End of Year Pedal Chain Update - Class of 2025

SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS IN NOVEMBER

'ThorpyFX triple threat'

• Drunk Beaver Irpin Bee Baa Fuzz
• Drunk Beaver MK2 Disambiguation Muff-Rat
• Electronic Audio Experiments Glaive OpAmp Octave Fuzz
• Empty Head Falling Man Gravity Delay
• Flattley Guitar Pedals Outlaw Plexi Drive+ Ace Tone Boost
• Great Eastern FX D312A Distortion Filter
• Intensive Care Audio Death Muff
• JHS Pedals 10th Anniversary JHS Kilt
• Manson Guitar Works Matt Bellamy Signature Supermassive Black Fuzz!
• Moose Electronics Electric Elk Ram's Head x Black Russian Muff
• Muir Audio Silicon Steel Creamy Distortion
• Pasta Pedals FrankenSTEEN Fuzz (Dwarfcraft Eau Claire Thunder)
• PastFX Echo 600 slider-style Deluxe Memory Man
• Poly Effect Trails Unfamiliar Effects That Sustain + Grow
• Ritual Devices Rainmaker Analog Vibrato and Pulsating Tremolo
• Spaceman Effects Sputnik I Silicon Fuzz
• ThorpyFX Fat General Parallel Compressor
• ThorpyFX Redacted Germanium Veteran - Fuzz Face + RangeMaster
• ThorpyFX The 'J'  Lazy J 20 Tweed Supreme Dual Channel Preamp
• TWA Susumu Tamura Source Code Evolved Screamer

SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS IN OCTOBER

• Blammo Electronics TNYDÜMBLË DLX Dumble Drive + Boost
• Blue Colander Grimrobe Dual Cascaded Super Rat
• Chase Bliss Lost & Found Multi-FX
• Coriolis Effects Grissom Young Dual Fuzz II (Spaceman Gemini III)
• Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker Full Stack Marshall style Preamp with Enhanced Boost 
• Dr. No Power Driver & Booster
• EarthQuaker Devices Barrows Fuzz Attacker
• Electro-Harmonix Bender Royale TB MKIII Fuzz
• Electro-Harmonix Pico Swello Attack Envelope
• Empty Head Effects Kiing Alex II Obliteration Distortion
• Gamechanger Audio Motor Pedal Electro-Mechanical Synth
• Gigahearts January Overdrive (Jan Ray / Timmy)
• Hangman fx DAGG'R Dynamic Auto-Gain/Gate - Gain Ramper
• Hello Sailor Effects Bees Dual Hybrid RangeMaster
• PastFX Deluxe Elastic Mattress (Expanded EHX Deluxe Electric Mistress)
• PastFX Gallstone Phaser (Expanded EHX Small Stone V2)
• Spaceman Effects Geminin III Dual Fuzz Generator - Blue Edition
• Teaching Machines FuzzBillion Combination Gain-Shaper
• Tubesteader Gainlord Dual Channel Plexi + JCM800 Tube Preamp

SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS IN SEPTEMBER

"REVV / Shift"

• Becos FX CompIQ Pro Yuna Soft Knee Blackmer VCA Studio Style Compressor
• Black Mountain Signature Jack White Roto Echo  Rotary Expression Dela
• Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields Ultimate Modulated Fuzz
• Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter
• Boss XS-100 Poly Shifter
• Drunk Beaver Kherson Drive Retro (Based on Sound JS DS-5 / Boss SD-1)
• Fjord Fuzz Fjær Spring Reverb
• Fjord Fuzz Thor Wild Self-Oscillating Lighting-Strike Fuzz
• Fortin Kali Plexi / JCM800 Dual Channel Preamp
• IK Multimedia ToneX One Red EVH Brown Sound Edition
• JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage Console style Preamp
• MI Audio Tube Zone Overdrive
• MoVall Jumpspace Tube Zone Clone
• Origin Effects Adaptive Series Halcyon Gold Klone
• REVV G2 V2 Anniversary Crisp + Crunchy Overdrive
• REVV G3 V2 Anniversary Tight * Focused Hight Gain Distortion
• REVV G4 V2 Anniversary Thick + Fat High Gain Distortion
• RhPf Electronics Tri-Harmonic Phalanx Multiband Overdrive
• ThorpyFX Secret Project 2 / Have Blue Germanium RangeMaster
• Wampler Germanium Tumnus Mini 

SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS IN AUGUST

"Team Red + Brand Sets"

• Blind Panic Devices Reactor Nuclear Power Station Fuzz
• Boss PX-1 Plugout FX Multi-FX
• CatastroFX Outbreak Overdrive (Greer Lightspeed  + Southland Harmonic Overdrive)
• Colortone Pedals VibroVerb 3-Mode Stereo LFO Modulator  / Trem
• Colortone Pedals ZeroSum Stereo Rhythmic Dual-Head Delay
• Cornerstone Paul Davids Signature Nucleo Power Station Hall Reverb
• Drunk Beaver Denys Toporchuk signature Kavun MOS Drive
• EarthQuaker Devices Fuzz Master General (SuperFuzz)
• Fuzz Imp Adventure SuperFuzz
• Fuzz Imp The Creature Dual-Gated Series-Stacked Richly Textured Fuzz
  
• Fuzz Imp Furia Grinding Chainsaw Distortion
• RhPf Electronics Mo(s)ghoul MOSFET Twin Peaks Harmonic Distortion
• Spaceman Effects Delta II Harmonic Tremolo  Red Edition
• Spaceman Effects Explorer 6-Stage Optical Phaser Red Edition
• Spaceman Effects Sputnik (Спутник) Germanium Fuzz Red Cyrillic Edition
• ThorpyFX Peace2Keeper Germanium Diodes Low Gain Ltd Edition
• Walrus Audio 385 Filmosound Projector Dual Channel Preamp / Overdrive
• Walrus Audio Voyager II Overdrive + Boost Klone

SIGNFICANT ADDITIONS IN JULY

"A sprinkling of EQD!"

• Audiostorm Tone Lord MK2 Solo Boost & Shaper
• Boss RT-2 Rotary Ensemble Leslie / Rotary Speaker Emulator
• Drunk Beaver Trainer TS-15 MK2 Preamp / Overdrive / Distortion
• EarthQuaker Devices Bit Commander Analog Octave Fuzz
• EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter V2 Rancho De La Luna Edition
• EarthQuaker Devices Talons High Gain Overdrive
• Electro-Harmonix Attack Release Pico / Mini 
• Hello Sailor Effects Dr. Boogie Dual Rec Distortion
• Hello Sailor Effects Leia Rebel-Rebel Vox-Bender
• Keeley Electronics Manis Modified Klon Klone
• Mad Professor Custom Amber Overdrive - Midas Touch Mod
• Mad Professor Simble MK2 Dumble Drive
• MXR Bass Synth
• RhPf Mosferatwo Harmonic MOSFET Overdrive

SIGNFICANT ADDITIONS IN JUNE

"Klowra Infusion"

• Butterfly Effects Dobbo Granular Playground
• Electronic Audio Experiments x Pile Mirror House 2 Slippery Pitch-Shifter
• Emmergy FX' Slowdriver Shoegazer Fuzz Distortion
• Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol Multi-Fuzz & Vibe
• Funny Little Boxes Caught By The Fuzz
• Hello Sailor Effects Boss Tone style Fuzz
• Hello Sailor Effects Brian May style Treble Booster
• Klowra Everlast 9-Mode Delay 
• Klowra Limbo 9-Mode Reverb
• Klowra Sprout 9-Mode Modulator
• Klowra Vein 9-Mode Pitch-Shifter
• Lastgasp Art Laboratories Devil Tail Deathtortion
• Lichtlaerm Audio Nostalgia Lo-Fi Modulator / Chorus / Tape Warble
• Rainger FX Razor Fuzz with Virtual Pick Overtone Artefacts
• Sinvertek MGAT-5 Soldano SLO-100 Real Amp Abstraction
• SoundLad Liverpool Hungry Beaver Multi-Muff is
• SoundLad Liverpool Scran 2 Britpop & Indie Sleaze Overdrive
• Swiff Audio C20 Micro Tuner
• This Heavy Earth's Flesh Rot 2 Death Metal Distortion

