The Infinite Jets Pedal Flies Right Over My Head

Update: If you're looking for what I wished this pedal would be, they've entirely redeemed themselves: www.hologramel...

[@BennJordan]

Hey! In this video I mention that I hope Hologram improves all of this with their next pedal, and years later, I'm happy to say that literally everything I'm bitching about in this video is improved with the Microcosm. Better amps, better signal quality, more intuitive fx, more diverse usage. Seriously amazing sounding! www.hologramelectronics.com/microcosm

[@GR-uw7yc]

For the same price you can get a Zoia.

[@pthomas36]

@@GR-uw7yc As powerful as the zoia is, how hard would it be to re-create the algorithms of the microcosm? I'm guessing no easy task.

[@GR-uw7yc]

@Tom Martinson yes that’s true. I suppose my thinking was that although they are quite different the Zoia seems more versatile. Depends how you want to use them I guess.

[@rodericklopez9850]

Ambient pedals... I love the sound... the thing is that most demos are musically sparse (like a drone over a triad), so the pedal seems to take on a life of its own rather than being a tool to enhance more musically sophisticated pieces. My sense is that most reviewers rarely demo the pedal in terms of usable settings within a wide range of applications. Which brings me to your video. I really like your video because it's a nice blend of enthusiasm with critical analysis - you wanted this pedal to work for you, but you just couldn't get it to perform. It seems most other reviewers are hell bent on giving a positive demo review. When I think of ambient sounds, what I'm really after are the sorts of wobbly lofi sounds used by Jon Brion. 0ver the past year I've purchased a quite a few of the ambient pedals, and they're mostly pricey pedals. When I get them I do like the sounds, but it feels like it's the investment in time that is most costly just for the few sounds that I can actually use. I think these pedals are great and all have something to offer. But reading applying information in the manual and spending hours experimenting are inevitable. I'm not sure I have enough years left to master these pedals. I definitely get the humor. I'm much older than you... in my 60s. I'm old enough to remember experimental music from the 60s, and I know there was a lot experimentation happening going on in the 50s. and there were lots of hipsters in the 50s... they were called Beatniks. Ambient pedals have given us Shoegazers, and hipsters like Knobs. All great entertainment, but at the end of the day I'd like to know if I can use the device to get a variety of sounds before I buy them. I don't know that I get the sort of critical analysis from people Knobs to make that determination. Btw, I bought the Microcosm on your recommendation. Subscribed!

[@eweystewy]

I had a zoia, too much tinkering not enough music. But that's just me, you need patience and I don't have enough time for patience. Replaced with cosm, very VERY happy. Instant gratification

[@keystodoorsthatdontexist1656]

Hi Benn and Gear! Try this, taken from the Infinite Jets user manual section 8 (secondary controls)... Tone controls the amount of high frequency rolloff at the output. To adjust the Tone, hold Footswitch A and turn the Drive control. Turning the knob clockwise allows more high frequencies to pass through, fully clockwise representing no high frequency rolloff (much like a guitar’s tone knob). Any changes made to the Tone setting will be stored when saving presets and can be recalled later.

[@lostboy5861]

Your honesty is so refreshing and is why i stay subscribed to this channel, thanks for your thoughts !!!

[@SkeletonBeach]

Dude, this right here was by far the best demo I’ve ever seen. I made it to your page looking for the Specular Tempus, and as a massive synth head, and owner of an Infinite Jets (they’re some of my dudes from here in Knoxville, TN) it seems on synths it can vary for me. I use the glitch and swell the most, but I too have noticed the frequency cut. Just subscribed, the intro to this video slayed me. Excellent reviews, dude. I’m coming to you with all questions 🤣🖤

[@tgiencke]

