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Author Archive
Engineered to inject performance-oriented chaos into a traditional BBD circuit, the DOD DRAG pushes analog delay far beyond simple, predictable repeats. Providing up to 750ms of natural analog delay time that stretches to 1.5 seconds in Rubberneck mode, it ranges effortlessly from crisp, punchy slap-back echoes to expansive, self-evolving ambient soundscapes. At the center of its performance capabilities are advanced time-warping and modulation features driven by the Friction™ and Drift controls. Holding down the footswitch unleashes three unique friction modes – Rubberneck, SlideStop, and Evade – complete with distinct speed and depth variations that let you ride the chaos of pitch bends, sudden stops, and stuttering playback. Meanwhile, the modulation section features four selectable waveforms paired with light, medium, and heavy ranges to add everything from smooth, classic tape-like warbles to unpredictable, glitchy movement. The feature set and core controls are organized as follows: Time Knob & Delay Range: Delivers 750ms of standard BBD delay time, doubling up to 1.5s when utilizing Rubberneck mode. Feedback Control: Regulates the number of repeats, taking your signal from tight echoes to self-sustaining, atmospheric oscillations. Level Control: Balances your dry instrument signal and the wet delay, moving smoothly from subtle ambience to fully saturated […]... Click on the title for more
When Alexander Pedals set out to design the Velvet Noise, the goal was to find a better way to tackle stereo widening without falling into the usual traps of phase cancellation, mono collapse, or unnatural artifacts. Traditional methods like mid/side processing or micro-delays can often fall apart under headphones or cause issues down the line. Instead, Alexander dove into acoustic research and came back with a unique approach called velvet-noise decorrelation. Rather than digitally tricking the ear, the pedal convolves each channel with sparse, pseudo-random impulse sequences. This makes the left and right sides genuinely distinct while completely sidestepping the harsh comb filtering that plagues conventional wideners. Because the impulses are sparse, the circuit stays remarkably lightweight and free of the latency usually tied to convolution processing. Operation is intentionally straightforward. A single Width knob controls the entire effect: fully counterclockwise leaves your signal untouched, while turning it clockwise smoothly introduces the decorrelated space. Pushing it to the max brings in a touch of subtle modulation for maximum separation. Built around a discrete JFET input preamp with flexible TRS/TS I/O and dip-switch configurations for mono compatibility, the Velvet Noise is a thoughtful, elegant tool designed to widen your sound while […]... Click on the title for more
When building the KJams Rotary 2, the goal was simply to see if careful study and rigorous testing against an original vintage rotary speaker could yield something genuinely authentic in a compact stompbox. Handcrafted in Holland, Michigan, each unit features a solid wood faceplate to ensure every pedal has its own unique character. Underneath that warm exterior, the pedal utilizes a popular Spin FV-1 DSP architecture split by an 800Hz crossover, driving independent virtual woofer and horn elements that accelerate, decelerate, and shift pitch independently. A toggle switch lets you move between Single mode—featuring two speed controls and a horn-to-woofer mix—and Dual mode, which introduces a second horn for a lush, chorusing depth. Designed to be straightforward and hardworking on a board, the Rotary 2 includes a dedicated Spd1/Spd2 footswitch that can either instantly jump between speeds or simulate the physical ramp-up and ramp-down inertia of a real rotating cabinet, depending on how the controls are set. With standard mono I/O, an external speed jack, expression capability, and a modest 62mA power draw, it’s a humble, deeply faithful tool designed to bring the organic, moving warmth of classic rotary speakers right to your feet.... Click on the title for more
