Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage review: dual-engine reverb pedal takes your synths on a colorful adventure full of lush soundscapes.
Reverb pedal news! The Greek company Crazy Tube Circuits has released Mirage, a new stereo reverb pedal that specializes in ambient soundscapes. The developers promise that it harmonizes well with synthesizers.
I was asked if I could take a closer look at the pedal. I took the opportunity and I’ve been testing it for the past two weeks. Here is my full review.
Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage
Mirage comes in a classic cardboard box. A power supply is not included, as is the case with most pedals these days. There are exceptions, such as Eventide, which prefers to offer different voltage specifications than other companies.
Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage is a stereo reverb pedal consisting of two engines. Important note: The dual reverb engine is entirely digital, while the signal path is analog.
Each engine is independent, has its own parameter set, and ships with 2×8 algorithms. More on this later. Let’s take a look at the backside where the connectivity is located. They have come up with something special here.
Mono & Stereo Connectivity & Beyond
At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary stereo reverb: two mono inputs and two mono outputs, each with 6.3mm jacks, with the power supply input located in the center.
However, if you examine the labeling, you’ll notice that there’s an ‘in’ and an ‘out’ on each side. Additionally, output 1 and input 2 have secondary labels indicating ‘send’ and ‘return’.
The reason for this is clever. Mirage is not only a stereo reverb with a dual engine, but also a dual reverb—two independent reverb pedals in one box.
This characteristic, along with the somewhat unusual input/output configuration, allows you to feed the pedal with two different signals and have a separate reverb for each.
Two Mono Reverb & Send/Return Setup
The attached picture shows a demo with an IK Multimedia UNO Synth connected on the first channel while the Arturia MicroFreak is on channel 2. Each synth has its own reverb algorithm and parameter settings.
Alternatively, you can use one instrument and route the signal to the first reverb, then out to another pedal, and then back into the second. The dedicated send and return options for output one and input 2 make this possible.
This opens up a broad field of sound design. For my demo, I used one of my old overdrive pedal (Boss Super Overdrive SD-1), as shown in the picture, and placed it between the two reverbs. The first one has more subtle reverb settings, and the one after the distortion has significantly different settings.
In a second demo, I switched the hybrid Eventide Rose Delay between the reverbs for a very atmospheric, moving sound collage.
Of course, you can also use the Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage pedal as a regular stereo reverb with stereo connectivity on two mono 6.3mm jacks.
This unique connectivity and mirrored engine setup are certainly one of the key features of this pedal that sets it apart from other stereo reverbs.
Expressivity
Mirage has two footswitches. Using the switch right next to the second, you can choose whether each footswitch turns on/off each reverb, or one of them turns both on/off. This is also the way to play mono sources with stereo reverb.
Part of the connectivity is also an expression pedal input on the left side that can be mapped to both parameters. Each reverb side has its own map button for this. Further, you can find a kill-dry function and two selectable bypass modes (true/trails).
16 Algorithms
The time has come. We are at the algorithms. There are 16 of them, divided into two banks of eight each. Each reverb has access to the same algorithms. Using clicky buttons on each side, you can easily and conveniently switch between the two banks.
Instead of just whether a button is pressed or not, I would have liked an LED to indicate which bank I’m currently on.
Two banks and two reverberation directions. Choose from natural classics like plate, spring, cathedral in the bank 1, or explore the ambient territory with shimmer (of course), modulation, infinite sustain, and more in the ambient/experimental bank 2.
- bank 1: plate, cathedral, hall, room, spring, springer, Inchindown oil tanks, and gated
- bank 2: up shimmer, down shimmer, dual shimmer, pitch shimmer, repeater, moduverb, frozen hall, and infinite
Two simple knobs (swell, excite) let you adjust the algorithms. Not 4, 6, or 8. There are only two, which are macro controls that simultaneously tweak multiple parameters in the engine. For example, in the plate algorithm, the swell controls the size and decay.
