The wonderful world of multi-effects has had quite a resurgence in the last couple of years, with bigger, more powerful machines that actually sound incredible being put on the market. With all of these fantastic sounds and options available, there’s also been a considerable price hike in these effects units, too, making it hard for those on a lower budget to even be able to test them out, to see if it’s a good fit for...
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Not really sure where to begin with today’s featured pedal…. the crew at Meris has been crushing the effects game over the last couple years, and the Enzo was one highly anticipated pedal when it was released. A true multi-voice synthesizer in a box, this magnificent gold beauty takes everything you knew about synth pedals and flips it upside down, spins it around and jettisons it into the far reaches of space. The sonic...
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With the weekend rapidly approaching, many of you will be exploring new gear and trying to figure out which new, tasty pedal to order while you relax on your off days. If you’re in the mood for something that will warp your mind, bend your soul and spark outrage in your neighbors, then you have definitely come to the right place. The Super Weirdo from our noise-happy German neighbors across the pond, JPTR FX, is the ultimate in...
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We want the funk. Give up the funk. We need the funk. We gotta have that funk. Truer words have never been spoken, both in general and especially when in relation to today’s magnificently funky featured pedal. The Analogue Filter 442 from Mojo Hand FX brings SOOOO much funk to the table, yet utilizes only two control knobs, making it easy to dial in, yet complex in the amount of range you have for such a simple configuration....
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It’s Day Two of our “Deadbeat Week” here at Pedal of the Day, and brings with it the first of three “Station” effects pedals we’re going to check out. Modulation is always a good time, no matter what type of rig you have or what music you play, so cramming 11 unique modulating effects into one pedal sounds like a pretty rad idea to us. The Modulation Station combines Tremolo, Vibrato, Chorus,...
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It’s been a hot minute since we had anything from Yellowcake come through the office, but boy, was it worth the wait. The Lida Machine is an analog resonant filter, with hints of tremolo and vibrato, ring modulator, phaser and more jammed into an impressive-looking and sounding enclosure. With two footswitches and a lot of knobs, we’re ready to dive in and explore this beast immediately… Also known as a VCF (Voltage...
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Today’s pedal is an awesomely odd one to approach, as it is really 10 pedals in one. The Console from ELTA Music uses a series of interchangeable sound cartridges, each with its own set of three modes, to produce a wide array of tones and auditory revelations that will alter your approach to creating music. We are going to review and demo all 10 of these cartridges eventually, and the next one is our series is the Filter and...
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Remember when you first discovered how to add a little bit of funk into your playing? Those couple of chords that you could jam on forever, thinking you were going to form the next Parliament or be the next Stevie Wonder, but on guitar? The Blurst from Electro-Harmonix is a modulated filter pedal that brings the funk with authority, while adding in some fun twists and turns, and always keeping a smile on your face. Diverting slightly...
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Are you looking to get nuts with your sound? Tired of having 8 drive pedals that all sound fairly similar, and want to spice it up? Looking for a compact and easy way to create walls of noise and freak out your audience? Then the Downer from Malekko Heavy Industry is just what the doctor ordered. Part wavefolder, part saturator, part octave and part filter, these words vaguely describe what this grey monster is able to unleash. The...
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Do you need a little funk in your music, or your life, but don’t like things super-clean or proper? Have you always wanted to venture into the world of auto-wahs and filters, but never found just the right pedal to make the leap? The Cock Fight from Electro-Harmonix incorporates elements of wah, fuzz, and filters to create a uniquely-voiced effects pedal, one that’s certain to make your head turn and your body bust into a...
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Pedal that are hard to describe, explain or wrap your head around are usually some of the best. The Ottobit Jr from Meris fits squarely into this set of rules, possibly breaking some along it’s sonic warpath as well. Part pitch manipulator, part sampler, part sequencer and all bitcrusher, this little black box will expand your mind and everything you thought you knew about how music is supposed to be created. Inspired by vintage...
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With a long-standing tradition of being anything but traditional, Dwarfcraft Devices have been pushing, reshaping and demolishing the sonic envelopes that we are all used to, and show no signs of stopping that in the near future. A perfect example of the inventive and creative products they’re producing is today’s pedal, the Grazer, a bright orange behemoth that acts as a granular repeater, delay, sampler, and all out wack...