First I really appreciate your honesty. I have had the ‘Jets for a couple of months. I’ve found that the output section of the pedal needs 2-3 tick marks of “drive” to have enough signal to work well. I also don’t like the overdrive, but not off either. The “Dry” doesn’t go 100% dry. I place the ‘Jets in with other original boutique pedals, aka not for everyone. In my experience boutique pedals are designed and made by musicians and not electrical engineers (other than Strymon, others?). They all have their quirks, and cost a lot because they are made in small batches and need to fully support their makers. I look at the ‘Jets like having an accompanying musician that is acting like a little brother always trying to impress you. No it is not always going to do what you want it to do. But having a pedal that does it’s own thing brings... soul, for the lack of a better word. I pair the ‘Jets with the Fairfield Circuitry’s Shallow Water on my core pedalboard because they bring inspiration, and make me want to play. Try this: Voice: Blur 0 Dimension: fully CW Env. Shape: fully CCW Env. Time: 12 o’clock Trigger Mode: Mono Drive: 8 o’clock Dry: 12 o’clock Calibrate the ‘Jets with your volume knob at 50%, then play at 75-100% so the ‘Jets is very sensitive. Ok watch/listen to Vangelis’ “Main Titles” from the 1982 movie Blade Runner. Now play the main synth part (Yamaha CS-80) on the ‘Jets with a guitar’s bridge pickup. This is why I bought the ‘Jets. I don’t need another pedal that does the same ol’, same ol’. I need any pedal I buy from now on to inspire me to make music; and the ‘Jets does this for me. I enjoy exploring what it can “bring to the table”. Is it perfect, no. Is it unruly (looking at you Dwarfcraft), no. Keep up the good work!

[@MrBothandNether]

Word. & Thanx :)

[@jeffheisen6266]

Todd Giencke Great reply. Excellent Infinite Jets setting you included as well. Question (and maybe a silly one) but in what order do you run Jets and Shallow Water when you play them together? I also have both on my board. I find myself leaving Shallow on, like, most of the time. Like an electric blanket. But was curious if you’ve unlocked any magic with the order / interaction between the two? Thanks,

[@akwawka]

Excellent review. Sometimes it takes a while for a new piece of kit to gel. Zachary Rizer's 'Hologram Infinite Jets - Bass Demo' paints the converse picture. Based on both reviews I decided to purchase the pedal and have found it uniquely musical for synth processing.

[@htimelines1089]

The problem with a lot of pedal shows is that they never really criticize the pedal. It's always: "oh it sounds so good" "oh these tones sound so lush" or whatever. Damnit, just tell me what's wrog with the pedal for once, at least try to review it a little. Really nice that you don't seem to take anything back.

[@davidlynch4338]

Thanks for the honest review, you saved me going after this hypnotic pedal. I realized that everything I see people doing with this pedal are things I would rather do with a sampler or synth. This is the first video of yours that I watched and it caused me to subscribe, now I am off to binge watch your other videos. Cheers!

[@Kaasgeelheid]

I love knobs but this parody was brutal, well done hahahah

[@Knobs]

I laughed a lot

[@CthulhuOO7]

When the vid started I rolled my eyes so hard I hurt them, so I skipped the beginning. But after reading some of these comment, went back and then died laughing.

[@BipolarSmile]

You really bummed me out. i was planning on getting this pedal. but i appreciate your honesty, better than to spend my money and get disappointed. by the way, the bit in the intro was hilarious.(I still love knobs)

[@WellsOliver]

great! There's massive room on KZbin for people doing more honest/frustrated gear reviews -- too much stuff is gushing and makes you wonder wether they are trying to justify being given free stuff. Keep this up.

[@danielleinad6019]

Most pedal reviews are advertisements disguised as reviews. I can't stand that whole influencer bullshit.

[@Suped_BIGRIG_350mph]

Didnt expect this much brutal honesty, but I'm into it

[@dexstrumental]

So basically because of this video, now we have the amazing Microcosm in all it’s glory. You should get points or credit at least. I’m crazy in love with my new Microcosm and no video does it justice.

[@xaqary]

Your videos are getting crazy good

[@infinaneek]

To fix the Lori tone: Hold one of the footswitches (I forget which one) and turn the drive or dry knob... one of them becomes tone and the other becomes master volume.

[@cassildaandcarcosa294]

i got this pedal because of this review and because it was so brutally honest.

[@codyhyke6371]

There is a knob thats secondary function is tone. If you hold down A while rotating the drive knob you can adjust the tone. Yours is probably rolled back for some reason. I get identical tone with it swept fully clockwise.

