Qi Etherealizer
The Qi Etherealizer (pronounced “chee ethereal-izer”), a collaborative creation with Yvette Young, is a multi-effects pedal that combines Chorus, Delay, Granular effects, and, of course, Reverb, into a creative playground for atmospheric exploration.
Known for her innovative and explorative fingerstyle playing technique, love of guitar pedals, and leadership of the math rock band Covet, the Qi reflects her approach to creating lush, evolving soundscapes. Named after the vital life energy that flows through all living things, the Qi is designed to deliver rich textures, expansive atmospheres, and dynamic layers. By blending Yvette’s artistic vision with cutting-edge design, the Qi opens the door to immersive, otherworldly sounds.
“I hope that it will inspire people to be excited to have colors and textures to play with. I think this is going to be a wonderful tool for people to create ambient sounds and add interest to their playing! …I want people to think about their melodies and how they can start to sound a little less guitar-y and more…magical!” – Yvette Young
The Qi allows you to mix and match the chorus, delay, and grain effects and run them in series or parallel to create your own inspiring universe of possibility in a stereo field. With the ability to save presets and bypass the chorus, delay, and grain controls, you can quickly and instantly change settings by simultaneously pressing the Bypass and Freeze stomp switches. Go from a traditional chorus with a little bit of delay to letting the Qi take over with unexplainable washes of glitchy and lush ambiance. Whatever your style is, the Qi will give it a new life.
Global Controls:
- Space Knob: Adds a delightfully charming reverb to your affected signal. Modify the mix and decay of the reverb to go from smaller room sounds to huge, diffused ambient reverbs at maximum settings. It’s lush and complimentary, perfect for dreamscape soundscapes.
- Tone Knob: Controls the cutoff of a synth-style resonant low-pass filter, shaping the tone of the effect output.
- Series and Parallel:
- Series: Effects feed into each other in the order of Chorus > Delay > Grain > Output.
- Parallel: All effect outputs (Chorus, Delay, Grain) are summed together and do not feed into each other. In parallel mode, the top-row knobs act as level controls for each effect.
- Mix/Dry Parameter: Controls the mix of wet and dry signals in series mode and the dry level in parallel mode.
Grain Controls:
The Grain effect features two modes:
- Grain Cloud: Triggers small samples (grains) randomly from your playing, adding glitchy textures. The X knob controls the time between grains, ranging from dense clusters to sparse accents.
- Phrase Sample: Triggers grains rhythmically based on initial peaks in your playing. The X knob sets the playback tempo, or it can sync to the Delay time at the minimum position.
The Grain effect also features five playback modes:
- x1: Normal
- x2: Double-speed and +1 octave
- x.5: Half-speed and -1 octave
- REV: Reverse playback
- RNDM: Randomized combination of the previous modes
Delay Controls:
The delay effect is a full, clean digital delay with repeats up to two seconds. Use the Time Knob to control the time between delays and the Feedback Knob to set the number of repeats. The TAP/OSC switch can set tap tempo or ramp up feedback when held, causing delay oscillation.
Subdivisions:
- Quarter Note
- Dotted Eighth Note
- Eighth Note
Chorus Controls:
The Chorus effect offers two modes:
- Tri Chorus: Multi-dimensional, with lush, modulated sounds from three voices.
- Stereo Chorus: A classic chorus effect with modulation offset 180° in the right channel for stereo width.
Other Features:
- Three onboard presets (Red, Green, Blue) plus a live mode (White).
- TRS MIDI ⅛” in and thru ports for MIDI control.
- USB-C port for future firmware updates.
- Momentary Grain Freeze.
- Momentary Grain + Max Reverb Freeze.
Specs:
- Finish: Terracotta with original artwork by Yvette Young OR matte black with cream ink.
- Inputs: 2x 1/4” unbalanced input jacks (Stereo Left and Right).
- Outputs: 2x 1/4” unbalanced output jacks (Stereo Left and Right).
- Output Impedance: 220 Ohm.
- Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz.
- MIDI Ports: 1/8” TRS MIDI In (Type A) and Thru (Type A).
- Power: 9V DC, center negative (300mA minimum). Use an isolated power supply (daisy chains not recommended).
- Dimensions: 5.83” x 4.87” x 2.30” (with knobs).
Note: Power supply not included.
