Keeley Bubbletron Modulation Filter, Phaser & Flanger Pedal - Review & Demo

In this video, Sam takes a look at the Keeley Bubbletron, a pretty crazy modulation pedal. Check it out here: www.pmtonline.co.uk/keeley-bu...
At first glance, the Keeley Bubbletron may look like a conventional modulation pedal, with it’s modes for Filter, Phaser and Flanger, but once you start playing with it you’ll soon realise that it’s actually a pretty unique and wacky stomp box, offering much more extreme modulation options than you might first think.
Control-wise, it’s looks pretty straightforward with knobs labelled Rate, Depth, Sensitivity and Level, and there’s a three way switch to toggle the different modulation modes. The level knob adjusts the pedals overall output volume, but the other three knobs control various parameters depending on what mode you’ve selected. Now it’s important to mention early on, as you probably wouldn’t know this if you were to just pick the pedal up and start playing with it without ready the instruction manual, but there’s actually also two secret internal switches, which you have to unscrew the backplate to get to. The first adjusts the overall tone of the pedal from warm and vintage sounding to a more modern tone with full range clarity, and the second toggles between what Keeley refer to as Bank A and Bank B, effectively giving you a completely different trio of effect modes.
Straight out of the box, the Bubbletron’s internal switch is defaulted to Bank A, which definitely offers the crazier, more experimental effects modes. When switched to filter mode, this offers Keeley’s take on a really unique effect from the 1970’s, the Filter, Sample and Hold. In this mode, the rate knob controls the modulation speed, depth selects the LFO shape, with ramp up, ramp down, random and triangle wave settings, and the sensitivity knob controls the filter resonance.
Switching to phase mode, with the Bubbletron in it’s default Bank A setting, this is called the Dynamo Phaser, which actually produces two phasers in parallel, each with opposite sweeps. The first phasers speed is set by the rate control, but it’s depth is controlled by dynamics, so the harder you play, the more pronounced the depth. The second phaser’s depth and rate are both controlled by playing dynamics. The sensitivity control in this mode adjusts the input sensitivity of your guitar, which in turn controls how drastically your playing dynamics will affect those different parameters, and the depth knob gives you some control over the overall phase depth, from mild and soft to lush and deep.
Finally for bank A is Dyna-Flange mode. Feedback, range and sensitivity for the flanger are set via the rate, depth and sensitivity knobs respectively, but delay time is again controlled by your playing dynamics, the harder you play, the more pronounced the overall effect.
By flicking the internal switch to Bank B, this turns the bubbletron into a slightly more conventional modulation pedal, with the three modes being a retro sounding envelope filter, 8 stage vintage phaser and classic flanger effects. In these settings, the three control knobs work in a way that you’re probably more familiar with. For the phaser and flanger modes, rate, depth and sensitivity adjust the modulation speed, depth and feedback, whilst in filter mode they control resonance, low-pass to high pass and filter sensitivity.
Take a quick look an listen with PMTV and try one out at your local Professional Music Technology...
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[@caseyfontenot179]

Great demo 👍 very thorough

[@kierenmoore3236]

It sounds OK.

[@idontwanttousemynameyoutub7538]

Does the level knob work more like a "mix" of the effect or does it allow you to boost the overall volume of the effect beyond unity?

[@louismarinrenaud416]

It’s a master output level

[@unemployablegraduate]

The Electro-Harmonix Mod 11 does some very similar things.

[@robb0178]

Internal switches why do they do it

[@loon894]

They can go anywhere on the cb, not attached in some weird corner to the casing means easier build and assembly, don't have to be sturdy or match the look, and require less routing, wiring and drilling. It's cheaper to build (& sell)

[@robb0178]

@@loon894 I do understand that, it’s just not very user friendly.