We are always in the mood for a good tremolo pedal here at Pedal of the Day, and harmonic tremolos are even more fun. As far as we can tell, harmonic tremolos filter the high & low frequencies of the soundwave, then modulate the remaining signal in opposite paths. In short, it sounds fantastic, and different, and awesome. Today’s pedal is in this vein, but even more powerful and options-laden. The Red Noise Pedals Butterfly...
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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 recently taking a crack at the Element Analog Spring Reverb tank bundle, we were excited to toss another pedal from our favorite French gear maker onto our demo table. The Anasounds Ages Harmonic Tremolo is a monster of a pedal, in compact form, with hidden options, HUGE waves of sound and a fantastic quality build. We’ve had the privilege to review a lot of Anasounds pedals, and we’re stoked to bring you another one...
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Flanger is one of those effects that can be deeply loved or vehemently despised by musicians all over the globe, but we’d be puzzled to find many that wouldn’t have at least SOME fun with today’s powerful pedal. The EarthQuaker Devices Pyramids Stereo Flanger features five presets, eight flanger modes, tap tempo, tap subdivision, a multi-function Modify control, positive and negative Feedback, and a variable Mix...
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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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Multi-Effects pedals have really come a long way in the last 5 or so years, and the new stuff coming out just keeps getting better and more impressive. One of the newer ones is the unit we’re looking at today, the Poly Effects Digit Quad Delay Reverb. This crazy, wild and innovative box also boasts Filters, Cab Sims, Mixers, LFOs and Envelope Follower functionality, among others. An ambient creator’s dream pedal,...
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One of the things that really makes a good Tremolo effect pedal is the Rate at which the LFO (low frequency oscillator) moves and shimmies, right? Now, bending down on a poorly-lit stage to try and set the speed of these pulses can be challenging, which is why we love a good tremolo pedal that incorporates Tap Tempo functionality. Today’s pedal does that and much, much more – the Tacana Tap Tremolo comes to us all the way...
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So, here’s the thing: we LOVE to review and demo pedals that step completely outside the box, that make their own rules, that completely annihilate everyone’s expectations and conceptions about what effects pedals are supposed to do. Now, the list we currently have is not as long as we’d like it to be, but today’s pedal gets us a start in the right direction. The Moomindrone T from ezhi&aka is a Drone...
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Flanger is an awesome effect, but one that can be love or hate, depending on whom you ask. Fans of Pink Floyd and The Police likely fall into the “love” category, as some of David Gilmour and Andy Summers’ tones are just drenched in flange, specifically the classic 18v Electric Mistress from Electro-Harmonix. Today, we’re going to check out a pedal that seeks to recreate these awe-inspiring sounds, but housed...
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Phasers are one of our favorite effects here at Pedal of the Day, as they can enhance your tone and sound a little, a lot or anywhere in between. From smooth, almost background-like subtleties to pulsing, space-infused journeys through the cosmos, phase shifter pedals hold a special place in our (and many others) hearts. Therefore, it’s with great pleasure that we bring a kind of rare, vintage and killer-sounding phaser to your...
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A couple years back, a pedal came onto the market that was unlike any we had all seen before, the Dream Sequence Filter/Tremolo/Sampler/etc. from Hologram Electronics. After the success of that beauty, the Hologram crew came up with another astonishing effect, which we’re going to check out today. The Infinite Jets is a wildly ambient machine, with a ton of sustain and exquisite sampling abound, making for a creative and...
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From BB King to SRV to Hendrix to the Smashing Pumpkins to Paul Kossoff and more, the Vibrato effect has been employed throughout the decades, through both effects and playing technique. The results have been a mixed bag of emotional, soaring leads, unforgettable licks and drawn-out chordal arrangements for some of the most memorable music around. We’re going to explore this genre a bit more today, with the VIB1 Vibrato pedal...
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One of our favorite pedals ever here at Pedal of the Day has got to be the Goatkeeper Analog Tap Tremolo/Sequencer from Lightfoot Labs. An intriguing blend of trem pulses and sequencing, this no-longer manufactured effect has become highly sought-after, and if you can find one, they have the price tag to prove it. Although we are fortunate enough to own an original, we were stoked to hear the news that the creative minds at Malekko...
