Strymon's 3rd Compact is the finely calibrated Ultraviolet Vintage Vibe extended-range DSP Uni-Vibe

Sep 27, 202313:00 by

Stefan Karlsson

Chorus and VibratoModulationStrymonUni-Vibe and Vibe+-

So Strymon delivers another first for them - this time around tackling the Uni-Vibe format in their usual fashion. This Ultraviolet is not quite as evolved and enhanced as its two predecessors - the Cloudburst Reverb and Brig Delay.

And instead of putting the Mix on a fully variable knob - they’ve instead implemented that with a 3-way toggle - which has the classic 50:50 Chorus on the left, a new 70:30 Blend in the middle, and a 100% Wet Mix Vibrato on the right.

So apart from their usual highly intricate process in designing and pristinely calibrating the Uni-Vibe DSP algorithm, the key innovation is on the second Bias switch - which impacts the Waveform / Shape / Profile of the modulation to cleverly deliver 3 distinct profiles - with a squarish pulse on the Low left option, classic sort of asymmetrical sinewave in the Middle, and a more symmetrical sort of phasey waveform on the High right.

Controls - Mode (Ratio / Mix) : Chorus / Blend / Vibrato, Bias : Low / Mid / High, Speed, Intensity, Volume.

Strymon describes the Bias switch profiles as :

At the Mid Bias setting the LFO waveshape is sinewave-like, but the different rise and fall times of the source lamp result in the lurching, lopsided and wooshy warble at the heart of the beloved vibe sound.

At the High Bias setting, the LFO shape is optimized for a smoother and more symmetrical result that gets you further into phaser territory in Chorus and Blend Modes, with higher frequencies being swept through.

At the Low Bias setting, the LFO waveform is more squarish (but still smoothed by lamp lag), sweeping lower frequencies and lending itself to phase tremolo effects in Chorus or Blend Modes, or yielding somewhat more steady pitch (with a dramatic lump) in Vibrato Mode.

You have the usual compact pedal rear panel controls with 3 ports - which allow you to set different input and output modes - mono / stereo.

Moreover you have a series of Footswitch Powerup Options which in combination with Bias and Volume Controls - allow you to set Bypass type, Expression settings, Favourite, Tap and MIDI settings.

Interestingly it's been a little bit of diminishing returns for me for these Strymon Compacts - I totally loved the Cloudburst - which I have of course, was the somewhat less impressed with the Brig - which is still on the wishlist but not close to being acquired really, and I'm probably even less impressed overall with this Ultraviolet - not because of its core sound and function, but largely based on how I use a Uni-Vibe typically - which is mostly in 2-speed fashion. Which is why the DryBell Vibe Machine in particular is such a favourite - as it does that proper Leslie-style ramping too.

I have a number of favourite Uni-Vibes as I covered very recently - mostly proper analog photocell / bulb varieties - and some amazing sounding ones among those.

I still really rate the Strymon Zelzah Phaser and consider that a genuine innovation - while this Ultraviolet is not quite as exciting or innovative - I will still probably get one at some stage, but I'm not quite as blown away by it as I feel I should be - and particularly in the wake of the quite superb Cloudburst Reverb.

Pricing-wise the Ultraviolet is at the same level as the Brig - at $259 with the Cloudburst deservedly $20 dearer. The Ultraviolet is already at dealers, and of course available on the Strymon Webstore too. Where you can also glean further details, including sound samples for the above featured presets.