Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe

This pedal is incredibly simple to use with two knobs for "Intensity" and "Speed", a foot switch, and an LED to indicate on/off.

Then of course, you have an input & output, as well as plug-in connection.

One thing to be aware of is where you place the pedal in the signal chain! I'd say place it after distortion pedals or else the sound will be a lot subtler. Make sure to experiment and see what sounds best to you.

For classic "Vibe" tones, try a high intensity plus about half speed.

For "Leslie" tones, go with full intensity and 3/4 speed.

For something like a phaser, go with half speed and half intensity.

The sound of this pedal is that classic Uni-Vibe sound, and set differently, it can do a good "Leslie/rotating cabinet" sound and even a warm, more organic "phaser" sound.

I really do love this pedal for its tone and versatility, and almost instantly it became my favorite effect.

I was reading a Guitar Player review of this pedal, in an article from the mid 90s comparing "Uni-Vibe"-style pedals. It ranked the Fulltone 'Vibe as having the best sound, and said that while the Micro Vibe offered the best bang for the buck, it didn't "envelop" your guitar sound quite like the Fulltone 'Vibe did...

I'd have to agree with that, at least sometimes. While I really like this pedal, I was playing with it with a Strat and a Fender amp and wasn't quite getting the sound of the Vibe to quite "take over" my tone as much as I would have liked.

Still, this is an EXCELLENT sounding pedal and I do not regret purchasing it at all. It can do a lot more than get Jimi's vibe tone. The phaser-style and leslie-style tones definitely make this a worthwhile pedal for me to have.

Well, it looks tough enough to me.

I really dig this 'Vibe, not only for the Jimi tones, but for the warm, organic leslie tones and phaser tones. Not a one-trick pony pedal at all. Absolutely worth it, but I did save a fair chunk of change by picking this up used. If I were to pay full price, I'd check out the other 'Vibe pedals out there as well. Having said that, I still might stick with the Micro Vibe over other brands.

Two knobs for Intensity and Speed plus and On/Off toggle. Can't get much easier than this. That said, while it's easy to use, you do have to take some time on placing it correctly in your signal chain: Before or after my OD pedals. I finally decided on placing it after my OD pedals. While not quite as intense in this position, I found that it worked a lot better vib'ing a distorted signal than distorting a vibe signal.

Subtle chorus to thick, syrupy vibe. It's truly beautiful. Others have mentioned that it sounds better with a Strat. I disagree. I use it with an ES-333 a Korina Explorer and a Strat, and it sounds awesome with all those guitars.

Another mentioned that it sucked tone. I haven't found that to be the case at all. It certainly alters your sound, which it's supposed to, but tonally, it's clean. I dig this pedal! That said, it does seem as if your EQ does get a bit scooped, but it's not severe, and by no means did I feel that my tone got sucked in any way.

In any case, this is a gorgeous sounding pedal.

I haven't had it for long, but it's very solidly built, so I'm expecting it to be very reliable.

I called tech support to ask them a few questions about rig placement and power requirements, and the person I spoke with was both knowledgeable and friendly. A good combination.

I write and cover music that crosses a wide variety of genres, though as of late I've been leaning towards the blues and classic 70's rock tone. The Micro Vibe gives me the tone that I want from psychedelic to leslie. It has a permanent spot on my board.

I chose the Micro Vibe over the Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe after A/B'ing both for over an hour, and I chose it for a couple of reasons. First, price. You just can't go wrong when you get true bypass switching and great tone through a wide range of settings for almost half the price of the Deja Vibe.

Secondly, even though it doesn't have a vibrato switch like the Deja, in "vibe" mode, I just preferred the sound it produced. It has a tad darker color than the Deja. Not that the Deja's tone is bad. It's not, but I simply preferred the darker coloring of the Micro Vibe. The Deja Vibe's "pulse" is also much more subtle. I really wanted a more "in your face" pulse.

Being an analog pedal, you really do have to take the time to find the sweet spots for different songs, and take a bit of time finding the right position in your signal chain, but believe me, it's totally worth it, and you won't be disappointed.

Very easy to use the two knobs. You only have to experiment with your effects-chain in your setup. I prefer to use it after the guitar before the overdrives. Then small adjustments on the Intensity for your taste when you play with your band.

