"'Scuse me, Egon? You said splitting the beams was bad!" - 'Ghostbusters' (1984)
The beam had split, barreled off headfirst into an infinite number of directions. Where did they go? Would they ever come back? We had a feeling. It only makes enough sense that our paths would cross again.
Following up on one of the first big "step-ups" from Oklahoma's wildest in original effect pedals, today we're talking about a masterful mix of sounds brought about by a pretty simple set of tools. Let's get into it.
This is the Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter V2 Distortion.
Shop the OBNE Beam Splitter V2
Perchance to Beam
Introducing the Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter V2 Distortion
Cast your net back to 2023. Old Blood Noise Endeavors is among the most revered and celebrated names in boutique, weirdo effect pedals. Flirting with bigger-box pedals and scaled-down clock-slider-enabled models, the brand debuts their Beam Splitter triple-tracking "trereo" distortion. This triple-barreled distortion loaded in three distinct dirt circuits, centered around a unique, though rather simple, studio-style concept: multi-tracking modulation. The Beam Splitter offered up to three distortion effects played in parallel with controls over delay time offsets to produce natural effects from mismatching timings in the distortions – slight offsets for chorus-style doubletracking, more drastic offsets for hazy delays, and plenty more found in between and throughout.
Today, the Beam Splitter V2 follows up on that original sonic philosophy with a number of welcomed updates and upgrades. The Beam Splitter V2 comes equipped with evolved tonality, a revised control interface, upgraded digital capabilities, and built-out connectivity. Assuming a new form familiar to their new wave of "stereo" pedals, the Beam Splitter V2 piles on the upgrades for a pedalboard-ready distortion unlike any you'll find elsewhere.
Pinch Splitter
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter V2 Distortion Controls and Design
As we alluded to, the Beam Splitter effect philosophy centers around the unique, natural sonic textures created from multi-tracking distorted guitars. The Beam Splitter V2 assumes this same sonic philosophy with closer control over such textures for more vivid and luscious palettes. Let's get into it.
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter V2 Distortion Controls
The Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter V2 lays out its triple-tracking experience with clear, intuitive design. Starting at the right of the pedal and following the usual signal flow direction leftward, we get our first, second, and third analog distortion circuits. Between these three distortions, we get a unique tone on each for offering variation in mixes. Grab the Beam Splitter's hard-clipping, soft/hard clipping, and transistor-based analog drives and assort them in a mix as you see fit. Each distortion offers a three-way control scheme with independent Volume, Gain, and Tone controls.
Moving downward from the top row of knobs, the Beam Splitter V2 assumes its true form. On each distortion circuit, we have a correlating set of delay controls. On two of the circuits, we have a dedicated delay, on the third, a stereo spread and variance control. We'll get to those in a minute.
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter V2 Distortion Delay Controls
This is probably the biggest learning curve of the Beam Splitter V2, but once we're over the hump, we're well on our way to tasty effect mixes. The most straightforward way to understand what the Beam Splitter V2 is getting at is to turn the volumes on your second and third distortion to zero and click the "Delay Select" button until its rightmost light is it up.
Here, with the Beam Splitter engaged, the rightmost Delay Select light lit, and our two leftmost distortions zeroed out, we can work with our rightmost distortion and its two delay controls. Turn up the "Time" control and hear the distortion's response slow down – strum a chord, hear the distortion not come out right on time. Turn up "Feedback" and hear the distortion thicken up. Turn both controls all the way to max and you get a delayed distortion stumbling over itself in delayed feedback. Apply this same philosophy to the leftmost drive and bombs away, you've got it.
Deviating DoublyThe center drive circuit features a unique control over the whole pedal, rather than another delay. The first, Spread, widens the pedal's stereo spread image, if you're routing out in stereo. The second, Deviate, is something of the pedal's ultimate party trick. When turned up, Deviate increases the rate of random deviations introduced in the pedal's two delay times. This control is meant to help better simulate the doubletracking artifacts brought about by having two guitars playing at once slightly out of sync, since chances are, two doubletracked guitars won't be completely identical. The Deviate knob helps in identifying the random jumps in delay times by lighting up and blinking in relation to its own rate. With these foundational controls in place, we can start shaping up with all the trademark weirdness and musicality Old Blood is so closely associated with.