[@annother3350]

This should be pinned if true

[@Cloroqx]

"I could have just flipped the not garbage switch on the side" - auch.

[@jonaseggen2230]

Despite that you don't like to give bad reviewed, or maybe because of it, I find this one really good, so fun to watch + now I can get that thing out of my I want list. Thank you : ) And the super Ego + is so much cheaper..

[@JCBigCat]

I was looking for this. Take the Super Ego and put some modulation in its Send Return and you basically have this pedal AND that "something" you put in S/R and still you're saving money.

[@skyreadersociety6183]

mine is on the way, curious if I will join eventually the expensive, super cool, but useless boutique pedal victims. update - pedal arrived: yes - bypass and full dry are very different. You are right - full dry kind of bandpasses the signal, cutting away both bass and treble. The pedal is really more lofi and all sounds have a noticeable lag, maybe the processor is just not powerful enough for short latency.

[@bijanayati38]

Great video and great channel. Keep it up man. Your synthesis videos blew my mind.

[@okidot]

Nice to see someone point out the shitty aspects, however im pretty much sold on it. I have a few pieces of gear that are tricky to find the sweet spots, but the sweet spots are golden! This pedal seems much more like a creative/experimental tool opposed to a functional one. It seems quite analog in the sense that it will only come to life when the circuitry is being pushed a little (needs 'x' amount of drive/input to hit fx thresholds)

[@alexyoungbased]

I had some similar issues that you had with the pedal, but it was redeemed for me when I started running synths and instruments mic'd with a contact mic through it. I may enjoy it more for synths than guitars, and with synths, I started stumbling upon some seriously extra-dimensional sounds. Also, the lack of tap tempo for the glitch mode was a nuisance, but I figured out that the longest subdivision of Glitch A and B comes out to 117.6 BPM, which has really allowed me to take full advantage of those modes in a production setting.

[@alexyoungbased]

I'm glad you're not praising this pedal, but giving it an accurate assessment. The lack of tap temp and a stereo out seems to me to be the biggest drawbacks, but drawbacks that can be overcome by the features it does include.

[@YomYestreen]

Thank you for this video, saved me $425.

[@jrr832]

YomYestreen lol

[@JCBigCat]

me too!

[@DirectingSven]

my gain, your loss

[@BeniRoseMusic]

I know people are really appreciating the honestly and taking it off their list, but this video actually made me want it more because your struggling to understand it helped me understand it better, which the Knobs video wasn't really helping with (or maybe I just didn't have the patience for them to get to the explanations...and read them, while trying to look at the knobs)

[@uhldev]

Hey Ben, my Infinite Jets definitely cuts out a large chunk of the low frequencies and high frequencies on my Mother 32 when dry. You’re not alone.

[@WellsOliver]

Yeah. This. Don't buy this pedal if you're using it for a synth as you will lose a ton of range. Ugh.

[@ZaphodXLII]

Benn, are you still making another additive synthesis video? It's driving me nuts trying to figure out how you did that cello randomizer effect. I've been having a lot of fun looking into some additive synths I haven't messed with before though. Really liking Loom II. Now I'm experimenting with using reaktor for additive experimentation.

[@akwawka]

Like your struggles and comments with this ... alternately, Zachary Rizer has an excellent mastery.

[@Nomo_Popo]

You confirmed my worries about IJ. The 2 main factors I worried about were unpredictability and being underwhelmed with the sound and variety of effect. I was hoping for a video about IJ where someone actually spoke about it and gave criticism, so thanks!

[@SanguineYoru]

Nice review. Personally, I still plan on buying one

[@kotanecrosis96]

Same

[@gadd1111]

@@kotanecrosis96 I bought one, it's a buzz.

[@001239]

Great Video! I Would really like to hear your Take on the meris enzo and how your experience with the ij compares

[@marcbrasse747]

A general observation about the content of many musical equipment review channels: An instrument can be the best tool in the world but if you have no concept of what it could actually do for you depend on simply stumbling over good results by accident. Many well known instruments are popular because they tend to produce good results however bad they are set up. In that case the instrument however starts to compensate for bad programming / composing /conceptual thinking. This simply is a very basic granular sampler / delay. Nothing more. Nothing less. In that respect the price is indeed steep. Used with the right mindset it can however sound glorious. But first you'll have to actually start composing something in stead of just fumbling around in the dark.

