I love a good phaser effect, don’t you? It can add subtlety, or depth, or get into out-of-this-world modulation territory, letting you express yourself and experiment with your music in so many different ways. Today, we’re taking a look at a reimagining of a vintage classic, with the Warm Audio Mutation Phasor II. This nod to one of the most recognized phaser units in history looks and sounds amazing, so let’s dive...
Read MoreThe Mu-Tron Phasor II is arguably the best phaser pedal ever created, right? Well, as always, that’s debatable, but it sure is one of the best ones I’ve ever played – however, original units, even in bad condition, go for $500+ all day, which is pretty steep for most of us. Thankfully, the fine folks over at StewMac have come up with a wonderful solution, and one that you get to build yourself: the Lightcycle Optical...
Read MoreThe Mu-Tron / Musitronics Phasor was one of our favorite phasers (and favorite pedals, really) to ever come through the shop here at Pedal of the Day. Big, bulky and badass, it helped define the phaser effect in the 70s and beyond, creating giant soundscapes of whooshing pulses and out-of-this-world types of sonic embellishments for all to enjoy. Fast forward to the present day, and we’re lucky enough to have the Mu-Tron company...
Read MoreAfter already getting our grubby mitts on the Tru-Tron 3X and Boostron 3 effects pedals from Mike Beigel and the newly revamped Mu-FX, we absolutely could not wait to see what today’s pedal had in store for us. Boy, did it deliver and then some! The Phasor 2X is the Modern Vintage Analog™ refinement of the original Musitronics® Phasor II pedal, but housed in Mu-FX’ signature “mini-mu” enclosure, and featuring...
Read MoreThere are a group of pedals from DOD, manufactured decades ago that have been making a resurgence as of late, and we’ve got one of ’em for you today. The 490 Phasor doesn’t have a ton of information on it, but we have narrowed the production date down to around 1978 (we think), making it a vintage classic that features some wild tones that ooze out of this effect. Can’t get much simpler than two knobs, but...
Read MoreVintage pedals seem to always have a mysterious aura about them, whether there were only a few of one model made, or pedals made with certain inner chips no longer available, or obscure effects made famous by players who possessed them. Mu-Tron / Musitronics was known for creating incredible, state-of-the-art and technologically advanced effects back in the 1970’s, and their pedals were made popular by the likes of Jerry Garcia,...
Read MoreWe have loved every piece of gear we’ve come across from the Mu-Tron family, from the old 70’s Phasor all the way up through their newer line, like the Octavider+ and Micro-Tron. Today’s pedal is one we have been particularly excited about, as have many of you, patiently awaiting its release for a long time….the Bi-Phase II Phase Shifter takes Mu-Tron’s HUGE 70’s unit, makes some improvements,...
Read MoreToday, we’ve got an ancient piece of gear that we ran through a bunch of different effects, and it was one of the funnest experiences we’ve had here in the office. The Library of Congress started building their own cassette players for handicapped people from the 1960’s until the late 2000’s. These cassette players are known for their complete control of cassette tapes that other cassette players just...
Read MoreAny kind of pedals that push boundaries and make us think a little differently are always welcome here at Pedal of the Day. Forcing us to approach how we think about and create music helps keep it all fresh and in perspective, and that’s exactly what today’s piece of gear does. The Fairfield Circuitry Hors d’Oeuvre? Active Feedback Loop lets you put together as many of your favorites pedals as you’d like, then...
Read MoreThe latest version of Mu-Tron has been releasing some incredible pedals over the last few years, including the Micro-Tron Envelope Filter, the Phasor III Optical Analog Phaser and today’s funky machine. The Mu-Tron Octavider+ Analog Octave Fuzz is the newest reincarnation of the classic Octave Divider that Mu-Tron produced in the 1970’s, combining Fuzz and Octave effects for a small but powerful machine. The Fuzz side...
Read MoreHaving worked with the folks over at Godlyke Distributing Inc. many, many times over the years, we are still pleasantly surprised with each new piece of gear they seem to either distribute or create. Today’s pedal falls into the latter category, and comes from their own lineup of effects and pedals called Totally Wycked Audio (TWA). We’re going to take a look at the Side Step™, which is a universal, variable-state low...
Read MoreMike Beigel Mu-FX Encinitas, CA www.mu-fx.com [Mu-FX by Beigel Sound Lab is a division of Beigel Technology Corp.] facebook.com/BeigelSoundLab How long have you been a musician? How did you get into musical effects in the first place? My main musical training was classical music on clarinet, but I also played Saxophone for a local high school dance band (“The Crescendos”), and for some local rock & roll bands and guitar just for...
Read MoreTim Bluhm San Anselmo, CA The Mother Hips www.motherhips.com/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been singing since I was a kid, in church choirs and in school choruses. I started playing guitar right after high school. In my second year of college I started the Mother Hips with Greg Loiacono and we started getting gigs really quickly. Who have been some of your major musical...
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