Introduction
The Catalinbread Zero Point is an interactive pedal that was inspired by the original studio
flanging effect - not the plugins or the rackmount units with thousands of options, but the old-
school version: two tape machines, a thumb, and lots of patience. Traditionally, the effect was
created by audio engineers and producers placing two copies of the same track on two different
tape machines, gradually slowing one of them down, and capturing the output as a new track.
Even before anyone pressed on the flange to slow down the tape, the natural wow and flutter of
two different machines would create a slow-rolling shallow phasing/flanging sound. Once the
flange was pressed down, the resulting comb-filtering would sweep across the full frequency
range, creating flanging. More adventurous producers found that inverting the phase of one of the
tracks would cause the comb filtering to sweep towards a “zero point” - where both signals are
equally delayed and perfectly out of phase, thus canceling each other out.
Our feeling is that when flange is applied with the feel of the music, the way that producers have
done it, it’s a more musical effect than when flanging is controlled by a rigid, predictable LFO. You
know that trite up and down flanger sound which had an expiration date back in 1992? (Don’t take
this the wrong way, we really do love The Cure).
Features
ON/OFF switch - turns pedal on and off"
FLANGE switch - Controls the up-sweep and down-sweep of the flange effect. When this
switch is pressed down, the flange effect sweeps upward. When the switch is released, the
flange effect sweeps back down. Essentially, this switch simulates applying pressure with your
thumb on the “flange”, creating the flanging effect. In subtractive mode, holding down the
momentary switch will eventually cause the two signals to cancel out when they’re delayed by
the same amount, and out of phase."
GAIN trimpot (internal) - controls the overall gain of the Zero Point. It’s factory-set for a very
slight bump in volume when the pedal is engaged. Because this trimpot is accessed from the
back of the pedal, the control range appears reversed: turn left to increase gain, turn right to
decrease gain.
Quick Start
Start out by first plugging your Zero Point in toward the end of your pedal chain, after your favorite
dirt box (may we suggest a Dirty Little Secret?). When you turn it on for the first time you will be
struck by how it adds a nice tape compression and gritty tape-like harmonics to your sound as
well as adding very subtle modulation simulating the tape machine tension arm’s effect on the
inertia of the moving tape.
Continue to play, and begin to hold down the flange button. You’ll notice that the somewhat
random and shallow flanging effect will begin to focus and sweep through the full frequency
range. Now, let the button go, and notice the tension arms and springs take up the tape slack and
bring you back to where you started. Within a short time of interacting with the Flange Push-
Button and playing you will find your mind free of thought, while music effortlessly flows from your
fingers.
