"...and at the time, I don't think I had even heard of the term 'effect pedal.’ But I did think that if this could be used for music, it would be really cool." - Fumio Mieda
Probably all at once the most prolific, influential, and funnily enough, earliest document of the Shin-ei Uni-Vibe modulation effect is on the song "Machine Gun" from Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys live album, recorded New Year's Day, 1970. The guitarist, entering a new decade, alluded to a new direction with the song as the colorful '60s began to fade in the rearview.
This direction involved greater improvisation and a more concentrated focus on funk-inspired instrumentation. The latter of these two distinctions particularly propelled by a new circuit at Hendrix's feet, the Shin-ei Uni-Vibe. Hendrix's hints at a musical direction for the decade became largely unrealized after his death nine months later.
It goes without saying, but Hendrix was a musical pioneer in more ways than one. For the sake of our conversation, Hendrix boldly clashed the many new musical engineering developments of his time to create something deeply thrilling, widely influential, and extensively enduring. One of the effects for which he is most famous became an archetype all its own. Wouldn't you know it, we're still talking about it today.
This is the JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk. 4 Chorus Vibrato.
Shop the JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4
Sweet As Honey
Introducing the JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 Chorus Vibrato
We kicked off this conversation with whom many consider to be the greatest guitarist of all time. Tough act to follow, right? Well, in talking about the JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 and the legendary Uni-Vibe in general, we also have to talk about another quieter, if unsung but nonetheless influential, musical name: Fumio Mieda.
For those who don't instantly recognize the name, Fumio Mieda is a man to whom institutions of music gear are indebted. One of history's biggest names in music gear engineering, Mieda is responsible for massive innovations in synthesizers during his tenure at Korg developing early monophonic and polyphonic synths, the MS-20 being one of his most famous contributions to the field. Mieda originally landed at Korg after developing (what was later dubbed) the Uni-Vibe with Japanese company Shin-ei, also known as Honey.
Live On the AirwavesMieda designed the original Uni-Vibe circuit in an attempt recreate the sounds of Radio Moscow – and no, that's not a proverbial turn of phrase. In the 1960s, Radio Moscow, or, the Radio Moscow World Service, the Soviet Union's international broadcasting station, was powerful enough to reach and interfere with Japanese radio waves. Mieda sought to translate the interesting tones of Radio Moscow's broadcasts to a musical device. According to Mieda, the sounds weren't clean and "full of noises and duplications," but he thought those characteristics could be interesting when used in music. His original design, the Shin-ei Psychedelic Machine, coupled a fuzz circuit with a "vibey" modulation that would later by itself become the Uni-Vibe.
Mieda went on to have a very long, very hands-on career with Korg developing designs for over fifty years. Now in his eighties, Mieda can be found, suit-and-tie, talking about his designs warmly and extensively as if they were assembled yesterday.
Today, our around-the-world journey lands us in Athens, Greece with JAM Pedals and the fourth iteration on their interpretation of Mr. Mieda's classic modulation effect. Let's talk about it.
"I think we were yet to call sounds 'psychedelic' then, but I sure was aiming for something psychedelic. I mean, the term itself was a fad, such as in, 'psychedelic fashion.’ But probably not in sounds. Anyway, 'psychedelic' was this sort of twisted, weird, swirling thing, right? That was its image. But I think I named it after I made the sound." - Fumio Mieda
Psychedelic Time Chamber
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 Chorus Vibrato Design and Tones
The JAM Pedals Retrovibe is among the guitar nerd community's favorite Uni-Vibe visions. This is for good reason, rest assured. JAM's all-analog, proprietary circuit lovingly recreates the Uni-Vibe vibe in this fourth iteration with some great, new building blocks to expand on not only the Uni-Vibe sound, but the RetroVibe experience in particular! Let's talk about some controls.
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 Chorus Vibrato Controls
Sharp-eyed readers might notice that we've got a pretty slim effect interface to work with, here. In classic RetroVibe (and Uni-Vibe) fashion, this is meant to facilitate quick inspiration without all the finagling from extraneous features to get to a good sound you might expect from other modern devices. Here we go.
- Depth – The intensity of the RetroVibe Mk.4's modulation. Since we're dealing with pitch modulation, our Depth control adjusts the intensity of said pitch bends. Clockwise for more, counterclockwise for less, no surprises there.
- Speed – The rate of the RetroVibe Mk.4's modulation. Just as you'd expect, the Speed control rocks from subtle pitch waves to rocky pitch washes that can really shape the overall sound and playability of the effect.
