The Lush Analog Liquid Swirl of a 1970s Landmark Modulation Icon
Introduced in the mid-1970s, the original gray-box Japanese Chorus Ensemble set the benchmark for all modulation pedals that followed. Its distinct, thick bucket-brigade textures and unique analog preamp character have graced iconic tracks by artists like The Police, Rush, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Cure. The Universal Audio UAFX Brigade Chorus & Vibrato condenses that massive, legendary sound into a compact, pedalboard-friendly design.
Instead of a generic digital approximation, Universal Audio has meticulously modeled every component of the original hardware—including its legendary BBD chip layout and its subtle, musical circuit sag. Whether you want to add a gentle acoustic shimmer, a wide stereo-like thickness to clean electric lines, or a warbly lo-fi vibrato, the Brigade Chorus & Vibrato responds with the same organic warmth and thick midrange presence as the rare vintage unit.
Product Description
True Chorus and Vibrato Multi-Mode Performance:
The Brigade Chorus & Vibrato features a dedicated Mode toggle switch, allowing you to instantly jump between two distinct analog modulation circuits:
Chorus Mode: Recreates the lush, sweeping, and immersive ensemble effect that made the original pedal famous. The chorus engine uses a fixed LFO speed tied directly to the Intensity knob, perfectly capturing the original unit's behavior to deliver a wide, swimming depth that beautifully glues chords together.
Vibrato Mode: Disengages the dry signal entirely to create a pure, pitch-modulated warble. Controlled by independent Rate and Depth controls, this setting ranges from a gentle, rotary-speaker style pulse to a fast, lo-fi pitch flutter that adds instant vibe to indie riffs, neo-soul chord progressions, and synthesizer tracks.
Faithful Analog Preamp Modeling for Instant Mojo:
One of the most celebrated "secret weapons" of the original 1976 hardware was its high-headroom analog preamp section. Even when the chorus effect was turned off, guitarists noticed that running through the pedal added a distinct harmonic warmth and presence that helped their tone cut through a mix.
Universal Audio has perfectly captured this characteristic behavior. The Brigade pedal features an authentic, always-active emulation of this vintage preamp path. It thickens your core signal, adds a touch of natural analog compression, and injects a musical mid-forward punch that makes your overall tone feel bigger, punchier, and more responsive.
Modern Technical Optimization and Pristine Signal Integrity:
Built to survive the demands of modern touring, the Brigade Chorus & Vibrato updates the vintage workflow with crucial contemporary features. It includes an Analog Dry-Through design, which ensures your dry instrument signal stays entirely in the analog domain to eliminate digital conversion artifacts and latency.
On the rear panel, a hardware slider switch lets you seamlessly configure the pedal's bypass behavior. Choose True Bypass for an absolute clean, uncompromised signal path when the pedal is off, or switch to Buffered Bypass to preserve your high-end signal integrity over long cable runs and complex pedalboard setups.
Key Features
AUTHENTIC BBD EMULATION: Component-level digital recreation of the legendary 1976 Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble bucket-brigade circuitry.
CHORUS & VIBRATO CHANNELS: Dedicated mode switch alternates between the classic, wide ensemble chorus and a pure, pitch-warbling vibrato.
VINTAGE ANALOG PREAMP MOJO: Impeccably models the original unit’s coveted input preamp stage to add rich harmonic thickness and mid-forward punch.
TACTILE MODULATION CONTROLS: Traditional hardware layout features independent Rate, Depth, and Intensity controls for intuitive tone sculpting.
PURE ANALOG DRY-THROUGH: Dry instrument signal remains untouched in the analog domain to protect dynamic tone integrity.
SWITCHABLE TRUE / BUFFERED BYPASS: Select between absolute true mechanical relay bypass or a pristine buffered path via the rear slider switch.
COMPACT, ROAD-READY BUILD: Ultra-rugged, die-cast aluminum enclosure designed to save valuable real estate on modern pedalboards.
FIRMWARE EXPANSION VIA USB: Features an onboard USB-C port for easy system registration and future desktop firmware updates.
