We’re switching gears a little bit today, bringing you two devices that aren’t technically pedals, but incredible music makers just the same. The Dubreq Stylophone BEAT Drum Machine and GEN X-1 offer affordable ways to showcase your creativity and bring exciting new sounds to life. Plus, two is always better than one, right…?? Let’s see what these fun little units are all about… The Stylophone BEAT is a...
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IT’S BOSS TIME, FOLKS!! Although it’s not their NEWEST release, today’s pedal is one that everyone can enjoy, regardless of what kind of music you play or like. The SY-200 Synthesizer transforms your guitar or bass into a versatile analog-flavored synth, ready to infuse your music with dynamic, compelling, and evocative new voices. Quite the experimental musical tool, this is one of the funnest effects we’ve...
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The fine folks over at Eventide have been big supporters of Pedal of the Day for years now – we’ve reviewed just about every one of their modern pedals, and have been lucky enough to be included in their last several new release days as well. Today, we’re doing it once again, and with possibly their biggest, most grandiose effects unit to date. The H90 Harmonizer® takes everything that we all love about the...
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Earlier this month, we were fortunate enough to be able to check out the Star Eater, a wild analog fuzz machine from Pigtronix, and really dug the new style of that pedal. Today, we’ve got their latest release, an intriguing, not really before seen effect that will take you on a musical journey like none you’ve encountered before. The Gloamer Polyphonic Amplitude Synthesizer Compressor isn’t as complicated as the...
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A good two-knob pedal can be great for getting killer sounds easily, but sometimes, we all want to dive into our effects and really explore what they can do. While there are a lot of these out in the world, ranging in size, features and price points, today’s pedal is unlike any we’ve encountered before, much to our delight. The Kinotone Audio Ribbons is a stereo magnetic tape emulator. It can degrade, mangle, and age...
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Glitchy and granular types of synth delay pedals have really made a name for themselves over the last couple years, and we’ve got one of the best yet for you today. No strangers to the weird and unconventional, Pladask Elektrisk has come up with the third pedal in an odd trilogy of effects – the Baklengs Granular Synth Glitch Delay. Taking after its brothers Bakvendt and Bakfram, this glorious noise machine has modulation,...
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We love the weird and quirky when it comes to effects pedals around here, and we’ve got a wild one for you today (Happy Valentine’s Day, too, kids). The Way Huge Atreides Analog Weirding Module sounds about as eclectic as its name, making noises and tones that will shock and awe you instantly. Aimed directly at the heart of the sun, for all the experimenters out there, this is one you’ll want to keep playing again...
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Today’s pedal gets us into some spooky low-end territory, and is as unique an octave pedal as we’ve ever come across. The OPFXS Dig Deep Sub-Harmonic Generator works on just the lower three strings of your guitar, leaving the higher strings untouched and clean. This lets you add in some heavy bass notes, and with all of the options available, you can dial it in perfectly to your rig. It looks like a simple pedal, but trust...
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Friends….today’s pedal is like no other we’ve experienced, or that you have, either. The crew at Analog Music Company took a nice, pretty, normal Boss DS-1 Distortion, threw it on Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory table and created, well, a new kind of monster. The Evil Pumpkin is really, really difficult to describe, as we’re not quite sure what most of the switches its littered with actually do. Therefore,...
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Let’s face the facts: a lot of pedals, aside perhaps from the graphics, look really, really similar. They’re usually in some form of rectangle, either vertical or horizontal, with slightly varying sizes, but all in the same general layout category. So when we get an effects unit in that is completely different, original and unique, and sounds incredible as well, we get pretty damn excited. Let us present to you the Neon...
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Is there much more fun to be had than when you first plug into and turn on a new synth pedal? You’re right, there isn’t. We get to do it all again today, too, as we dive in and take a look at the Source Audio C4 Synth. Forged from the depths of Eurorack modular synthesizers, this one crams all the features and fun into an extremely pedalboard-friendly enclosure, but without sacrificing any tone or features. How’d...
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If you’re not privy to the world of effects created by Pladask Elektrisk in Norway, you are really missing out. We got to check out their incredible Draume Artificial Reverb pedal recently, and it blew our minds with ease. An ambient player’s dream lineup, these pedals take everything you think you know about reverb, delay, sampling and more, and turn it completely upside down. Experimentation is key, and you better mark...