SIGNFICANT ADDITIONS IN MAY

• EarthQuaker Devices Rainbow Machine Polyphonic Pitch Mesmerizer
• Engl Fireball IR High Gain Distortion / Preamp
• Fortin Meshuggah Signature Distortion / Preamp
• Free Fall Diver is the Twelve Multi Distortion / Rat+
• Hangman fx The Atomic World Ender Octave / Gated / Non-Gated Fuzz + Chopper / Drone Device
• Hangman fx Lord GermFet Dual Overdrive
• JHS Pedals NOTADÜMBLË Boost / Overdrive
• Thermion PowerVibe
• Thermion PowerTrem
• ThorpyFX Hanami Germanium Blooming Fuzz

SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS IN APRIL

• Chase Bliss x Mike Piera Brothers AM KOT + Beano Boost
• Cosmodio Instruments Pet Yeti Bitcrushed Fuzz / Distortion
• DigiTech HammerOn Creative Pitch-Shifter
• Drunk Beaver Hostomel Tube Driver
• Reeves Electro Leo : Twelve Tweed Drive
• Solar Pedals / Ola Englund Chug Lite
• ThorpyFX The Dane Drive + Boost Ltd Purple Edition
• VFE Fuzz Cocktail Octave Fuzz
• Xotic Effects V2 AC Booster
• Xotic Effects AH Booster (Allen Hinds)

SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS IN MARCH

"Hot Pink Color Sync!"

• Brelliott Tube Overdrive Pro Modular
• Cosmic Loop FX Parallelarator
• Crazy Tube Circuits Venus Tube Driver is
• Great Eastern FX Co. Focus Fuzz Deluxe
• Hello Sailor Effects Compact SeaWolf Delay
• IK Multimedia ToneX One Satriani Edition
• MXR Rockman X100 Overdrive + Chorus Tom Sholz signature sound
• [PINK] Drunk Beaver Volnovakha Super Fuzz 
• [PINK] Farmer Factory Horny 66 Germanium Fuzz Face
• [PINK] Foxgear Muffin Ram's Head Gilmourish Muff Fuzz 
• [PINK] Great Eastern FX Co. Obsolete Devices OC201 Fuzz / Preamp
• [PINK] MXR Fat Sugar
• [PINK] Perfecto De Castro Bad 94 Distortion (Shredmaster) 
• Wampler Cryptid Multi-Fuzz

SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS IN FEBRUARY

• Caroline Guitar Co. Shigeharu Germanium Octave Fuzz
• Drunk Beaver PD #26 LA Metal Distortion (Rat)
• Kernom Elipse Hybrid Modulation Playground
• Krozz Devices RoyalBreaker Fiery Distortion (Rat) 
• Paul Cochrane Zefram Overdrive
• Plutoneium Chi-Wah-Wah
• Polyend Step Drum Machine
• Redbeard Effects Bearded Vulture Direct Drive + Octave
• SuperCool Pedals '77 Fuzz Blender OpAmp / IC Muff 
• TheGigRig Wetter Box Parallel Blender 

SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS IN JANUARY

"Big Skreddy Month"

• AC Noises Ricorda Stereo Granular Reverb + Freeze/Loop
• 29 Pedals Toki Fuzz-Drive / Fuzz
• DOD Preamp/OD 250 50th Anniversary Edition
• DryBell Module 4 Dual-Voice FET Compressor
• DryBell Unit67 Red - Boost / EQ / RangeMaster / Compressor
• Hamstead Soundworks x That Pedal Show Redwing Stereo Analogue Modulator / Multi-Modulator
• Lichtlaerm Audio Aquaria Expanded Klone Overdrive
• Origin Effects Deluxe 55 Tweed Recreation
• Rogue Rehousing Morning Glory 'Gucci' Edition
• Sitek Cristal Buffer
• Skreddy Pedals ? Lady (Who's That Lady) Ram's Head style Muff
• Skreddy Pedals Ernie' Fat Ram's Head 'Summer Breeze' Fuzz
• Skreddy Pedals Klipper Tony Iommi Sabbath Style Distortion
• Skreddy Pedals Serenity Fuzz-Drive

So we end the year with 52 Pedals on the board - at their height this year there were 55 pedals!

41 of the final selections / slot residents are new for this year!

Updated Slots - easier to say which ones are the same as before!

11 x Semi-Permanent Anchor Slots : #6, #9, #16,  #28, #34, #36, #44, #45, #46, #49, #50.

