FREE THE TONE
TRI AVATAR
REVIEW BY FLETCHER STEWART
STREET PRICE $350.00
A TRIPLE SHOT
OF DIMENSIONAL
DEVIATION
Some of our older TRW
readers will know what this
unit is all about from the
title alone. For those that
are not yet savvy to the
concept of tri-chorus, let
me break it down. Similar
to the fabled Dytronics Tri
Stereo Chorus of the ‘80s,
Free the Tone’s Tri Avatar
sports three independent
pitch-modulated signal
paths and a dry blend. In
theory, the first chorus
phase is assigned to the
left, the second to both the
left and right and the third
to the right only. These
chorus phases are shifted by
58
GEAR REVIEW
//
120 degrees for a massive
psychoacoustic widening
sensation that goes way
beyond—but not unlike—
an old Roland JC-120
Chorus. One can feel it as
well as hear it. The brilliant
thing about the TA-1H is
the ability to achieve this
dimensional widening with
any two-amp combination.
Like the excellent Flight
Time Digital Delay I
reviewed a year or so ago,
the Tri Avatar looks like a
modular section removed
from a jet plane cockpit
console. There are no
cutesy graphics or cartoon
characters to be found on
the face of this unit—it
looks like serious gear made
Free the Tone Tri Avatar
for serious tone tweakers.
I can imagine a unit like
this would blend right into
Kraftwerk’s secret Kling
Klang studio bunker base
like a Xenomorph nestled
into the walls of it’s hive.
It also has that high-end
custom Pete Cornish-style
sectional control layout.
This makes sense because
Free the Tone’s chief
designer Yuki Hayashi is
in cahoots with Pete and
Lynda Cornish; they even
came up with the Free the
Tone moniker. Let’s double
up (or I should say triple up)
and deviate from the chorus
norm.