[@pietdierickx]

Sadly, I have to agree with you. Thanks for the review. I was also looking for what I was doing wrong..... But, this is just the way the pedal sounds. Cold. Cheers.

[@robertsyrett1992]

RIP knobs youtube channel.

[@BluegumCounterpoint]

Love your work!

[@DirectingSven]

I also own a super ego and this pedal has its own unique functions that supplement a POG for the blur latches

[@sapienalien]

love the blade runner bit at 13:34

[@Unifono2012]

Very entertaining and honest. The knobs demos are still great :) I'd love to hear your opinion about elektron in a future video, particularly about the analog four

[@-thirteen]

It seems there are some cool things within the constraints of the pedal, you just have to work within its shortcomings to get them. Like most things.

[@dform8204]

Switching it to envelope following mode makes it far more useable imo

[@cesteacy]

Particle V2 by Red Panda also has this issue of volume/ tone loss. it just seems to shave off the lows.

[@SmokeSherm]

Thanks for the unbiased review. Saved me $$$

[@michaels5166]

Benn,it's a good thing you made them step up.I was not impressed at all,and it seemed like nothing was going on that I could not do with my ASR10 efx processing...

[@mgrn135]

It's a great video again ! Why don't you think to review some delay pedals ? Like Empress Echo System, Chase Bliss Tonal Recall or Thermae ?

[@DatKhajiit]

Love the review, hilarious intro - that being said, it isn’t really an intuitive pedal, I find it better to use prerecorded stuff, I guess you can use it live, but I don’t find it shines as well in a live setting. Definitely not a pedal that is amazing out of the box, it is fun tho feeding it into a computer.

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

I have one these, and to be honest I was underwhelmed also, however it really shines with other pedals! I know that sounds counterintuitive but I was most impressed with the Luminary 2 and the superego, iinfinate jets just adds something that I can’t really pinpoint! lol

[@JeanSuki]

I remember there being a pedal from EHX(?) that just does the blur stuff. Hows that called?

[@stevensims3342]

I thought with this thing you had to hold the B button for a couple seconds to give it something to work with.

[@gadd1111]

I just got this pedal, why does it take the top and bottom end off the clean guitar sound!? Apart from that i really like what it can do.

[@TheFunkyCriminal]

i would buy a glitch pedal made by this company. i love the idea of a glitch pedal but the closest thing there is is pretty much a really reactive tremolo from chase bliss. no resynthesized stuff on the chase bliss, itd be really cool if they could combine the resynthesis and the interactive tremolo to make a really awesome glitch pedal.

[@jojojiles]

Nick Merrick There are glitch pedals out there. Meris Ottobit Jr. and the Hexe Revolver both do pretty advanced glitching. They aren't cheap tho; you will prob pay around $400+ for one of these. I believe the Red Panda Particle will also do some glitching but not as advanced as the other two. There may even be another one I'm not thinking of right now.

[@TheFunkyCriminal]

hey dude those are really cool! thanks. dont have the money for them hahaha but its fun to watch.

[@boucharding]

dude I love your video start lol

[@iosifkalpaktsoglou2045]

Agree. I knew about the poor quality sounds but still bought it as the glitch mode is pretty good and thats what i was looking for. I already had the ottobit junior and mainly used the stutter mode so this has been a cool addition to stutter. Apart ftom that totally useless

[@hungmichael8]

Love your honest review, and your bjj hat. Keep it playful brah

[@davidsutton2585]

Great review, very helpful. Most of the other reviews of this pedal seemed sponsored or candy shop. Well done

[@veepedaldude9404]

Depends on the drive section. The eq shelving could be fixed with some simple mods.

[@GoldenDeathMusic]

hmmm...that degradation of the dry signal is pretty much a deal breaker for me. Thanks so much for this video. Does anyone know if their Dream Sequence suffers from the same issue? I'm still considering that, but would assume they both have similar input/output components. Damnit.

[@JCBigCat]

Instead of the Dream Sequence I found interesting the very much "snobbed" Boss, with its Slicer. Basically the same stuff and you save a lot of money.