So the essential / fixed pedals in the chain - are the following :

• #6 - Sitek Cristal Buffer
• #9 - ThorpyFX Heavy Water 3-in-1 Boost
• #16 - Coppersound x Jack White Triplegraph Octaver
• #28 - Strymon Sunset Multi-Drive
• #34 - Boss NS-2 Noise Supressor
• #36 - Empress Effects ParaEQ 2 Deluxe
• #44 - Eventide H90 Multi-FX
• #45 - Flower Pedals Dahlia Analog BBD Stereo Delay
• #46 - TC Electronic Mimiq Double Tracker
• #49 - Empress EchoSystem Delay Workstation
• #50 - Strymon BigSky MX Reverb Workstation

We've added a few further fixed slots for the year - including #26 Expression, and #27 Wah! Also the rear Buffer on Slot #35, of and the Parallel Blender on current Slot # 51!

www.corioliseffects.com/

Coriolis Effects Grissom Young Dual Fuzz II (Spaceman Gemini III)

Controls - Master, Filter / Tone Sweep Direction switch / invert, Filter / EQ, Ge Gain (fully variable), Blend, Si Gain (fully variable).
 
An improved fully variable take on Spaceman's Gemini III. Which weirdly landed barely a week before I finally managed to snag an original Blue Edition one too. Both of those sounds incredible - in fact almost identical in that they share all the same rare killer parts. If anything this variant is even more attractive - with is green sparkly enclosure - than the originals. I'm obviously delighted that I have both! Alas still not demo exists - so I'm referencing the original source pedal for sound sample purposes!

spacemaneffects.com/

Spaceman Effects Sputnik I Silicon Fuzz

Controls : Signal (Volume), Scan (Scramble/Corruption), Range (Fuzz Gain), Drift/Sync (Engage Scan), Calibrate (Tone), Filter Engage : Engage = Bass Cut + Mid Scoop.
 
Near enough every bit as good as the original Germanium variant. This one doesn't quite have that same Germanium harmonic grit - but makes up for it with more sear and range. The key dynamics are identical - obviously with that difference in Silicon vs Germanium playback timbre. I was surprised quite how similar they were. All the controls are he same as before - it's mostly just the type of transistors that have changed here. I'm so glad I got the Blue variant - to match my Red Cyrillic original. And in the same year I completed that Spaceman Quadfecta of fuzzes - where I'm course including the Coriolis Grissom Young II - which has the exact same components as the original Gemini III. A bumper year!

www.wamplerpedals.com

Wampler Cryptid Multi-Fuzz

Controls - Volume, Chime (3-Way Brightness & Harmonics : Up is Bright / Middle is Dark / Down is Stock), Fuzz / Gain, Tone (High End), Tight / Bass Response : Up is Bass-heavy / Middle is Tight / Down is Stock, Character : Bias / Sputter.
 
Brian's latest fuzz is his best to date - covers all 3 main fuzz food groups and is particularly good for Fuzz Face and Tone Bender flavours - also does a pretty decent Muff sound. The Harmonics on this fuzz are extraordinary - which is what gives this fuzz its massive potency. A really unique and smartly designed Multi-Fuzz circuit - and easily one of the best of the year, while the dial-in can be a little fiddly at times. The versatility and verve of this pedal makes it essential for me - one of the surprises of the year! 

www.greateasternfx.com/

Great Eastern FX Co. Focus Fuzz Deluxe

Controls - Focus (Gain Boost + Frequency Boost), Level, Mode : Boost / Drive / Fuzz, Fuzz (Bias + Gain + Compression.
 
The original Germanium Focus Fuzz was already exceptional - but David really pushed the boat out for this one - 3 different playback Modes - Boost / Drive / Fuzz - and with an additional Harmonic Overtone Octave on the left-hand footswitch. This one sounds as good as it looks! A golden fuzz!

bluefxdevices.com/

Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields Ultimate Modulated Fuzz

Controls - Level / Output, Fuzz / Gain / Frequency, Filter (< LPF | HPF >), Gate, ⬆ 1kHz Notch Switch (for Filter), Gain Structure ; ⬆ High / ⬇ Low, ⬆ Phaser / ⬇ Vibrato Switch, Sense (Envelope Sensitivity), Left Punch-in Modes Footswitch : Double Press to switch Mode - Gravity / +Frequency, Right Bypass / Main Footswitch : On/Off & +Fazer (Phaser or Vibrato) - hold switch to Engage / Bypass Fazer Mode.
 