Beam Supreme
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter V2 Distortion Tones and Playability
Alright, so the main plan with the Beam Splitter V2 is actually pretty basic, right? There's not really anything magical or mystical going on here, it's actually a pretty garden-variety effect that occurs naturally in the world. While there's some extra digital horsepower under the hood, we're working with a deceptively basic effect. However, you likely wouldn't guess that at first pass with the kind of sounds Beam Splitter V2 has on tap. This is what we mean.
Feel the BurnAt its most basic, the Beam Splitter V2's analog drives offer smooth, rich, warm distortions that you could, in theory, use for traditional rock stylings. That's surely not what you're here for, but nonetheless, the Beam Splitter V2's analog drive quality does pass the test. Use the Beam Splitter V2 to mix and match drive tones for a multi-barreled distortion circuit, if you're looking for a three-in-one drive.
That Sinking FeelingInching up on your distortion's delays and the Deviate control, we start to feel seasick with Beam Splitter. The doubletracking modulation effects, driven by the drives' Feedback controls, show themselves fairly quickly as tones get woozy and offset. Something truly worth noting is the interesting audible mirages two (or three) doubletracked guitars can create and how warbly and chorus-like things can get without any explicit chorus effects onboard.
Sea LegsMoving further up with Time offsets and Deviate randomness, Beam Splitter V2 heads into the further modulated horizon. With a heavy Deviate amount punched in, Beam Splitter gets into heavier modulation tones further away from a woozy, doubletracked chorus and closer to a spacey, blinking phaser or seasick vibrato. Work in lo-fi textures simultaneously as you burn through analog drives, if a hazy, warbly, distorted cup of tea sounds like yours.
PhenomenonThe Beam Splitter leans into the usual qualities of doubled instruments – chorus, phaser, and the like. However, its delay ranges also move into more direct delay and reverberated flavors when pushed to their limits. Maximize Time and Feedback and you find yourself with heavier, more delayed waves of distortion that start flirting with reverb cloud textures. Grab hold of Beam Splitter V2 at its most punched and otherworldly and elect it to the position of your sole shoegaze engine.
Long Division
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter V2 Distortion Further Functions
Like so many other modern Old Blood models, the Beam Splitter V2 comes equipped with veritably upgraded control and connection functions. Whatever your rig is looking like these days, the Beam Splitter is ready for it.
- Stereo/"Trereo" Connection – As we hope we've alluded to sufficiently by this point, the Beam Splitter V2 is fully stereo-capable. TRS-enabled input and output connections allow for stereo sound incoming and outgoing with regular mono-to-mono and mono-to-stereo routes available, also. What's more, to match its three drives, a mono TS cable into the input, a stereo TRS cable into the output, and another mono TS to the Aux connection will produce a mono-to-"trereo" output with all three distortions firing on all cylinders in parallel.
- Presets – Old Blood and their preset banks, who'd want to get between them? The Beam Splitter V2 features three onboard preset slots to work your favorite settings in for recall at the press of a button.
- MIDI and Expression – The Beam Splitter V2's controls are built out with a classic ¼" expression control connection and 1/8" MIDI connections. Whether you're into expression pedals or MIDI signals, the Beam Splitter can slot right into your gig-ready board or your desktop motherboard rig – wherever you'd like its unique doubletracking and authentic analog drive tone.
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter V2 Distortion Final Thoughts
Alright, so, what have we learned today?
For one, we learned about how inventive Old Blood with even their most celebrated circuits. The brand, certainly famous for reinvention and pushing their own designs further, proves themselves once again with the Beam Splitter V2. Bumping up the modernity of control, connection, and musicality of the Beam Splitter, Old Blood shows their stuff, making the effect better, faster, stronger. For another, we learned about how much you can get out of a pretty basic effect phenomenon. For what's a fairly simple effect philosophy, Beam Splitter V2 is a powerful and otherworldly effect that shakes out into so many different musical avenues smoothly and quickly.
Two signals, slightly (or not so slightly) offset in timing. How weird could it get?
