Discomfort Designs The Colour of the Young Star Stereo Pitch Melting Reverb

I’m not sure exactly how Discomfort Designs continually puts out weirder and more intriguing pedals with every new release, but at this point, they’ve got it down to a science. After recently checking out their amazing Supreme Balloon Stereo Tremolo & Panner, I was stoked to check out today’s effect, The Colour of the Young Star Stereo Pitch Melting Reverb. If you’re confused by the title, join the club…but after you hear all the info and check out our demo video on this thing, you’ll be racing to the DD website to snatch one up…promise!

The Colour of the Young Star is a stereo ambient reverb and pitch-processing pedal designed for expansive spatial effects and evolving textures. At its core is a high-fidelity reverb engine with intuitive controls for Size, which adjusts the perceived dimension of the virtual space; Decay, which sets the length of the reverb tail; Damping, which shapes the tonal character of the reflections by controlling high-frequency attenuation; and Modulation, which introduces movement and chorusing within the reverb tail for added depth and animation.

A three-position Trails toggle tailors the pedal’s response when bypassed. In On mode, reverb tails decay naturally after the effect is disengaged. Off mode provides immediate cutoff for tighter, more controlled transitions. Reverse mode transforms the reverb envelope into a swelling, reversed-style ambient effect for more experimental textures. Preceding the reverb in the signal path is a dedicated Pitch Shifter, allowing the dry signal to be shifted before it enters the reverb engine. Selectable modes include +1 Octave, −1 Octave, and a Perfect Fifth Harmony, enabling everything from shimmering upper-octave ambience to deep sub-octave atmospheres and harmonically rich layered reverbs.

Together, all of these features make The Colour of the Young Star equally suited for subtle ambience, cinematic soundscapes, and dramatic, alienistic spatial effects. Both pitch and reverb sides to the effect are independent of each other, but complement greatly when used in tandem. There are momentary functions for each of the foot switches: momentary on from a bypassed state, and hidden ‘while on’ features as well.

Every time a new creation from Discomfort Designs shows up on the doorstep, I know hands-down that I’m in for a real sonic treat, and The Colour of the Young Star Stereo Pitch Melting Reverb did not disappoint. These are the kinds of pedals you truly can get lost in for days and days, as the hours slip away without your mind even realizing it…or wanting to. Thanks as always to DD for letting me humbly create sounds with their gear – it’s an honor and a pleasure. Head to their website for all the info and ordering, and don’t miss that demo video of ours…cheers!!