Catalinbread Soft Focus Deluxe // Shoegaze in a Box

In the late 1980s, Yamaha released the FX500, a multi-effects processor that would go on to play a pivotal role in shaping the sound of shoegaze music. Shoegaze—a genre named for the musicians’ tendency to gaze at their extensive pedalboards—thrived on a combination of layered distortion, delay, compression, and reverb. At the time, reliable stompbox versions of these effects were limited, making the FX500 a revolutionary tool. Among its 60 patches was Patch 40, known as “Soft Focus,” which blended all these elements into a single effect. Whether by design or happenstance, this patch became a cornerstone of the genre, used notably by Slowdive to craft their iconic album Souvlaki, cementing its place in music history. In 2022, Catalinbread reintroduced the magic of the original Soft Focus effect with a dedicated pedal. Their version aimed to capture the essence of the FX500 patch while addressing common issues like headroom, clipping, mixing, and integration with modern setups. The Soft Focus Deluxe goes even further, offering a fully realized version of the original sound along with five additional programs for deeper exploration, allowing musicians to dive into new sonic textures while paying homage to shoegaze’s roots. https://catalinbread.com/ All backing tracks written, performed, mixed & mastered by Ryan Plewacki unless otherwise noted. Guitars: ‪@fender‬ AVRI Jaguar Seuf Guitars OH-10: http://bit.ly/SEUFGUITARS Amp: Silktone Amp: http://bit.ly/silktone Recording Rig: Universal Audio Apollo X16 https://www.zzounds.com/a--3979288/it... Manley Force https://www.zzounds.com/a--3979288/it... Universal Audio 4-710d https://www.zzounds.com/a--3979288/it... Golden Age Pre-73 https://www.zzounds.com/a--3979288/it... Warm Audio EQP-WA https://www.zzounds.com/a--3979288/it... Tech 21 SansAmp RBI https://www.tech21nyc.com/products/sa... Drawmer DL241 https://www.drawmer.com Vintage DBX 160A (pair) Yamaha HS7 Monitors https://www.zzounds.com/a--3979288/it... Guitar Amp Mics: AKG C 414 XLS https://www.zzounds.com/a--3979288/it... Cascade Fathead https://www.cascademicrophones.com Avantone CV-12 (room mic) https://www.zzounds.com/a--3979288/it... Vocal Mic: Sennheiser MKH 416 https://www.zzounds.com/a--3979288/it... 0:00 Intro 1:12 In the Mix 3:10 Controls & Features 4:16 Soft Focus 6:49 Long Reverb Tails 7:42 Deep Modulation Warble 9:01 Shimmer Soft Focus 10:22 Pitch Delay with Strong Shimmer 11:49 Closing Thoughts #demosinthedark #guitarpedals #shoegaze