Hologram Electronics have announced that their latest effects pedal is now available for worldwide shipping. Chroma Console provides 20 stereo effects that cover everything from distortion and modulation to time-based processes, and is equipped with an intuitive set of controls designed to avoid the pitfalls associated with multi-effects units.
The company say that they are aware that, for many musicians, the mere mention of a multi-effects pedal conjures thoughts of tiny screens, underwhelming effects and endless menu-diving. With that in mind, they’ve endeavoured to deliver the opposite experience with Chroma Console, offering a flexible set of sounds inspired by both vintage and modern technology coupled with a simple user interface that encourages experimentation.
The pedal’s effects are organised into four discrete modules: Character, which covers dynamics and distortion; Movement, a collection of modulation effects; Diffusion, a range of time-based processors; and Texture, which, as its name suggests, contains a number of ‘textural’ effects. Each section is equipped with its own dedicated Amount knob that sets the level of the effect, and all but Texture also get an additional control that can be used to adjust key parameters for the type of effect. The modules can be used individually or in combination with each other, and users are free to configure the routing order to experiment with different signal chains.
A Gesture function makes it possible to record and loop parameter movements in real time to create everything from evolving saturation sounds to dramatic pitch-bending effects, and there’s also a built in 30-second looper that can be operated via a footswitch and routed either before or after the effects modules. Users can store and recall up to 80 presets, and a Dual Bypass function allows some effects to be tied to the bypass state with others left active — the exact configuration can be saved on a per-preset basis.
Chroma Console boasts a full stereo signal path (and also provides a mono-to-stereo mode) with I/O provided on four quarter-inch TS sockets, with a fifth offering connectivity with expression pedals. MIDI I/O is available on five-pin DIN connectors and via USB-C, and gives users full control of the pedal’s parameters as well as preset switching via Program Change messages.
Pricing & Availability
Chroma Console is available now, priced at $399.
