A COLOURFUL CHARACTER
Colour, vibrancy and sonic layering sit inside the CSIDMAN. And on the outside, its hard chassis finished in a fluorescent yellow, with red and blue space-invaders-like lettering, definitely looks the part. On board the pedal are five controls: Feed, Cuts, Latch, Mix and Time. When used in conjunction, Time, Mix and Feed traverse everything from your standard digital delay to more ethereal textures. It’s the introduction of Latch and Cuts that then bring to fore the CD-skipping sensations. Feed, which controls the amount of feedback going back into the unit, Cuts – a control for the buffer memory length – and Latch, which controls the relative time in a cycle that the CSIDMAN is in a latching skipping state, are what give this pedal its unique flavour.
DIGITALISM
First thing’s first: this isn’t a gimmicky pedal with intriguing functionality. The CSIDMAN delivers the clarity and atmospherics of a quality digital delay, and will happily occupy a regular rotation spot on your pedalboard. I’m taking the digital delay through its paces with the Feed set to 2 o’clock, the Latch knob turned full counter-clockwise – nullifying any use of the Cuts knob –Mix set to 10 o’clock and Time dialled in at 3 o’clock. This setting produces an ambient delay that shimmers and ripples. It’s mellow, yet with such clarity, is sonically vivid. With the addition of a standard OD these layers of sound evolve into a multi-layered haze. It has no issues nailing that faultless accuracy of a digital delay. By lowering the Time, you can therefore land a responsive chicken-pickin’-esque slap back delay. Conversely, with the Feed and Mix turned up, the CSIDMAN echoes emulate harp-like chimes. Pushing even harder on the Feed then results in mechanical sounds, schisms and noise.
ORCHESTRATED CHAOS
The use of Cuts and Latch enable the pedal to go from a subtle stutter or bump in the signal, to a wobble and more accentuated trip that rattles and bounces. With Feed turned completely counter-clockwise, Cuts at 2 o’clock, Latch just below 3, Mix at 2 and Time set to 10, I can dial in on a glitch that is both random and, to an extent, controlled. It’s all about timing. The staccato playing of a repetitive riff – start/stop in nature – gives the pedal a constant rhythm to play off. With a revolving door of chords or notes, the stutter and glitch moves in and out of time, characterised by elongated notes that bounce back and forth.
A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE
The level of control on offer, in conjunction with its randomness and unpredictability, make the CSIDMAN an alt-rock player’s dream.
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