When NYC’s noise-mongers Death By Audio and London’s imaginative mad scientists Rainger FX cross paths, the result was always going to be wonderfully unhinged. Both builders share a relentless passion for pushing stompbox design past the edge of convention, favoring wild textures, raw industrial aesthetics, and circuits that feel dangerously alive. When David Rainger brought a concept to Oliver Ackermann about placing a microphone inside a pedal to capture ambient sound, Death By Audio didn’t just tweak the idea—they escalated it by dropping a real 3-watt amplifier and an internal 2-inch speaker right into the chassis. The resulting Amp Crash completely breaks the mold of traditional overdrive or digital amp simulation by creating sound through genuine physical interaction. Instead of mimicking a cranked combo, a real amplifier pushes a real speaker, while an internal microphone captures the air moving inside the box. Players can seamlessly blend this direct amp signal with the mic’d sound to conjure anything from a warm, touch-sensitive overdrive to crushing fuzz, natural feedback, and totally unpredictable harmonic blooms. Far from a one-trick gimmick, the unit is packed with a built-in multi-effects engine featuring Reverb, Echo, and Chorus to warp those physical tones even further. It […]... Click on the title for more
When Mark from Summer School Electronics set out to design the Double Major, his goal was simply to take one of the most iconic transparent drive topologies from the last few decades and give it a bit more room to breathe. Instead of keeping it as a single-channel box, he took the core circuit and doubled it inside one enclosure, utilizing those legendary germanium diodes that give the design its unmistakable feel. Built in Syracuse, New York, the pedal gives players genuine flexibility on both channels. Because each side features independent Volume, Drive, and Tone controls alongside switchable soft or hard clipping, users aren’t just getting two identical sounds. You can set one side up as a pristine, low-gain boost and the other as a heavier, harder-clipped drive, then stack them in either order to see where things land. Mark has always focused on gear that feels intuitive and gets out of the player’s way, and the Double Major really comes alive under the fingers. Whether you’re trying to push a tube amp over the edge or just find two distinct sweet spots on the fly, it’s a straightforward, hardworking tool designed to inspire.... Click on the title for more
If you’ve ever chased the glorious, unhinged chaos of a small, cheap practice amp being driven completely past its absolute breaking point, the Jam Tiny Amp Destroyer (TAD) is built precisely for that sonic destruction. Born out of a direct collaboration between JAM Pedals and Stu Mackenzie of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, this stompbox was engineered specifically to capture the deprived, explosive guitar tones forged by running a thrift-store amplifier pummeled by dual boost circuits on recent KGLW records. Rather than cleanly emulating an amp modeler, the TAD acts as an analog compressor of space and tone, collapsing whatever rig you are running into something smaller, nastier, and infinitely more character-driven in the best way possible. At its core, the pedal features a dual-stage cascading gain architecture controlled by independent footswitches for G1 and G2. You can run them solo or stack them into total madness: G2 handles everything from subtle, glassy touch sensitivity right up to the edge of breakup, while G1 slams the circuit into heavy, aggressive distortion. To keep those extreme gain settings focused and biting, a third footswitch integrates a pre-drive treble boost adapted directly from JAM’s celebrated Rooster circuit. Beyond standard drive shaping, […]... Click on the title for more
Those who've been around "long enough" will have fond memories of the day in 1998 when they saw, and then heard the very first Line 6 Pod. It was the first mass-produced device to deliver, in a rather small package and rather faithfully, the tones of a myriad of different guitar amps - aka: the first amp modeler. Nobody knows why it took Line 6 this long to put the POD in a stompbox, but that day has come: enter the Line 6 Pod Express.... Click on the title for more
Chase Bliss has unveiled Lost + Found, its first true multi-effect pedal, marking a bold step into new sonic territory. As the second release in the company’s Small Batch Bliss series, this made-to-order pedal is a curated collection of rare and experimental effects designed to inspire musicians and sound designers alike.... Click on the title for more
From its form factor, the Origin Effects Deluxe55 looks like it should belong to the company's Halcyon series of overdrives, a line of pedals dedicated to perfecting the sound of classic overdrive such as the Tube Screamer, the Klon Centaur and the Marshall Blues Breaker.... Click on the title for more
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