The effects pedals coming out of the workshop at RPS Effects are anything but ordinary, and that’s something we have come to know and love about them over the last few years. From the wild bit-crushing sampling of the Bit Reactor to the gorgeous, vintage-esque analog echoes from the Warp Drive to the mean, dirty, choppy trem sounds from the Tremulus Maximus to the hardcore dirt of the Red Sun Distortion, these guys leave it all out on the field. So, when word came in that they were sending over their latest creation, we knew it would be out-of-the-ordinary, fun to play and exciting to learn from. Ladies and gents, may we present the RPS Effects Arcade Machine PLL Analog Synth Harmonizer.
So…..the Arcade Machine is a noisemaker, first and foremost, but in a creative and intuitive way, to be sure. Utilizing -2 and -1 Octave Down controls, as well as +1 and +2 Octave Up parameters, you get a wide range of analog synth-y-ness to experiment with. The main rotary selector switch in the middle features all of the intervals in a 12-note scale, perhaps a first in the effects world. Use these along with the octave parameters to create a 6-voice synthesizer that you can control with your instrument of choosing. There’s also a vibrato section, with Depth and Rate controls, which acts on all the voices to span a range from subtle pitch variation to full-on, glitched-out computer sounds.
Being monophonic, the Arcade Machine plays best with one note at a time….but that never stopped us, nor should it dissuade you from engaging in multi-note chords and other lead runs to find just what lies inside this red-faced gem. Hook up an Expression pedal or CV input to control the Interval selection, spicing things up by running through any sequence of intervals, resulting in simple trills and arpeggios to full melodies and more. There’s even a Gate knob, which lets you decide how much of the effects gets drawn out, and how much gets squashed into oblivion.
Not your ordinary effects pedal, but there’s no way we’re complaining. Noisemakers around the globe will relish in the sounds created by this magnificent beast, and everyone else will be astounded and frightened by whatever they think is happening. Congrats once again to the RPS Effects team for an innovative, beautifully dirty machine, one that might not fit into every musical situation, but certainly has its place in the world of musical creation. And, as many of the pedals that come through the shop, you need to see and hear it in action – please check out our Arcade Machine PPL Analog Synth Harmonizer demo below, to see what all the hubbub is about….cheers!
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