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Continuing their status as one of the top-of-the-heap companies in the effects pedal world, Keeley Electronics introduced some multi-effects boxes to the world last year, and we’re lucky enough to have one of them to check out today. The Super Mod Workstation covers more ground than it probably needs to, or should be able, which is definitely NOT a bad thing. With more effects and parameter settings than you’ll know what...
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Every once in a while around the Pedal of the Day office, we encounter a pedal that is truly like no other we’ve seen before, and that really gets us going. The DM-02 Dynamorph from Totally Wycked Audio is just that kind of pedal, as it is a fuzz, filter, synth, distortion and more all wrapped into one out-of-this-world enclosure. With a ton of sonic options to choose from, and controls and switches up the yin-yang, this is one...
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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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Sometimes, you just know an effect is going to be rad based solely on its name, and today’s pedal proves that once again. The Dirty Robot from DigiTech is a mini-synth pedal, turning your guitar or bass into a close-to-full-blown synthesizer, without having to worry about a second pickup or interface to haul around. A powerful effect indeed, there’s lots to learn about it, so let’s dive right in! There are a bunch of...
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The crew over at Hungry Robot Pedals has been known for creating new, unique and innovative effects since their inception in 2012, quickly garnering a reputation for the obscure and awesome. Today’s featured pedal might just be the most unique yet, and is one hell of a fun pedal to play around with. The Kármán Line is a delay and oscillation device that uses a modulating joystick with a heavily filtered delay line that...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Max F. – find him on SoundCloud (@MaxFaith)! While octave pedals are available in a variety of configurations it’s hard to find units that operate in the desired octave range and track well enough to be useful and musical. Enter the Walrus Audio Luminary Quad Octave Generator. The fine people at Walrus have designed this pedal to work in the lower and higher octave ranges with some of the finest...
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Sometimes, we at Pedal of the Day discover a pedal that is so fun, has so many options and expands our current version of musical enlightenment that it’s hard to play anything else for a while. Today’s featured pedal is exactly along those lines: genre-bending, hard-to-define and definitely in-your-face, the BitQuest Multi-Effect is a site to behold, and a pleasure to hear. From our neighbors to the north, Dr. Scientist,...
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We have reviewed several effects from Red Witch Pedals here at Pedal of the Day, and each time, it’s an adventure for both the mind and the ears. Today’s featured pedal may top the list in regards to both those things, as the Synthotron Analog Synth is capable of producing an insane amount of noises, sounds and tones, some predictable, some outrageous and all Red Witch, for sure. Let’s dive right into this...
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Apparently, Greece is where to be to experience and pontificate on the wonders of the world, and then harness those discoveries into some incredible effects pedals. Having somewhat recently reviewed the Taff 2 Scientific Tremolo, which was a brilliant way to be introduced to this company, we were wicked stoked to check today’s featured pedal, the Epsilon Distortion Envelope Filter. Right away, it just sounds cool, and once you...
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Multi-effects pedals can be tricky to write reviews about, as there is so much going on, and so many different options to choose from that it makes it hard to narrow the writing down and focus on a few things to discuss in detail. Such is the case with today’s featured pedal, the M5 Stompbox Modeler from Line 6 – and if the regular functionality of this pedal wasn’t overwhelming enough, this model has been modded by...
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When you think about the wackiest, most innovative and sometimes difficult to control pedals on the market today, an overwhelming majority of musicians’ thoughts go to one company: EarthQuaker Devices. Now, they make some semi-straightforward pedals: overdrives, fuzzes, delays, etc., but even most of those have some element of magic to them. Today’s featured pedal, the Rainbow Machine, falls into a category where it may be...
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The pedal we’ve got for Day Four here during “Moog Week” can’t really be put into any specific category, so we’ve decided to lump it into the super-generic and genre-jumping Filters category, as there was really no other place to put it. The MF-105 MuRF is a “Multiple Resonance Filter Array”, meaning it has 8 warm and resonant filters, which are controlled by 8 sliders. These sliders, coupled...
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Continuing with their unpredictable, innovative and original lineup of pedals, EarthQuaker Devices has done it again with today’s pedal, the Bit Commander. Billed as an analog synthesizer, this gray beast is that, for sure, but much more as well. With four octaves of square wave synth tones, the Bit Commander will leave you speechless at first, but once you tame it, it’ll be your audience that will be in for the real...