A proper killer fuzz with 4 gears of playback - core fuzz, phaser-fuzz, gravity mode (Input Gain + Feedback Loop), and frequency mode. This is for sure the greatest modulated fuzz to date - and you really don't need the small satellite IT LFO Modulator that just gets in the way of the on-the-fly gearing dynamics, Similar to the Reactor fuzz - this one is also beautifully textured - with so many deft touches onboard - and a really striking design too! This one is second only to the FuzzBillion!

www.sitek.rocks

Sitek Cristal Signal Buffer

Controls - Footswitchable

My favourite Mini Buffer by far! Proper pristine crystal clear and highest fidelity - I run one at the front and rear of my chain!

drybell.com

DryBell Unit67 Red - Boost / EQ / RangeMaster / Compressor

Contols - EQ : 1 / 0, Boost, Input : High / Low, Range, Low, High, Sustain.

The DryBell Unit67 Red - Boost / EQ / RangeMaster / Compressor makes an excellent replacement for the Jackson Audio Prism - it's slightly brighter by default  - but has a powerful EQ section to easily soften it a touch for the preferred core tonality! I always thought I would bring the Prism back in again eventually - but I've got the Unit67 dialled in so well - that I've decided to stick with it!

becosfx.com

Becos FX CompIQ Pro Yuna Soft Knee Blackmer VCA Studio Style Compressor

Controls - Comp (Ratio + Threshold) [Max Ratio 20:1 for Feed-Forward, 10:1 for Feed-Back], Gain (-0dB > +26dB), Wet>Dry Mix, Timing (Attack + Release) [FAST - FAST Attack Slow Release > SAFR - Slow Attack Fast Release), Speed : Fast / Slow, X-EQ (Tilt : Low > High), EQ Pivot : High . Low, SCF Side Chain Filter : Boost > 90Hz > Cut).

Fantastic streamlined Studio style Compressor with some really smart dual function control knobs to make the dial-in quicker and easier. Not as granular as the Stella, but overlaps quite a bit with the Soft-Knee operation of its sibling. I feel it's largely for those who perceive the Stella to be too complex. I really like both - and could / would happily settle for either. The Yuna should be on the board for a while - albeit I've still to check out the Chase Bliss Clean - which I intended to do this year - and indeed I picked one up in January. The Yuna though is a really solid pro workhorse - and does everything I need in a very elegant fashion!

thorpyfx.com

Controls - Left Harmonic Boost Side } Boost, Lows, Footswitch; Right Side Smooth Dane Boost } Boost, Lows, Footswitch.

Still my favourite Thorpy pedal - and still my favourite 3-in-1 Tone Enhancing Boost - I have not come across anything close enough that I can swap in on this slot - the Heavy Water is still very unique for me - and a core part of my sound! 

www.hangmanfx.com

Hangman fx DAGG’R Dynamic Auto-Gain/Gate - Gain Ramper

Controls - Output Level, 3-way Voicing Switch : Tone Bypass / Stock / Schottky Clipping, 3-way Mids Switch : Mid Boost / Scooped / Max Boost, Overdrive Gain Level (Gain 1) [Starting Gain], 3-way Auto DAGG'R Switch : O.D. / Off / Fuzz, Fuzz Gain Level [Starting Gain] (Gain 2), Black Mini Ramping Controls } Sensitivity [Trigger Threshold], Smooth [Speed / Choppiness of Ramping Transition / Offset], Max Gain : Upper Target Gain Value for Ramping (Gain 3), Limit : Volume Limiter for Max Gain Peak output levels, Bypass / Engage Left Footswitch, Max Gain Manual Trigger Right Footswitch.

Really clever Gain-Ramping pedal which really follows your playing style and pick attack for a fantastic interactive performance. A little complex in how some of the gain settings bleed into each other - where you just need to dial in by ear - and not think too hard on what the various knobs and controls are doing - if it sounds right - it is right! - and this one sounds superb - where you can play soft for the longest while, and then all of sudden dig in to instantly ramp things up. Partly controllable too with the guitar volume control. Brilliant Overdrive and Fuzz voiced pedal - where at times it feels like it's morphing bemteeen the two - but that's really just the nature of the pedal's gain structure - and how those different elements feed into each other. A really great innovation for further dynamic playback!

www.chasebliss.eu

Chase Bliss x Mike Piera Brothers AM KOT + Beano Boost

Controls - Gain 2, Volume 2, Gain 1, Tone 2 [+Presence], Volume 1, Tone 1 [+Presence], CH 1 Mode : Boost / OD / Dist, Treble Boost (Beano) : Full / Off / Lite, CH 2 Mode : Dist / OD / Boost, Presets : 1 / Panel / 2 (+Bank 2 via Dip), Engage Channel 1 Footswitch, Engage Channel 2 Footswitch - Footswitch + Tone = Presence, 16 Dip-Switches.

