The Walrus Audio Fable is my FAVORITE Granular Delay | Secret Weapons Demo & Review

Why do so many builders miss the mark on granular delay? I don't know why, but what I can tell you is that this dual DSP ambient marvel from Walrus Audio absolutely nails it. So lets dig in.
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Signal Path:
Origin Cali76
Benson Boost
Benson Preamp
Walrus Julia
Walrus Fable
Strymon Timeline
Strymon Bigsky
UA Ruby and Dream
Timecodes:
00:00 Song
02:10 Review
07:47 Clean Tone and Context
09:39 Control Overview / Program 1
09:46 Mix Control
10:22 Tone Control
13:30 Mod Control
14:42 Understanding Time and X Controls
18:33 Understanding Feedback and Regen Controls
27:13 Program 2 (Delay + Octave Up Grains)
32:20 Program 3 (Analog Delay + Half Speed Grains)
35:44 Program 4 (Multi Tap Grains + Multi Tap Grains)
39:52 Program 5 (Delay + Randomized Grains)
43:48 Program 5 Massive Ambience
Recorded in Universal Audio LUNA
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[@collincaruthers9796]

This just broke my brain on what I thought ambient guitar is and how to achieve it….those textures/pitches cascading into a lush bed of faux reverb….and you didn’t even have reverb on for most of the video! Blowing my mind right now….🤯

[@anthonyagins7872]

Dude number 5 setting is my all time favorite on this one! I honestly might have to break the bank on this one, great video man!!! I’m thinking of the endless possibilities mixing this one and the microcosm!!!

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

I dropped by to learn more about the pedal and mesmerized by your guitars and you’re playing. Great video… Subscribing immediately. Thanks

[@larrydoyle2427]

Fantastic and thorough demo. Inspiring! I've owned this pedal since it came out but haven't had time to dig deep into it. I've had your video in my "watch later" cache for a while. It's later. Thank you for all the amazing ideas for approaching getting the most out of this. I've watched so many various granular demos - and the Fable always sounds the most musical, and you made it absolutely sing. My GAS for a Mood has just turned down to simmer. Fable has all the sounds I need, for now. Awesome work, Mark!

[@vector_23]

Yep. I just traded my 2OOD away, and am now leaning toward this...

[@TheSalinski]

Best demo of this pedal on the tube!

[@paultaylorfollowframe3579]

I just picked fable up today and played it next to lore got some fantastic sounds can play this for hours thanks for your video amazing stuff dude

[@mcny40]

Great video with detailed explanations! I saw your comments on the difference between the Fable and the Microcosm (which I own), but it sounds to me like the Microcosm is somehow more musical. That said, as I’m more and more into ambient music, your channel has become one of my favorite. Great work!

[@Lavr_Georgich]

Same feeling. I’ve got microcosm too. And it’s awesome. But… it’s a very big pedal. So I’m thinking about changing it. And the main question is can fable replace microcosm in the field of granular delay?

[@stevesmith3990]

Thanks for this, I just got one, what a joy this pedal is.

[@ediththeband]

Wow, that second half was absolutely stunning. It is so cool to see how far you have taken these intro songs Mark. Also it's awesome to see you incorporate tapping into your stuff! I really like that style and do a lot of tapping in my videos. :)

[@Wirus002]

+

[@LoVeAmBiEnT]

Such a nice pedal. Right now I’m running the Thermae into this and then into a nice stereo Reverb. Also, just doing swells. It’s been fun. The Thermae just doing its thing and then getting mangled a little bit then sent into the stratosphere with some vongon ultrasheer. Yesssssss

[@mrmeeks85]

Pedal Jesus does it again 🤘🏼 Great stuff

[@ryanluchuck8445]

Fantastic review!

[@anthonyxthiessen]

Great deep dive!