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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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If we had to pick a desert island effect genre, there would be only one answer: DELAY. Spanning back decades and inspiring and enticing players throughout the years, delay and echo pedals are some of the funnest, creativity-building effects out there. Today’s pedal, however, takes everything you thought you knew about delay and tosses it inside-out, upside-down and round and round we go. The Polymoon from Meris is a modulated...
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For all the crazy things and innovative effects that EarthQuaker Devices have created over the years, the Chorus effect might be the least wacky of them all. However, in typical EQD fashion, they take a semi-normal modulation pedal and flip is upside down, spin it right ’round and come up with a new version (#3) that is absolutely the best one yet. The Sea Machine is a chorus pedal, yes, but an over-the-top modulating machine...
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The first two pedals we took a crack at from Hochstrasser Electronics, the Disco Terrapin Envelope Filter and the Helping Friendly Box Overdrive Compressor, were absolute gems, two pedals we instantly fell in love with and have been experimenting with ever since. Today, we get to investigate a third pedal of theirs, the Transmogriphaser, a dual channel, OTA (Operational Transconductance Amplifier), 4-stage phaser that conjures up Pink...
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Eventide has been releasing some of the most incredible stompboxes we’ve seen over the last decade, including the ModFactor, Space Reverb, PitchFactor and the incredible H9, to name a few. With such a wide array of multi-function effects, what would they focus on next? The answer comes to us in gorgeous fashion in The Rose, producing a modulated delay that hones in on tones that embrace the analog/digital hybrid world, with a...
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The effects that have previously come from Dr. Scientist have always had a little bit of a learning curve, so we expected the same when today’s pedal arrived….but WOW! The Atmosphere Reverb is an absolute sonic mammoth, covering the bases of just about every single reverb mode, sound and option you could want, with a couple of other things thrown in for good measure. It even has a colorful display screen, MIDI and the...
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At first glance, the JUNE-60 Chorus pedal from TC Electronic appears to be a piece of gear send back in time from the future. In fact, it represents the PAST, as it is a faithful recreation of the lush chorus circuit found in the legendary Roland Juno-60 Synthesizer. Upon seeing pictures of this vintage machine, you can easily see where the inspiration and aesthetics for the JUNE-60 came from. Paying homage to a classic polyphonic...
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The next pedal in our “Walrus Week”, which features the three newest pedals from our pals at Walrus Audio, is a phaser. Now, we LOVE phasers, and modulation in general, here at Pedal of the Day, and were super-stoked when we saw the announcement about the Lillian Multi-Stage Analog Phaser. This gorgeous-sounding, pulsating, whirling effect boasts differing phase stage selection, a unique Blend knob and intense,...
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The last time an effects pedal from Beautiful Noise Effects came through our office, it was the large and exciting “When the Sun Explodes”, a marvelous Reverb and Distortion mixed together to form a powerful and inspiring pedal. When we heard they were sending us their newest creation, our interest and excitement went through the roof, and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it. The Endless Sleeper arrived, and...
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The Phaser Effect. It’s been heard on famous recordings and utilized in live settings by all of our favorite guitarists for decades, and continues to be one of the more interesting effects genres out there. Now, as much as we love a good, simple, one-knob phase shifting unit, the ones that are REALLY fun are the multiple-switch, more-than-you-need knob configuration, too-many-options-to-handle types of phasers, and that is...
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Today’s pedal, an overdrive with a three-knob setup, seeks to to fulfill a need to have an overdrive that was not so thin and lacking like so many others on the market. The Seawolf Overdrive from ToneApparatus FX isn’t trying to create a new effect or genre, just making a damn good overdrive that can be useful to any rig or player in any musical style. It’s also fully customizable, features an additional tonal option...
