Basic Spring Reverb And Tremolo Operation; Reverb Effect Engines; Tremolo Effect Engines - Source Audio True Spring Reverb User Manual

Basic Spring Reverb and Tremolo Operation

The True Spring's reverb effects are based on a mechanical design originated by the Hammond Organ
Company™ in the late 1930s. This stark design uses a pair of input and output transducers to inject
an instrument's dry signal into an actual set of spring coils and capture the very distinct
reverberations as the sound bounces back and forth within the springs. Of course, Leo Fender
adopted this design in the 1960s with the Fender Twin Reverb™ and Deluxe Reverb™ amplifiers and a
revolution was born.
The True Spring Reverb also has the capability to combine its spring reverbs with any of the pedal's
three classic tremolo effects - Opto, Harmonic, and Bias. There are a number of different designs for
creating the amplitude modulation known as Tremolo (see the descriptions below). The iconic effects
pairing of tremolo and spring reverb create a timeless sound as relevant and exciting today as it was
over 50 years ago.

Reverb Effect Engines

The True Spring includes three basic reverb types.
Short Spring
Modeled after the unmistakable twang of the Fender Twin Reverb™ and Deluxe Reverb™ amplifiers
of the 1960s. After extensive research we found tremendous diversity in the spring reverb sounds of
a variety of amps. Some offered a tighter, less animated tone while others sounded "drippier," with
longer sustain and livelier reverb trails. The SHORT Spring reverb engine offers a taut sound with a
quick decay and smooth trails.
Long Spring
Produces long and deep reverb decays with noticeable "drip" and highly animated trails. The LONG
Spring engine is not as dramatic as the TANK Reverb engine, but does offer an extremely authentic
representation of some of the livelier reverb tanks found in vintage combo amps.
Tank Reverb
Captures the unmistakable effect of the tube driven outboard spring tanks of the 60s. The sound of
reverb tanks like the classic Fender 6G15™ are characterized by their "drippy" attack and animated
trail. This original two-spring design produces a bouncing, delay like sound inseparable from the early
days of surf rock and spaghetti western soundtracks.

Tremolo Effect Engines

The True Spring also includes three different flavors of tremolo. Any of the True Spring's tremolos
can be mixed and matched with any of the spring reverb engines.
Opto Tremolo
Optical tremolo (a.k.a. "Photocell Tremolo") is the effect found in many combo amps of the 1960s.
This version of tremolo relies upon a neon light bulb and a light dependent resistor called an
"optocoupler." An LFO controls the brightness of the neon light, which is picked up by the resistor,
and translated to output gain. The non-symmetrical aspects of the light and the optocoupler give the
tremolo a distinct choppy character, due to its quick ramp up in volume and more gradual decline.
SA247 True Spring Reverb User Guide 9