An excellent collaboration which tackles the King of Tone with slightly more easily available but still pretty special components, and adds in the Beano Treble Booster as an option - alongside 2 Channels of Boost, Overdrive, and Distortion. It doesn't hit exactly the same as the King of Tone - which is slightly softer and gooier - while the Brothers AM is a touch more vibrant - and still in the same tonal ballpark. There are overlaps for sure - but each is somewhat its own thing. There are clear differences in timbre and character - while at times too it can get really very close to the original. For me they are slightly different animals - from the same stable!

redbeardeffects.com

Redbeard Effects Bearded Vulture Direct Drive + Octave

Controls - DRIVE } Volume, Drive, Bias (Highly interactive with Drive), Timbre (Dual Filter / Midrange Character), Drive Footswitch, OCTAVE > Level, Drive, Octave Footswitch.
 
Another one of my favourite Thorpy engineered fuzzes! This one is so many different things to so many different people - it is equally adept as an Octave Overdrive, and an Octave Distortion - while I like it best and use it mostly as a searing high octane Octave Fuzz. My favourite Redbeard Effects pedal now, and one of the best pedals Thorpy has engineered to date!

flattleyguitarpedals.com

Flattley Guitar Pedals Outlaw Plexi Drive+ Ace Tone Boos

Controls - ACE TONE BOOST } Volume, Tone, Left Footswitch; PLEXI DRIVE } Volume, Tone, Gain, Right Footswitch; Order Switch } Up = Boost First / Down = Plexi First.
 
I really love Paul's new one here - it has fairly simple controls - but is so well balanced by default. And comes with that amazing tone-enhancing Ace Tone Boost - which sounds exceptional with pretty much every pedal - and of course alongside a really vibrant Plexi Drive side. Every way excellent - and Paul's best looking pedal to date too. The Tubesteader Gainlord is a little more shapeable and versatile - while you can't really fault the Outlaw - it really shines - every which way!

thorpyfx.com/

ThorpyFX 'The J' Lazy J 20 Tweed Supreme Dual Channel Preamp

Controls - Output (Master Volume), Response (Presence), Supply (Voltage Attenuation), Normal Channel Gain, Voicing / Gain Structure : Hi - 12AX7 / Lo - 12AY7, Tone, Bright Channel Gain. On/Off Footswitch. Channel Selector Footswitch : Normal / Bright.
 
Thorpy has set the new standard for the Tweed Drive. The richness and complexity of its breakup is quite extraordinary, and several degrees above any other Tweed type. There's definitely some magic insides those pedals which yields those superior harmonics. This pedal sounds incredible - and quickly becomes my favourite Thorpy Overdrive pedal. This one really is very special. You might think you don't need another Tweed - but you ain't heard nothing yet! This 'The J' is a cut above!

www.boss.info/

Boss XS-100 4-in-1 Poly Shifter

Controls - Heel > Toe Treadle, Further 'Toe' Mode, Effect (Parameters), Memory (Presets / CTL and System Parameters), Rotary Selector : Presets and Parameters, click to Select, Effect Footswitch : Typically Pitch-Shifter, Tune Down Footswitch : Core Tuning / Register, Default : Press Both Footswitch to go up a Memory / Preset.

The greatest and most precise multi-function pitch-shifter to-date - which obviously includes the expression pedal / treadle into the design. Allows you to run 4 Elements / Modes simultaneously, Really smart, really useful and eminently usable - while the deep-dive menus can take a while to master! This one is a massive improvement on any similar shifter effect the came before - it has myriad regular uses - and is for sure one of the most useful pedals you will ever own! 

www.coppersoundpedals.com

Coppersound x Jack White Triplegraph Up/Down Octaver, and Kill Switch / Insert device

Controls : Engage FX Loop on Rear, Latching / Momentary for Octave Down, Lacthing / Momentary for Octave Up, 3 Telegraph Switches for Octave Down, Kill Dry / FX Loop, and Octave Up.

