Review Demo - Analog Man Envelope Filter

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Analog Man’s Mike Piera seems like a pretty open-minded guy. Sure, he has strong opinions about what sounds good. But for a dude who modifies and builds pedals that more than a few performers call the best in the business, he sees the merit in mass-produced and accessible circuits and is quick to debunk “mojo” myths.

That wide view of the stompbox world means Piera can spot a sleeper pedal with the best of ’em. And one of his latest projects is a limited-edition resurrection and re-imagination of the “block logo” MXR Envelope Filter—a pedal that has, thus far, remained under the radar to speculative vintage fetishists. Analog Man’s version of this very expressive envelope filter is much more than a clone (even though it’s built using NOS MXR circuit boards). It adds an emphasis knob and a Mu-Tron-style up/down switch that expands its musical potential extensively.

Analog Man doesn’t disguise the origins and inspirations of the Envelope Filter circuit. From the knobs to the logo and fonts it’s a reverent homage to the post-script MXR years. The MXR-ness is more than skin deep too. Opening up the pedal reveals a NOS MXR Envelope Filter at the heart of the works. (This also reveals a peek at the significant differences between the MXR circuit—which uses op amps— and say, a MuTron III, which uses an optical circuit.)

The Analog Man Envelope Filter adds functionality to the MXR’s original two-knob set in the form of an emphasis knob, which boosts the resonant peak selected via the threshold knob. It also includes a toggle that emulates the MuTron III’s up/down switch, which dictates whether a filter sweep begins at the low or high point of the peak. The two controls are fairly simple, but they add a world of extra tone possibilities—particularly given how interactive the controls can be.

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