Rainmaker by Intellijel and Cylonix Review
Intellijel’s Rainmaker is so much more than a standard a delay module. Cylonix teamed up with Intellijel to designed and produce this module. The unit divides into a delay section and a comb filtering section. Each section with their own separate parameters and CV inputs. The vast functionality of the unit is accomplished with a menu system for operating and assigning the various settings. Since the launch of the Rainmaker in 2016, it is an excellent choice for advanced delay effects in Eurorack. It is a large module in my rack and worth every HP it demands.
Sound
After spending some time with Intellijel’s Rainmaker module. I found that this effect is more an instrument to use in tracks. The sounds Rainmaker creates have nothing to do with the sound you feed into it. Beside Mutable Instruments Clouds this is my go-to effect module when I want to take an audio tone to the next level.
In Rainmaker’s Rhythm Delay section, you can use 16 taps. Each with its individual reverberating filter and granular pitch shifter. Every filter has separately adaptable resonance and cutoff frequency. The filter can be a lowpass, bandpass, highpass, or bypass operation. You honestly just work with Rainmaker. A deep dive guided by the manual will be just technically challenging for many composers and sound designer that need results quickly. Comb Resonator offers 64 time-delayed taps which are summed together. This produces a deep comb filter or resonating effect.
You can configure the audio routing of the Delay and Comb segment. You can first go through the delay section and right after that or in parallel through the comb section.
16-Tap Stereo Rhythm Delay
- Each of the 16 taps has its own set of audio processors:
- 2nd order resonant multi-mode filter (LP, BP, HP) with adjustable cutoff frequency and resonance
- Level and Balance setting, with the quick mute capability
- +/- 1-octave granular pitch shifter. 1,2 or 4 grains with adjustable grain size.
- Delay line feedback can be taken from any of the 16 taps (pre-filter) or from the sum of the 16 taps (post-filter)
- Delay line feedback has its own granular pitch shifter and 1st-order tone filter
- Global delay time can be set either by manual entry with the encoder, or by an external clock with adjustable clock divider, or by tap tempo button.
- Individual tap delays are set according to one of 16 preset grooves
- Global delay time modulation by an LFO with 8 selectable waveforms
- Delay times range from 0.1 milliseconds to 20 seconds.
- Delay buffer freeze and reverse
- Taps can be piled on top of each other to give sophisticated and modern filtering and chord effects
- Global pitch shift control which transposes the delay line output by +/- 1 octave
Stereo Multi-Tap Comb Resonator
- The Comb can have between 1 and 64 taps allowing for complex resonances
- Three different nonlinear comb feedback structures for spectral shaping
- Comb is pingable to give physically-modeled guitar, sitar, and clarinet types of sounds
- 16 different comb tap spacing patterns
- Global comb time can be set either by manual entry with the encoder, or by an external clock (with adjustable clock divider), or by a 1v/oct control voltage.
- Global comb time modulation by an LFO with 8 selectable waveforms
- Comb times range from 0.1 milliseconds to 20 seconds.
Random Feature and Presets
Sending your sounds through the presets or using the randomize feature you produce usable sounds. You do not like what you hear from the randomize feature? Do it again to get some on-the-spot motivation for a new track. There are 68 factory presets, and 41 presets created by Richard Devine available. You can save your own presets.
Rainmaker Interface and Experience
The operation of the Rainmaker is intuitive you can handle well after watching some Youtube videos or diving into the dry rather technical manual. The interface is really well designed, notably supported by the guidance on the excelent display. I would recommend beginning your delay journey by working with the presets. Next, use some of the uncomplicated central panel controls and progressively dive more in-depth into complex features. My initial impression based on the many features, knobs, and buttons shown was this will be complicated. Using the Rainmaker, I found new beats including vibes very easily furthermore after time with the module. I could use advanced features naturally. The module works for all levels a composer, sound designer up to a Eurorack expert moreover necessarily as complex as you want it to be.
Creating Sound with Rainmaker
When you work with the module and given that you do not fully understand the manual or even read it you can produce extraordinary sounds including moving beats out of the simples tones. I got very pleasing results when I did send Mutable Instruments Rings sounds into the module and passed it on to Clouds (also by Mutable Instruments). With this, you can create textures including ambiances on the fly when you have some kind of reverb available to send it to and a pure sound source. For sound hunters and sound designer Rainmaker is a playground for crazy and bizarre effects. There are a gazillion options, but you can use what works best for you or surprise yourself by the Random feature.
The module left a big smile on my faces when I patched in the to various modulation destinations, and use my modules in my rack to drive Rainmaker. As mentioned I see Rainmaker as an instrument like a granular synthesizer where I can have a high chance to discover new forms exceeding software based effect in the box including much other hardware I came across.
Hybrid Setup
Combining the sounds with your plugin in your DAW takes everything to the next level. Send the sounds directly to your DAW, VCV Rack or record it first. In your DAW you will enter a large field where you can search for even more crazy sound with the help additional effect plugins.
Rating: Five Out of Five Stars
The Rainmaker Effect Module is an exceptional stereo delay eurorack module enabling you to create rhythm and beats from a single sound feeding into it. I do have in the box a large selection of software delay effect plugins, several are leading in this space. Still working with the Rainmaker is different and you can produce a spectrum of tones and textures with a huge degree of control through various parameters that you can work with. Rainmaker sounds moving, a little crazy, musical, and highly organic. Rainmaker UI makes it super comfortable getting around the interface and creating astonishing results.