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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...
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We’re stepping outside the old comfort zone again today, folks, and diving into another fantastic synthesizer. This one is larger and more complex than the Outer Space Sounds MOSTRO we checked out a couple weeks ago, but we’re once again pairing it up with some of our favorite pedals to create some fantastic sounds. The Novation Bass Station II Analogue Synthesizer is a powerful machine, encapsulating everything you know...
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Today, we’re venturing into new-ish territory here at Pedal of the Day. While most of our reviews and demo have to do with pedals, today’s featured piece of gear, the Outer Space Sounds MOSTRO FM Synthesizer, adds some different elements into the mix. A powerful, polyphonic and effective FM synth, this gorgeous unit has been designed to deliver deep, continuous and intuitive control to the user…let’s see...
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Multi-effects pedals are always fun, and today’s incarnation has more than the usual auditory offerings for all of us to enjoy. The Cooper FX Arcades Delay Reverb LOFI Pitch Multi-Effect uses a different digital card to conjure up press for each of these genres, giving you access to EIGHT programs per card. As far as our usual demos go, we couldn’t justify trying to cram 32 different sounds into just ONE DEMO, so we did...
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As most of you know, it takes innovation and a recognizable brand to really make waves in the effects pedal community. So far, the crew from Night Owl Industries has done just that, via their Oscar and Edison Tube Preamps, and the Q The EQ wah-style pedal. Today, we’ve got their latest creation for you, something a bit off the wall and not your ordinary pedal – in fact, it’s not even a pedal at all….here we go,...
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Crazy pedals are the best, aren’t they? The wackier, the better, when you looking for something based purely in experimentation and noise enhancement. Synth pedals are usually excellent for this task, and when you pair it with a fuzz, it sounds even better. Today’s pedal, the Googly Eyes Pedals Synthfuzzizer, brings us the best of both of these worlds, combining both effects into one nice-sized enclosure and letting you...
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While we haven’t ever ventured TOO far into the world of multi-effects processors, we did get a chance to check out the Ampero from Hotone Audio almost exactly a year ago today, and were extremely impressed by how well it performed. Cramming a ton of amps, cabinet and effects into one unit has got to be tricky for any company, and to do it as well and for such an affordable price point was a stroke of genius. Today, we’re...
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You gotta make your mark in this industry, right? With so many companies and so many pedals on the market, if you don’t stand out, you’re not gonna last. Well, today’s pedal is the first in a lineup of not only aesthetically-pleasing effects, but ones that have the power, grit and usability to make them contenders for years to come. We always love to discover new(er) companies, or ones that might not have a...
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“This one is a synthesizer trapped inside a guitar pedal.” These are words that many of us long to hear, and get overly excited about when a new piece of gear of this type is released. One of the pioneers of this technology is Boss (let’s face it, they’re pioneers of a lot of technology), and they’re back at it again with their latest bit of synth-y goodness: the SY-1 Synthesizer. Working well with both...
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We’ve always admired the originality and creativity the effects produced by Red Witch Pedals have, so we’re excited on this lovely Saturday to bring you their latest and greatest creation. A couple of years back, we we privileged enough to review and demo the Synthotron, a new and powerful Synth/Filter pedal, which we absolutely loved. Today, we’re going to check out the second iteration of this machine, the...
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The craftsmanship and unique effects pedals that have been coming out of the Beetronics camp the last couple of years have been pretty exciting, and we are lucky enough to get to check one of them out today. The WhoctaHell is a crazy, wild effect, combining octave, fuzz and synth tones into one glorious machine, perfect for anyone who likes to make noise and draw attention to themselves at a gig. This one is from Beetronics’...
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A couple years back, a pedal came onto the market that was unlike any we had all seen before, the Dream Sequence Filter/Tremolo/Sampler/etc. from Hologram Electronics. After the success of that beauty, the Hologram crew came up with another astonishing effect, which we’re going to check out today. The Infinite Jets is a wildly ambient machine, with a ton of sustain and exquisite sampling abound, making for a creative and...
