This one is for experimenters, adventurers and noise makers. Totally not for purists and/or sound lovers. There are no "natural sounds" coming out of this box. It takes a modern DSP and uses it as a tool from the future past to create real-time pitch change using digital oscillators.
The Rainbow Machine has been completely re-engineered from the ground up in pixie dust to be more versatile, twice as loud as the original, with extended delay time, deeper chorus tones, quiet flexiswitch pedals at times on the Activate (1) and Magic Functions (2), and above all, more Magic.
The Rainbow Machine is built around a DSP pitch warp engine designed to be slightly imperfect; colored with digital remnants of the cosmic dust we've collected across the multiverse. That is to say, it's a cold digital beast made to pretend it has feelings.
The Pitch control (3) adjusts the frequency of the pitch-distorted polyphonic harmony from a fourth below your input, to a third above, and every atonal pitch in between. Noon is the unison position. Pitch can also be controlled via the expression pedal. Use the Primary function control (4) to adjust the polyphonic harmony volume.
The Tracking control (5) adjusts the latency between wet and dry signals. Tone (6) attenuates some highs for a darker, more vintage sound. Clockwise tone adjustments are bright, counterclockwise are dark.
The Secondary control (7) adds an octave to the Primary harmony. When the Pitch control is above noon, Secondary adds an octave above the harmony. When the Pitch control is below 12 o'clock, the Secondary control will add an octave below the harmony. With Pitch set to noon, the sub control adds an additional chorus voice for three-track modulated tones. Use this control to mix in faux shimmer sounds or a low-frequency rumble. It's yours. From there, it's just a matter of how weird you want to get.
And you can choose how weird you get with Magic control (8). This is a regeneration control that creates aliasing (among other things) by bouncing primary and secondary signals back on themselves and each other, and a bunch of other stuff that no one understands.
With the magic engaged and the control set low, you can squeeze a few extra reps out of whatever setting you're using. As you increase the Magic control, you will begin to notice increased ambience, resonant delays, wobble edge pitch change delays, chorus, metallic digi-flanging, ascending pixie runs (or descending), controllable self-oscillation, gusts of synthetic noise, whale song and finally distortion. It will take you far beyond and open your third eye, trust us. In conjunction with tracking control, magic creates wild takeoffs and descents, chaotic choruses, screams, moans, gurgles, wizard-blessed magic, signal transformation, impending destruction, and others general chaos.
Maybe you just want to get weird for a second? Okay, with the Rainbow Machine enabled, hold down the Magic pedal, get weird, then release to go back to your old, boring, magic-free guitar sound. Or, press the switch as usual, and the Magic stays on until you press the switch again. The same goes for the Activate switch. Press and hold to use the Rainbow Machine as a momentary effect, then release to bypass; or feel free to flip the switch as usual and use the Rainbow Machine as you would any other effects pedal.
Master Tape Chorus (with Momentary Magic Falling Stars)
Phantasms
Taking expression
This is an expression pedal control jack for pitch. The Pitch control is disabled when an expression pedal is inserted. We recommend using the Moog EP-2 or EP-3 with the Rainbow Machine and cannot guarantee that others will work.
Flexi-Switch® technology
This device features Flexi-Switch® technology! This relay-based true bypass switching style allows you to use momentary and latching style switching simultaneously.
For standard locking operation, press the footswitch once to activate the effect, then press again to bypass it.
For momentary operation, hold the pedal down for as long as you want to use the effect. Once you release the switch, the effect will be bypassed.
Since switching is relay based, it requires power to transmit the signal.
Power
This device uses a standard 9 volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel. We always recommend pedal-specific, transformer-isolated wall power supplies or multiple power supplies with isolated outputs. The pedals will make extra noise if there is ripple or impure power. Switching power supplies, daisy chains, and non-pedal-specific power supplies don't filter dirty power as well and let unwanted noise through. DO NOT OPERATE AT HIGHER VOLTAGES!