Hologram’s Microcosm effects pedal seems to have exploded in popularity since Hologram Electronics brought it to market not too long ago. With its range of functionality, fantastic sound, and the ability to turn almost source sound into an ambient work of art, it’s no wonder why many producers are hailing this effects pedal as one of the best units ever created.
We got our hands on these, which are more of a multi-effects box than a simple pedal, and dove into what makes it tick. In this Hologram Microcosm review, you’ll learn about the best features that come with this and how you can get the most creative results out of it. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will know whether this granular delay unit is suitable for your studio and your wallet.
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My Favorite Features On The Microcosm Pedal
A ton of features and functionality are packed into this tiny little box. Each mode offers many modulation options and different ways to create ambient soundscapes. So let’s dive into which features I found to be my absolute favorites and ones I reached for repeatedly in my studio.
The Looper
The looper is a key component in the Microcosm’s uniqueness. The Microcosm is a great looper pedal, plain and simple. Its primary functions are easy to use: the left footswitch starts and stops recording and adds overdubs, while the right footswitch clears the loop.
One of the most memorable features is putting the looper before or after the effects. This means you can have a loop with one effect and then record a new line on top with a different result. Or you could record a clean loop and change the effects after to create a sense of evolution or try out other effects until you find one that works best with a particular riff.
Scrolling through user presets will stop playback since they can include a pre-recorded loop. So, avoid the user banks if you’re using the looper and changing effects in a live setting.
The Activity Parameter
This simple knob packs a ton of power into a small node.
For each of the different modulation modes found on the right side of the box, the Activity knob has different effects. Sometimes, it will increase the side of the delayed grains, and other times, it might help smear the audio more creatively.
This is a super inspiring way to create even more exciting modulation as you adjust the Activity knob in real-time while recording. It’s an easy way to get complex results, and you’ll create those coveted happy accidents. It’s easy to get lost in the creative process simply by focusing on this knob alone and ignoring everything else this pedal offers! And that’s saying something.
Inspiration
Okay, I know this is a cheating answer here, but it’s true; this is an inspiration machine. Few pedalboards, synths, VSTs, plugins, and more can flip a sound on its head as effectively as this pedal can. That’s why I reach for this as my newfound weapon of choice to generate ambient ideas that act as the foundation of my new ideas.
Scrolling through the different modes, from Micro Loops to Multidelays, creates soaring soundscapes and intricate and detail-laced ideas that beg to be finished. This thing is a damn inspiration machine, and I couldn’t be more excited to bust it out at the start of each blank canvas.
Who Is The Microcosm Pedal Designs For?
While the most standard application of this effects pedal would be for guitarists, I gravitated towards it for almost every reason but guitars. I thought the hologram electronics microcosm sounded best in my studio.
Hardware Synths
I had an absolute blast running my Korg MS-20 through this pedal and found some of the most experimental ideas when I went this route. The pedal created some interesting stereo and modulation glitch effects when I used the standard wavetables on the Korg, but that was only the start.
The best effects from this pedalboard were heard when I tapped into the semi-modular patchings on my Korg. The intense modulation and intricate patching I geek out on from my Korg acted as excellent sound sources to be fed into the pedal from hologram electronics. The combination of the synth’s movement and the pedal’s modulation created one of the most fantastic drone sounds I have ever heard.
Vocals
I am not the best singer, so I usually rely on apps like Splice and Loopcloud when I want quality vocals in my tracks. But the problem with samples like this is that they always feel copy/pasted into my projects unless you find clever ways to make these samples feel at home in the track. Until the Microcosm was introduced into my workflow, I would use creative and complex reverb and delay tricks to turn the vocals into ambient sound beds and textures.
But sending sounds from Ableton to the Microcosm instantly created warm and lush textures from the vocals that helped add context and definition to the track overall. Suddenly, these stock samples felt like they belonged in the mix and helped turn stock samples into truly memorable phrases and highlights.
Should You Buy The Microcosm?
I’ll start by saying that, as much as I loved this pedal, I could see it not being for everyone. I produce a lot of ambient and melodic house music, and this thing was a godsend to my sound and workflow. But that is because my sound caters to fluid transitions, textured backdrop sounds, and delicate sound pallets.
If you’re making hard-hitting and impactful genres that benefit more from minimalistic instrumentation, then pedal might not be for you.
But for those looking to elevate the amount of detail and nuance in their music, this is one of the best guitar pedals you could ask for, and I hope this review of the Hologram pedal showcases just how awesome I found this pedal to be.
Check Out This Pedal In Detail Here
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