[@saltstream]

Mark great vid as always. Beautiful intro and the way you present is always off the charts good. So an honest question for you, as you know I'm a fan already. Where do you stand on this being a mono pedal? What about the lack of midi clock for tap tempo to keep sync with other time based effects? It's very hard to keep 3 or 4 pedals in sync tapping on all of them! It seems very strange that Walrus wouldn't consider this as an option. I understand they are not fan's of stereo pedals in general I suppose. They seem to have a problem developing anything with stereo in/out. Maybe I'm too pedantic but I'm sure lots of other's are also scratching their heads with their output!

[@markjohnstonofficial]

I don’t mind a lack of midi clock for a granular thing honestly. A delay like this gets so skittery and blurry so fast that it’s not really what I would need it for anyways. I would always prefer things have the option of stereo but I know what walrus mainly traffics in with releases like this and “it’s not stereo” isn’t really a worthwhile complaint for me because 1. It’s not like it was something they shot for and missed and 2. I end up finding specific use cases for it as a mono pedal (see the timeline swell trick)

[@sandyturner1911]

I just sold my MOOD pedal..I've had the Red Panda Particle V2.. I Was thinking of getting another one, for the glitchy thing..I also have the Microcosm..But this pedal sounds Great! And it makes a lot more sense, to me. I wish I had paid more attention to it, when it came out. Now I just need a companion Reverb. Not necessarily the Lore, but something interesting. Thanks for a great demo!

[@Antoniooomusic]

Hi Mark, thanks for your content, pretty impressive! Would it be possible to recreate some of the Fable sounds with the Meris LVX?

[@4gave1]

They absolutely did..next level!

[@ArgonautsMusicalTravellings]

Probably the pedal to get over here in the EU until Hologram starts working with a dealer for the Microcosm at a reasonable price. That mode 5 is probably what most of us are after anyway 😅 With the mix dialed back further that'd be the bed I'd want to lay any riff in. Another great in depth demo with beautiful playing. Thanks!

[@scottejohnson83]

I beg your pardon… But I LOVE reverb shimmer 😂. Phenomenal demo man!

[@frankbarbiere7331]

Another fantastic deep dive, thank you so much for all your excellent work. While I love the sounds here, how do you feel it stands up next to the Microcosm? Do you feel like this is different enough to stand on its own, or redundant if you already own a Microcosm? Sounds like the ease of use and parameters here stand out, but I worry about the utility of having both.

[@markjohnstonofficial]

I like feeling like I have a real sense of control over parameters here that I don’t think the microcosm offers (where you just have a semi nebulous “activity” knob that changes things with vague gestures). I also don’t think the microcosm is THAT much it a granular thing as much as it is a lot of other better things.

[@bobsavage3317]

Beautiful

[@konradkuczera8658]

Kaizen? With ambient music ? I thought that i AM the only ambient player with 7 and 8 strings. Amazing video as always. Love from Poland

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Still getting used to this beast of a guitar but I LOVE it.

[@konradkuczera8658]

@@markjohnstonofficial are you going to make a demo of IT in an ambient music context?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

That’d be fun to do, I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it happen but it’s a great idea. Pretty much any video on this channel takes between 1-3 days to complete which makes any idea a pretty heavy investment.

[@AmbientMelancholy]

Awesome video! I found your video while looking for demos of this pedal. In the intro, your arrangement had some percussion...I wanted to ask what you used to create and add the drums?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

GGD modern & massive

[@AmbientMelancholy]

@@markjohnstonofficial Thanks!

[@rtbold2999]

This is the best demo of this pedal out there…by far. Not even close actually.

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

oh my god - that 5. program - outro sound ..... heaven on Earth ,- i would love it with my bluesky , and the Cosmos from Vlad "The Crazy Russki" :-) Walrus should make a small "mini" pedal - called "The 5. Prog." - with that last setting only - for a 5. of the price , ofcourse ,- :-)

[@coffeedudeguy]

Would be nice to have this in stereo, and at least some presets. Too many good sounds, but no way to quickly switch between favourites in a live setting

[@funkyfurballs1078]

Exactly...I'd gladly pay extra for those features.

