The team at Old Blood Noise Endeavors has returned to their first pedal for a warm revival with a couple of new features and tweaks. Warm, murky, and full of character, the Black Fountain is back.
Maintaining the same ingenuity with which it was first crafted in 2014, the Black Fountain V3 stands out among similar delay effect pedals. The circuit is crafted to be reminiscent of original oil can delay pedals, where delay trails are soaked with rich modulation when pushed to the limit to wobble in an otherworldly fashion. Though the digitally emulated sounds of oil can delay play the starring role in the Black Fountain, the pedal is versatile enough to dial in an array of delayed tones for a variety of scenarios.
The Black Fountain's specialty in creating dark and murky delay tones is impressive. With a number of qualities to control, the Black Fountain creates its signature tones with accuracy and finesse. The pedal offers several unique controls to create its one-of-a-kind sound:
Black Fountain Controls
FLUID
Acting as a modulation control, the depth and rate of the effect modulation can be altered. When turned down, the delay repeats remain darker, warmer, and more subdued. When turned up, the repeats become more modulated, bordering on a vibrato repeat effect.
FEEDBACK
Controlling the amount of delayed signal that gets fed back into the pedal, this allows players to create a wash of overflowing delay repeats when turned up and a more controlled number of repeats when turned down.
TIME and MIX
Staying fairly straightforward in delay controls, the amount of time delayed and the amount of presence of wet signal can be controlled individually.
Three Modes: Modern, Vintage & Organ
One of the outstanding features of the Black Fountain is the choice of three delay modes. Modern, Vintage, and Organ modes all produce a unique delay effect while staying true to the Black Fountain sound.
Vintage mode conjures a grittier and more muddied delay trail that keeps things washed and murky. Modern mode creates a brighter and more controlled tone that keeps repeats clearer. Organ mode presents a new way to explore the Black Fountain's tonal capabilities. By automatically fixing the delay time to around 200 milliseconds, Organ mode reconfigures the Time knob to control the rate of the modulation effect, rather than the delay time of the effect. This control allows players to more finely adjust modulation rate to create more wild delay trails with plenty of movement. Along with a subdivision control toggle, a tap tempo feature, and expression compatibility, the Black Fountain is deeply interactive to experiment and tinker with or to swap styles on the fly. The Black Fountain strikes an excellent balance for a delay that has plenty of utility played on stage or deeply explored in the studio.
Conclusion:
The rippling and resonant tones of the Black Fountain V3 make it an exceptional standout among delay effect pedals. Delving into a unique voice of delay, the Black Fountain V3 provides plenty of avenues to explore with an unconventional tone. From deep and bluesy to wobbling and washed, the Black Fountain's oil can voice rings out in a way very few pedals can attempt to match. Exploring the dark side of delay has never been more exciting.
