It's time for everyone's favorite giveaway, STOMPBOXTOBER! Enter here for your chance to win the just announced PRS Mary Cries Optical Compressor! Come back tomorrow for another chance to win.
PRS Mary Cries Optical Compressor Pedal
The PRS Mary Cries optical compressor pedal is intuitive and sounds incredible. Based on the storied LA-2A, Mary Cries will thicken your tone, help control signal peaks, lengthen sustain, and push your tone without losing definition or clarity. Depending on your settings, it can be used as a boost as well as a straightforward compressor.
PRS pedals were created to be high-end pieces of audio gear.
Designed by PRS Guitars in Stevensville, MD, USA. Made in the USA
Universal Audio Introduces the Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp Pedal
Experience the legendary tones of the Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp emulator from Universal Audio Inc. Featuring dual-engine processing and world-class UAD modeling, this pedal captures the iconic "D-style" tube tones of guitar greats like John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Explore customizable options and classic mic/speaker combinations for authentic ODS tones.
Universal Audio Inc. (UA), a worldwide leader in audio production tools, including the popular Apollo and Volt audio interfaces, UAD plug-ins, and UA microphones, is proud to welcome the Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp emulator to the award-winning UAFX guitar pedal lineup.
Built on powerful dual-engine processing and world-class UAD modeling, Enigmatic ā82 Overdrive Special Amp gives guitarists the mythical "D-style" tube tones made famous by John Mayer, StevieRay Vaughan, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Joe Bonamassa, and Carlos Santana.*
With exclusive access to numerous original Overdrive Special amplifiers, UA perfectly captured the sound and feel of custom Overdrive Special amps spanning 30 years ā from the first 1970ās SantaCruz models to later iterations built in Los Angeles in the ā80s and ā90s.
By emulating the Overdrive Special's colorful FET preamp and HRM overdrive voicings and mysterious tone stack mods ā including the late-ā80s Skyliner option ā Enigmatic '82 gives guitarists the crystalline clean tones and touch-sensitive, blooming grind that made the OverdriveSpecial the most lusted after amplifier ever built.
"With original Overdrive Specials, there was constant innovation in every amp," says UniversalAudio Sr. Product Designer James Santiago. "Each circuit tweak revolved around the playerās touch, and the desire for tones that made their personal style musically speak. With Enigmatic '82, we're giving players of all genres the evolving magic that made these amps so legendary with more customization than we've ever put in a UAFX pedal."
Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp Pedal - $399
For more information, please visit uaudio.com.
Key Features:
- A complete emulation of the mythical Overdrive Special amps made famous by Stevie RayVaughan, Robben Ford, John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, and Carlos Santana*
- Jazz, Rock, and Custom modes offer cloud-like cleans, creamy overdrive, and bloomingstring-to-string definition heard on countless records
- 9 classic mic/speaker combinations, plus '70s Santa Cruz, late-ā80s Skyliner, and ā90s HotRubber Monkey (HRM) preamp mods for authentic ODS tones
- Groundbreaking physical room modeling derived from award-winning OX Amp Top Box
- UAFX mobile app lets users fine tune tones using hidden amp tweaks, EQs, and mods foundin original ODS amplifiers from the '70s-'90s
- Timeless UA design, feel, and craftsmanship, built to last decades
Whether youāre tired of slinging combos and bigger into your carās trunk or looking for reliable backup and backline power, these pedal-sized options have plenty to offer.
Hereās a rundown of six amps in a stompbox format. Carry soft, play loud!
Blackstar Amplification AMPED 2
A portable 100-watt pedal amp with onboard effects thatās perfect for the guitar player that wants an all-in-one watt-cranker and an effects processor
blackstaramps.com
NUX Amp Academy (NGS-6)
This compact workhorse offers 18 amp models, seven signal blocks, independent outputs, and a robust IR loaderāplus, it functions as a USB audio interface.
nuxaudio.com
MayFly Audio Sunrise Amp Simulator
The MayFly emulates the classic sound of black-panel amps, including their preamp, power amp, speaker cabinet, and spring reverb. It's intended to plug directly into a PA or DAW, and includes a stereo headphone output jack.
mayflyaudio.com
Friedman IR-D
The IR-D dual-channel tube preamp is an entire Friedman rig, inspired by the JTM45, in a compact pedalboard-friendly package.
friedmanamplification.com
Strymon Iridium Amp and IR Cab Pedal
The Iridium offers three iconic tube amplifier models and nine super-high-resolution, 500 ms impulse response speaker cabinets, along with size-adjustable IR-based room ambience.
strymon.net
Revv Anniversary Series G3
The new Anniversary Edition Revv G series pedals feature new aesthetics and even more amp-like feel and toneāmodeled after Revv ampsā purple channel.
revvamps.com
Seldom before has an innocent-looking pedal offered such devilish delights.
