multi-Modulator to date is the Wampler Terraform - that has the perfect mix of algorithms for me and is full stereo, it would be the GFI System Synesthesia - if only they could make that device fully stereo - currently it is Mono in Stereo Out only - which single space in my chain [MISO] is occupied by my beloved Boss DM-101 Analog BBD Pattern Delay.

In any case here are the further details and musings on Cohens's 12 favourites - featuring his full demos for each :

Featured on GPX in February of 2024

Controls - Time (up to 10 seconds), F.Back, Mix, Damp (LPF Filter), Age (Degree % Random Modulation), Range button : 10-400ms / 100-1000ms / 500-9999ms, Presets button : 1-4 (0 is Manual mode)[Hold to Save], Subdivisions button : Quarter / Half / Eighth / Dotted Eighth / Quarter Triplets / Eighth Triplets, Tails button : On / Off [Hold to change BPM<>MS on display], Tap Tempo Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.

A really versatile modulated digital delay with smart control topology and cool Casio Watch looks! It features pretty much everything I would want in a simple modulated delay with extras - but alas it has no Stereo - which means it's no good for my rig. Everything else about it is pretty fantastic! Needless to say it sounds amazing under Cohen's control!

Not yet featured on this site - this is the first mention!

Controls - Volume, Channel I Gain, Channel II Gain, Lows, Highs, Bypass Footswitch, Channel Order Footswitch : Parallel / Series.

An intriguing and slightly esoteric looking dual-channel take on the Model-T amp. It's actually pretty distinct in how it stacks its dual channels which make it a very unique take on that format. This one is definitely intriguing for me - and I may very well contact Andy at Break The Machine to get one for myself! I've always loved Parallel stacking dual channel pedals  - like the Boss JB-2, Chase Bliss Brothers, and Strymon Sunset - all favourites of mine!

Featured on GPX in July of 2024

Controls - Wobble Depth, Noise (radio / vinyl noise), Filter (resonant low-pass filter), Power Level (saturation), Warp Depth, Speed, Bass Cut, Volume Level.

I've already marked this analog lo-fi modulator for acquisition - it's really just about striking the right price - and waiting for my good friend Joe at Joe's pedals to get these in stock - he stocks most of the TEFI range already! I'm in no particular hurry for this one - as I'm still fully getting to grips with my Source Audio Artifakt - which is a stereo lo-fi modulator with expansive effects and range - albeit Digital vs the Analog of the Malinconia. I will certainly make room for the Malinconia at some stage - but it's mono nature will mean it needs to sit near the start of the modulation section - before the stereo pedals.

Not yet featured on this site - this is the first mention!

Controls - (Variable) A, B, X, Y, Page / Effect / Menu, Data Knob / Parameters / Options, Tap / Ramp (hold) Footswitch, Bypass / Preset (hold) Footswitch.

This one pedal is a genuine oddity for me as I have featured most every other Alexander Pedal through the years. I think the Leap Series had been teased or launched by then - and I was hoping to get the Fever Pitch or a similar feature set in a more svelte compact enclosure - when we then got this big brown lump of a pedal instead! I've always liked this pedal's capabilities and output, but not really its looks or format / orientation - and am still hoping we will get a Leap Series take on this one eventually. So I will hold my ground for now - but may relent eventually if no Leap Series equivalent is forthcoming! This is a really powerful and creative Quad Polyphony Pitch-Shifter with some serious extras - Cohen really makes this one sound special - perhaps the recent EHX POG III will provide competitions for this one - but that one is incredibly unwieldy in size and price - and is a MISO vibrant to boot!

Featured on GPX in April of 2020

Controls - Scan (Chaos scrambler), Mids : Scoop / Flat, Signal (Level), Calibrate (Tone), Range (Gain), Drift Footswitch (Scan / Scramble), Bypass Footswitch. 

Both Cohen and I are in agreement that the Spaceman Sputnik is one of the greatest fuzzes ever - and we both own MKI and MKIII varieties - where Cohen has stated a preference for the later variety, while I'm slightly more in favour of the original - but by fractions really. Something about my Sputnik I just makes it even more magical in use - it seems more lively and more searing than it's larger and later more accessibly sibling - while I do like them both almost equally as much. Possibly there is an additional placebo effect for the Red Cyrillic enclosure for me - or perhaps I'm still blown away by the first time I tried that one and got blown away but it! - but regardless of which variant you may prefer - any one from that series will do - they're all killer! I also really love the somewhat random noisy scrambled 'Drift' / Scan Mode / Function!

