EarthQuaker Devices Interstellar Orbiter

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 its full potential.

This pedal is like nothing I have seen before, making it all the more fun to explore and fiddle with. Described as a “dual resonant filter”, the Interstellar Orbiter was designed for Kid Koala‘s Satellite Concert tour, with audience members using them to control sounds running through individual record players (now THAT would’ve been a fun concert!). It can sound like a wah, phaser, vocal filter, rotary speaker simulator and more, and is one of those pedals that you really need to sit down with and explore, to see how it fits your particular brand of music.

One LFO (low frequency oscillator) controls the sweep of both filters, with controls for Intensity, Resonance and Mix for each of the filters. Intensity controls the LFO sweep of each filter, growing wider and broader as you turn it to the right, also raising the center frequency. Resonance adjusts the peak of each filter, and Mix blends in each filter into the mix individually, opening up the door for a ton of sonic possibilities. There are a couple of main controls for the LFO as well: Rate (speed), Direct (amount of dry signal) and Frequency (adjusts the frequency’s center point). These controls apply to both filters simultaneously, and work in conjunction with the individual filter’s controls to produce a vast array of sounds and tones.

This rad mystery of a pedal also offers the ability to control the Rate and Frequency with separate expression pedals, making it a cinch to adjust to taste in the middle of a show or studio recording if the mood should strike you. A lot of times, pedals will offer an expression jack for one control knob only, but with the choice of two here, this pedal opens up it’s boundaries and will take you on a magical, space-y, trippy sonic adventure, one which you just might not return from.

All-analog, true bypass and built like a tank, the Interstellar Orbiter is just the next in a long line of awesome and innovative pedals coming at us from Akron, Ohio. I’d like to say thanks to Julie and Jamie and everyone at EarthQuaker Devices for sending this our way to review – support from companies like them and all our other Donators is a major reason that this site is able to continue, and we couldn’t do it without you all. If by some slim chance you’ve never been to the EQD website, do yourself a big fat favor and get over there pronto and check out all that they have to offer. Stay tuned for our review of the new Dunes Overdrive as well, coming soon!