Combining a ferocious fuzz circuit with remarkably powerful pitch-shifting capabilities, Keeleyās new Octa Psi pedal makes it easy to blow your mind ā¦ and have a ton of fun in the process.
Itās capable of creating pleasing and/or demented intervals, subtle harmonizing, expansive octaves up and down, and swooping pitch changesāall turbocharged by one of the gnarliest fuzzes this side of Armageddon.
Simply Psychoactive ... By Intent
If youāve ever craved a user-friendly freakout, this is it. With just five knobs, two 3-way toggle switches, and a pair of footswitchesāas well as an expression pedal inputāthe Octa Psi presents a comfortable, inviting portal to a universe of crazy sonic exploration.
Thatās exactly what Robert Keeley intended from the moment he started designing the Octa Psi.
āThe finished pedal is true to the original idea that I had in November 2021,ā Keeley says. āI wanted it to have a high-gain vintage Muff, all-analog and all-transistor, going into an octave pitch shifterāsomething in the neighborhood of a Pitch Fork or POG. And then when I added the expression pedal function, it could resemble a whammy.ā
Ah yes, the expression pedal input. Linking the Octa Psi with a standard expression pedal opens the door to a whole new dimension of pitch shifting mayhem. Rest assured, you donāt have to use an expression pedal to derive crazy fun from the Octa Psi. But it sure helps.
With all of the pedalās deep functionality, Keeley felt that simplicity would be a key factor in broadening its appeal, starting with this elemental item: āFrom the get-go I wanted it to have order switching, allowing the fuzz feeding the pitch shifter or vice versa, because it gives you two distinctly different sounds if you have pitch going before or after the fuzz. And it had to be pretty effortless for the player to switch the order on the fly. And I wanted it to be easy to switch between using it either as a harmonizer or as an all-wet octave-down thing.ā That desire for ease-of-use, even in the middle of a live gig, drove the design of the pedalās controls and functions.
āI wanted to come up with something that Jack White, Steve Vai, or Frank Zappa would have fun with.ā
It Ain't Easy to Create Easiness
The Octa Psi exemplifies an old adage: Sometimes a simple solution can be the most difficult to achieve. āI knew this was going to be a challenging project,ā Keeley admits. āItās very tough to combine a high-gain, full-analog distortion with a DSP [digital signal processing] section in one box. It took a long time to get the switching just right. It was particularly difficult because the Octa Psiās analog and DSP sections are so intimately entwined. You canāt have gaps in the audio when youāre switching back and forth. Those kinds of complications drove us crazy.
āWe also addressed a lot of issues that have raised concerns about other products on the market. The Octa Psi is a true-bypass pitch shifter, and it has our killer buffer system as well. Thereās nothing else out there like this, so we had to figure it all out for ourselves.ā
An essential challenge: voicing the fuzz so that it would sound great as a standalone effect, while also playing nicely with the Octa Psiās harmonizer functions. āYou would think that the fuzz was easy, but it was actually one of the last things we ironed out,ā Keeley notes. āI had to ask myself, āDo I want this to be a bass-y fuzz?ā Probably not, since the pitch shifter can add octave down. But itās got to be an amazing sounding fuzz if I want people to consider buying it. It has to sound great when compared to any Big Muff, and it has to effortlessly pair with a DSP section. So, getting the fuzz just right turned out to be the hardest part!ā
The pedal design process also encountered some last-minute wrinkles. āThe ramping and momentary switching capability was the last big feature that was added. That ramping function is like having an onboard expression pedal. We talked about it in the beginning of the process with Sarah Lipstate [also known as the artist Noveller], when Aaron Pierce [a key member on the Keeley team] was working on the initial concept. Later, Michael Kayeāthe guitar tech for Pete Townsend and Trey Anastasioāasked, āDoes it have momentary switching?ā and I was like, āOh crap, I forgot about that!āā Keeley laughs.