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If you dig effects pedals, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard, seen and/or played something from Mantic Effects. If you have ears, there’s also a good chance you’ve come across an artist named Jack White….many, many times, some probably without you even knowing it. Jack’s record label Third Man Records and Mantic have teamed up for today’s featured pedal, the Flex TMR PLL Monophonic...
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We love a good synthesizer pedal when they come through the shop, and we love the effects that Robert and the crew at Keeley Electronics put out, so the combination of both of these was a welcome announcement. The goal was to create a synth sound that took you from unnatural fuzz noises to pseudo-harmonic, random glitchy counterpoint, and boy, did they ever succeed. The Synth-1 Reverse Attack Fuzz Wave Generator lets you create...
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Not really sure where to begin with today’s featured pedal…. the crew at Meris has been crushing the effects game over the last couple years, and the Enzo was one highly anticipated pedal when it was released. A true multi-voice synthesizer in a box, this magnificent gold beauty takes everything you knew about synth pedals and flips it upside down, spins it around and jettisons it into the far reaches of space. The sonic...
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We get pedals coming through the office here from time to time that are so fun and so insane that they’re difficult to write about. The Tesla Oscilador (Oscillating Tesla, for you English-speakers) from Lee de Forest is a synthesizer-fuzz-envelope-filter-harmonizer-laser-maker of a pedal – again, difficult to write about. While you’ll get the best idea of what this thing can do from the demo video below, we’ll...
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Pedal that are hard to describe, explain or wrap your head around are usually some of the best. The Ottobit Jr from Meris fits squarely into this set of rules, possibly breaking some along it’s sonic warpath as well. Part pitch manipulator, part sampler, part sequencer and all bitcrusher, this little black box will expand your mind and everything you thought you knew about how music is supposed to be created. Inspired by vintage...
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The folks at Pigtronix have always put out wildly innovative, sonically-pleasing and sometimes futuristic effects, that are always surrounded by questions like, “Who makes that pedal?” or “How did you get that sound?” The purple piece of gear we’ve got today for you to check out and listen to is their newest creation, one that works wonders in both the guitar and bass worlds (and other, too, we’re...
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While we don’t often do many bass pedal reviews (sorry, guys), we’ve got a pedal today that guitarists AND fans of the low end will appreciate and marvel in. Based on the famed Akai Deep Impact SB-1 Bass Synth, the Future Impact I is also a bass synthesizer pedal, offering more options and parameter controls than the the Akai, but all the while staying true to the sounds it has become famous for creating. Ready to take a...
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Every now and again, we get an effect coming through our shop that defies all reason, logic and musicality, and those pedals usually come straight from Akron, Ohio. If you don’t know by now (all 3 of you), EarthQuaker Devices has been not just pushing, but destroying the sonic envelope for the last decade or so, crushing everyone and everything in its path to total oddity domination in the effects pedal world. Today’s...
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Every once in a while around the Pedal of the Day office, we encounter a pedal that is truly like no other we’ve seen before, and that really gets us going. The DM-02 Dynamorph from Totally Wycked Audio is just that kind of pedal, as it is a fuzz, filter, synth, distortion and more all wrapped into one out-of-this-world enclosure. With a ton of sonic options to choose from, and controls and switches up the yin-yang, this is one...
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If you guys have ever had the pleasure to play an effects pedal from the warped mind of Joe Anastasio from Lone Wolf Audio, you know what kind of crazy gear that dude creates. Today we’re going to look at one of the wackiest, awesomest pieces of musical equipment we’ve seen, a pedal that really can’t fit into just one category, but will revive your interest in how music and sound are created. The Acetylene Nirvana is...
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Sometimes, you just know an effect is going to be rad based solely on its name, and today’s pedal proves that once again. The Dirty Robot from DigiTech is a mini-synth pedal, turning your guitar or bass into a close-to-full-blown synthesizer, without having to worry about a second pickup or interface to haul around. A powerful effect indeed, there’s lots to learn about it, so let’s dive right in! There are a bunch of...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Max F. – find him on SoundCloud (@MaxFaith)! The Boss DS-1 is a classic circuit that most of us are familiar with. Players have been modifying the little orange boxes for years and the amount of modifications and spinoffs are too numerous to mention. Despite the variety of DS-1 circuit configurations, most specimens seem to impart the same familiar gain-structure that originally made the pedal a...
