Klowra's Rilum Stereo Multi-Head Tape style Delay, Chorus, Flanger, and Vibrato delivers an incredible array of Delay and Modulation Effects - Vintage, Modern, and Otherworldly

Like a lot of the Klowra devices - this one has much to do with the balancing of the output of those various controls. It's not always the easiest pedal to dial in - but patience and due diligence is well rewarded - and it didn't take me too long together the hang of the Rilum.

Unlike some of the other Klowra pedals - where I don't use the Secondary Options that much - for this one I was all over those controls all the time - both layers.

Part of me wishes these could be dual-concentric controls - as it's so easy to forget where you set the secondary parameters - you soon forget exactly where you set it - and I spent a lot of time figuring out where the secondary controls were pointing. We really need some visual cues to make that recall easier -  where the Bixonic line of pedals uses lots of tiny LEDs around each knob - to easily show you where those parameters are set.

I spent so much time with the Rilum figuring out the relative positions of the secondary parameters - and then you move the knobs to adjust those - and you forget exactly where the primary is set. I have had that issue with a lot of pedals which have secondary and even tertiary options on the same knobs / controls. That can all get very confusing and frustrating at times.

The relative nature of all those playback heads means that there is a learning curve here - this one works very uniquely from every other Tape-style delay I was previously familiar with - but I actually really like how it works once I became better acquainted with all the controls and exactly how those impact.

The pedal can get very wayward and wobbly at times in a cool way - but you can temper it amazingly for a series of gorgeous classic sounds too.

I love how potent the Rilum is - but wish that the control topology was a little more logical and recallable. I kind of have a pet peave with secondary controls effects - as you are forever adjust those controls back into place - and you're never entirely sure you've hit on exactly the same spot again. There has to be some way to make that side of the pedal more accessible - where there is no doubting how smart, potent and capable this pedal is. It really has an extraordinary array of useful outputs.

I have a number of delay-line manipulators - like say the Fjord Fuzz Loke - which is rather more straightforward in use. I also tend to prefer pedals where you flip to secondary mode and adjust all those secondary controls in a broad sweep - while for the Rilum you spend a lot of time holding down the LED alt button, and individually adjusting all those secondary functions which is a little clunky.

The Rilum definitely has its own logic - and once you've cracked that it's more starightforward - while I kept on being frustrated by trying to figure out what other settings I had assigned to each particular knob. They often looked out of position unless you remember to dial them back again after every secondary tweak. In any case I really wished for fully independent dual-concentric knobs - so that the relative parameter settings - primary and secondary - could always be clearly referenced.

There is so much going on here at times - that it can get a little challenging - while I was delighted with the range of patterns, tones and textures I was able to create with this pedal - my Vintage Tape Style setting - is just gorgeous - and beautifully softened by the Lo-Fi control.

My mood determines what settings I go for - and for this pedal I was largely in a classic timeless mindset - and my recommended presets reflect that!

As you can see from the nature of my presets I was definitely in a classic and vintage state of mind. I spent a lot of time getting the Modulation part to sound just right - where most of the time I lost touch with the respective secondary settings - I kept forgetting where the secondary parameters were set - and had to come back to those several times and make several tweaks. Generally for this kind of pedal I'm mostly dialling things by ear - and I don't always look down to see where the knob has landed - so recalling secondary parameters is somewhat challenging for me.

Part of the process of dialling those controls in - was a little frustrating, but I was always very happy with the event results. Basically the Flanger had the most modulation dialled in, the Chorus was somewhat tempered, and the Classic Delay more refined still on the Modulation side.

• Classic Flanger - gorgeous sounding flanger - a little mild because of the lack of a resonance control - but really great sounding.
• Classic Chorus - more CE-2 sounding - slightly softer and warmer than say a CE-1 type - very elegant really.
• Clasic Vintage Tape Style Delay - aboslutely gorgeous slightly softened / soft padded delay - with the Lo-Fi knob cranked all the way up. Sounds utterly gorgeous! I forget where I adjusted some of the secondary settings to - as the dial in was all done by ear and feel.

Overall I'm really delighted by this pedal - surely my favourite Klowra to date - I just wish the dial-in could be a little easier and more regular!

The Klowwa Rilum is exceptionally well priced at $129 / £95 and equivalent from the Klowra Webstore, also at select International Dealers, and available on Amazon.com.