Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Klowra's Limbo 9-Mode Stereo Reverb is a superb Compact Reverb Workstation with some really great sounding algorithms - particularly Hazy and Tide
As promised - here is the first of the Klowra Bloom Infinity Series Deep Dive Reviews. I pretty much declared this Limbo Reverb a winner from first encounter. This one sounds really great - and gives you the perfect balanced of algorithms including all of the classics - and 2 really unique ones - the Cloudy / Floaty ’Hazy’ one, and the gentle sea-shore swishing ’Tide’ those 2 are worth the price of admission alone.
All the more vanilla algorithms are present - Hall, Church, Room, Spring, Plate, and Shimmer. The Swell one isn’t particularly typical, while for total perfection I would have swapped out Church and Swell for Lo-Fi and Reverse flavours probably. I really like a Reverse Reverb - while you can’t really argue with the range of algorithms provided by the Limbo.
All the essentials are present and we then have the additional ’Texture’ control which allows you to accentuate or dampen and smooth the effect. You also have a number of secondary functions, Footswitch Modes, and various Start-up Modes too - which I will endeavour to cover in whole.
Everything about this release speaks to quality and careful consideration - the Klowra team have pretty much thought of everything here - and they’ve delivered a premium proposition - which is just incredible value for its $129 price tag. This is a fully rounded Compact Stereo Reverb Workstation - with all the main food groups covered. I’m still after more Sci-Fi Reverbs - and would like Klowra to do a pedal with just Spacey Movie-like atmospheric Reverbs next - with a combined flavour of Alien, Blade Runner, and Star Wars!
You need to refer to the manual for some of the more advanced functions - while basic operation is very intuitive and the dial-in rather simple. I mostly operate from the Boss defaults perspective - which means starting with all controls @ Noon - and then ramping Up and Down as appropriate!
I feel that if you’re looking for an all-rounder Reverb - then this is one of the very best, and particularly at this price point. And it can compete with pedals 2 or 3 times the price. The whole experience is wonderfully tactile from the start - including the various case candy elements - which include these transparent ’Portal’ looking seemingly bookmarks - while they’re a prop for the robot-centric origin story for the Bloom Infinity Series - where the first part of the narrative Is per the Everlast Delay, the second part is the zoom-in on the Robot’s hands - for ’Vein’, you can see the same robot floating in space on this Limbo pedal, while he final ’Sprout’ scene is a little more abstract. The purpose of those ’bookmark’ type object is just supposed to represent a portal / gateway into the world of the Klowra Bloom Infinity Series - I will leave those actual props as a surprise for you to discover yourself - it’s all part of the adventure!
So - packaging, unboxing, set-up, and first encounters were all a delight! - where the overriding feeling is one of quiet confidence and high competence. I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to this brand. And of course wish Jinbo, Lawrence and the team the best of luck for this launch. These kinds of endeavours are always a major undertaking - and the small team has done incredible work here!
LIMBO HIGHLIGHTS
- Bloom Infinity Series - Original artist hand-painted silkscreen artwork, with individual model stories and concepts, all strung together into a cohesive product line
- 9 Studio-Quality Reverb Types - From pristine studio reverbs to hazy, vibe-rich effects, including a unique tide-like spatial reverb, Limbo unlocks dreamy textures that help you craft a genre-defying sonic experience
- Freeze & Infinity - Freeze & Infinity lets sound sustain without decay, perfect for creating surreal atmospheres or freezing a moment in time
- Ramp - The Ramp function provides linear parameter variation, controlling the fading back and forth between settings to create a dynamic, evolving effect
- External Control - You can use an external TS/TRS footswitch and expression pedal for multifunctional continuous control
- Analog Dry Through - Keeps the dry signal analog, never converting it to digital, while mixing with the wet signal
- Multiple Stereo Outputs - Dry/Wet Separation and True Stereo Outputs
- Bypass Modes - Switchable True Bypass(trail off) and Buffered Bypass(trail on), with Analog Dry Through
- WildSeed Engine - Class-leading sound quality with 24-bit AD/DA and 32-bit DSP floating-point processing
- Material - Made from sturdy aluminum alloy, this pedal is designed to withstand the rigors of daily use
Controls - DECAY [predelay], BRIGHT [ramp atk time], MIX [ramp rls time], MODE : Hall / Church / Room / Spring / Plate / Swell / Hazy / Shimmer / Tide, TEXTURE, SIZE, LED Button for ALT / [secondary modes], Press-Hold Footswitch for Tap Tempo and Ramping.
