Eventide Introduces Riptide Pedal

US Cascaded overdrive distortion and Univibe-inspired modulation in stereo 12/10/23

Eventide Audio has introduced its new Riptide pedal, which they say is the result of extensive research into the iconic Shin-ei Uni-Vibe and legendary overdrives. Here's the story in their own words...

The Uni-Vibe delivered swirling vibey waves of lush modulation recognizable on tracks by Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour and Robin Trower. Overdrive is the classic distortion technique originally discovered by guitarists cranking their amps to the max and driving the vacuum tubes into heavy saturation. These two classic effects are offered with the Riptide pedal as "Vibe" and "Drive."

Riptide features two distinct voicings each for both Vibe and Drive, delivered in glorious stereo. The two colors of balanced, touch-sensitive overdrive distortion are Green for a dynamic mid-range crunch and Red for a smooth and boosted overdrive sound. The Green for Vibe captures the richness and modulation of the original Uni-Vibe – enhanced by stereo output – while Red offers a deeper, phase-y effect. Players can effortlessly reorder the process from Drive into Vibe or Vibe into Drive, and any combination of parameters can be mapped to an expression pedal.

Three knobs for Drive, three for Vibe, and a pair of dual-action latching or momentary footswitches provide players effect control, with five onboard presets and more available using Eventide Device Manager (EDM) software. A triple Aux switch can be used for easy preset selection or a single Aux switch for Tap Tempo. Riptide's Catch-up mode lets players dial in their sound when toggling between presets/parameters. The pedal offers multiple bypass options – Buffered, Relay, DSP+FX or Kill dry. It also provides MIDI support over USB.

Pricing and Availability:
The new Eventide Riptide pedal has an MSRP of $299 (USD). The first batch of Riptide is available direct from Eventide and from international distributors. The pedal will be widely available through U.S. dealers beginning November 16, 2023.

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