The How-To Guide for Octa Psi's Hidden Features
For all of its readily accessible capabilities, the Octa Psi boasts several essential features that can only be accessed by using more than a single knob or switch. To unlock these features, it helps to have a few simple, specific instructions. For this reason, Keeley has included a brisk, handy primer on the back of each pedal. The Octa Psiās key āhidden featuresā include:
- EFFECT ORDER: You can instantly switch the effect order by simultaneously holding the octave and fuzz footswitches.
- WET/DRY SELECTION: Double-click the blend control knob for switching between wet/dry blending or wet-only.
- MOMENTARY/LATCHING OPTION: Press and hold the fuzz footswitch to choose between momentary or latching operation. This is crucial if you plan on using the Octa Psiās adventurous pitch shift ramping capability: the output signal begins with the initial note(s) youāre playing, and then veers up or down to the effected pitch. The ramp speedāi.e. how quickly this veering effect lastsāis controlled byā¦.
- RAMP SPEED: If youāre using pitch shifting in the momentary mode, you can adjust the ramp speed by pressing and holding the octave footswitch down, then adjusting the blend knob control.
Part of an Ongoing Evolution
The Octa Psi underscores the continuing evolution of Keeleyās product line. In particular, it benefits from a pair of preceding Keeley devices: the I Get Around Rotary Simulator pedal and California Girls Twelve String Simulatorātwo pedals that were released in summer 2024 as exclusive offerings for the U.S. retailer Sweetwater, timed to coincide with The Beach Boys documentary on Disney+.
āThat Beach Boys project did so much to help the DSP side of the Octa Psi,ā says Keeley. āI got audio analyzers in so I could study the signals. We found out that we had to make our power supplies better because of the Beach Boys pedals, and that revolutionized our design. Everything that comes out since the Beach Boys pedals is going to sound even better. Plus, it was a lot of fun working with Sweetwater and JHS Pedals.ā
Interestingly, for the Octa Psi project, the Keeley design team did not rely on much input from the companyās long list of affiliated artists. āI didnāt really have an artist that is a pitch/fuzz guru, so I had to keep it pretty much to ourselves. I knew that it had to be very musicalāas musical as we could get it. And thankfully we have a team that can make this happen.ā
The Keeley product development squad includes electrical engineer Craighton Hale, programmer Aaron Tackett, and Aaron Pierceāthe āgolden earsā member of the design group who helps analyze the sounds. āIām just one part of the team of engineers that help make the products come to life,ā Keeley notes.
Fun for Everyone
In the end, Keeley hopes that the Octa Psi pedal finds new and unconventional uses in the real world. āI wanted to come up with something that Jack White, Steve Vai, or Frank Zappa would have fun withāsomething that does all the crazy pitch-shifting with a purpose. And Iām hoping that musicians of all types will be attracted to this. People who want to distort their drums or bass or synth, and then start taking advantage of the pitch shifting. Itās almost like you get a great fuzz with the pitch shifter for free. On the other hand, I wouldnāt be surprised if some people use just the pitch shifter, if theyāre not a fuzz maniac. You can get a lot of fun out of it without an expression pedal.ā
Whether youāre a brazen sonic adventurer, or simply looking for a great-sounding dual function fuzz/harmonizer pedal, the Octa Psi offers a galaxy of tones for your arsenal.
Vernon Reid's signature Reverend is equipped with Korina, ebony, Railhammer Pickups, and Floyd Rose for punchy tones.
From the vivid imagination of Vernon Reid comes the Totem Series of Reverend Vernon Reid guitars. A sleek body features graphics inspired by Carl Jung's Collective Unconscious Theory, Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey, and artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Romare Beardon. West African Adinkra symbols adorn the pickups and headstock, while American Hobo symbols grace the fretboard. Africana and Americana symbolism meld with profound graphics, conjuring vivid images that speak to humankind's perilous, yet necessary journeys in three different graphic designs: The Talisman, The Mystery Tramp, and The Shaman.
While visually stunning, these instruments are also refined tools of the trade. The recipe of Korina, ebony, and Railhammer Pickups, coupled with the sheer metallic mass of the Floyd Rose, serves up a tone best described as punchy. Harmonics pop, single notes sing, and chords ring with tasty overtones - delivering that knockout punch whether you're playing clean funk or heavy rock. The Reverend Vernon Reid Signature Totem Series guitars are genuinely collectible art pieces that sound and play as amazing as they look.
The Reverend Vernon Reid Signature Totem Series Guitars are now available through any Reverend Authorized Dealer.
For more information, please visit reverendguitars.com.