Plug-In Power
Boss CE-1 Chorus Pedal
by Dave Crane

Universal Audio is proud to announce that the CE-1 will be shipping in version 3.9 of the UAD-1 software, due in the second quarter of 2005. At last January's NAMM show, a licensing agreement between Roland and Universal Audio was formalized, and now UA will develop, market and sell plug-in emulations of classic Roland processors for the UAD-1 DSP card. The first three Roland products to be released as UAD-1 plug-ins--the CE-1 Chorus, Dimension D Chorus, and the Roland RE-201 Space Echo--will be made available to customers over the course of 2005.

Why did Roland choose Universal Audio to create digital versions of these coveted analog effects? "Universal Audio has a demonstrated ability to create extremely accurate emulations of classic signal processors," explains Tom Stephenson, director of technology for Roland System Solutions. And since you only have one chance to make a first impression, Stephenson says, Roland needed to make sure the job was done right the first time: "In order for Roland to license its trademarks, we must be certain that the level of quality and performance our customers have come to expect is maintained. This is why we are so pleased that Universal Audio will be developing these plug-ins for their UAD-1 platform."

“If you haven’t used a CE-1 before, as soon as you start playing a guitar through it, you’ll see why it is the benchmark against which other chorus pedals are measured. The chorus is thick and lush, and it seems to blend with your guitar’s sound better than your typical modern chorus effect.”

The feeling was mutual, of course, and all of us here at UA were quite excited by the notion of being able to develop these plug-ins. One of the most enjoyable parts of the job was hunting for a couple of CE-1 pedals on eBay. We found a fantastic-sounding unit, and as soon as it made its rounds with all the guitar players at UA, the engineers were finally able to get around to modeling it. You can read more about that process in this month's "Ask the Doctors" article, as well as in last month's "Analog Obsession."

UAD-1 Boss CE-1 plug-in interface

If you haven't used a CE-1 before, as soon as you start playing a guitar through it, you'll see why it is the benchmark against which other chorus pedals are measured. The chorus is thick and lush, and it seems to blend with your guitar's sound better than your typical modern chorus effect. Because it is an analog delay-based effect, the high frequencies are rolled off a bit, but it turns out that's part of its warm, fat sound. You also won't hear the slap-back delay common to most digital chorus effects. Although you can only adjust one parameter, Intensity, you'll find that is all you need.

The Vibrato mode is truly stellar, lush and warm--a great, fat analog effect. Even with the depth turned up all the way, the vibrato is still useable; it's detuning is unique and definitely not digital. Turn up the vibrato rate and it does a great job at getting a Leslie-type effect, and while I don't think you'd fool many people, it is an inspiring tone, and you'll find yourself playing things you've never played before, just to hear that sound.

How does the plug-in compare to this? Like all our digital re-creations of analog gear, it is spot-on. The design team meticulously listened, consulted schematics, measured every component in the box, and listened again until the CE-1 plug-in was indistinguishable from the actual pedal that we modeled. And since it is a plug-in, it can be used on anything, mono or stereo.