Behringer UV300 Ultra Vibrato

Behringer UV300 Ultra Vibrato on yllättävän hauska efekti, jota voi käyttää niin pelleilyyn kuin ns. oikeaankin musaan. UV300 tarjoaa laajan valikoiman erilaisia säätöjä joilla efektistä saa juuri omaan makuun sopivan.

Behringer UV300:sta voi käyttää niin unlatch-, latch- tai bypass-tilassa. Unlatch toimii vähän kuin wah wah -pedaalit; painaessasi pedaalin kytkimen pohjaan efekti kytkeytyy päälle, ja nostaessasi jalkasi se kytkeytyy pois. Latch-tilassa efekti toimii kuten normaalit efektipedaalit, painat aktivoidaksesi efektin, ja efektin saa pois päältä painamalla uudestaan. Bypass-tilassa pedaali ei tee mitään.

Testasin UV300:aa melko pienillä voluumeilla, enkä huomannut minkäänlaisia ylimääräisiä häiriöääniä. En tosin myöskään testannut sitä yhdessä muiden pedaalien kanssa, joten en tiedä aiheuttaako se häiriöitä efektiketjussa. UV300 ei tosin toimi kaikkien muuntajien kanssa.

Kaiken kaikkiaan hauska ja halpa pedaali, suosittelen ehdottomasti!

This pedal uses exactly the same circuit as Boss VB-2, making it a great bargain at the price it retails at.

The effect goes from really subtle to absolutely wacky warbling. There's no extra noise from the pedal that I can hear and the three different modes of use are really nice. In "latch" mode it works by toggling like any other pedal and in "unlatch" mode the effect is only active for as long as you hold the switch down.

Vibrato is one of those effects that you might not really learn to appreciate until you've tried it for yourself. After getting this unit, it's basically always on in my board. I use it at a very low setting where it doesn't really "warble" at all, but instead expands your tone and gives it warmth.

So if you want to see if you enjoy vibrato as much as a I do, with very low financial risk, this pedal is basically the perfect way to find out. It's dirt cheap but still offers absolutely top-shelf sounds.

Saundi on aivan loistava. Ominaisuudet on just suoraan Boss-isoveljestä, ja saundi on ainakin omaan korvaan riittävän lähellä esikuvaa. Vibrato on pehmeä ja kuitenkin riittävän huomattava.

Pelottaa pidemmässä käytössä vaan tämä muovinen kuori. Etenkin jos tätä käyttää säädöillä, että vibrato kytkeytyy päälle poljettaessa päälle en usko että tämä mitään maailmankiertuetta kestäisi. Toisaalta hinta on niin olematon, että näitä voi ostaa vaikka joka keikalle yhden.

This is my 45th pedal overall since 1989 but first Behringer 'compact'. I'm going to ignore the fact that these cost less than £25 and concentrate on sound, performance and features.

PROS:
It sounds excellent, really. Boss-level quality. The effect can be silky-subtle to moderately strong - no useless extreme modulation settings here, which is a welcome change, especially on a budget pedal.

Although, as if to make up for it, the 3-way switch sports an utterly useless 'bypass' setting. Probably because some other 3-knob pedals in the range actually need that switch and it must keep manufacturing costs down to use a common chassis.

Control knobs all feel reassuringly solid and smooth in travel with, I'd say, a little more resistance in feel than Boss ones - less chance of them being brushed out of position by a stray foot. The 'rise' control (an attack or pre-delay before the effect starts) takes some getting used to to hear it, but its certainly worth fiddling with for decent results.

No noise, output issues or noticeable signal loss whatsoever, although I'm using a reasonable quality '1-Spot' power supply so your results may vary. But certainly this is free of the sometimes problematic results I've had with the cheaper TC Electronic pedals which are meant to be upgraded versions of these.

I... um, I really like the 'Olive Drab' colour... goes well with all my other green pedals.

CONS:
The side-mounted power input is awkward and necessitates an L-connector on your power supply cable/daisy chain.

The battery access is a joke - you're supposed to poke open the hinge mechanism with a biro. I can't see that happening easily at a gig or lasting very long without damage. To be fair, it's probably less hassle than the four screws on the back of my Big Muff, plus I never use batteries anyway. But not very practical for regular use.

And finally, as has so often been pointed out about these models - the plastic housing appears to be made of some kind of spongy extra-flexible plastic. Does not immediately install confidence - would I gig with it? Well, I know a bunch of people that have done so for years and I've never heard any off them complain about breakages or any other issue for that matter.

SUMMING UP
When I was 18 I'd use batteries and chuck my pedals into a bag at the end of a practice or gig - this pedal would not have survived a month, let alone still be one my board 30 years later like some of my Boss pedals are. But then again, I'd have had no use for such a gorgeously subtle effect like this when I was 18 and playing Grindcore - these days I have a decent power supply, a pedalboard and more varied tastes.

I'm going to buy the Super Fuzz now, and possibly that pink HM-2 clone.