Today, we’re venturing into new-ish territory here at Pedal of the Day. While most of our reviews and demo have to do with pedals, today’s featured piece of gear, the Outer Space Sounds MOSTRO FM Synthesizer, adds some different elements into the mix. A powerful, polyphonic and effective FM synth, this gorgeous unit has been designed to deliver deep, continuous and intuitive control to the user…let’s see...
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Jumping into a pedal like the Boss RE-202 Space Echo can be tricky – there’s so much going on, and so many sounds to discover, and so much nostalgia surrounding it, it’s a little daunting, to say the least. What we will say right off the bat is that IT IS INCREDIBLE. Ridiculously emulating the classic RE-201 Space Echo, this model brings all of the tone, delay and reverb from the original units to the table, but...
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It’s been a little while since we’ve anything in the shop for our friends at Anasounds, but today we’ve got the first of three pedals from their stellar lineup to chat about and demo. A good phaser can add that special something that maybe you didn’t know you needed in your rig, or can be take you on a beautiful, space-infused journey, depending on what you need it for. The Phase Lag is an organic, analog...
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Whenever a package arrives carrying ANYTHING from our friends at EarthQuaker Devices, the whole shop seems to light up instantly. Continually reinventing the sonic wheel, Jamie, Julie and the crew keep dazzling our eyes and ears with each new creation, and one of their newest is what we’re going to explore today. The Space Spiral™ is a delay with all the modulation you could want, as well as out-of-control repeats, outer space...
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We’re stepping outside the old comfort zone again today, folks, and diving into another fantastic synthesizer. This one is larger and more complex than the Outer Space Sounds MOSTRO we checked out a couple weeks ago, but we’re once again pairing it up with some of our favorite pedals to create some fantastic sounds. The Novation Bass Station II Analogue Synthesizer is a powerful machine, encapsulating everything you know...
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After being pretty blown away by the Orbital Pitch Shifter and NovaDrift Modulation pedals from ALABS Audio, we were excited to check out the next pedal in their Adam Adventure Series, which happens to come from our favorite effect genre. The TimeSlip Stereo Delay features loads of echo modes, options and exploration into all things delay, with a wide stereo field to engulf your audience. Lots of knobs and switches here, let’s...
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We continue today on our journey as we review some new pedals from Caline today, bringing some classic tones to the forefront. The CP-505 Wave Machine conjures up vintage chorus tones, while the CP-506 Multimod gives you access to 7 different modulation modes to explore. All things modulation today, kids, lots to dive into, so let’s go… The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean – a world that has yet to...
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We had the pleasure of checking out the new Galaxy ’74 Tape Echo & Reverb from Universal Audio, and were (as usual) pretty blown away. Today, we’re looking at the next unit in their latest lineup releases, the Del-Verb Ambience Companion. Similar to the Galaxy in ways, but also a unique beast on its own, this pedal combines algorithms from UA’s wonderful Golden Reverberator and Starlight Echo Station....
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Flanging. Players love it and players hate it, but it has had an effect (pun intended) on music since its inception decades ago, and we think it’s a great tool to use for musical experimentation. Sometimes, however, flange units can get too crazy, almost to the point of unusability for some genres – that’s why we really dig today’s pedal, the M152 Micro Flanger from MXR and Dunlop Manufacturing. With two simple...
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We’ve enjoyed the numerous effects units we’ve seen over the years from NUX, and we’re continuing that streak today with another wonderful pedal. The Duotime Dual Delay Engine provides TWO delay lines that can be stretched, tweaked, ripped, manipulated and more, leading to a wild, inspiring and creative piece of gear. Delay fans are gonna love this one…non-delay fans just might, too… Duotime is a real...
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When it comes to the 3-knob Overdrive, you’ve got to make it pretty creative and fun in order to stand out from the hundreds, or thousands, of other similar effects out there. Today’s pedal does just that, with intriguing graphics, a fun outer space backstory and, of course, incredible sound. The Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdrive brings classic, inspired tones to the forefront, creating a perfect addition to...
