DEPTH: Controls the intensity of the tremolo. Many of the old Valco amps with tremolo only featured a SPEED control. There was no way to get less chop if you wanted. With the addition of this control, it not only makes the Valcoder’s tremolo sounds more versatile, but it also allows you to remove the tremolo portion of the circuit completely for use as a boost.

OUTPUT: This controls the overall output level of the Valcoder. Setting the INPUT control to minimum and turning up the OUTPUT knob will give you a cleaner tremolo sound that will match your bypassed signal in volume. Turning up the INPUT control will add some harmonics and grit, as well as volume. The OUTPUT control can be used to attenuate the volume boost available from the INPUT knob, should you want to get that gritty harmonic breakup at unity gain. The INPUT and OUTPUT controls can also help with the perceived volume drop of turning on a more typical tremolo effect.

SPEED: Controls the rate of the tremolo. The speed range was tuned with the classic Valco amp style tremolo in mind. It goes from a moderately slow speed to a fast chop. Faster SPEED settings benefit from turning down the DEPTH control, as this will soften the chop, or go crazy and crank both for full-on machine gun chatter!

INPUT: Essentially an input gain control. Increasing this control will boost your signal and add harmonic complexity. You can drive the tremolo into a gritty breakup when cranked, or use it as a gritty harmonic booster with the DEPTH control turned off.

The Valcoder accepts any high-quality filtered and regulated 9-18V DC power supply with a center-negative plug. It can also be powered by a 9V battery, with a low current draw of only 15mA, allowing a battery life of over 40 hours if the input is unplugged when not in use. If possible, experiment with different powering methods and note how they influence the sound and feel—there are notable differences that let you customize the pedal’s dynamic response to suit your setup!