It’s time to Slö down and take a minute to appreciate Walrus Audio’s Slö Multi Texture Reverb pedal. All puns aside, though, this little baby is truly the ambient player’s wet dream. As someone who plays in a band that is often likened to The Cure, it took very little to sell me on this one. Today, let’s delve into the Walrus Audio Slö Multi Texture Reverb pedal review.
I very much appreciate that the unit is top-mounted, which means less mess on my pedalboard. The control knobs include the typical “decay,” “depth,” and “mix,” as well as a “filter,” which controls high-frequency roll-off (essentially allowing you to make your reverb duller or brighter). The illusive “X” controls your “dark,” “rise,” and “dream” settings, which are triggered by a mini toggle. “Dark” can sound as beautiful and dreamy as Jeff Buckley’s Grace album, or as haunting as The Dark Crystal soundtrack. This setting is positively awesome for creating “pads” on recordings or in a live setting. “Rise” is also extraordinarily cool, and the effect is actually triggered after you play a note or chord. What I really like about this mode is how clean and pronounced your guitar still sounds. It’s also gated while you’re playing, and the gate closes when you stop. “Dream” is a personal favorite of mine, as it is incredibly lush, with stunning vibrato.
You can access secondary function (a.k.a. “sine,” “warp,” and “sink”) by holding down the “bypass” switch. These functions allow you to change the wave shapes of the reverb tail. “Sine” means up and down pitch modulation, “warp” is similar to a warped record, and “sink” is sinking detune similar to a Bigsby.
“Trails mode” is also extraordinarily helpful. In trails mode, your reverb decay dies off naturally (which I LOVE), and in no trails mode, it will cut off abruptly.
If I had any complaints, it would be that this is a very specific pedal, and it isn’t necessarily for everyone. While it’s extremely versatile in and of itself, I’d say it’s definitely more suited for ‘shoegaze’ fans or for getting some really dreamy, textured reverb sounds in a recording. There’s also a bit of a learning curve as well if you’re not accustomed to a lot of knobs.
Overall, this is a truly amazing pedal that obviously took a lot of thought. If you’re looking to create some sweeping, fantastical soundscapes in the studio or on stage, then the Slö will be right up your alley.