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The Catalinbread catalog features effects pedals that include just about anything you could want, or need, or want to need. They’re got a new one out that we’re going to take a look at today, the Cloak Reverb & Shimmer, an ambient beauty that instantly sends your tone to the outer reaches of space. Perhaps invoking a bit of black magic to produce these sounds, this pedal can add a little flavor or overtake your tone...
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Today, we’re going to look at not only a classic effect in its own right, but a couple of modification to said pedal that make it even radder…the Boss PH-2 SUPER Phaser has been a staple in the phase shifting community since its release in 1984, bringing every phaser tone for mellow and light to deep and pulsing, as would be expected. This particular specimen, however, features some mods done by ShredShack Repair, which...
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Modulated Delay is one of the greatest effects on the planet, and we’ve got a pretty incredible example for you today. The Red Witch Pedals Binary Star Time Modulator provides a huge range of analog-flavored sounds, from classic slap back to vibrato-infused modulation to insane pitch-shifting and more. Buckle up, kids, we’re going on an outer space journey… The controls section, while not seemingly too complex,...
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Fjord Fuzz is a pedal company out of Norway, and they are making some incredible effects right now. A couple months ago, we got to check out the BJØRN Dual Octave Fuzz of theirs, and were completely blown away. Today, we’ve got another wild one for you from them, the BIFROST, a fuzz and delay mix that will send you clear into outer space. Using expression pedals and dialing in the right amount of fuzz, this is a fun one…...
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Our first foray into the world of Matthews Effects is a good one – today, we’re checking out the Astronomer V2 Celestial Reverb. If the name itself doesn’t intrigue you, maybe you just don’t like reverb. If it does, you’re in for a real treat, as this thing launches you into outer space and back again in seconds flat. Made up of two channels, each assignable with one of three different algorithms,...
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They may be small in size, but the lineup of space-saving effects from the crew over at CNZ Audio have been a pleasure to peruse each time we’ve had them come through the shop. Overdrives, delays, modulation and more – these guys have an inexpensive answer for everything you need. The next one we’re going to look into today is the SPH-20 Phaser, a simple one knob, one toggle concoction that produces some excellent...
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What’s better than an absolutely GIANT effects box laying at your feet? Well, maybe some other things, but it’s still pretty cool. From the short but distinguished list of these beasts, we bring you a somewhat underdog in a world of Memory Men and Guitar Synthesizers: the VM1 Vintage Time Machine Delay Echo Chorus Vibrato from Behringer. An analog delay with a few tricks up its sleeve, this powerhouse is big, bad, and...
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Let’s face it: we all know about Chase Bliss Audio and their contribution to the effects pedal world by now, right? From their classic Warped Vinyl and Wombtone flagship effects to the uber-popular Tonal Recall and Thermae delays, as well as the most recent M O O D Granular Looper and a bunch of others in their lineup, the innovation and advancement they’ve brought to the table is quite stellar. In keeping with this slew...
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Delay is one of our favorite effects – analog, digital, echo, modulated….it doesn’t matter. It always adds some mystique and mystery to any tone or setup, usually getting out into the sonic stratosphere to produce wild, unruly and unexpected tones, something we are huge fans of. Today’s delay pedal has a smooth balance of subtle and extreme, giving you a nice range of options and sounds to play with. The Dakota...
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We here at Pedal of the Day have been fortunate to be able to review and demo many pedals from our friend Eric at Hungry Robot Pedals, which makes us even more excited about today’s featured effect. Having checked out the original Moby Dick Delay, we were excited to see what changes and improvements awaited us in V2 – well, let’s just say that our expectations were exceeded. Aside from the obvious smaller enclosure,...
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There’s just no substitute for a good analog delay, plain and simple. We love the classic, vintage models, the newer modern stuff and pretty much everything in between. Today’s featured pedal falls into the modern category, but boasts sounds and tones reminiscent of the units from decades gone by. The Warp Drive from RPS Effects gives you that tasty vintage delay warmth based on the noteworthy “bucket brigade’...