I use Strat (Kinman Avn-blues pickups)-Boss tuner-Line6 dl4-H&K Rotosphere-MXR phase90-VoodooLab MicroVibe-BuddaWah-Fuzzface69 and more in to a Marshall Superbass ??72 with 1960AX+BX loaded w/ G12H speakers. For me this is "THE UNIVIBE SOUND". I have a little problem with the switch in off position. Then I often get a weak, noisy sound out...I have to turn it on and off again to make the switch connecting well again. I am getting the right kind of Hendrix-Trower-SRV-Bramhall2 swoooaarrling out from this box. Have always to remember that the other equipment is very much affecting the Vibe sound. For me the Greenbacks (G12M) are way too muddy sounding. I prefer G12H or other speakers w/ more definition for my setup and that really makes a big deal for this effect.

The switch is now a little unsure...i think electrospray will help here...I use it w/ my MXR phase90 as a backup...

From Custom-Sounds.com I??ve always been friendly met...

We play mostly classic 60-70-2000 rock...I think the box-size and price is good here...Buy one if you like to get a very good Vibe sound in a small box for not soo much money...

This is probably the easiest effect pedal to operate short of the one knob Phase 90. Two knobs speed and intensity. Basic rule of effect use holds to this as well if you are trying to hold a musical tone that's useful during actual playing; more speed/less depth. YOu cannot get a bad sound out of this unit just depends if you are trying to get a fast pulse Lesli effect or a slow deep pulse.

I have loved the Univibe effect since it was invented. I began having problems with my reissue Dunlop Univibe that I have had for about 7 years or so. For some reason when I bought the foot controller for it years back something happened to it and it would not work anymore without it. The sound quality was fine it just would not function without the special foot controller plugged in. (This requires a special stereo to stereo 1/4" cable by the way.) Anyway, I have been wanting to replace this unit as I have been upgrading my pedal board. I have looked at all Univibe possibilities, I even had an original years and years ago, God I wish I would have kept it for the money value. Modern units are all vastly superior to the bulky original. I liked my reissue for a long time, just sick of having to have the foot controller which I always have to fiddle with to get the Trower pulse I love. I was seriously considering Fulltone becaise Trower uses all Fulltone now and I have the OCD which is tremendous (see other review). I ran across this Voodoo Lab pedal and the cost was lke half of anything else. How could I go wrong giving this a shot? I was not disapointed. The box and sheet for this states it is a modern circuit design of the original 1969 Univibe. The size was so small I was skeptical. The sound is there, all there, and this has real by-pass most execellent. I found no problems with this unit from a range of pickup positions and clean to heavy distortion. It could be a little more bolder on clean settings but that can be compensated easily. My rig can do anything. Adding a slight drive or distortion brings out the typical modulating phaser sound and the more you add in the way of effects the more psychodelic you get. I love it myself. The price and quality is peerless. I will not spend that much for a Fulltone when I have this little jewel. I recommend this pedal as a supreme value and sound quality. If you like the Univibe do get one. I am prompted to check out more from Voodoo Lab.

No reason if you are doing gigs and use the Univibe as part your sound to have a backup. This pedal is well made and should last as long as anything would. Voodoo LAb has my vote, I am going to look into some of their other stuff. I love effects, always have, if one learns how to use them and make them become a part of the sound playinfg is rather boring without them. I am a Trower maven, not to mention Hendrix's use of this pedal and SRV. If you have not used a Univibe before it's too cool. A Univibe is not a chorus pedal or a phaser, exactly. It is a mutant offspring, actually a four mode phaser modulator, designed to have a very musical warble.

Not really a good question for a new pedal. I have never had much of anything fail in a lot of years. Never talked to Voodoo Lab.

Buy one. If you like the Univibe effect this is a little jewel. I don;t have much to say about batteries. I had to resort to batteries for backup when my new Gator power supply would not work right out of the box. I have used a custom pedal board for years. I recently got a new Tonebone Slanted Board which I am just loving. All cables can be run up through any hidden holes on the board. To sound like a pro you need to pro your equipment. The Micro Vibe is never leaving my chain. I played my Carvins through this, a Les Paul type humbuckler and a strat type single coil it was pure Univibe, the real by-pass is a God send as well.

very easy to use, plug in, twirl knobs and go.