Featured on GPX in September of 2020

Controls : MOD } Speed, Target : Verb / Pitch / Filter, Depth, Shape : Triangle / Square / Ramp / Saw / Random / Envelope, DECAY} Length, Texture : Sparse (Granular), Dense (Plate), Diffuse (Wash), Size/Pitch, Quantize : Smooth / Half Step / Scale, MIX} Reverb, Dry, TONE} Low Cut, Filter : Regen / Low Pass, High Cut, VOICE} Interval : -8va > +8va, Shimmer : Input / Regen, Shimmer, Glimmer : High / Low, Drive : Pre / Post, Sequence Steps: 1-8, On / Sequence Step / Hold (morph) Footswitch, Favourite / Sequence Tap Footswitch, Infinite / Hold (Sequence).

When I reviewed this I called it the 'build-a-reverb' pedal - where in many ways it's a more synthesizer leaning take on what Meris would later do with its LVX and Mercury X models. You get a series of Synth-style modules - which you option and combine and add modulation to - any way you wish - and have an additional 16 step sequencer to do all kinds of interesting things to the tail / trails of the reverb. This is a very hands-on pedal, and not for everyone - you've got to be willing to spend a lot of time with this device to fully be able to master it - which involves getting your hands properly dirty as such. Probably more for the synth crowd, but with some smart interface improvements over the Volante - particularly in the area of presets. I really like my NightSky - but it's a tough mistress and requires a lot from you. I've just very recently picked up the new BigSky MX - which is probably more my speed. I still kind of like my Meris LVX, but not quite enough to justify my buying its Mercury X sibling. Those 2 and the NightSky are very much hands-on sound design devices - which require a level of understanding how different effects blocks and modules interact - and then the patience and diligence to be able to program those to an advanced level! A truly fantastic pedal in the right hands - while it makes you work hard to achieve optimal and superior results!

Featured on GPX across 11 articles from April of 2020 to December of 2021

Controls - Default / PAGE 1 } A | B | C | D variables per Algorithm, PAGE 2 } Dry [A] Wet [B] Tone [C] Clock Rate [D], Program (Preset / Algorithm) Button switch, Page Button switch, Aux/Tap Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.

Cartridges / Modules [10] - Synth, Delay, Reverse, Reverb, Generation Loss, LoFi, Grains, Pitch, AE (Ambient Endeavors), Satellite

[Note that the AE cartridge had a selection of 6 from the existing cartridges, alongside 2 new AE Programs / Algorihms!]

This was a really cool pedal - sort of both ahead and behind the times simultaneously - using 80's / 90's gaming console cartridge technology to deliver a really smart modular platform - but where each cartridge / module was limited to 8 Effects / Programs / Algorithms. I worked my way up to a pretty close collaborative relationship with Tom Majeski - as I worked my way through most of the cartridges (I covered 9 of them).  Tom promised to get me the limited Ambient Endevours AE cartridge too - which sadly didn't happen in the end - that's the only one I'm missing I think - his mind was probably on moving to Chase Bliss by then anyway.

I've remarked how I know Tom, and Scott Harper a little bit - two of the leading lights at Chase Bliss - but have never had the opportunity to connect with Chase Bliss founder Joel - at least not yet! In any case the Arcades is a fabulous Modular Multi-FX pedal with a smart variable control interface that Alexander Pedals would later sort of borrow for its Leap Series pedals! I spent months documenting all those individual cartridges - picking out my favourite effects and settings - and the Arcades still gets into my rotation every now and again. I'm not sure cartridges or that kind of modularity remains in vogue any more - I would much prefer a blue-tooth connected app that you could instantly sync with to scroll through an entire library of effects and algorithms. Tom through squeezed every drop of tone and texture out of this format though - and some of those algorithms still sound fantastic and kind of unique!

Not yet featured on this site - this is the first mention!

Controls - Spring Drive, Bass, Treble, Reverb Volume, Direct On/Off Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.

Australia's Echo Fix is best known for its real Tape Echo Machines - kind of along Space Echo lines, while they've fairly recently branched out into stompboxes with their EF-P3 Chorus, and this EF-P2 real Spring Reverb. No doubt a great sounding version of an all-in-1 Reverb Spring Tank with controls box - while I personally am rather more aligned with Anasounds and Crazy Tube Circuits who have their own equivalents to this - Anasounds with its recent La Grotte Jack White Collaboration, and CTC with its recent V2 White Whale - I would take both of those over the EF-P2 - in fact Anasounds' La Grotte would be the most suitable for me - although none of those Mono spatial effects are compatible with my stereo rig! The EF-P2 does sound excellent though, while the La Grotte is a slightly neater format, and rather more accessible for me!

Featured on GPX in January of 2022

Controls - Rate, Depth, Lo-Fi, Tweak, Program : Chorus / Phaser / Trem / Vibe / Rotary / Filter, Tune, Tweak Target : Shape | Division | Type + Envelope | Drive | Space (Lo-Fi), Presets : A | B | C, Tune Target : Tone | Symmetry | X + Age | Noise | Warble (Lo-Fi), Bypass / Lo-Fi Footswitch, Tap / Skip Footswitch.
 