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Where do we begin with today’s featured pedal? Just when you thought Joel and the Chase Bliss Audio team couldn’t top themselves, here comes the Thermae, an analog delay and pitch shifter to top all analog delays and pitch shifters. Capable of more out-of-this-world sounds than you’d ever think possible, this blue marvel takes playing music to another echelon, vaulting your creativity and inspiration to entirely new...
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The first pedal we had the pleasure of reviewing and demoing from M.D. Effects, the High Tide, was a gamechanger in the realms of chorus, reverb and delay. Today, we get to explore one of those genres in depth, via another M.D. pedal. The Moondust is a stereo reverb pedal that features wide soundscapes, gorgeous overtones and lush, inspired reverb sounds, all packed into a sparkled, space-themed enclosure, perfect for any musical...
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Every now and again, we get an effect coming through our shop that defies all reason, logic and musicality, and those pedals usually come straight from Akron, Ohio. If you don’t know by now (all 3 of you), EarthQuaker Devices has been not just pushing, but destroying the sonic envelope for the last decade or so, crushing everyone and everything in its path to total oddity domination in the effects pedal world. Today’s...
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We’ve always admired the small footprint mentality of the mostly no-knob effects pedals coming from our friends at Henretta Engineering. Get the sound you want, set it, forget it, play your ass off. Perfect. However, we were excited to see that they had collaborated with the crew at Chicago Music Exchange to make a bigger pedal with some control knobs to play with, too. The Planetarium is a combination of Henretta’s Moody...
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Every time we get a new piece of equipment in from our Wisconsin pals at Dwarfcraft Devices, the anticipation and excitement are at full capacity. Today’s pedal was no different, perhaps even more so, as we had had our eye on it for a little while, and couldn’t wait to delve in. The Super Wizard describes itself as a pitch shifter and echo pedal, but it’s SO. MUCH. MORE. Keeping with the tradition of...
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After already getting our grubby mitts on the Tru-Tron 3X and Boostron 3 effects pedals from Mike Beigel and the newly revamped Mu-FX, we absolutely could not wait to see what today’s pedal had in store for us. Boy, did it deliver and then some! The Phasor 2X is the Modern Vintage Analog™ refinement of the original Musitronics® Phasor II pedal, but housed in Mu-FX’ signature “mini-mu” enclosure, and featuring...
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We have lots of fun with our delay pedals here at Pedal of the Day, and today’s classic piece of gear is a favorite on pedalboards throughout the world. Both groundbreaking and inspiring, the Superdelay from Empress Effects does everything from basic delay sounds to outer space-infused tape delays, reverse stuff and much, much more. If you don’t like manuals or experimentation with your delay pedals, you might want to look...
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Who wants to get FUNKY? Today’s pedal is just about all you’ll need to do so, and with mind-blowing results, too. The Maxon AF-9 Auto Filter Envelope Wah Super-Machine easily creates down and dirty grooves, popping chords and all the Parliament/Funkadelic sounds you can imagine. Let’s check it out… The AF-9 is an optical analog envelope filter, reminiscent of the classic Musitronics Mu-Tron III, made famous by...
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If you guys have ever had the pleasure to play an effects pedal from the warped mind of Joe Anastasio from Lone Wolf Audio, you know what kind of crazy gear that dude creates. Today we’re going to look at one of the wackiest, awesomest pieces of musical equipment we’ve seen, a pedal that really can’t fit into just one category, but will revive your interest in how music and sound are created. The Acetylene Nirvana is...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Coe S. – find him on Instagram (@coeschneider) and say Hi! As part of the Skyline Series by Hotone Audio, the Verb caught my attention for three reasons; price point, size, and a cool glowing knob. This was my first reverb pedal, that being said, I had no reference point, and still don’t have much. I’ve watched a ton of demos though;) The light up knob is super cool, and...
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There are some rack mount delay units from the 1980s that are considered to be in the upper echelon of all-time delays, and one of them has now been shrunk down to fit onto your pedalboard. The original SDD-3000 from Korg had a sound and tone all its own, separating it from other delays in the same category, and helped to make its way into the signal chains of many guitarists, including Daniel Lanois, Johnny Marr and most famously The...
