The manual states that
rolling the depth all the
way down can be used
to manually set the filter,
similar to a cocked wah.
Plugging in my trusty
humbucker-equipped
Strat, I decided to test
this first. Rolling off the
depth and pointing the
Frequency knob to 10:00, I
achieved the low-mid wah
sound loved so much from
‘80s rock records.
Gradually increasing the
Resonance knob on this
setting, I was impressed
by the sweep of the
filter and the throatiness
of the vowel sounds I
could get. Filter pedals
depend heavily on player
response, so I was happy
the intensity matched the
strength of my picking—
not to mention the Band-
Pass switch was there to
increase intensity.
synth notes started to
bubble under the surface
as I played a simple D
chord. It sounded dreamy,
like the chirping from
consoles you’d hear in the
background of a ‘60s sci-fi
show.
The Proteus MKII
maintains your tap tempo
settings even if you turn
the pedal off or mess
with the controls, so I
clicked over to the 2-step
setting. Things picked
up and little arpeggiated
notes would spring up
no matter what I played,
like Pete Townshend’s old
sequenced keyboards.
The 4-step setting really
sped things up, sounding
like almost like a choppy
16-step tremolo. Adding
some distortion and
cranking the Depth
made things sound nice
and evil. It even held up
when I tried it out on
my Jazz Bass, though
the Band-Pass setting is
recommended thanks to
the stronger signal. The
red LED would respond in
time to my playing and I
loved watching it flicker.
WHAT WE LIKE
Funky one second and
spacey the next, the
Subdecay Proteus is
perfect for some off-the-
cuff sonic mayhem.
CONCERNS
Only DC power, no
battery input. Also sound
perimeters and the tap
tempo take a little time to
master. Definitely read the
manual first before using!
Now it was time to get
serious and see what
the tap tempo could do.
Diming the Resonance
and pushing the Depth
to 2:00, I started on the
1-step beat and clicked in
a simple “1-2-3-4.”. Little
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