Lo-Fi Parameters - Envelope | Drive | Space (Tweak) + Age | Noise | Warble

Tune - Tone, Symmetry, X (as below)

Tweak - Shape : Sine / Triangle / Square, Division : Quarter / Eighth / Triplet, Type - I | II | III as below
 
Programs :
Chorus I-III : Classic | Dual Chorus | Tri-Chorus : X is Lag
Phaser I-III : 2-Stage | 4-Stage | Uni-Vibe : X is Feedback
Tremolo I-III : Bias | Harmonic | Pattern : X is Stereo Width
Vibrato I-III : Classic | Vinyl | Tape Warble : X is Stereo Phase / Flutter Depth
Rotary I-III : Leslie | Horn Spin | Drum Spin : X is Cab Sim
Filter I-III : Lowpass | Highpass | Bandpass : X is Resonance

A fantastic compact multi modulator workstation in many ways - but no Flanger, and no Dimension Chorus - which are two of my 3 favourite modulations alongside Harmonic Tremolo which the M1 does have - but not really in the full-flavour JAM Pedals Harmonious Monk style variety! Lots of potential here and good variation, while not necessarily all the most appropriate modulations for my own preferences. I still keep reconsidering and thinking that this might still be mostly good for me - but it hasn't quite happened for me yet - and may never fully pass muster. I do think you can swap some of those Programs around now - but it really needs Bluetooth to handle that properly - that way you could perfectly arrange your own ultimate Multi-Modulator, Having to de-couple the pedal from the board and hook it up to your laptop as is still the norm for most pedals - is a 20 year out of date methodology now. We are the iPhone generation - and are used to instantly zapping things into and out of our mobile devices over wireless and Bluetooth connections - and pedals really need to follow suit - they're still lagging way behind the progress of consumer electronics! I think the M1 is really decent in many ways - but if the GFI System could add stereo input to its Synethesia - then that would be my favourite multi-modulator! As it - it's the Wampler Terraform which has the perfect mix of algorithms for my preferences - having all my favourite types onboard!

Featured on GPX in February of 2020

Controls - Activity, Shape [Mod Freq], Filter [Resonance], Mix [Effect Volume], Time / Tap - Sub Div, Temp - Select / Shift, Repeats [Mod Depth], Space [Reverb Time], Loop Level [Fade Time], Micro Loop : Mosaic / Seq / Glide, Granules : Haze / Tunnel / Strum. << Rev | Fwd >> / Save, Glitch : Blocks / Interrupt / Arp. Multidelay : Pattern / Warp / User [Save[, Phase Looper : Pre-FX / Looper Only / Burst / Quantize, Reverse button, Rap [Rec / Play / Dub] Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch, Hold [Stop / Erase] Footswitch.

I was a little late to this one - as I always considered it a little oversized for the twittery glitch specialist it was. But I warmed to it very quickly in the end and it's been rooted to the board since the start of last year (2023). I had thought I might swap it out for the Edorphines Ghost Pedal at some stage - but that has not happened yet and doesn't seem it will happen any time soon - despite meeting the Endorphines folks at this year's London Synth and Pedal Expo. I certainly don't use the Microcosm to its full capability - but the 3 or 4 effects that I do regularly use are kind of must-haves for me! A few of the Chase Bliss pedals overlap to a degree with the Microcosm (especially the Mood II) - but there's still something special about this Microcosm. I just wish it could have a smarter interface (with screen) and be a touch smaller! I do grow a little tired these days of knobs with multiple alternative functions and the need to move those back into position once you've tweaked - there must be an easier and more convenient way! A great pedal though an its success is wholly understandable - it still does a handful of effects better than anyone else currently!

Featured on GPX in February of 2022

Controls - Volume / Output, Fuzz / Transistor Gain, Cleanup (same as guitar volume cleanup), Bias : 0.00 to 9.00, Mode : Classic / Raw.

BIAS : Gated ≈ 1.10 | Vintage ≈ 2.50 | Sweet Spot ≈ 4.50 | Fat Fuzz ≈ 6.60 | Sticky Fuzz ≈ 8.00.

This is another pedal that would get a more regular rotation in my pedal-chain if it was slightly more compact in its dimensions - it really doesn't need to be this big - my friend Vitalii over at Drunk Beaver showed how you could fit a 3-digit screen and similar topology into a compact pedal format - for both his Forest Song and Hoverla pedals. That said - it sounds superb - while I have several Germanium Fuzz Faces of that ilk - in fact the Fuzz Face part of the Reference Collection is over 100 devices now. The Silktone Germanium Fuzz is no doubt a fantastic take on that Germanium Fuzz Face trope - with some smart innovations onboard - but it should be at least vertically oriented for pedalboard-friendliness - if not squeezed down to compact dimensions! Fuzz Face circuits have between 11 and 13 components typically - so you really don't need a large enclosure to accommodate that sort of circuit!

