REVIEW > CARL MARTIN
top of the pedal. In the event that external
power is not available, the pedal can run off
of a single 9V battery.
foot because it reduces the amount of time
spent twiddling knobs. One nice addition
would be an envelope kill switch so that
the pedal could be foot-switched purely to
a filter pedal. Though it’s likely that would
add significantly to the manufacturing
expense and eliminate some of the considerable value of the Carl Martin.
But with the tools at hand you can
easily explore the funky textures of Stevie
Wonder or John Frusciante, the subtle,
sentimental textures of Badly Drawn Boy
or the psychedelic expressiveness of Jerry
Garcia on “Estimated Prophet.” And there
is a lot of room to explore in this pedal
whether you are a funky astronaut or
memory sick songwriter.
Once Around the Block
Taking the CM Optical Envelope Filter for
a spin with a Teisco ET-312 guitar and Vox
AC4TV amplifier, I was able to conjure
sounds from percussive to positively nostalgic. The real trick with the pedal is figuring
out not just the right combination of Drive
and Q for the corresponding filter type,
but getting the right pickup selected as well
because the pickup frequency and output
seriously change how the circuit works. The
other trick is getting used to highly interactive way that the Tone knob works with the
Drive knob.
Once the knob settings are sorted it’s
pretty easy to dial in some very usable
and fun tones. You can go from thick and
funky vowel-shaped sounds to thin and
attack-heavy scratch that would have Shaft
strutting in rhythm. It’s really slick that
you can switch the filter type with your
The Verdict
Given the low price, solid build, and smooth,
versatile sounds, anyone on a budget that’s
looking for the distinctive sounds of an envelope filter will want to have a look at this
pedal. Ditching the filter select footswitch in
favor of an envelope kill switch would make
the pedal a double threat. But that omission
aside, it’s super intuitive and fun. The Optical
Envelope will certainly brings the funk. And
while it may not achieve the musicality of a
vintage Mutron III, you’ll be thankful to not
have to pay the vintage price.
RATINGS
Pros: Great Value. Expressive tones.
Carl Martin, Optical Envelope Filter, Street: $135, carlmartin.com
Cons: Needs an envelope kill switch.
Tones
Ease of Use
Build
Value
AR GUIDE
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