Electro Harmonix Freeze Sound Retainer

The freeze is an amazing piece of gear, and I really like the look of it too. You simply freeze whatever sound comes through it at the moment you press the pedal. So if you play a note, that note will be sustained indefinately letting your play over it. I personally use it with an acoustic instrument, as a sort of drone machine to play melodies over, and here it unfortunately reveals its big flaw - the pedal button makes a VERY LOUD klick noise when pressed. In an acoustic, low volume setting, it is very noticeable. I started getting into thoughts about modding my Freeze with a softer button when I learned that EHX has another pedal called Superego which is like a Freeze pedal on steroids - the same possibilities but with added glissando and other modes - and it has a silent button. So I got that one instead. Until ehx fix a silent button the freeze is unusable for me, but its a bit sad because the freeze is an awesome little pedal that looks cooler (heh) then the superego.

The idea behind this pedal is beautifully simple and functionally it does what it says, sound-wise, quite eloquently. One pet-peeve tho:

The built-in switch is just absurdly loud. I don't understand the physics, but I swear that little bugger has an amplifier of its own under the shell. It's the loudest switch on any of the pedals on my board by quite a margin. This inconvenience would be forgivable if it weren't a pedal that you literally have to engage at every chord change. On any smaller stage, this clicky-boi would single-handedly kill the vibe entirely.

If you're going to to get it: count on changing out the switch, which ain't the end of the world.

/rant

I really love it otherwise. With a silent switch, it truly shines in its full potential.