Teaching Machines

Introducing the Wellspring

A robust analogue stereo spring reverb unit with many useful controls that sounds authentically vintage but has a modern feel to it.    Effects ranging from super-subtle heavenly reverb to full-blown demonic screaming can easily be achieved with a quick twist of the dials.

This really is a great-sounding analogue effects unit… I found it to be more and more flexible and more and more fun…
Neil Rogers – Sound on Sound Magazine

Sometimes when great pieces of gear cross my studio desk, a part of me almost wants to keep them secret. This is one of those times.
Geoff Stanfield – Tape Op Magazine

Endorsements

We have a number of high profile endorsements from some talented and well regarded people…
We are incredibly grateful to them for agreeing to publicly champion the Wellspring.

What exactly is it?

It's a stereo spring reverb with lots of complementary features

 
      • A stereo pair of delay lines with nice added extras

      • 2 types of Stereo pitch and filter modulation up to audio oscillator speeds

      • External LFO Sync-ing

      • Many stereo switching possibilities

      • 4 different sweep-able stereo analogue filters

      • 2 full-sized spring reverb tanks

      • A magical ping-pong feedback loop around the whole thing

      • A high impedance guitar input as well as stereo line inputs and outputs

      • Can be Rack or Table-mounted with attachable ‘ears’ or rubber feet.

    •  

The WIDTH and DEPTH of SPACIOUS, ECHO-EY REVERB is QUITE PROFOUND

Spring graphic

SPRINGS

With four springs in total, two per channel, the two full-sized spring reverb tanks provide an authentic, gloriously wide and rich stereo reverb sound.

A delaying hand

DELAYS!

Feeding into the reverb tanks are a stereo pair of delays. With feedback controls plus separate or sync-able delay times, they blend beautifully with the reverb (plus the magic*) to allow the user to create reeaally long reverb tails.

Sine Wave

FILTERS and MODULATION

Reeaally long reverb tails can start to ‘ring’ however. That’s why we added stereo filters plus modulation controls. These work to ‘scatter’ the feedback tails, allowing lovely long, smooth, natural and authentic sounding analogue stereo reverb sounds of great depth and complexity that need to be heard to be believed!

You Know

It's also possible to get incredibly creative with these controls,
many 'extreme scenarios' can be conjured in no time at all

The controls offer endless sound sculpting options,
it actually veers into synth territory in many ways.

*MAGIC Feedback Loop

Feedback crossover path graphic

An extra bit of magic comes from a feedback loop around the whole system that makes it sing (or scream) even more. When you turn this up wonderful, unexpected things start to happen.

It controls how much of the spring sound is sent back to the delays. The channels are crossed over so the right spring is fed to the left delay and vice-versa. This allows for the creation of practically infinite tails.

WARNING You need to be careful with this control, it can get really crazy! Perhaps Humanity wasn’t meant to tamper with such forces…

Cool, but what does it sound like?

This 14 minute video gives an in-depth look at using the Wellspring in a realistic workflow situation. We join Frank, the inventor of the Wellspring as he creates a simple musical arrangement using the Wellspring in various different ways. The controls are animated to give a concise and easy to follow insight into the functioning.

Some quick examples

Here’s a few Dry/Wet snippets of various guitar and synth parts fed through the Wellspring. 
All parts are DI’d straight into the Wellspring then into a soundcard, no other amps or effects were used.

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Arpy Electric Guitar
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Chorus of Large Chords
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Pseudo Pitch Shifting
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Chromatic Tunnel Guitar
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Short Plucks 2000
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Dry to Chorus 2000
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Low Bassy Synth - 2000
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No Input Self Generated
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Synth Phrase - dry to wet
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Drums wet/dry wet again
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Bongos wet/dry wet again
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Full Track from dry to wet

Some BV’s by Jessica Ball in Frank’s studio fed through the Wellspring

An atmospheric experience down the low end with a DI’d bass

A badly played bamboo flute improved no end by the Wellspring

A Rhodes electric piano gets a spooky makeover via the Wellspring

More demos of various different instruments played through the Wellspring can be found on our YouTube channel.

We use sustainable packaging - click to learn more

The Magical Mushroom Company

We worked with the Magical Mushroom Company to create packaging that is 100% Compostable (bio-digestable). You can break it up and chuck it in the garden if you want or put it into your food waste. It’s made of mycellium and hemp and will be gone within weeks. The cardboard outer is printed with non-toxic water-based ink and will also biodegrade but we recommend you recycle it if possible. Disposing of this packaging does take a little (very tiny) effort on your part but it’s probably good karma and also you know you won’t be responsible for turtles choking in the far future.

Break up into small pieces with your hands

Biodegradable in your garden, plant pot or green waste

Place in food waste collection bin for anaerobic digestion

Use your used packaging for storage or a plant pot

We use Compostable Packaging – 0:19s

Our Mushroom Packaging

 
  • Non-toxic

  • Grown locally

  • Made from agricultural waste and mycellium

  • Can be re-used, disposed of in your compost or simply broken up and mixed with any soil

 
 
Our packaging is naturally biodegradable without compost facilities within 40 days.
 
When our mycellium based packaging decomposes it gives back to nature by nourishing the soil.

Distributors

We are proud to be globally represented by some well estabished and respected distributors.

In the US we are represented by Vintage King

In the UK by Funky-Junk and Soundgas

In Europe by Turnlab, Scneidersladen and Peakehouse Audio

If you are a music retail shop in the EU, our b2b distributor is Alex4.de

You can buy through them or direct from us.

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Wellspring - (wĕl’sprĭng) n.
1, the source of a stream, spring, etc. fountainhead.
2, a source of abundant and continual supply.

The Dictionary!

The Operation Manual

View and download the full Wellspring Manual here…

INNOVATIVE ANALOGUE AUDIO HARDWARE

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