Space Spiral or The Surgeon...

[saltbird]

Somebody just tell me what to get. I usually hate these kind of posts but now I'm understanding why people post them. I can't make up my mind!

The Surgeon seems more versatile with tape, digital, and analog delay sounds but the Space Spiral has quite a bit more control over modulation.

From what I gather the Space Spiral is voiced like an oil can delay at shorter delay times and a tape echo at longer times. Is this correct? Or is it a hybrid between the two throughout the span of the knob?

With the Space Spiral I don't know how frequently I would be in to using the more drastic depth settings with all the dissonant pitch bending, while at the same time I've heard a lot of settings I really like when the depth is kept in a reasonable field of range.

I wish Matthews would release some more demos of the surgeon.

Anyone tried both of these?

 

[Ruiner]

Considering the Space Spiral was just announced like a day or two ago, I think the only people that have played it either made a demo or work for EQD.....

 

[saltbird]

There's plenty of demos/clips on the Space Spiral, especially on the EQD website, but only like 2 for the Surgeon which has been out for weeks.

Considering the Space Spiral was just announced like a day or two ago, I think the only people that have played it either made a demo or work for EQD.....

 

[saltbird]

Delay is probably the one kind of effect I have little experience with. Any delay connoisseurs care to weigh in?

 

[guitarslinger21]

Saltbird, what music do you play? What features do you need? I want to help. I've had like 50 delays.

 

[Epichecho]

There's plenty of demos/clips on the Space Spiral, especially on the EQD website, but only like 2 for the Surgeon which has been out for weeks.

One video and a bunch of audio clips isn't very helpful and not "plenty."

 

[aman74]

There's plenty of demos/clips on the Space Spiral, especially on the EQD website, but only like 2 for the Surgeon which has been out for weeks.

 

[saltbird]

Saltbird, what music do you play? What features do you need? I want to help. I've had like 50 delays.

Thanks! I play a lot of Dorian Latin rock style music and lofi surfy stuff.

I know I'm looking for a tape delay. I really like the sounds of the Space Spiral and The Surgeon which is why I've narrowed it down to those two. I don't really need tap tempo because I only use delay 10-20% of the time. I think the tape mode is what I would mostly use with the surgeon.

I really like the sound of the Space spiral, which I'm leaning towards. It reminds me of Modest Mouse.

I guess my big question is, do you think the Space Spiral is too experimental? Will it not give me a good meat and potatoes tape delay? I like the modulation it has and will totally use it, just maybe not 100% of the time.

What would you get?

 

[saltbird]

Plenty is not an absolute term but I suppose you're right. There's enough for me to get the idea though. The Surgeon however could use more.

The Surgeon's Knobs demo really flatters it. The only problem I have is they use a pretty unique guitar tone imo so I don't really have an idea of how it would sound with my guitar.

One video and a bunch of audio clips isn't very helpful and not "plenty."

 

[guitarslinger21]

Thanks! I play a lot of Dorian Latin rock style music and lofi surfy stuff.

I know I'm looking for a tape delay. I really like the sounds of the Space Spiral and The Surgeon which is why I've narrowed it down to those two. I don't really need tap tempo because I only use delay 10-20% of the time. I think the tape mode is what I would mostly use with the surgeon.

I really like the sound of the Space spiral, which I'm leaning towards. It reminds me of Modest Mouse.

I guess my big question is, do you think the Space Spiral is too experimental? Will it not give me a good meat and potatoes tape delay? I like the modulation it has and will totally use it, just maybe not 100% of the time.

What would you get?

If you want modulation, get the Skreddy Echo.

If you don't need modulation, get the Boss Waza DM-2.

 

[saltbird]

I've owned the dm-2w actually. While I do regret selling it, I'm not interested in an analog delay. At least at this point in time. I'll look into the Skreddy. I've certainly heard it mentioned a lot on TGP.

If you want modulation, get the Skreddy Echo.

If you don't need modulation, get the Boss Waza DM-2.

 

[borducks]

Rats. If you were going analog I'd highly recommend a Deluxe Memory Boy. I love it for lo fi stuff. Seems to cover the functions of the new EQD Spiral thing plus wider mod abilities, tap tempo and FX loop. And much cheaper. If you want digital I'm super happy with the Digitech Obscura. Also not a lot of jack.

 

[saltbird]

I ended up getting the Space Spiral. It's way better than I even expected it would be. The amount of different sounds you can dial in surpassed my expectations. Despite how several of the demo videos market it, it's incredibly versatile. I love how there are no sweet spots. It sounds great throughout the span of every knob, which is remarkable considering there's 6 parameters. It doesn't suffer from one-trick-pony syndrome like I initially suspected it might after the first couple youtube demos I watched. There's nothing gimmicky about it. Being able to zero out the delay time and get a variety of awesome chorus and vibrato tones is the icing on the cake.

I like how you can really turn up the mix knob and not get an overbearing bloated sound, which is an issue I've found with several analog and digital tape delays I've tried. It makes it more prominent, up front in the mix, while not completely washing out and smearing your dry signal.

When you bring the rate on the modulation circuit down below 10:00 you start to get these dreamy time warping effects that remind me of the tape flange tones you can get with the Strymon Deco. With the rate set higher you get some chorus (or vibrato depending on depth settings) sounds that are just about perfect to my ear. I mostly like using the shape knob set to triangle wave but bringing it up closer to square wave totally changes the entire vibe of the pedal. It makes it more dramatic, throbby, wacky, & experimental in a good way!

I used to think other than slapback echo, I only preferred longer delay times, but this pedal showed me otherwise. No matter where I set it I find something inspiring and totally usable. I've yet to find a favorite setting because I'll spend some time on one that I love and then when I switch it up, I'm rejuvenated with that new pedal feeling all over again. I strongly recommend trying this thing out if you ever get the chance.

 

[papersoul]

So, the Spiral is that good?

Has anyone tried the Surgeon....I never heard of Matthews pedals! Good stuff?

 

[saltbird]

The spiral is really good at what it does. The modulation engine has quite the broad spectrum of vibrato flavors. At slow speeds you can get some really awesome tape machine "time warping" effects, which might be my favorite thus far. In fact turning the delay and feedback all the way down and exploring its uses as a vibrato pedal is no joke and proves completely functional.

My only gripe with it at all is that the delay doesn't go up to 1 second. 600ms is plenty for most things though but occasionally I do appreciate very long delay times for certain things.

I will say the repeats do have a "vintage-y" vibe to them so it will greatly appeal to some and not others.

So, the Spiral is that good?

Has anyone tried the Surgeon....I never heard of Matthews pedals! Good stuff?