- Chorus/Vibrato – The mode of the RetroVibe Mk.4. Translating from the pedal's last version, a dedicated Chorus/Vibrato effect mode switch swaps between two more delineated lanes of effect. The Chorus mode, probably the more iconic Uni-Vibe style sound, features a particularly washy, "blinky"-style of modulation that envelopes your sound pretty heavily from the get-go. Vibrato cuts out a good bit of the filtered wash to focus on more concentrated note pitch modulation. We'll talk about these two modes more in a second.
The RetroVibe Mk.4 also features a new, dedicated tap footswitch. A new feature built-up from the Mk.3, this RetroVibe version presents new, hands-on, on-the-fly playability opportunities to really make modulated moments shine. More on this later.
"I did think that if this could be used for music, it would be really cool. I'm not a player, so I didn't know how, but if something like that could be used for guitars – well, I'm not even sure if I imagined guitars – anyway, I thought it had its place in music." - Fumio Mieda
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 Chorus Vibrato Tones
If you listen to Hendrix's late-career work, particularly in a live setting, you're sure to get a heaping dose of his original Uni-Vibe pedal. The tones of the Uni-Vibe, if you're just now finding out about them, are definitely a chorus modulation effect, though differ from your usual shimmery '80s blue box-style modulations. A Uni-Vibe modulation leans way more into heavily filtered, overwhelming, and washy sounds that get to phaser and wah territories sooner than your average bucket brigade stompbox.
Between the RetroVibe Mk.4's two effect modes, we're treated to a lush palette to paint with. The pedal's Chorus mode quickly drops us in for an enveloping log flume ride of modulation that instantly conjures up images of Leslie rotary speaker modulation. Definitely hearkening to Doppler effect modulations over sleek power ballad choruses, the RetroVibe Mk.4 plays with a masterful edge for those kinds of psychedelic-favored sounds. Its Vibrato mode is no slouch, either. Swapping to the downward position on the mode switch cuts out a lot of the Chorus mode's filtered deluge to home in on vibratos that get tightly twisted.
Cloudy But ClearBoth of these modes play with a very wide tonal spectrum to sift through. Part of what JAM Pedals focused on with this Mk.4 version was a more expansive sonic palette to explore and more usable sweet spots to hit throughout the two controls' sweeps. Something worth noting with the RetroVibe Mk.4, for both its modes, is its expertly balanced effect voice. What we mean by this is, while the RetroVibe Mk.4 yearns for the messy, warbly, fish-tank-style sounds of the sixties, it offers such an experience with a modern output that keeps a signal crisp, playable, and clear. The RetroVibe Mk.4 is a master of sixties-style haze, but its coinciding focus on keeping the effect legible in a mix is also worth noting.
Vibes Flow Eternal
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 Chorus Vibrato Further Functions
As we start winding down on the RetroVibe Mk.4, let's talk about some of the smaller functions that really elevate the whole experience.
- Tap Tempo – The RetroVibe Mk.4 is the first RetroVibe to feature dedicated tap tempo switching. With this function, players can change gears on their modulation on-the-fly with the added function of ramping. This RetroVibe's tap footswitch also features the ability to work as a ramp footswitch as it ramps up its speed remotely with the switch held down. Perfect for creating those slippery, discordant speed-ups, the pedal's ramp function makes it a one-and-done device for all kinds of noisy, modulated passages.
- Expression Control – Something of a companion to the tap tempo switch is the RetroVibe's onboard 1/4" expression connection. Reappearing from previous RetroVibe versions, JAM's expression connection can be used with external tap footswitches via a TS cable or external expression footpedals via a TRS cable. All in service of a fantastic playing experience, the routing out to a speed-sensitive expression footpedal also hearkens to the Uni-Vibe's original design with a speed pedal of its own.
The RetroVibe Mk.4 features even smaller functions to customize your experience just as you like it like an internal output level trimmer that adjusts the overall output level of the pedal to fit in with whatever other effects you have waiting downstream. Standard nine-volt DC center negative power operation and a size-reduced, now landscape-oriented casing make the RetroVibe Mk.4 easily slip into any board.
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 Chorus Vibrato Final Thoughts
For fans of the Uni-Vibe in any generation, in any configuration, the RetroVibe Mk.4 is definitely worth the trip. JAM Pedals really struts their stuff in this fourth iteration of one of their most beloved effects with expanded playability, connectivity, and tone. The RetroVibe's blinking, wavering, wobbling, drenching sounds are ready to go at the drop of a hat to hit what might be the gold standard of modern Uni-Vibes. There's heaping helpings of love baked into the heart of the RetroVibe Mk.4 for an authentic, sixties-style sound every time you fire it up. The sounds are lovingly hazy, but the vision is clear as day. The vibes are immaculate, the vibes are eternal.
