MixWave EHX Classics Bundle

Electro‑Harmonix have been building pedals for around half a century, and many of their original pedals have become collectable classics. MixWave’s EHX Classics Bundle comprises names most of us will recognise: the Big Muff, Deluxe Memory Man, Electric Mistress and Small Clone. The plug‑ins were engineered using detailed component‑level modelling, but with an additional framework to help them integrate with today’s DAW software. This provides input and output high‑ and low‑pass filters, input and output level adjustment and (other than for the Deluxe Memory Man which has the facility built‑in) the ability to mix in some of the dry sound. There’s also an intuitive preset handling facility. The plug‑ins (64‑bit VST3, AU and AAX formats) are mono, just like the original pedals, but if your DAW supports dual mono instantiation it’s possible to coax some useful stereo effects out of them by using different settings for the left and right channels. Conveniently, and unlike in the hardware originals, DAW tempo sync is included for the delay and modulation effects.

The EHX Big Muff is one of the most famous fuzz pedals around, but in reality there have been several different versions, each with its own distinctive tonal character. This plug‑in offers a choice of the Big Muff Pi, Ram’s Head and Russian variants, so it’s really three pedals in one. The circuity varies between each type, and even within the same type at different times. To my ears, the so‑called Ram’s Head model has the most focused sound, while the other two sound fatter. With straightforward Volume, Tone and Sustain knobs it’s easy to dial in. A switch at the lower right of the GUI is used to switch between versions.

The Small Clone chorus pedal used charge‑coupled delay lines, sometimes known as bucket brigade chips, along with LFO modulation of the delay time and a fixed wet/dry mix. This was essentially a simplified version of the Clone Theory pedal, which I used as part of my own setup back in the day. In fact, I rather wish MixWave had recreated the Clone Theory instead of the Small Clone, as it has more adjustment! Here, you get a single Rate control and a switch for two different Depth settings. Nevertheless, the Small Clone produces a lush chorus effect, and the original’s analogue nature introduced subtle variations — modelled here — that contributed towards its musicality.

The Deluxe Memory Man delay pedal also used charge‑coupled delay lines, and that helps the delay repeats to become progressively less distinct, in a natural‑sounding way. EHX also added modulation capability so the pedal can combine echo with chorus, vibrato or subtle pitch drifts. There are the expected controls for Delay time, Feedback, Blend (wet/dry mix) and Level, with a further knob controlling the Chorus/Vibrato effect, as selected by a switch at the top of the case. The bypass LED is augmented by a second LED that indicates Overload, and an Ext Delay switch in the GUI allows for up to 3000ms of delay time instead of the basic 550ms maximum. At the shortest delay times the modulation can be used to create chorus and vibrato‑style effects without obvious echoes.

I recall the Electric Mistress flanger with great affection, probably because, after distortion and a wah‑wah pedal, it was probably the first effect pedal I bought. Its flanging sounds still stacks up with the best of today’s pedals, though its analogue circuitry, again based on a charge‑coupled delay line, was notoriously noisy. The pedal was used by some to create chorus‑like effects, but turn up the feedback knob (Colour) and it could deliver a screaming jet flange. At faster modulation rates and lower Colour and Range settings it could emulate a rotary speaker, making it another very flexible pedal.

I applaud the sonic accuracy of these virtual pedals.

In summary, I applaud the sonic accuracy of these virtual pedals. MixWave have managed to recreate the original effects very convincingly while, I’m happy to say, choosing not to replicate the excessive background noise of those early pedals! The three flavours of Big Muff all sound suitably analogue, and if you like your distortion as pristine as possible there’s an option for upsampling too. Available individually or as part of a bundle, these plug‑ins are also sensibly priced.