[@GoldenDeathMusic]

@@JCBigCat cool, I was definitely looking into this as well. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@ChrisTopheRaz]

I don’t think that looked hipster. I think it’s kind of refreshing to see stuff like that and artistic. And I’m definitely not a hipster

[@mattswalgin5492]

My go to pedal to get weird on the Theremin.

[@chatolars]

Love your videos dude

[@BsYtHandle]

Did you rub some beard oil on it?

[@sumyunguy4150]

Where do you rent pedals???

[@MeatyController]

Hey there! There's a company called Pedal Genie, they have tons of high-end stuff you can try without committing.

[@samw6414]

i really hate pedals that cut out harmonic content. i have a few overdrive pedals that all scoop out a bunch of low end and i cant get my juicy synth bass through it

[@ZaphodXLII]

13:33 Bladerunner

[@MeatyController]

Like anything I saw? Your chonies!

[@dillipphunbar7924]

ha! cheeky biscuit

[@williamsturgiss5275]

I liked the casual Blade Runner in there. Also, would like to see any recommendations of reverbs in lower price ranges. For people just entering the analog synth world the $400+ for an Empress (despite it sounding lovely) is pretty steep.

[@MrBothandNether]

Look into used stereo rackmount Lexicon or TC Electronics units, etc. -they are probably some of the best bang for the buck, so to speak. Depends on what you need, stereo delays are a plus, but some of the older units are pre-midi. Fwiw, a Vintage Fender 6G15 reverb unit costs much more than an Empress -and technically does much less... Another cool thing about the freakier pedals is their used price :) I own a '61 6G15 & with that and a used Meris Mercury 7, I was inspired enough to write the chords & lyrics to a song. It just meant saving twice as long as a TC electronics HOF to get the used Meris 7 (Pedal was apparently Designed w/ the Blade Runner soundtrack in mind)

[@williamsturgiss5275]

Thanks for the tips! When my squirreled away cash cache gets big enough, I'll look these up and see if I can find one of these used gems.

[@frankfrank7921]

I never saw this pedal as a standalone effect. I put it in front of or after my reverbs like Walrus Audio Slo, OBNE Dark Star and others. Same with flangers, phasers and delays.Also throw in EQD Arpanoid for good measure. Get some real interesting sounds and still experimenting. Haven't yet tried to see how Infinite Jets and EHX Superego Plus will respond to each other. This is not an intuitive pedal, it's definitely an RTFM affair. Finally, the on board drive kinda sucks.

[@droid7500]

Where do you rent effect pedals from?

[@dillipphunbar7924]

loved the intro.....yeah this pedal seems very experimental...don't have the money anyway

[@MsGyroscope]

THE VR FISHING AHAHAHAH

[@quavor1]

Ah man I'm so gutted to hear that tone suck. I've been eyeing up this pedal for a while now but I can't, in good conscience, spend that much money on something that thins out my guitar tone like that. Can anyone recommend a pedal that does the same sort of thing (glitchy fucked sample play backs) but without the tone loss?

[@HominidInterneticus]

I experienced the same tone problems with the earlier version of this pedal. The dream sequence. It's murky sounding. I sold it the same week I bought it. The short time I used it, I ended up feeling as productive as having watched cat videos on youtube for 2hrs straight. I can't afford being snake-charmed for too long tweaking a loop. It turns into a long, sonic navel-gazing session after a while, and I'm just not that much into ambient guitar.

[@chinmeysway]

a similar struggle seems about accurate to what i’d be going through after purchase. hard decision on this one! glad to see things portrayed honestly rather than only beautified.

[@longmeaderulez]

When you've got the dry up past 50 almost 90% of the time this pedal might not be for you. Just saying...

[@kevinbirge2130]

It’s not a pedal, it’s a synthesizer that requires audio input.

[@abandonshipproductions]

Would love to see you review Sensory Percussion!

[@2bitnpc]

Music is ageless. I think it sounded good. After about a year of playing with this I bet you could make some great music. You get out what you put in

[@timwoodruff]

A different video from a different channel started randomly playing in another tab at the 0:10 mark and advertising some discount on a sample library. I legit thought you were trolling us with someone else's hipster influencer voice. Weirdest coincidence ever.

