SOMA Laboratory are well known for taking experimental approach with their products, with many of their instruments and effects boasting rather intriguing, and often totally unique designs. Their latest offering comes in the form of a distortion pedal, and although it may seem more conventional at first glance, it still offers something a little different to the competition.
The pedal’s name, Harvezi Hazze, apparently translates from Georgian as "a fault on the transmission line" or "signal jamming", and SOMA say that the nature of these translations give users an idea of what to expect: an impediment to the input signal which can range from “pleasant harmonic distortions to complete obliteration”. Its signal chain consists of an optical compressor with fixed parameters, a dual-mode distorting amplifier with a range of clipping options, a waveshaper built around a unijunction transistor and a tone stack section designed to shape the resulting tones.
A Gain knob controls the level of the signal in the distorting amplifier, and is joined by a toggle switch that allows users to choose between soft clipping or a more aggressive tone with additional high harmonics, as well as engaging a ‘total feedback’ mode in which all of the controls begin to influence each other. With the toggle switch set to this third position, Harvezi Hazze will start to generate resonances, and can be driven into self-oscillation.
Spoil and Spread controls then govern the behaviour of the waveshaper section, with the former setting the point on the amplitude axis at which the wave will fold, and the latter defining the amplitude of the folding. Higher Spread values will result in more severe distortion, while adjusting the Spoil dial will change the timbre and response threshold, allowing users to achieve various gating and cutoff effects.
A set of switches on the side of the Harvezi Hazze offers some additional tone-shaping options.
In addition to its top-panel controls, the Harvezi Hazze is equipped with a set of side-mounted switches that provide the following functions:
- Tone Stack: Routes the signal through the tone stack section (Tone knob).
- Bass Boost: Enhances bass frequencies.
- Tone Mode: Changes the behaviour of the Tone knob (tilt or low-pass)
- Notch Freq: Changes the centre frequency of the filter.
- High Cut: Attenuates high frequencies.
- Compressor: Routes the signal through the onboard compressor.
Connectivity is a little more conventional, with audio I/O handled by a pair of quarter-inch TS sockets, and 9V DC (centre-negative) power accepted on a standard 2.1mm socket.
Pricing & Availability
The Harvezi Hazze is available now, priced at €290.