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Alright, kiddies, you’re in for a real treat today. The Dream Sequence from Hologram Electronics is one of the hottest pedals out at the moment, and if you haven’t heard it or heard of it, we’ll try to give you a great review and demo so you can know it’s true power. Part envelope filter, part tremolo, part pitch shifter, part sampler and part sequencer with a dash of synth thrown in for good measure, this...
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We have reviewed several effects from Red Witch Pedals here at Pedal of the Day, and each time, it’s an adventure for both the mind and the ears. Today’s featured pedal may top the list in regards to both those things, as the Synthotron Analog Synth is capable of producing an insane amount of noises, sounds and tones, some predictable, some outrageous and all Red Witch, for sure. Let’s dive right into this...
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Where to even begin with a pedal like this? While Moog is known for their incredible synths and revolutionary sonic invention, we here at Pedal of the Day are much more familiar with their line of Moogerfooger® effects pedals. Having checked out the 12-Stage Phaser, Ring Modulator, MuRF and Analog Delay so far, the next logical step was the MF-107 FreqBox®…for which we were overwhelmingly unprepared. The FreqBox® is a little...
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When you think about the wackiest, most innovative and sometimes difficult to control pedals on the market today, an overwhelming majority of musicians’ thoughts go to one company: EarthQuaker Devices. Now, they make some semi-straightforward pedals: overdrives, fuzzes, delays, etc., but even most of those have some element of magic to them. Today’s featured pedal, the Rainbow Machine, falls into a category where it may be...
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Continuing with their unpredictable, innovative and original lineup of pedals, EarthQuaker Devices has done it again with today’s pedal, the Bit Commander. Billed as an analog synthesizer, this gray beast is that, for sure, but much more as well. With four octaves of square wave synth tones, the Bit Commander will leave you speechless at first, but once you tame it, it’ll be your audience that will be in for the real...
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Have you always been kind of jealous of the keyboardist or bass player in your band? The ones who get to make a ton of funky, low-end, synthesizer sounds that harken back to the 70s, that you just can’t seem to reproduce just using a guitar and amp? Well, now you can be the funk master, thanks to the Octasynth Octave Synthesizer pedal from SubDecay. This little box produces buzzy, funk-filled sub-octave notes and glitches,...
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All-in-one pedals can be great, and they can be terrible, as anyone who has ever tried a few out can attest to. The good ones, though, when they’re good, they are GOOOOD. Where to begin with a pedal like this, with so many options, tones, squeaks, sound and delights? With a long-standing reputation of making some of the finest musical gear around, the folks at Eventide have one-upped even themselves at this point, and released...
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Where to start with this pedal? There are so many options as far as sounds are concerned when using the Harmonic Decoder from Sunsine Audio, it’s a little daunting to know where to begin. A true single oscillating analog synthesizer, this beast can be a fuzz, an octave, a filter, a wah and much, much more. I’ll do my best to describe to you the power that is held within this little black box. The controls are easy to read,...
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The BLUE UP from NoiseKICK FX is two effects in one enclosure; featuring a piercing clean octave up and an octave down, with the ability to blend in a fuzz. On the left is the octave up channel with 2 knobs: Volume and contour. You can use this channel on it’s own to produce an octave that will punch through the mix, or stack it on top of other effects. Since the octave up is gain-driven it will sound more pronounced in...
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EarthQuaker Devices really hit it on the head with this monophonic synth monster. The EQD Bit Commander commands all the bits of those old synth keyboards and smashes them into one tiny box for us guitar players to utilize. This is absolutely one of my favorite pedals of all time and has been on my board for probably the longest of all my pedals. Here is the run down 6 knobs: Top left: Sub Octave – this lets you get the synth...
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Playing synthesizer sounds through your guitar is always a blast, and the (now discontinued) Boss SYB-3 Bass Synthesizer makes it even more so. 11 different modes allow for literally ENDLESS possibilities; you could play this this every day for a year straight and probably never hear the exact sound twice, it’s that versatile. And if you mix and match it with other fun pedals in your arsenal (delays, reverb, ring mods, etc.),...
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