[@therealandrew185]

I personally love this pedal, but I can get your perspective. You bought that guitar because you thought it sounded beautiful, this pedal feels like it's taking away from your guitar. But the way I think of it is, the Infinite Jets is it's own instrument. Sounds a bit cliche I know, but it doesn't have to feel like you're letting go of something you love, you can still put that plug straight into your amp, and get your guitar back, this pedal isn't your guitar, and it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be a synth. Put that mix on 10, go into the blur up an octave and try to hear the pedal as it's own thing. Don't try to listen for your guitar, we're listening to this pedal speaking for itself. Hope this makes you feel like you didn't waste your money, but in the end, maybe it's not for everyone.

[@mattryan2489]

I love this pedal. I think if they had second knobs instead of the secondary features it would make it a lot easier to dial in a sound you like a lot quicker. It certainly is not for everyone, but you kind of seemed predisposed to not like it. I think if you pulled out the manual and sat down with it for an afternoon you may find a new appreciation for it. There is a big difference between a review and a demo. A demo should not be critical and should objectively highlight the features of the pedal and its capabilities so that the audience can come to their own conclusion. That is why knobs is so popular - its like someone walking you through the instruction manual while giving you great examples. Then I can make my mind up if I want to buy it or not.

[@Relemsis]

dat glitch 🅱 tho

[@FelloniousMonk22]

DRIVE KNOB??

[@kckrye]

ARTCORE as in the AS73 double cutaway semi-hollow body??

[@victoreijkhout6146]

I'm hearing a lot of cool sounds here. But I wish they'd found a way to smooth the transition between sample repeats. That nervous tremolo really gets on my nerves.

[@ModernDevotion]

I needs muh pristine harmonics in muh glitches

[@tpeters4081]

I love the opening gag on this video, is there any chance you can cover the prophet 08 in the future?

[@tommyconancoates7097]

Mocks hipsterism yet has every single item that would make one a hipster.

[@glenesis]

Dry....Sounds just like my Crate 15R practice amp clean.

[@chyl0764]

This pedal needs a lot of work. The drive knob is worthless...give it just a quarter turn and watch your ears bleed. And the fact that I have to edit many of the adjustments when I turn the power back on is annoying (some settings aren’t saved into the “user a/b presets”).

[@2bitnpc]

I want one

[@doombringer1505]

To me, it's a "ONE SOUND" pedal for gigging. A song that has a passage where this box of knobs would be useful. Other than that, on a desk, in a recording only environment, is where it belongs. If a working guitarist had it on the floor, and needed to change sounds, he'd be bent at the waist the entire show. Twiddling. This "thing" may be interesting to some, but not my cup of tea.

[@jakewheeler9027]

Hilarious intro

[@kdakan]

I don't like ambient effects in general, I find it boring to listen to and it kills any feeling of expression on what I'm playing.

[@RuslanKalashnikov]

0:29 for Benn strippin;)

[@MeatyController]

Ruslan Kalashnikov 💙😁

[@MsGyroscope]

omg im loving the hipster intro hahaha

[@kid_missive]

Those are not super tight jeans! >:(

[@TW-AZ]

Please cover the Specular Tempus :)

[@DirectingSven]

this pedal with a keyboard or synth is a gamechanger my dude

[@DirectingSven]

I've made killer sounds on this, a zoom 70cdr and a $5 goodwill bins casio keyboards from the 80s

[@DirectingSven]

glitch and blur are the best. i use either no octave or both octave on the blur and i love to automate the glitch mode

[@DirectingSven]

but you can do awesome pitch swells driving the lfo

[@brexxebender1204]

For 425... I doubt that I'd grab this. I was gonna get a used one BUT it's pretty much like most boutique pedals, alot of noise but no uses for songwriting or live performances.. maybe try out the dream sequencer... The price is what kills this pedal!

[@DBCisco]

Get an EHX x9 pedal or two instead. ;)

[@kierenmoore3236]

No "Not garbage" switch on the side of this one, I'm afraid. Perhaps there's a "Suck less" internal trimpot?!