Nemphasis Liquid Mind review

80s-aping chorus box

  • £149
Reviews
By
( )
published
There's some useful tonal shading available via the Color control

MusicRadar Verdict

Languid 1980s-style modulation revived.

Pros

  • +

    Shimmery, spacious 80s-esque tone. High standard of construction.

Cons

  • -

    Not much.

MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.

A true Bucket Brigade Device, Nemphasis' Liquid Mind harks back to the early 80s heyday of chorus pedals.

For control, there are the usual speed and depth knobs, but there's also some useful tonal shading available via the Color control.

"If you're specifically looking for vintage analogue mono chorus sounds, you'll find them here"

Sound-wise, we're in that 80s analogue chorus zone: put next to a vintage Boss CE-2 - pretty much a yardstick for mono chorus in compact pedals - the sound is very similar, with that familiar shimmer and spaciousness.

Keeping the Liquid Mind's Color knob at a low setting mirrors the midrange warmth of the Boss, but turning it clockwise brightens the sound, imbuing it with a little more bite that could suit some musical contexts.

While a multi-modulation pedal will give you a range of flavours, sometimes a focused single pedal can nail it better. If you're specifically looking for vintage analogue mono chorus sounds, you'll find them here, with a modicum of tonal control for added versatility.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.