The JHS Good Vibrations is a Sweetwater exclusive linked to the Disney+ produced 2024 movie about the Beach Boys. It’s a tribute to the iconic sounds of ’60s-style chorus and vibrato circuit based on the old-school bulb-driven circuit. The red rocker switch on the top left switches between two distinct voices, from the classic slow warble of a vintage chorus to the faster, more dramatic swirl with pronounced pitch-bent characteristics typical of the vibrato. The large knobs allow precise and intuitive adjustments, facilitating on-the-fly tweaking and desktop use or re-amping ..read more

Handcrafted in Syndey, Australia, the Colortone Lo-Fi Delay is a dual-channel delay with each channel having independent Regen (decay) and Time controls, offering three delay types: a pristine hi-fi delay and two lo-fi, tape-style delays with different filtering options. The circuit has two modes that operate differently and can be activated via the Dry / Wet switch: In Wet Mode, the delay operates as usual, allowing you to blend the delayed repeats with the original signal using the Regen knob to adjust decay time. In this mode, pressing the SPLASH Footswitch momentarily switches the ..read more

The festivities linked to our upcoming (and free) Los Angeles Synth & Pedal Expo continue with this hybrid synth/pedal giveaway ..read more

A pedal evolving from the company’s Drone Rainger Delay, the Rainger FX Mini Drone drops the delay circuit and focuses on the drone side of things. As expected, the Mini Drone generates a continuous drone sound, with a focus on the low end. It uses three bassy triangle waves, two of which are slightly out of tune with each other (and can be tuned via the Pitch 1 knob), while the note of the third one (activated via a switch on the bottom of the case and controlled by the Pitch 2 knob) can be adjusted to create different harmonies. The pedal also comes with an external control pedal (the inf ..read more

An increasing number of creative musicians (including many synth and keyboard players) are adopting guitar pedals to expand their sonic palette with unusual effects. Stompboxes using an emerging type of synthesis called “granular” can be particularly inspiring for musicians interested in inserting elements of control randomness into their compositions. Granular effects can be considered a modern evolution of the older Glitch and Stutter pedals. They perform a similar function but in an automated rather than manual fashion. This article guides you through the best pedals on the market using ..read more

As always, our Los Angeles Synth & Pedal Expo comes with a plethora of giveaways, and this is an especially rich one giving a lucky reader the change to take home FIVE pedals ..read more

The Collision Devices Crushturnal is the latest inspiring device by a French pedal brand that has gotten us accustomed to delivering complex yet intuitive creative effects. Available for preorder, it will ship in the 2nd half of June 2024. Inspired by the glitch created by clock change on digital processors and also in part by the company’s ambient Nocturnal pedal, with which it shares the control layout, the Crushturnal is an effect merging Bitcrusher, Filter, Ambient Delay/Reverb and a Sequencer. Hear what it can do in the video below ..read more

The Mask Audio Screws is a two-knob octave fuzz that abuses an op-amp to deliver an ever-present octave, specializing in tones from the lo-fi to the gnarly. A three-way toggle switch allows for brighter and bassier voices. The builder claims that this pedal will deliver the octave in the fuzz “no matter the guitar, no matter the situation” –  judge for yourself in the videos below.     ..read more

Most modern dirt boxes try to provide a wide range of tones, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a device capable of matching the range of the Fuzzrocious Big Fella, a pedal that can deliver overdrive, distortion, gated fuzz, and feedback. With a circuit that runs at 9v or 18v for extra headroom, the Big Fella sports a surprising 3-footswitch layout, but it’s at heart an overdrive/distortion pedal with “benefits.” That’s what the main controls (Volume, Drive and Gain) can deliver, integrated by a Tone control with a very wide – and very useful – sweep. It must be noted that the Gain kno ..read more

The Wampler Mofetta is not the latest device inspired by the Ibanez MT10 Mostortion overdrive/distortion, (here’s are other recent ones), a pedal known for producing a variety of tones (and love/hate feelings). Brian Wampler gave the circuit the treatment it got us accustomed to with all his dirt boxes, enhancing the tonal range, dynamics, and functionality. Released in 1990 by Ibanez as part of a budget pedal series the MT-10 gained a reputation for its particularly sweet low-gain tones, which most people attributed (incorrectly) to its MOSFET Op-amps. The Wampler Mofetta delivers the good ..read more