MGR/Brian Johnston « Dual Channel with Filter or Fuzz, or Filter + Fuzz (bass or lead) »
Published on 06/07/23 at 11:13
Best value:
Excellent
Audience:
Anyone
A fuzz and an envelope filter in one, and ideal for either lead/rhythm or bass. This may not seem unusual, but add to that a dual channel with various filter options, and you have a killer pedal for $150 USD (half that price if you buy the ProudAnus module for one of the LiberaToe pedal/switcher/router systems).
This is a great sounding 60s fuzz, which combines both germanium and silicon. Depending on how you dial into it (with the resonance), it can sound as much overdrive or distortion as it does fuzz. Very versatile – and it cleans up nicely with a guitar’s volume knob. For the video demo, I ran the ProudAnus into two emulators (UA’s Woodrow ’55, which is an emulation of a 1955 Fender Tweed, and the Ruby ‘63, which is an emulation of a 1963 Vox AC30), as well as the Rivera Venus Recording tube amp. In all instances, the ‘fuzz’ sounded robust and growly. Now, I say that with some reservation, since if changing cabinets toward something that is thinner or more cutting in frequency, the fuzz has more of a silicon fuzzzzzz sound, rather than a growl. Overall, you can achieve a heavier, darker and more wooly sounding fuzz, all the way to a biting, screaming tone that bites like an OD/distortion.
The Filter (or Wah) aspect of the pedal varies significantly and is very vocal. It can sound throaty, barely audible (great if you want to add a tonal character to rhythm or lead), or even thin enough to mimic a Sitar (not 100%, but it works in a pinch, which I demo on the video). As an added feature, you can toggle select either a hi or lo-frequency filter. You also can adjust the sensitivity toward your picking dynamics, so that a light string strike is more subdued than a hard string strike. Fine-tuning the vocal response also is dependent on the Attack and Decay controls.
Now we get into the diversity of this pedal, with these possible combinations (Main Toggle):
TOGGLE UP: Green channel = Wah; Red channel = Fuzz
TOGGLE CENTER: Green chn = Wah; Red channel = Wah (there is a reason for this, as per the second toggle switch, described next)
TOGGLE DOWN: Green chn = Fuzz; Red channel = Fuzz + Wah
I provided a quick demo of how channels can be switched and mixed/matched in the video, but let’s consider the second toggle’s role, in selecting a hi or lo filter.
TOGGLE UP: Green chn = Hi Wah; Red chn = Lo Wah
TOGGLE CENTER: Green & Red chn = Hi Wah
TOGGLE DOWN: Green & Red chn = Lo Wah
Suppose the main toggle is up for a Wah (green) and Fuzz (red); you can select either a Hi or Lo Wah for green via the second toggle. If the main toggle is center (Wah for both channels), then you can select a Hi Wah for green and a Lo Wah for red via the filter toggle. If the main toggle is down (Fuzz for green and Fuzz + Wah for red), then you again can choose a Hi or Low Wah for the red channel. This may seem a bit confusing without seeing the video, which I encourage you to do.
Overall, ProudAnus stands up to any LiberaToe pedal I have tried, and without disappointment. You get some great analog tones, but with serious flexibility. For the fuzz aficionado, ProudAnus is a beauty and I find it very easy to dial into great tones. No complaints and all thumbs up!
https://www.liberatoe.com/
This is a great sounding 60s fuzz, which combines both germanium and silicon. Depending on how you dial into it (with the resonance), it can sound as much overdrive or distortion as it does fuzz. Very versatile – and it cleans up nicely with a guitar’s volume knob. For the video demo, I ran the ProudAnus into two emulators (UA’s Woodrow ’55, which is an emulation of a 1955 Fender Tweed, and the Ruby ‘63, which is an emulation of a 1963 Vox AC30), as well as the Rivera Venus Recording tube amp. In all instances, the ‘fuzz’ sounded robust and growly. Now, I say that with some reservation, since if changing cabinets toward something that is thinner or more cutting in frequency, the fuzz has more of a silicon fuzzzzzz sound, rather than a growl. Overall, you can achieve a heavier, darker and more wooly sounding fuzz, all the way to a biting, screaming tone that bites like an OD/distortion.
The Filter (or Wah) aspect of the pedal varies significantly and is very vocal. It can sound throaty, barely audible (great if you want to add a tonal character to rhythm or lead), or even thin enough to mimic a Sitar (not 100%, but it works in a pinch, which I demo on the video). As an added feature, you can toggle select either a hi or lo-frequency filter. You also can adjust the sensitivity toward your picking dynamics, so that a light string strike is more subdued than a hard string strike. Fine-tuning the vocal response also is dependent on the Attack and Decay controls.
Now we get into the diversity of this pedal, with these possible combinations (Main Toggle):
TOGGLE UP: Green channel = Wah; Red channel = Fuzz
TOGGLE CENTER: Green chn = Wah; Red channel = Wah (there is a reason for this, as per the second toggle switch, described next)
TOGGLE DOWN: Green chn = Fuzz; Red channel = Fuzz + Wah
I provided a quick demo of how channels can be switched and mixed/matched in the video, but let’s consider the second toggle’s role, in selecting a hi or lo filter.
TOGGLE UP: Green chn = Hi Wah; Red chn = Lo Wah
TOGGLE CENTER: Green & Red chn = Hi Wah
TOGGLE DOWN: Green & Red chn = Lo Wah
Suppose the main toggle is up for a Wah (green) and Fuzz (red); you can select either a Hi or Lo Wah for green via the second toggle. If the main toggle is center (Wah for both channels), then you can select a Hi Wah for green and a Lo Wah for red via the filter toggle. If the main toggle is down (Fuzz for green and Fuzz + Wah for red), then you again can choose a Hi or Low Wah for the red channel. This may seem a bit confusing without seeing the video, which I encourage you to do.
Overall, ProudAnus stands up to any LiberaToe pedal I have tried, and without disappointment. You get some great analog tones, but with serious flexibility. For the fuzz aficionado, ProudAnus is a beauty and I find it very easy to dial into great tones. No complaints and all thumbs up!
https://www.liberatoe.com/
