Having been raised by parents that came of age in the 1980s, my ears quickly grew accustomed to the sound of watery, chorused guitars. Even when I got into synthesizers, classic instruments like Roland's Juno series and Yamaha's CS-80 featured chorus effects built-in, providing another way to apply lush texture to dramatic pads. But chorus effects have come a long way since these early days, and it should come as no surprise that like a lot of other types of effects, the innovation of the modern pedal scene has pushed what was once a fairly simple and straightforward effect into totally new territories.

There are more options than ever out there, but for my ears and taste, I'm interested in chorus pedals which really push the envelope of convention. From random fluctuations to overly-thick, seasick textures, I've found a few particularly special boxes that all provide what I'm looking for, while still offering their own unique takes on one of my most beloved effects. Check out our video above, where I play through three of my favorite modern chorus pedals, and read on to find out why these are among my top picks.

Earthquaker Devices Sea Machine

Another particularly neat thing about the Sea Machine is the Shape control, which transforms the shape of the LFO from a triangle wave into a square. Traditionally, chorus pedals use a triangle waveform for their modulation oscillator, which modifies the pedal's delay time in a cyclical fashion to create the signature, washy sound of a chorus. But by using a square waveform, the abrupt changes in delay times can lead to curious pitch shifting effects that you won't find on most other pedals. When tuned just right with the Depth control, it's possible to unlock pseudo-arpeggiator sounds courtesy of the stepped pitch-shifting that occurs.

Walrus Audio Julianna

Some other welcome changes include tap tempo for the modulation LFO, and a new random waveform shape. This is a particularly huge addition, as the random fluctuations in delay time are the perfect way to add tape-like wow and flutter embellishments to your signals, especially when used as a fully-wet vibrato effect. Spending a lot of time around modular synthesizers has led to me to have a particular fondness for random voltages, and seeing that idea make its way into pedals is a source of personal joy and excitement.

Old Blood Noise Endeavors Visitor

Visitor serves as a nice counterpart to how I like to use the Julianna, in the sense that two pedals can employ choruses that are being routed in different ways. With Julianna, running the effects in series makes a more pronounced effect, especially when using the periodic waveforms as this is similar to increasing the range of the Depth control. Visitor on the other hand has independent modulations happening within its primary and secondary effects, phasing around each other for constantly lush, thick chorusing.

Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey Stuff

After reading a little bit about these pedals, it should come as no surprise that they're capable of things well beyond the traditional conventions of chorus effects. In the article-exclusive bonus clip above, I play through another quick riff with each pedal set to highlight its particular strengths when dialed into more extreme settings. For the Sea Machine, listen as the tides of resonant trails fill the background and spaces between notes. Julianna is set up for random vibrato as described above, cascading through both channels for a more pronounced effect. Finally, the Visitor's secondary chorus control has been maxed out, which turns it into something of a slapback delay alongside the wash of the primary chorus. In a way, the intensity and movement of the sound reminds me of rotary speakers that were popular for electric organs back in the day.

I'm always excited to see how pedal makers are pushing the boundaries of chorus effects. It's truly one of my favorite ways to process sound, whether it be for the thick, chimey clean guitars from the music I love, a simple stereo widener effect, or an all-out transformative sound design tool for pseudo-reverbs and resonances. It's a great time to love pedals, and we're all eagerly looking forward to seeing where things go from here.