The Straylight Chorus/Vibe is an adaptation of the Univox Uni-Vibe, one of the earliest modulation effects originally released in 1967. It was most famously used by Jimi Hendrix, but it’s been used and adored by countless other professional musicians across its nearly sixty-year history.
The Uni-Vibe circuit is really a four-stage optical phaser as opposed to a true pitch-shifting vibrato, but aspects of the implementation (particularly the uneven capacitors in each stage) cause it to have a Doppler effect similar to a Leslie spinning speaker. The phase-shifted output can either be used on its own or mixed with the dry signal for a chorus effect.
The Straylight Mini is a direct clone of the original Uni-Vibe circuit, but with some added features and modern conveniences. We have added a charge pump voltage doubler so that it can run off of a standard 9VDC supply instead of wall power like the original. Like most clones, ours does not support a rocker pedal for the speed control. The original Straylight has a second footswitchable speed control, so if you want a ramping effect between two presets, the full-sized project may be a better choice.
In addition to fitting in a much more compact enclosure, the Straylight Mini differs from the original Straylight in some of its features. The second Speed knob and the rate LEDs have been removed. The Phase trimmer has also been removed since it rarely needs to be adjusted. All 1uF capacitors have been changed to electrolytics as in the original Uni-Vibe. And lastly, due to the stacked PCBs, it uses a smaller mini light shield (available separately, not required).