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Last fall, we reviewed an incredible fuzz pedal from Retro Mechanical Labs, the Electron Fuzz Custom, and it really rocked our faces. Recently, Johnathan at RML made a special, potentially one-off version of this pedal called the Mini, featuring a gorgeous wooden enclosure and a rare, vintage voltage meter. We knew we had to have it, and the result is one of the most beautiful pedals we’ve had the pleasure to lay our eyes on....
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In reviewing so many pedals, there can be periods where a group of effects all seem really similar, and although they may have slight differences, they feel like pedals we might have already reviewed before. There are, however, some pedal production companies who really set themselves apart from the rest, in terms of innovation, creativity and all-out awesomeness. A couple that come to mind off the bat are Red Panda, Dwarfcraft...
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After reviewing the Defibrillator Reanimating Shock Fuzz from Paradox Effects, I was super excited to see what they would come up with next. Crazy graphics, tones and controls seem to be the general makeup of all their pedals, and the latest is no exception. When the Oniric PseudoAleatory Delay Modulation showed up on my doorstep and I opened the box, I knew I was going to be in for a real treat, and it turns out I was right. As...
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Sometimes during this crazy pedal review hobby I have, I come across a pedal that is super-unique and unlike anything I’ve yet come across, and today’s review is for a pedal of just that nature. Retro Mechanical Labs are known for the crazy awesome fuzz and drive pedals they produce, but the Electron Fuzz Custom is an entirely different beast than most fuzzes I’ve heard to this point. Boasting numerous control knobs...
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Review episode Number Three of this “Fly Boys Week” takes our sonic adventures down a different path. The third pedal in this series from Totally Wycked Audio is the FB-03 Echo, a small and powerful delay pedal that works great for multiple musical applications. This little digital delay produces a bright and shiny echo sound, which works as a perfect companion to a darker analog delay in your chain. Sporting a maximum...
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Sometimes, it can be hard to find great gear to go along with your acoustic setup, as so much gear is geared (hehe) towards electric playing. Granted, you can use electric pedals in your acoustic rig, but that seems a little lazy to me. I’d rather spend the money on something that had thought put into it, had great sounds specified for a mellower sound and had options that wouldn’t throw my wooden friend into a feedback...
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A pedal this size is bound to be intimidating, at least a little, to even the most experienced of pedal users (even me). However, The Swell Reverb/Delay from Midnight 30 Music takes a couple of great pedals and combines them into one great-looking enclosure, allowing you to mix-n-match tones and sonic soundscapes every and any which way you choose to, with great depth, clarity and presence. The first pedal on the far left is the...
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Delays are probably my favorite effect on the planet. I have a vast collection of them, and each one is unique in it’s own right, no matter how similar they may seem. I love running across hidden delay gems as well, and a prime example of this is the Cosmo Delay from Garland Guitar Services. I happened upon this at my favorite gear-buying site, and the price was just too good to pass up, even though I could find absolutely ZERO...
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The $87 I spent on this used pedal might have been the best $87 I ever spent on anything guitar-related…or not guitar-related, who knows? What I do know is this: the Reverb sounds coming out of the Hall of Fame from TC Electronic are incredible. The options are pretty much open to any type of reverb you could want, plus it has the super-cool Tone Print feature, like a lot of TC Electronic’s pedals have, which I think is a...
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ARPANOID. Even the name sounds like something from outer space, and this pedal will create those types of sounds and more. Coming to us from the great folks at EarthQuaker Devices, the Arpanoid is “the first dedicated compact polyphonic pitch arpeggiator effect pedal for electric guitar.” Basically, it takes the signal from your guitar, tweaks it and spits it out in the form of ascending or descending notes, which you can...
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This was VERY exciting when it first arrived on my doorstep, and hasn’t gotten one bit dull since then. The EP2 Envelope Phaser from Pigtronix will take you clear to outer space, and then a bit further, before pulling you back slowly into sublime reality. You can switch between the envelope filter and the phaser with a tap of your foot, or use them both in conjunction to set the controls for the heart of the sun. Use the Depth...
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