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Have you always been kind of jealous of the keyboardist or bass player in your band? The ones who get to make a ton of funky, low-end, synthesizer sounds that harken back to the 70s, that you just can’t seem to reproduce just using a guitar and amp? Well, now you can be the funk master, thanks to the Octasynth Octave Synthesizer pedal from SubDecay. This little box produces buzzy, funk-filled sub-octave notes and glitches,...
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Anticipation is one of the funnest parts about getting new pedals in the mail to review, and sometimes, that anticipation is higher than other times. Case in point: I couldn’t wait to open the box for the brand new Interstellar Orbiter from EarthQuaker Devices when it arrived on my doorstep. I had heard a lot about it from the last NAMM show, and was super-excited to see what it could do, and run it through the paces to maximize...
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Trem. Tremolo. Tremohlo. Tremeelo. Truhmuhlo. However you decide to pronounce it, picking the right one is a task. Just like most effects these days the options are endless. One knob? You can find it. But you want sixteen knobs?! It exists. I’ve been on a mission for months to find my perfect tremolo pedal and I think I may be close. My demands were simple, for today’s pedal world anyhow, smooth to choppy, can do super fast or super...
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All-in-one pedals can be great, and they can be terrible, as anyone who has ever tried a few out can attest to. The good ones, though, when they’re good, they are GOOOOD. Where to begin with a pedal like this, with so many options, tones, squeaks, sound and delights? With a long-standing reputation of making some of the finest musical gear around, the folks at Eventide have one-upped even themselves at this point, and released...
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The Mobius super-modulation pedal from Strymon is yet another example of some of the finest gear offerings available on the market today, and doesn’t really leave much to chance as far as options and tones are concerned. Created in the same realm and structure as the TimeLine Delay and BigSky Reverberator, the Mobius is a true all-in-one modulation box, supplying just about any kind of phaser, flanger, chorus and vibrato sound...
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As with all awesomeness that comes out of the Devi Ever factory, the Big Distortion Sound Machine makes noises that no other pedal does, which really is the brilliance of the company. Now paired with Dwarfcraft Devices, Devi Ever’s latest sonic destruction box will have you laughing, crying, barfing and possibly jumping for joy, depending. It hurts in the best way possible when cranked, and can soothe your wrecked eardrums a...
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The Assblaster is an absolutely unique, deviant, evil, and yellow effects system unlike any other available. The sounds it makes are always new, often very unpredictable, and are never repeatable. The Assblaster combines several of Metasonix’s classic vacuum-tube processing circuits: The preamp stage from the TM-7 “Scrotum Smasher” distortion pedal, the pulser of the TM-1 vacuum-tube waveshaper, and the the thyratron...
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The KOMA Elektronik FT201 Analog Filter / 10 Step Sequencer, like all of KOMA pedals, features a patch bay and an infrared sensor as a modulation source that can be patched to any control. The sequence length is selectable between two through ten steps and the sequencer speed control can turn the sequencer up toward audio raters or down all the way to turning it off all together. In addition, the sequencer can be slaved to an external...
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Where to start with this pedal? There are so many options as far as sounds are concerned when using the Harmonic Decoder from Sunsine Audio, it’s a little daunting to know where to begin. A true single oscillating analog synthesizer, this beast can be a fuzz, an octave, a filter, a wah and much, much more. I’ll do my best to describe to you the power that is held within this little black box. The controls are easy to read,...
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Based on the super-rare Colorsound Dipthonizer circuit, the Little Dipper Mk II Envelope Controlled Vocal Formant Filter is a really fun pedal to play around with, and is capable of making roughly a gajillion different sounds. Using dual filters, a couple of control knobs and switches and even an Expression Pedal, this little box packs a wallop! While the Little Dipper is an envelope filter, it’s so much more at the same time....
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today, and this PAIR of pedals comes to us from Russia, courtesy of Barkin Effects. Their featured pedals are the extremly unique Vibrofon and the wicked-heavy Nitro Fuzz. Look out for these two pedals, they are DIRTY and AWESOME. The video features demos for both… Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by the guys from Barkin Effect,...
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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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