Some like their chorus tones toothache sweet. Others just want a hint of syrupy swirl. And no matter where you fall on that spectrum, the Sugarcube delivers.
We captured the essence of all our favourite chorus pedals from the 80s, added in a dash of rotary whirl and some crystallized pitch-shifting for good measure — and then wrapped it all up in a pedalboard-friendly package.
Of course, you get the MIDI, preset and expression pedal support you’ve come to expect from Alexander Pedals, but look — sugar addiction is real. Consider this your only warning.
Sugarcube features four distinct sound modes, each with its own sweet options.
- CHO mode is the iconic ‘70s and ‘80s analog chorus tone, with a single delay line and one voice. Rate and Depth control the modulation, while the Tweak knob adds additional voices mixed in from further down the delay line. In mono mode, up to three voices are available, but in stereo mode Sugarcube can mix up to six voices across the soundstage.
- DIM features two separate delay lines that move in opposite directions for a “motionless” chorus. This is usually much more subtle than the CHO mode and is excellent for adding space to your tone without a lot of warble. Tweak adds adjustable feedback for “flange”-type chorus sounds popular in the mid to late ‘80s.
- ROT is our recreation of the magical spinning speaker. The Tweak knob controls the mix between the upper rotors and the lower drum. We recommend you try this one with the Mix knob fully clockwise for the strongest effect, and it does sound way cooler in stereo.
- ICE an Alexander original, this mode adds an adjustable pitch shift to the chorus voices. The pitch is selectable from -1 Octave, Detune, + 5th, and +1 Octave. Try this with two different pitch settings on the Ramp footswitch for sliding modulation effects. We also love hearing this one with the Clock knob set low for grainy primitive “12-bit” digital effects.