NOTE: Much discussion about the trim pot--- see my comments below

Very good, unbeatable at this price, and better than many more expensive units like the Fulltone, and runs on a single 9V battery. When the trim is adjusted correctly, very nice watery garble, which is exactly what this kind of effect is all about.

Here's the best univibe sound I can locate:
http://www.foxroxelectronics.com/ bear in mind, this pedal is WAY expensive and out of production, about $500 for one these days. But for me, it is the benchmark for univbe sound. Sound clips of the Captain Coconut here http://www.foxroxelectronics.com/

Now, with this in mind, and sorry I haven't made any Microvibe clips, but you can hear here: http://www.voodoolab.com/microvibe.htm
unfortunately, I frankly don't like any of these clips that much, but it will give you a good idea of what the pedal sounds like in various configurations and styles-- Although the speed is not variable like the CC2 EEC, the sound is VERY VERY close to this

I can get a nice thick 3D sound, just what the doctor ordered.

Two things to keep in mind-- the univibe effect sounds best played with a Strat in the neck pickup position. That's just how it is, and what you expect to hear from this effect--- that watery gurgle. Played through a humbucker, or bridge pickup-- it just won't sound as good, it just won't give you that perfect signature water gurgle. OKAY?

#2 THE TRIM POT-- lots of discussion about this. You CAN play with it, but chances are you won't improve on the factory setting, unless the tech wasn't paying attention-- which of course, is possible.

If you've messed with it, and want the best sound, and don't know where the factory left it here's some guidelines

A) It is NOT SIMPLE AN INTENSITY ADJUSTMENT, as one comment suggested. Yes, it does adjust the intensity of the light bulb inside which reacts with the photocells-- but making the effect "more intense" is not the product of increasing the pot position. What it ultimately does is change the intensity of the relative INTERACTION between various PHASE SINE PEAKS. You have to listen very closely to hear this.

For example, if you turn the pot fully counter clockwise (from the open back facing the underside of the circuit board, no, you shouldn't have to remove the board from later models) you get a very pronounced peak of one aspect of the sound-- but this is disproportionate for the effect you want, and you will totally lose that nice watery phasey gurgle- even though you get one part of the signal accentuated.

If you turn the pot fully clockwise, you get just the opposite effect, and the peak disappears, and not much effect at all if anything.

Where you want it is somewhere in the middle-- AND HERE'S HOW YOU DO IT:

Make sure you have your guitar plugged in, and a new battery. Use the neck pickup position, and preferably a Stratocaster, treble tone all the way up.

a) Turn down the lights in your room, so ambient lighting is fairly dim.

b)Adjust the speed so its about in the middle, not too fast, not too slow, a nice slow walk.

c) Turn the trim pot fully counter clockwise. You'll see the lightbulb through the circuit board, and get bright and get dim on and off. Notice, if you turn the pot clockwise, the light will get dimmer and dimmer. All the way clockwise, you can't see the light at all.

d) Adjust the pot slowly clockwise from the very conspicuous bright fully counterclockwise position , until you can just barely not see it shine through the circuit board any more. THAT'S THE APPROXIMATE PLACE YOU WANT IT. If you can still see the light pulsing, go a little more clockwise, till it just vanishes.

e) You should actually here TWO DIFFERENT TONES HAPPENING at this point- two different sine wave peaks. That's what creates the watery effect. If you just crank the trim pot fully counterclockwise, sure, you'll hear a lot of effect, but you lose the water gurgle, and you'll end up with just one peak at half the rate than if you adjust correctly. Fine tune

By the way I HAVE TRIED MODIFYING THIS PEDAL by adding a jumper for the R2 resistor. DON'T BOTHER, doesn't help anything, and I went back to the stock resistor.

Some people have messed with the trim pot and suddenly all the effect dissapears or the photo light becomes errated. YES this will happen with the trim pot adjusted fully counterclockwise. Please adjust as instructed above.

Otherwise, no problems with this pedal for me.

An excellent pedal, for $100, you can't do better, and my guess is that you can get a boutique vibe and do much worse, as my experience with the Fulltune vibe (tried a couple of them including the one with the speed pedal).

Neil Slade
professional musician and other
http://www.BrainRadar.com
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Speed/Intensity/Footswitch -- done! I had an original Univibe in the 70s and loved it but always wished it had been simpler.
I'm the K.I.S. type. (K.I.S.S. is too complex.)

