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![Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic and Twin Tube Blues]()
Seymour Duncan’s Twin Tube series are tube powered preamp/overdrive pedals. They come in three flavors: “Blues”, “Classic”, and “Mayhem”! Each of the two-channel pedals are powered by a pair of mil-spec (Military Spec), subminiature (very small), USA-made Phillips-Sylvania® dual triode tubes. According to Duncan, “Too often, inexpensive tube gear runs in “starved plate mode,” where the tubes are not actually helping to create the distortion. The high-plate voltage and 100% vacuum tube signal path allows the tubes to operate at their fullest potential and provide maximum dynamic range. The means you get the most gain and all the smooth tone you expect from a high-quality tube preamp.” I will second that. These pedals have a warmth and clarity I’ve not heard from any other overdrive pedals. I A/B’d the Twin Tube Classic and Twin Tube Blues against several of my favorite overdrive pedals (one was green, one was blue) on several different amps, and the difference was stunning. Both Twin Tubes offer a massive amount of gain, even on the rhythm channel. With a gain and a volume for each channel, you can get anything from a nice clean boost to a super-saturated overdrive. You could even use them as […]... Click on the title for more
![Tremvelope: Envelope Modulated Tremolo by Pigtronix]()
Pigtronix has combined a vintage-sounding optical tremolo with some futuristic features in the Tremvelope, which is envelope modulated and allows the dynamics of your instrument to alter the rate and depth of the tremolo effect. Not only does the effect vary with the intensity of your playing, it also sports a number of extra features (stereo outputs, expression pedal inputs, and envelope control settings) that allow you complete control over the resulting sound. Your basic tremolo controls are all present on the unit, including Speed, Depth, and Waveform, and the latter is switchable from sine wave to sawtooth. A stereo output is available, so you can send to two amps for wide rotary effects. There is also connectivity for two expression pedals: one for controlling the rate of the LFO – overriding the pedal’s speed control, and one which controls volume in mono, or panning if two amps are connected to the Tremvelope’s outputs. The Engage foot switch bypasses the circuit, and the pedal runs on 18VDC, providing lots of headroom. The really unique parts of this pedal come from its envelope control settings, which adjust the tremolo in various ways depending on the dynamics of what you’re playing. Three-way Depth […]... Click on the title for more
![The Redesigned Xciter Pedal from Aphex]()
Aphex has done a recent redesign of their guitar pedals, streamlining their Bass, Acoustic, and Guitar Xciter pedals into one unit – now simply called the Xciter (MSRP $249). Designed to add clarity and tightness to your guitar sound without altering the tone, the Xciter acts as more of an enhancement than an effect. The pedal uses technology from the Aural Exciter rack unit, which has been around for over 30 years, and can be found in countless recording studios today. The Aural Exciter is used to add punch, presence, and intelligibility to audio signals: it works by adding even order harmonics to a filtered split of the original signal, and mixing that back into the unprocessed signal. A Big Bottom circuit was later added to the unit, which increased the perceived loudness of bass frequencies without significantly boosting the overall level of the audio. The Xciter pedal combines over three decades of refinements to its namesake into one package that features a few easy-to-use controls. A harmonics control switches between suggested settings for bass, guitar, and acoustic guitar – tailoring the behavior of the pedal to the type of instrument you’re playing. The Lo Freq knob lets you select […]... Click on the title for more
![Jam: Guitar Input for iPad, iPhone and Mac]()
Apogee is introducing a high quality guitar interface for Apple devices, providing another option for guitar players who want a quick and easy way to record at home or on the move. Jam ($99) features a 1/4″ input and gain control, and it connects via USB to your iPad, iPod or Mac. Simply plug in your guitar or bass and hit record to get started – a status LED on Jam turns green when it’s connected properly, and red if your levels are too hot. Jam is designed to be plug-and-play, and works with Garageband, Logic, MainStage, and any other application that runs on Core Audio. It’s powered through USB, and provides 40dB of gain and 44.1kHz/24bit audio conversion. Apogee touts Jam as a high quality alternative to similar products like the iRig or AmpKit Link, and it’s the only one available that doubles as an interface for Mac computers in addition to portable devices. Jam is available March 31st, check out www.apogeedigital.com for more info. -Mike Bauer... Click on the title for more
![Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary pedal]()
The Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary pedal ($139 street) is a remarkably versatile—and in many ways ingenious—sound modulation tool. Tremolo is, of course, one of the classic guitar effects and was once a standard feature on tube amps. The TR-7 provides a basic tremolo effect, but also models vintage Fender and Vox tremolos, a Leslie rotary speaker cabinet, a UniVibe effect, a dual tremolo and a panning stereo version called VibroPan. The basic tremolo modulation is inspiringly warm and initially the most compelling sound. It’s hard not to feel like a Nick Cave sideman strumming surly, warbling chords. The Opto (Fender) and Bias (Vox) modes are a revelation, too. They take a little longer to get a feel for, but once their sound clicks, you won’t want to turn them off again. The other modes are a little more esoteric, but a lot of fun to play with. The stereo input and output offers the user a lot of different options for routing dual signals in and routing them to different sources. VibroPan especially benefits from being plugged into two amps, as does the rotary function. And yes, the TR-7 has tap tempo. The ingenious element of this pedal is the “modify” […]... Click on the title for more
![Steinberg Cubase 6 Overview]()
Cubase has fueled my musical creativity and assisted my recording sessions for 20+ years, while anticipating many trends and creating industry standards like the VST and ReWire systems. It’s been an exciting and jaw dropping experience to see it grow from a rather simple MIDI sequencer to the current fully featured Digital Audio Workstation. As expected, the new Cubase 6 supports an unlimited number of tracks up to 192 kHz, 5.1 surround, and offers flexible routing and full automatic delay compensation. One really exciting feature of this new version is the new toolset for multi-track editing, which will make life much easier for all those who record (and spend hours editing) multi-track performances of drums, guitars and/or even vocals. This new feature not only offers multi-tracktransient, tempo detection and drum replacement functions, but also multi-track phase-accurate audio quantization – and you should know by now how crucial phase is in the recording realm. Also, the new take-comping system provides a fast and effective way to paste together the best parts from various takes and effortlessly build the perfect one. For extra audio editing options, the AudioWarp system allows time-stretching and pitch-shifting in real time, including automatic tempo detection, and VariAudio […]... Click on the title for more
![10 New Pedals from Akai]()
Akai is taking a big step into the guitar effects pedal market with the announcement of their Analog Custom Shop line: a collection of 10 pedals that aim for ’boutique’ sound at an affordable price. Building on the success of the E2 Head Rush delay, the Analog Custom Shop pedals feature true-bypass switching and mirror-polished metal chassis at a price range from $100-$200. The lineup includes some of the usual suspects: Compressor, Chorus, Flanger, Analog Delay, Blues Overdrive, and Phase Shifter. However, Akai has done a bit of tweaking to add extra versatility to the Tri-Mode Overdrive, Deluxe Distortion, Tri-Mode Fuzz, and Tri-Mode Distortion. The ‘Tri-Mode’ pedals have a three-way switch that allow you choose which distortion circuit to use: flick the switch up for a diode circuit, down for an LED circuit, and the center position will give you a combo of the two. The Deluxe Distortion (pictured below) gives you additional tonal variety with a three-way EQ toggle, in addition to the adjustable frequency knobs, that shapes the input to the distortion circuit. Expect to see all 10 of these all-analog pedals available soon. –Mike Bauer... Click on the title for more
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The Ibanez DE-7 Delay/Echo is part of Ibanez’s Tone-Lok series of effects. At the time of their release, these pedals were geared toward the upcoming Nu-Metal scene but they have found their way onto the pedal boards of many different musicians due to their sturdy construction and great sounds.... Click on the title for more
