Keeley Neutrino Envelope Filter Auto Wah Pedal Review - Sweetwater Sound

Get the Keeley Neutrino pedal here: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detai...

In this video, I checked out the Keeley Neutrino Envelope Filter/Auto Wah pedal. Let me start by saying that this pedal is expressive! Right out of the box I was able to call-up a classic auto-wah sound and the extremely vocal quality of the Neutrino had me hooked. I was able to use my pick attack and velocity to change the inflections of the Neutrino's filter in a way that was captivating and made me want to play. With a few knob twists, radically different sounds were happening; this pedal is surprisingly versatile.

The Gain control's primary function is to set the input level for whatever instrument you're using. The Neutrino would be equally at home on bass or keyboards so having input control on a knob offers the most flexibility. Guitar output levels vary widely so this control is indispensable. I found this to be useful as a sensitivity control as well. However I set the filter shape and sound, a lower gain setting takes more pick velocity to open the "wah" and a higher gain setting opens the "wah" with a lighter touch. Working the guitar's volume control achieved the same effect. I was able to set the Gain so that when I picked a passage normally and wanted to accent certain notes with a "wah," all I had to do was pick harder. Playing with various gain settings alone showed off the Neutrino's versatility, without even changing the filter sound or shape!

The Peak control adjusts the shape of the filter, from a warm "wah" at lower settings to extreme "whee" at the top end. Higher settings essentially make the filter shape larger, which is part of what makes it sound more radical. Playing a quick passage with higher Gain and Peak settings set off a series of bleeps that were unique and weird, in a good way. Lowering the Gain while playing slower allowed the shape of the filter to bloom, all at the touch of my pick.

The knob labeled "LBH" is the Filter Selector. "L" creates a low-pass filter, cutting off the high-end; "B" is a band-pass filter, which makes equal cuts on the low and high end of the spectrum; "H" is a high-pass filter, which cuts off low-end. All three settings have their usefulness: "B" has the most vocal quality, "L" is dark and murky, "H" is bright and cutting. The Lo/Hi Range Switch adds either a round bottom or brighter top to the three filter settings. It's possible to dial-in about any "wah" sound you can imagine.

The side-mounted direction switch flips the "wah" 180-degrees and turns it into an "oww," which closes the filter when you attack the note as opposed to opening it. This created a whole new set of parameters to play around with! It affected my phrasing differently, both in rhythm and note choice. That's one of the things that was so intriguing about playing with the Neutrino; the sound is so musical and organic that I interacted with it and it became part of the way I played when it was engaged.

When someone says "auto-wah," your mind instantly goes to disco and jam-band cliches. The Neutrino will handily cover that territory but the beauty lies in the depth, range, and quality of this pedal. It took me in directions that I wouldn't have considered with other auto-wahs. Thanks for watching the video and I hope you enjoy the Neutrino as much as I did!

-- Don Carr