Catalinbread- CBX Gated Reverb

The CBX gives you full control over a classic studio trick popularized in the ‘80s by Phil Collins and Bruce Springsteen known as gated reverb. Originally, this involved an SSL console’s talkback mic channel fed back through the console preamp and into a noise gate

In the primordial ooze of studio tricks, many recording engineers had to invent their own effects. Double tracking and flanging started as manual manipulations of magnetic tape and the machinery used to process it. One such effect is gated reverb, the combination of digital reverb and noise gate, “invented” in the ‘70s but popularized in the ‘80s by one Phil Collins. Like many now-legendary effects, gated reverb was invented by accident using the Solid State Logic SL4000 Talkback Mic channel and AMS RMX16 digital reverb units. The premise is simple enough: the gate is a function of the signal strength; once the signal level drops below an adjustable threshold, the reverb tail snaps shut. Our CBX recreates this magical symbiosis with an overdrivable preamp, adjustable reverb lag time and a full wet-dry blend. The result is a lovely and expressive “always-on” reverb that stays in its lane and won’t interfere with the all-important mix.

The CBX accepts a center-negative DC power supply from 9 to 18 volts, capable of supplying at least 100mA of current (over is fine). Plugging in anything other than this (center-positive, AC, higher voltage, etc.) will potentially brick the CBX. I cannot recommend doing this. Check your supply and make 100 percent sure it says all the right stuff. If you plug in the wrong supply, you’ll immediately send your pedal to the shadow realm. Even though that sounds pretty cool, your CBX doesn’t want to go there, this I can promise. Run it at 18V for more headroom