[@OliverEvergreen]

​@@funkyfurballs1078 and that would be microcosm.

[@jim4588]

I agree. Particle 2 recently added stereo panning and ping pong for grains and it really helped close the gap between particle and morphagene for me.

[@patrickr6505]

Fable 2 obviously

[@ArgonautsMusicalTravellings]

Mark, have you tried this with some heavier tones? Does that work or does it get too chaotic? Basically, will it Shoegaze? 😅

[@nateclaflin3553]

awesome video, would be great if you could increase the talking volume a tiny bit, i kept having to adjust volume each time you talk and then would forget and the guitar blasts my ears lol

[@AVCOME]

Hello Mark, i already have hologram microcosm, i’m looking for the mood mk2, this Walrus Fable will complete these two or is to much? OR Should i get the Walrus Fable instead the mk2 Thank you

[@davidenique753]

Hi! When the signal is wet or half wet, is there a lost of volume? Thank you !

[@lapuestanegraofficial5044]

Honestly what chorus sounds better to you the julia / Julianna from walrus or the new sea bee from beetronics ?:))

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Haven’t played the Juliana, I’ve only got the julia in mono. If you just want pure 80’s chorus lushness then the julia/na is probably the easier call (less work for sure) but the Seabee is absolutely wild and will allow you to do so much more

[@nicholasrella6904]

I wonder how it compares to the Red Panda. I’d love to see a side by side.

[@patrickr6505]

Red Panda what?..

[@annedeoedipus7849]

Mark, I have a Microcosm and a Slotva. What is my argument for buying Fable (because algorithm 5 makes me want to buy one)?

[@ArgonautsMusicalTravellings]

Doesn't the Microcosm have at least one algorithm that does that? It does have that randomized pitch and direction thing, right?

[@joshuavelazquez8303]

I wish this was in stereo.

[@ShaighJosephson]

Fable and Lore both should have been done in stereo and have midi to sync the clocks...

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

What about the Meris LVX??? It EATS THIS FOR LUNCH and is in STEREO. I wanted Fable when I saw it but then I plugge din my LVX and came to my senses. What about you Mark? You made some of the best LVX sounds of anyone.

[@chrisfass]

It's also double the price of the fable

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

@@chrisfass The fable is some hipster trendy POS forgettable pedal, the Meris LVX is a "Timeline replacement" or the top delay pedal in the world kind of right now. LVX can do any sound, fable can do glitchy stupid stuff that is popular this month.

[@markjohnstonofficial]

LVX is amazing and does a ton of stuff incredibly well. I prefer stereo 90% of the time as well but I do just straight up like the granular here more than I do in the LVX. I like the workflow, I like the functional choices being made here, and I really like both the analog delay into half time and the program 5 with the randomized Grains. LVX is great but its not for everyone and everything. I think Walrus did a specific thing I like for a specific purpose here more.

[@lapuestanegraofficial5044]

Fuck paying 500plus lol

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

@@lapuestanegraofficial5044 Penny wise, pound foolish.

[@banwavy]

Particle 2? Mastro Valvola LEM? LVX? I mean, I’ll just take them all, please! Great video as usual!

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Havent ever played the Particle. LVX is phenomenal and does so many things so well but the granular stuff on it doesnt connect with me as well as this does, despite my preferring stereo 90% of the time.

[@TheSalinski]

@@markjohnstonofficial the Fable does look to be very playable. If not stereo at least it should have a TRS expression feature. Particle 2 played just into its freeze zone is amazing.

[@flux1968]

I was also wondering how this stacked up to the Particle.

[@IsaiahGrande]

It isn’t awkward or weird for you to ask for likes and subscribes. You put serious work into these videos and you deserve them. Excellent video!

