Herbs and Stones - Soft Memo

Soft Memo is the latest from Herbs and Stones — a stereo multi-effects desktop unit with a hands-on, menu-free approach and a heavily patchable interface that slots nicely into Eurorack or any other CV-friendly setup. Two audio channels feed into a central digital FX engine offering eight programs, each with its own personality and an evocative name: Twin Gorge (dual drifting delay), Faux Mirrors (lo-fi reverse processor), Empty Shell (shimmering feedback delay), Fixed Thoughts (double pitched freeze reverb), Grotto Divide (stereo crossfade reverb), Rival Choir (freeform stereo chorus), Mood Swings (drifting pitch shifter) and Late Rings (dual ring modulator with tempo offset). Three parameters per program, each with manual control and a CV input.

The rest of the panel is what gives Soft Memo its character. Each channel has its own analog feedback path built around a VCA and a resonant analog low-pass filter, so processed audio can be routed back into the input stage with proper analog character rather than a digital approximation. Two complex voltage-controlled LFOs (named X and Y) handle the modulation duties, both with clock division, phase offset and multiple outputs. There's also an envelope follower for tying parameter movement to the dynamics of incoming audio. With 25 patch points scattered across the panel, the unit sits somewhere between a stereo effects pedal and a semi-modular effects synth.

Soft Memo follows a similar aesthetic as the unit that came before it, Mousse. Its black-and-white panel makes patching really easy to grasp — inputs sit inside white circles, outputs sit outside them, so signal flow is visible at a glance. 1/4" jacks handle audio I/O at the back, patching at the front uses Eurorack-standard 3.5mm minijacks, and the whole thing runs on any standard 9V Boss-style center-negative pedal supply. Plug something in, start patching, and let Soft Memo do what it does best — surprise you.

Features:

• Stereo hybrid multi-effects desktop unit
• Eight digital CV-controlled FX programs (three parameters each with manual + CV control)
• FX programs: Twin Gorge (Dual Drifting Delay), Faux Mirrors (Lo-Fi Reverse Time Processor), Empty Shell (Shimmering Feedback Delay), Fixed Thoughts (Double Pitched Freeze Reverb), Grotto Divide (Stereo Crossfade Reverb), Rival Choir (Freeform Stereo Chorus), Mood Swings (Drifting Stereo Pitch Shifter), Late Rings (Dual Stereo Ring Modulator + tempo offset)
• Two analog feedback paths with analog VCAs and resonant analog VCFs
• Two complex voltage-controlled LFOs (X and Y) with clock division, phase offset and multiple outputs
• Envelope follower
• 25 patch points (Eurorack-standard 3.5mm minijack)
• Two high-gain preamps
• A→B buttons to set how the two channels' controls interact
• CV range 0–5V; patched knobs become attenuators for incoming signals
• All inputs protected against dangerous voltages
• Patch points visually divided between inputs (inside white circles) and outputs
• 1/4" mono jacks for audio I/O (rear panel)
• Powder-coated metal enclosure
• Size: 254 × 165 × 60 mm
• Weight: 1 kg