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It’s been a minute since we had a new pedal from JHS Pedals come through the shop, but they’ve reappeared with a brand new effect that sure to get the tremolo/vibe folks salivating. The Kodiak is a Tap Tempo Tremolo pedal, complete with a ton of bells and whistles that will suit anyone looking to add a fat, bold, pulsing effect to their lineup or board. Boasting subdivision note control, 4 differing waveform choices,...
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When a pedal describes itself as a Phaser, our interest is automatically peaked. Now, not everyone loves the phaser effect, for whatever reason, but then a pedal comes along that changes the game, and could possibly make a whole slew of haters into converts after they hear it in action. That pedal has arrived today, folks: the Arctic Wolf from Dogmatek Effects Pedals is a twin modulator phaser, but is also a ring modulator, tremolo,...
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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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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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The Uni-Vibe is an iconic effect, whether coming from Hendrix and Band of Gypsy’s “Machine Gun,” Robin Trower’s “Bridge of Sighs” or multiple tracks from “Dark Side of the Moon” from Pink Floyd, you’ve heard it before many times, and chances are you dig it. Today’s pedal seeks to re-create those iconic effects units of the past, with a couple new enhancements as well. The...
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In this current era of “space-saving pedalboard layouts,” isn’t it nice to see some oversized gear that feels no shame for its size and stature? Well, today’s pedal, When The Sun Explodes, from the masterminds down under at Beautiful Noise Effects, comes to you just ripping out of the gates, big and bold and rough all over, just waiting to get a chance to show what it can do. Which is a lot, now that you ask,...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Dominick F. – you can find him here on Twitter. Thanks again, man! The Meris Polymoon is an incredible delay pedal based off of old Rack unit modules. With relative ease create lush reverb sounds or even syncopated rhythmic trails. With up to 1200ms of delay with or without tap tempo and premium analog JFET inputs, this beast offers crisp and clean high quality audio. Onto some of the controls:...
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You gotta love a good vintage pedal, especially one that’s a little beat up, and shows its age. The R-60 Flanger from Ross we came across is exactly that, giving us a glimpse into what it has been through over the course of its 40-year life. Not surprisingly, however, it still sounds just fantastic, as these old Ross pedals were built like tanks, and able to withstand whatever was thrown at them. Let’s take a look and see...
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Wacky, crazy, outside the box effects really get our pulses racing here at Pedal of the Day, and today’s pedal delivered the goods in spades. Effects that are hard to categorize or identify are usually our favorites, as they represent a new style of thinking and showcase the builders’ innovative technique and auditory prowess, which we simply cannot get enough of. The Sneak Attack VCA Tremolo, accompanied by the Lil’...
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What can you say about the crop of pedals coming out of Portland, Oregon from Spaceman Effects? They have taken on a life all their own, with limited edition runs, outside-the-box designs and sonic explorations and a design, both inside and outside the pedals, that is rivaled by none. We try to get our hands on each pedal they release, just to see what they’ve come up with now, and are proud to bring you their latest today: the...
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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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Kevin Wilson Guilford, Indiana Wilson Effects www.wilsoneffects.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar in the 4th grade and dropped it for a while. I picked it back up when I was around 17 and have been playing ever since. I was an 80’s metal thrash kid so Metallica, Slayer all contributed to my willingness to pick it back up. Ultimately Pearl Jam became one of my...
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Efren Castro Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Paradox Effects www.paradoxeffects.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Since I was 11, I’m currently 30. I started playing bass on my own and then got together with a few friends to play some Misfits covers. I think one of the reasons I got through most of the days playing instruments was to keep myself away from the streets of my hood,...
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There are a group of pedals from DOD, manufactured decades ago that have been making a resurgence as of late, and we’ve got one of ’em for you today. The 490 Phasor doesn’t have a ton of information on it, but we have narrowed the production date down to around 1978 (we think), making it a vintage classic that features some wild tones that ooze out of this effect. Can’t get much simpler than two knobs, but...
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If for some reason, you still don’t know about or haven’t experienced any of the sonic marvels that Walrus Audio continually puts out into the effects community, you need to get on that quick (after you read this and watch the demo, of course). For the rest of us, it comes as no surprise that Colt and the crew have come up with an incredible new tremolo to unleash on the world: the Monument Harmonic Tap Tremolo. Featuring...