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Appreciate that. I’ve managed consistent, if slow, growth by making VERY high effort videos and staying in my own lane potentially to a fault. I love getting to do this and want to grow it to a place where I can devote the time I think it deserves but self promo will always feel gross to me. I think that’s probably a good side to err on

[@ben-alexandercassell1615]

Mark, how would you go about fitting this pedal into your workflow? I love the sounds of this pedal, but as others have noted, the lack of stereo, presets, and midi really lowers the usability.

[@nealpike6611]

I want this but I also want a mood haha

[@KoaCharvel]

Did you see the release this week of version 2 of the Mood?

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

I want this for $60. Thats what its worth.

[@rocksully]

I love these new Walrus Audio reverbs. I wish they were stereo though.

[@underoath16v]

Not Reverb this one, this one is granular delay...Lore is Reverb...

[@LoVeAmBiEnT]

A lot of people complaining that it’s not stereo and I feel like you must not make that much music because you realize that everything is stereo gets boring. You need interesting things mono so stereo can accentuate it.

[@HYENABLOOD]

@@LoVeAmBiEnT I think something that gets overlooked here and was my biggest qualm with my lore even though I love it is that even if you didn’t want to use this specifically as the stereo generation point it dictates where in your signal chain it can go. I’d love to use the lore after my microcosm but it would sum everything to mono and even if I was fine in certain songs with that, when I do want stereo I’d have to move everything on my board around again. It’s not that I absolutely have to widen everything every time but it makes these less flexible in signal chains where you want to implement stereo. Not having the option at all in pedals very obviously marketed at ambient soundscaping is worse than people overusing it imo.

[@benjamincoggins6568]

Exactly. Its a question of signal paths, and no stereo means you have to use it upstream of your stereo path, which severely limits what you can do with it.

[@patrickr6505]

​​@@HYENABLOODI agree..Pedals like this which are more or less specifically aimed at Ambient soundscapes should be in stereo so you can place it anywhere in your signal chain... because any ambient focused pedalboards will have stereo pedals as well as mono..

[@danielasebsen787]

"No one ever likes reverb shimmer."😂

[@markjohnstonofficial]

I stand by that.

[@meatmeep3462]

Mono with no MIDI? Nah.

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

This pedal sounds blurry next to the LVX.

[@LoVeAmBiEnT]

Which is awesome if I wanted to super clarity, I would not buy this pedal and just get a digital delay

[@LoVeAmBiEnT]

Ok tho. Thanks for mentioning that.

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

@@LoVeAmBiEnT I dont think you get it, it sounds like its using that old chip that old pedals use. Good luch spending $300 on a throwaway pedal people will forget about next week. Invest wisely, invest in quality...

[@danielallen2510]

You’ll never get your loot back on that Meris man.

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

@@danielallen2510 Dude, people are using timeline over 10 years later. The LVX was MADE BY the guys that made not only timeline, but its literally the most leading edge futuristic pedal there is right now. (Beside modelers like fractal or quad cortex). It has a TON of effects to the point where is sort of is a multi effect, compressors, limiters, tbe preamps, casette preamps, op amps, all modulation effects, all parametric, barper pole, comb filter eq, tons of delay types, reverb options, modifiers for anything, midi, stereo in/out, and it LITERALLY is the BEST SOUNDING PEDAL out of any hipster glitchy thing like Microcosm, Generation Loss V2, etc. So yeah, I think this pedal is set for the next 10 or 20 years. Again I actually think the Fable is cool as hell, love the artwork, love the sound was thinking of immediately buying it, but then I realized "man this sounds blurry in all the demos, like low res" and then realized oh yeah the LVX does ALL this, does pitch harmonizer detune, scales, does granular, does ring mod, does bit crush, with TOTAL control like a scientist or doctor--- so why the hell would I buy this walrus thing, whcih sound like its built on that shitt y old chip everyone is using the FV chip or somthing. Sounds like a behringer pedal, but yeah it has cool artwork.

[@gregs6424]

Sounds killer, but no presets. no purchase. No point.

[@frankfrank7921]

Clearly your least favorite thing is a comb.