TEXTURE : Turning control to the right softens the early reflections and produces smooth onset of the Reverb
Ports - Left In, Right In, CTRL / EXP, Left Out, Right Out, USB-C on top edge
THE 9 REVERB MODES / ALGORITHMS
HALL : Versatile Medium Hall Reverb
CHURCH : A Cathedral-style Reverb with a richly textured resonance
ROOM : Natural sounding Reverb with softer decay
SPRING : Physical modelling of Spring Reverb, Texture adjusts both Reverb Tail Modulation and Dwell
PLATE : Modelled on the iconic EMT 140 plate reverb for a fast response and dense, silky texture
SWELL : A soft dreamy pad effect with a faded attack and gradual volume Swell, Texture boosts tail texture / movement and extends Swell length
HAZY : Simulates a floaty hazy sensation - somewhat 'cloudy' textures
SHIMMER : A multi-algorithm dreamscape effect beyond octave harmonics, Texture adds more orchestral lushness and choir-like textures
TIDE : Swooshing / swishing ocean shore effect - serene one moment and tempestuous the next, Texture adds a dominant seventh chord which rings out softly
ADVANCED FEATURES
FOOTSWITCH
- Control ON/OFF. Press&Hold to trigger Freeze/Infinite or Ramp
LED BUTTON
- Lit when active, pressed or in combination with other knobs to adjust various functions and Hidden Parameters.
WHAT THE LED COLOURS MEAN
- White : Freeze/Infinity function active
- Blue : Freeze/Infinity is actively being triggered
- Orange : Ramp function active
- Violet : Ramp is actively being triggered
WHAT THE BUTTONS CAN ADJUST
- Toggle Freeze/Infinity or Ramp - press once to switch between Freeze/Infinity and Ramp.
SAVE SNAP-SET
- Press & Hold to save the current parameter settings as Snap-Set - save operation is indicated by the LED blinking violet.
ADJUSTMENT OF HIIDDEN PARAMETERS
- Press & Hold while rotating the knob above the hidden parameters.
FREEZE & INFINITE
- Press and hold the footswitch while the LED is white. When the LED turns blue, you’ve entered Freeze or Infinite.
RAMP
- Press and hold the footswitch while the LED is orange. When the LED turns violet, you’ve entered Ramp.
POWER-UP MODES INTRO
- Set different operational modes when starting up your Limbo pedal
HOW TO ENTER POWER-UP MODES
- Press & hold the footswitch while powering on the pedal. A flashing LED indicates successful entry.Once your settings are configured, press the footswitch again to exit
POWER-UP MODES x 3
BYPASS & TRAILS MODE
- Switch between modes by short-press the LED button - Green is True Bypass, Red for Trails / Buffered Bypass
FREEZE / INFINITE SWITCHING
- Select by rotating the DECAY knob - rotate Left for Freeze (3 x Yellow flashes), or rotate Right for Infinite (3 x Blue flashes).
RAMP LOCK
- Select by rotating the BRIGHT knob - rotate Left for Momentary (3 x Yellow flashes), rotate Right for Latching (3 x Blue flashes).
LED BRIGHTNESS
- Adjust by rotating SIZE knkob - Left for Dimmer / Right for Brighter
EXTERNAL CONTROL - CTR / EXP
- Use either Remote footswitch or Expression pedal to target Ramping parameters - Attack / Release.
Specs
- Inputs : 2 x 1/4"TS Instrument
- Outputs : 2 x 1/4"TS Instrument
- Input Impedance : 500k Ohm
- Output Impedance : 100 Ohm
- External Control
- TS/TRS Momentary footswitch or TRS expression pedal
- Bypass Mode
- Switchable : True Bypass, Buffered Bypass(Analog Dry-Through)
- Power Source - 9V DC [-] power supply required. Current 250mA
- Hardware Interface : USB-C
- Sample Rate : 44.1K Hz
- Sampling Accuracy : 24 Bit
- Dimensions : 54.7mm H x 124.8mm D x 69.2mm W (2.0"H x 4.9"D x 2.7"W)
- Weight : 445 grams
- Made in China
- MAP / RRP : $129
- Available on Amazon.com
Read up more on the Klowra Website.
Final Thoughts
Deploying the Limo is an entirely effortless operation - and it's incredibly easy to extract superior sounds from a smart and intuitive control topology. This is one of the very best compact Reverb pedals available anywhere, in fact it competes with several much larger workstations too - with all its 9 Modes being excellent. By default I tend to stick with the Plate Mode for my daily needs, while most of the fun is to be had in the latter half of the dial - with Swell and Shimmer really great - and Hazy and Tide pretty amazing.
I have around 20+ Reverb pedals already - and I'm well covered for most of my favourite Reverb sounds already too - while the Limbo uniquely adds the Texture control, and those two absolute killer algorithms - Hazy and Tide - they're worth the admission price alone - especially Tide!
The Limbo is totally crammed with features and flavours - it does everything you would need a Reverb to do - and covers off all manner of additional functional areas like Freeze, Infinite, and Ramping. These are all 2nd or 3rd generation algorithms - now honed to perfection!
The Limbo Reverb is available via the Klowra Webstore - where it goes for just $129 - incredible value.
There are few Reverb pedals that have as much fire-power as this one does in a compact enclosure. It's interesting how they've settled on 9 Modes here - where a lot of these devices have 11 or 12 algorithms. I guess processing power is a major consideration - as is the ease of running this pedal - which requires just 250mA.
This is one of the most potent and easiest use Reverbs out there - and few if any can delivery this quality and value at that price point!
It comes thoroughly recommended in any case - and for me should be the first in line for this range of Klowra pedals - all are great, but the Reverb is pretty special!
Demos