This makes the Mirage incredibly easy to use and very hands-on. No display, no submenus, and even no presets—a very analog-style interface concept. Alongside the swell and excite parameters, each side also has a dedicated reverb volume level and dry/wet mix.
256 Reverb Algorithm Combinations
If you want a classic stereo reverb sound, select the same reverb with the same parameters on each side. There’s something tricky here, though. To avoid level differences, both sides have to match. I didn’t always succeed in doing this right away.
I would have liked to have a switch for such scenarios where one side of the parameters would control both reverbs at the same time.
Selecting a different, distinct algorithm for each channel (L/R) in the stereo configuration makes the pedal more fun and creative. This allows you to decouple from the classic stereo algorithm way of thinking and design your special reverb.
Left a cathedral and right a pitch shimmer, or left a up shimmer and right a modulation reverb… There are 256 algorithm combinations possible, and there are so many that I couldn’t cover them all in one video.
Mirage reverb in practice
Combining algorithms and switching them instantly at any time is a fascinating feature of the Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage reverb pedal. It feels like you have not 16 but 256 algorithms with which you can send sound into space.
The algorithms all sound very high-quality. The shimmer algorithms, in particular, are very subtle and don’t stand out with a penetrating, dominant character like many other shimmer reverbs I tried. They bear the stamp of being very smooth and musical.
My favorites of the 16 are the Cathedral, Springs, the unique Inchindown oil tanks, the dual shimmer, and the Frozen Hall. There were no glitches or noise. Everything sounds very smooth, high-quality, and inspiring. Even when changing parameters, the engine doesn’t twitch.
Swell and Excite, the only parameters for the reverbs, cover a wide sound spectrum. The Swell pot is primarily responsible for the length of the reverb tails (decay), while the Excite pot controls various sound processing, pitch shift, and modulation parameters.
These two “macro” parameters won’t be enough for reverb fans who want to fine-tune the reverberation down to the last detail. However, if you want high-quality reverbs that don’t require a lot of tweaking, these are the right ones for you.
With just a few tweaks, I quickly created beautiful, varied reverbs ranging from classic subtle to absolute ambient drone. I miss, however, a bit of the authentic sound of stereo reverb algorithms.
You can notice that the mono reverbs in the stereo image lack some dynamics and spatiality, which true stereo reverbs can achieve much better.
Also, the dedicated reverb volumes were a bit challenging for me because you have to make sure that both are the same; otherwise, you get a stereo sound that is different in volume on the left and right.
Sound Demo With Synths
Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage review conclusion
Crazy Tube Circuits offers with its new Mirage a very high-quality reverb pedal that inspires and awakens creativity. There’s something for every reverberation taste. From classic bread-and-butter reverbs that can be used anywhere to ambient/experimental modes that instantly turn your sounds into ethereal soundscapes.
The ability to use Mirage as a mono, dual mono, or stereo reverb is a huge plus not only for workflows but also for sound design. The same applies to the ability to combine algorithms (256 combos!) seamlessly as desired.
A downer here is the lack of true stereo algorithms. Combining the mono reverbs into a stereo signal is excellent fun and experimental; however, the final result is lacking the richness and depth of true stereo reverbs.
This reverb fun is very hands-on, simple, and intuitive to use. No display, no menu-diving… You’d almost think you were using a classic analog synth, it’s that simple.
This simplicity, however, has a slight downside. It somewhat limits the user’s ability to explore the depths of the reverbs. Two parameters were sufficient for me during testing. However, you can’t delve very deeply, and you’re more likely to scratch the surface.
Pro
- reverb algorithm quality
- mixing reverb algorithms
- flexible routing (2-in-1 pedal, mono, stereo…)
- compact form factor
- high build quality
Neutral
- two macro controls instead of full parameter controls
Contra
- No global volume control
- two mono reverb algorithms put in stereo versus true stereo reverb algorithms
Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage is available now for 329€. A power supply is not included in the box.
More information here: Crazy Tube Circuits
Available at my partner.
Thomann
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