//

gear giveaway

Author Archive

Seen at NAMM: Stomp Labs’ MaX O.D. – expression madness!

One of the coolest new product we saw at NAMM was right in our own booth down in Hall E - yes, we were in Anaheim with our Stompbox Exhibit featuring 11 boutique manufacturers.

Stomp Labs, a Canadian manufacturer, debuted its first pedal, the MaX O.D., part of an upcoming series called "XPressWay," which is said to produce "the world's first fully expression enabled guitar pedals."

The MaX O.D. sounds good, but what's really mind blowing about it is what it lets you do to control it - something that opens a lot of creative options for the guitarists with experimental inclinations.

If you connect an expression pedal to this baby, you'll be able to do a couple of things you can't do with any other pedal: tapping once on any of the three knobs (Volume, Gain and Tone) activates the control through the expression pedal, while tapping twice on any of them activates a "reverse" control - i.e. the knob will act as if it's 100% up when the pedal is at 0% and vice versa. A green light on top of the knob indicates normal control, a blue one reversed control.
... Click on the title for more

Seen at NAMM: Stomp Labs’ MaX O.D. – expression madness!

Stompbox Exhibit at NAMM 2014 – Booth 1472 in Hall E!

The Deli’s Stompbox Exhibits have become a crucial component to what The Deli does, and thanks to the interest they triggered among pedal lovers and also in social media, they are slowly becoming an event that’s recognized by most musicians in the US. In 2013, we brought this pedal expo format to NAMM for the first time during its minor summer Nashville edition (in the picture). In 2014, we are finally ready to debut it at the big NAMM show - the winter one in Anaheim, CA.... Click on the title for more

Stompbox Exhibit at NAMM 2014 – Booth 1472 in Hall E!

Pedal Reviews: smallsound/bigsound’s Team Awesome! Fuzz Machine

The smallsound/bigsound's Team Awesome! Fuzz Machine has all the features of a classic germanium fuzz pedal, but includes a few interesting quirks that lift it a cut above other comparable stompboxes. The interface is easy to understand after a short amount of tinkering, with a dry channel controlled by volume and gain parameters, and a wet channel controlled by volume, fuzz, and shape (tone control) parameters.... Click on the title for more

Pedal Reviews: smallsound/bigsound’s Team Awesome! Fuzz Machine

Recording Tips: Editing Live Drums

The average indie musician is way sloppier than - say - folk or metal ones, and although music fans into genres like lo fi and garage rock can cope with drumming that's not tight, it's not a good idea to have drums too out of time even on the most lo-fi of records. Also, unless you have a few extra hundred dollars to hand to your sound engineer to tighten the drum tracks, you should probably learn how to do it yourself. Ideally drums should be recorded to a click together with the bass, and both instrument tightened with editing before the other instruments are recorded. During editing, the click will allow you to have a visual reference of where the "perfect" tempo is compared to the drummer's hits. If the click isn't used, you'll have to adjust things relying exclusively on your sense of rhythm.... Click on the title for more

Recording Tips: Editing Live Drums

MOOER Spark Series

There is obviously a competition among stompbox manufacturers these days to see who can build the guitar pedals with the smallest footprint, and it seems like Chinese builder MOOER is comfortably in the lead. After releasing, in recent years, a ridicolous amount of tiny rectangular pedals for every taste (called the "Micro" series), MOOER just announced they will present a new series of even smaller stompboxes at NAMM 2014, called Spark Series. ... Click on the title for more

MOOER Spark Series

Stationary Set’s Recording Process

When it comes to melody, Brooklyn’s The Stationary Set is anything but shy. Their brand of electro pop is dramatic and soulful – these 5 dudes are not afraid to get feely and they’re mindful of said feeliness. On their Facebok page, it’s mentioned that they strive "to make the 'pop' in pop music less of a dirty word." Their cover of Pat Benetar's "We Belong" is an embodiment of this; pulsating, hazy electro lends the ‘80s classic new depth. The electronic touches that pepper their sound are never isolating, they just expand it. In fact, The Stationary Set finds their sound at its best when let loose within a large space. And, since forming in 2009, they've had their fair share of big venue performances. They shared the stage with Phoenix and Mumford & Sons and most recently played a sold out show at Highline Ballroom along with January Jane. The band is recording an album over the course of the winter, so stay tuned for more warm and fuzzy goodness.... Click on the title for more

Stationary Set’s Recording Process

Jack White’s guitar pedal, the Bumble Buzz

Eccentrics sure know how to get noticed, which is an important first promotional step. Then - if they are talented - people will remember them, otherwise they won't. Jack White doesn't need introductions, but the announcement that his record label Third Man Records released a... guitar pedal is so surreal it reminds us of those legendary Dada conceptual art provocations. But the pedal does exist indeed: it's called TMR Bumble Buzz, and - for now - you can only hear it in the video below, where guitarist Olivia Jean, violinist Fats Kaplan and Jack White hinself take turns demoing it.... Click on the title for more

Jack White’s guitar pedal, the Bumble Buzz

Pedal Demo: Selah Effects’ Scarlett Love Overdrive V2

Being based in Tasmania is definitely not an advantage for a pedal manufacturer. Oh, yeah, no... Tasmania (where Selah Effects is) is not in Africa, it's in Australia, right there. And the biggest market for guitar pedals is about half a world from there, right here. These two locations are so far apart that even Google Maps refuses to give you directions on how to get from one to the other.... Click on the title for more

Pedal Demo: Selah Effects’ Scarlett Love Overdrive V2

Death By Audio announces Ghost Delay – a triple delay pedal

If you have "extreme" pretty much tattooed on your DNA, you are bound to come up with some pretty interesting ideas. Oliver Ackman doesn't conceal his interest for sonic excess, both with his break out band A Place to Bury Strangers and with his Death By Audio stompboxes. The man's comfort zone is in a loud aural zone tucked between insane distortion and wickedly blurry atmospheres, and his latest pedal creation leans decidedly towards the latter.... Click on the title for more

Death By Audio announces Ghost Delay – a triple delay pedal

Henretta Engineering square mini pedals

We noticed these Henretta Engineering pedals at Main Drag Music during our Stompbox Exhibit back in October - they weren't part of the show - and we got intrigued by them... These mini stomp boxes are described as simple, small footprint pedals packing a lot of tone into a well designed enclosure with impressive circuitry. You can find the full list of effects here, they are all priced at $125 and there's a bunch of them for all tastes (lots of distortions and boosts of course, but also an octave up, a filter and a tremolo). They all have internal trimmers that allow for extra control.... Click on the title for more

Henretta Engineering square mini pedals

Pedal Demo: Dutch Kazoo

I have to say, I've seen a lot of pedals, but not many made out of wood. The Dutch Kazoo was one of the prettiest (and biggest) pedals to participate in our Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit last month. Needless to say, it's not just about the looks, this is a very versatile fuzz with an original circuit. ... Click on the title for more

Pedal Demo: Dutch Kazoo

Adventure Audio Siamese Growler Demo

The Siamese Growler - the first pedal by Adventure Audio - participated in our Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit last month, catching some attention in our huge Fuzz mixed board. The small Philly based boutique manufacturer just released a demo of the pedal, which is a clone of an Ibanez Tube Screamer with some extra check it out below.... Click on the title for more

Adventure Audio Siamese Growler Demo