Not yet featured on this site - this is the first mention!

Controls - Blend, Boost, Delay, Delay Modulation On/Off, Feedback, Feedback Modulation On/Off, Phase Modulation Out/In, Depth, Offset Delay Time, Rate, Waveform : Ramp Up / Ramp Down / Square / Triangle / Sine / Sweep / Random Levels / Random Slopes, Tap Tempo Footswitch, Bypass / Engage Footswitch.

A really cool sort of haunting quirky delay which really makes the most of the PT2399 chip's sort of lo-fi qualities. There's no shortage of quirky delays out there - and a number of genius PT2399 ones - while this one is definitely among their number. The control topology is a little cryptic and unnecessarily confusing - but the output sounds excellent. It's the kind of effect I would expect to see from Champion Leccy. My sometimes Croatian friend Darko Vajda at Polar Bear Effects is a master of the PT2399 himself - with a slew of smart lo-fi takes on that chip - Raposa, Petrichor, and Young Hearts. I still feel that the Season of the Witch is pretty distinct - and of course Cohen does great things with it  - but it is a mono delay - and the last 3rd of my signal chain is stereo - so this one alas just doesn't fit into that arrangement!

This selection highlights the randomness of personal exposure and experience - where we are all exposed to slightly different trends, objects and devices -  and develop our tastes in accordance with that which we have encountered and engaged with. It influences our taste in music and sense of fashion - while had we grown up in a different community or environment with different influences - then our tastes would likely be quite different.

Cohen's selection illustrates the idiosyncrasy of pedal choices - and how different people end up championing certain brands and therefore certain pedals. I for instance have had minimal exposure to Swamp Witch - while that brand has significantly impacted Cohen. His selection is a product of his music creation experiences with each of those devices - which further highlights the inspirational aspect of pedals and stompboxes - I always say different ones inspire different creativity and styles of play - and Cohen is very much living proof of that philosophy. Those dozen pedals have made a significant mark on his musical output - which is why he will continue to champion those - even though there might be very similar, equivalent or conceivable even better ones out there - but it's those 12 that have created the magic for him - obviously in combination with his own immense technical skills and musicality!

For the other 10 pedals (i.e. besides Swamp Witch) - I'm familiar with all those - and have reviewed or featured all bar the Fever Pitch and EF-P2 - and have made a variety of deliberations and decisions based on each of those I have covered and had direct experience of. And were I've already deemed 5 so far from this selection - to be fully worthy of my patronage and support. 

For the other 5 - some are mostly not suitable for my preferences for a variety of reasons. Where the Swamp Witch Silver Birch and TEFI Vintage Lab Malinconia remain viable prospective targets for me - and will likely enter the Reference Collection at some stage - meaning a 7 / 12 correlation between mine and Cohen's pedal choices - albeit my top 12 would actually not likely feature any of those - but they would certainly exist within my favourites rankings.

There's no disputing Cohen's prowess with and in service of these pedals - which is another ingredient in the mix really - as not all the same pedals will necessarily appeal to your particular sensibilities - and you may not be able to make them 'Sing' to the same degree that Cohen can. He's producing sounds here which I've not heard in any other demos - and he's weaving them together in the most captivating and musical of fashions - he has skills and abilities beyond mine!

I know that he got a bit burnt out for a period - when all the pedal brands were pretty much onto him. And now he needs to build up that momentum again -  but to more manageable levels. He's a singular talent for sure - and do bear in mind that he does things with those pedals and reaches sonic territories where we may never venture ourselves. It's a combination of musicality, technical ability and adaptability. And he's just singularly great at gelling with certain pedals - he's the closest we have to a Pedal Whisperer!

It's a great and varied selection while being entirely within the boutique genre - I guess the Walrus M1 comes closest to being a mainstream pedal - while it's evident that Cohen had different criteria here to my own - which is part of the fun of pedal diversity. We don't all need to like exactly the same things  - while where there are overlaps in preferences then obviously you have the weight of consensus to elevate those pedals further towards greatness. Guitar Pedal X is all about laying out your choices for you and helping you make better and more expedient, more informed decisions for your own pedal choices - it's never about which is the overall best pedal per genre / type - but rather which one is best for your own preferences and sensibilities!

It would be cool to hear from some of you and how you react to and interact with this particular pedal selection - are any of your own favourites among them - or are there any here that you possibly did not particularly gel with. Either way - it would be great to get some insights from you all!