SO great to hear that awesome sound again! Utterly stunning -- a mystical shimmer on clean settings and an unbelievable grinding, seething distortion! And it???s plenty versatile; I was concerned it might be ???Hendrix Only??? but not at all. I totally love it!
I usually play a MIM Strat through a Classic 30 or Cube 60. It's definitely a Ten.

It's well-built. No issues after 6 months.

Never dealt with the company -- they sound accountable.

My style: Rock/Blues/Jazz/Country/Roots, since the late 60s. I love this pedal -- it's like the old Univibe "reincarnated!" With my band (classic/original mix) I can switch this thing on and suddenly find myself thinking "WOW -- is that ME playing??" This total other dimension opens up --- unexplainable!

Two knobs, one for instensity, one for speed. Dead easy to use.

There are no bad sounds in this unit. Even with the intesity on low it still provides a subtle effect right through to the most intense psychedelic acid scape you could imagine.

I think this nails the uni-vibe sound better than the Fulltone Mini Deja-Vibe pedal. It is much more organic and chewy sounding.

So nothing has happened to it. Not gigging at the moment but I'm sure I could rely on this thing. It's built like brick shithouse!

For the money this thing is a great value product. It's handmade and also true bypass.

I tried it against the Mini Deja-Vibe and liked this a whole lot better.

Just get one!

Two knobs is easy enough.

Makes a hissing noise when run into an overdriven amp. Works you tone through dark/treble cycles. Makes a throbbing sound. Robs you of some bass response. A bit too pristine sounding when compared to the Jimi or Trower sound. Very thick effect with intensity up.

Only has about one part to go wrong, the light bulb. As we all know light bulbs are not going to go forever like an led. I would like to see an LED based unit for this fact alone.

The trim pot? IS NOT A TONE CONTROL! it adjusts the peak intensity of the light bulb inside. This unit flashes a light bulb from off to on and the LDR units adjust their resistance based on the light hitting them. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET A BETTER SOUND BY ADJUSTING THE TRIM POT. The trim pot is like turning up or down the intensity control, in that the light buld glows brighter or dimmer. So people that think they have adjusted it to sound better are imagining things. All they have done is change the position of their intensity control.

Maybe I don't really like this effect. It is not spatial at all and I like my Nady FL-10 flanger because it is lush and spatial. A univibe has no delay elements so it is not going to be 3 dimensional. It is stricly 2D and it lacks to me, although it is very thick and dominant it is also very dead sounding. It is like you shot heroin and are just feeling really compressed. It is not a happy uplifting effect.

2 knobs, so it doesn't take much fiddling to get different sounds

I sent it back. Perhaps my expectations were too high based on users' reviews, but I found major tone suckage, especially in the low end. Took away the dynamics and sparkle. Tried it both before and after OD pedals. Better dynamics at the front of the chain, but the microvibe's noise followed the swooshy pattern, which I found to get amplified by the OD pedals. After OD, just mushy. Running strat->Keeley Mod BD2 -> Keeley Mod TS9 -> JS2 Fuzz -> Silverface champ or DR

Seems well built

Probably good for the money, but not as transparent as I was hoping.

Very easy to use. Very intuitive. Somewhat lacking in versatility as a result, but very easy to get a cool sound.

Sound is really nice. I borrowed a Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe witch was heaven-sent, but very pricey. I agree with the last reviewer that you should experiment with its placement in your rig, but wherever it ends up the tones are rich, deep and surprisingly warm. They don't overcolour your sound either, so you can still hear the nuances of your playing through it... that's the real test of any effect as I see it.

I have had a couple of switch mishaps. Just minor ones where the switch didn't take or something, I don't really know what happened. Other than those couple of incidents over a year of use, it's been perfectly reliable. I have to wonder how long it might last though.

Never dealt with Voodoo Lab

I use this effect to vary or deepen my tones whenever it might sound iteresting. Occasionally it really adds colour to a good arpeggio or slow chording. Solos sound wicked through it. If it were stolen, I must admit I would upgrade to the far superior Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe, but if you're not sure how much you might use a vibe, or you're on a budget, this is an indispensable value for the quality of the sound at the price.