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Jeremy DePoyster Chicago, IL The Devil Wears Prada www.tdwpband.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I got my first acoustic at 10, and have played ever since. I took a quick interest in keyboards, synths, and sequencers and have been making music with them since around the same time. I started with a KORG Polysix running a curly cable into a Fender Champ Amp. Who have been some of your...
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*This is our last review before a much-needed (and we think deserved) break for the holidays here in the States. Thanks everyone for another killer year of support and helping Pedal of the Day continue to grow and thrive – and if you haven’t already, head over to Our Online Store and pick up some shirts, stickers and pedals for the musician in your life, or as a little treat to yourself. See you in 2017 – Cheers!*...
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Peter D’Amore Waukesha, WI www.peterdamore.com www.facebook.com/peterdamoremusic www.youtube.com/peterdamoremusic How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I always enjoyed making skits and songs on cassette recorders since I was five. Recording and editing is still my very favorite thing to do, and it always feels like a privilege. Besides Marty McFly and Van Halen references that heavily...
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Pedals like the one we’ve got for you today are always a blast to review, as they seem so futuristic and uncommon, even though they were first released decades ago. With a ton of knobs, footswitches and jacks, the UE 305 is a multi effect for the ages, combining three excellent pedals from Ibanez’s golden age of effects into one HUGE enclosure (no joke, this thing is massive). Let’s just dive right in and see what...
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Joel Cummins Venice Beach, CA Umphrey’s McGee umphreys.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing piano at the age of 8 when my parents told me I had to pick an instrument and practice 30 minutes a day. Umphrey’s McGee started in late 1997 and we haven’t looked back since. I started with sight reading, mainly focused on classical music, but also did some ragtime, blues...
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Where do we even start with a pedal like this? The Goatkeeper 3 has become a pedal of mystery and intrigue, not to mention hard to find and pretty expensive, too. Described as an analog tremolo sequencer, this big white whale is so much more, a giant tone machine just itching to be experimented with, and thanks to the folks at Lightfoot Labs, one that we get to indulge in for you today. The Goatkeeper is a pedal unlike most, utilizing...
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Well, it appears that we are in a familiar situation, reviewing another dynamite effects pedal from our friends at Keeley Electronics. It seems you can’t take 2 steps forward these days without literally stepping on one of Robert’s pedals (in our office, anyway), which is not necessarily a bad thing. Today’s gem of a pedal features a trio of effects again strewn together into one marvelous (and super space-saving)...
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Today’s featured pedal comes to us from a well-known and highly-respected source here at Pedal of the Day. The crew over at Celestial Effects has been consistently churning out some amazing pedals, and we are lucky enough to have them keep sending us new stuff to review and demo, and we couldn’t be happier. This particular piece of gear they graced us with is a 3-In-1 beast, boasting three wonderful effects in one...
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After a quick day off yesterday to move the shop, we’re back with a bang! From the insanely talented and innovative brain of our pal Joel Korte over at Chase Bliss Audio comes one of the most talked-about and anticipated effects pedals of 2016. The Tonal Recall Analog Delay not only manages to squish a TON of options into a regular-sized, pedalboard-friendly pedal, but takes the entire genre, dumps it on its head and reinvents...
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Chorus is a great effect, when used in the right context. I suppose the same could be said about any other effect, but chorus really seems to have a special following of haters, while other players consider it a crucial part of their signature sound. As with most pedals from EarthQuaker Devices, the Sea Machine is not a traditional chorus effect, but instead another gorgeous re-imagining of a classic effect with those very special EQD...
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Around here, we get pretty excited whenever the crew over at Walrus Audio unleashes a new pedal release on the world, as we have reviewed just about all of their pedals, and they just keep getting better and better. This time around, they’ve gone to modulation town, with a wicked mash up of chorus and vibrato, but with some new options for ultimate tweakability and customization not seen too often in a pedal of this nature. From...
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