Still my favourite Octaver to date despite its bulk - it so mechanically sound, and so satisfying to deploy! I would like to see some further enhancements like control of octave intervals, and a ramping component  - while the Boss XS-100 kind of handles those ramping duties at the moment. I just feel that the Triplegraph could be even more powerful than it currently is!

www.earthquakerdevices.com

EarthQuaker Devices Barrows Fuzz Attacker (TB MKII)
 
Controls - Level, Attack.
 
Excellent series of reissues for EQD - where this TB MKII take is probably my pick of that bunch. It's one of those fuzzes whose output totally believes its diminutive stature. This is a proper Germanium take - and it really sound excellent - super easy to dial in too with just those 2 controls.

teachingmachines.co.uk

Teaching Machines FuzzBillion Combination Wheel Gain-Shaper
 
Controls - Input : Line Level / Guitar Level, Components Wheels #1-#11 - each with options numbered 0-9: #1 Boost| #2 Opamp Gain | #3 Waveform Peak Diode Clipping | #4 Waveform Dip Diode Clipping | #5 Tone : Bass > Treble | #6 Octave Fuzz Drive | #7 Octave Fuzz Intensity | #8 PLL Harmonizing Fuzz | #9 Negative > Positive Bias | #10 Output Diode Clpping | #11 Output Treble-Cut, Volume Kmob, Output : Line Level / Guitar Level.
 
I can't say enough about this mechanical and sonic multi-gain wonder - as it marches towards its inevitable pedal of the year status. You really must get your hands on one of these - to witness the fitness! This pedal is already legendary - and it has only been out a few month - a thing of wonder for sure! If you're into gain / fuzz - then this device pretty much has you covered for every eventuality.

tubesteader.com/products/gainlord
 
Tubesteader Gainlord Plexi + JCM800 Dual Channel Tube Preamp

Controls - Lower Blue Plexi Style Channel 1 } Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Bright Switch, Gain; Upper Red JCM800 Channel 2 } Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Bright Switch, Gain; Tone Bypass for Direct Out on side of pedal.
 
And so to this year's champion Overdrive Pedal - the Gainlord - which is the best tube preamp distillation of Plexi and JCM800 tones to date as far as I'm concerned - it truly sounds magnificent. And it has the perfect complement of controls for maximum impact - and then underlines all that with a 3-Channel experience courtesy of the additional remote Footswitch. Everything about this pedal is superb, my only tiny niggle is its size - where it is easily the largest pedal in this year's selection - but because of how good it sounds and how well if functions - I was happy to rearrange the board so that it could accommodate this. Definitely the best of this years drive releases - while the other runners-up in that selection really run it close - but can't match its live dynamics and playability!

www.intensivecareaudio.com/

Intensive Care Audio Death Muff Gain Overload Fuzz

Controls - Chaos (Gain Overload), Tone, Volume, Fuzz.
 
Patrick's latest creation is fierce and aggressive - a totally different high gain take on a Muff with full gain overload onboard. This one is so potent - a really unique and unusual Muff take with such a great almost crunchy texture at times - and one of my favourites for sure!

www.ikmultimedia.com/products/tonexone

IK Multimedia ToneX One Amp Modeller / Multi-FX

Controls :

• Layer 1 : Bass, Mid, Treble, Volume, ALT, and Footswitch.
• Layer 2 : Noise Gate [Bass], Compression [Mid], and Reverb Mix / Amount [Treble]. 
• Layer 3 : BASS = MODE - Dual A/B Mode CCW (Green), and Stomp Mode 1/0 CW (Orange) | MID = Cabs Engaged (Green) / No Cabs Engaged (Red) | REBLE = Variable Input Trim - none CCW to Max CW.
• Layer 4 : Quick Press both ’ALT’ and the Footswitch simultaneously to enter Preset / Preet Browsing Mode - main LED turns Purple - BASS and MID controls then become Dual A, and Dual B preset choices - simply twist those knobs to change presets. TREBLE Control is the PRESET control for the STOMP Mode.

A smart little device somewhat put in the shade by the slightly smarter Valeton GP-5 Multi-FX, Amp & IR Loader Mini Pedal - and now we have an even smarter GP-50 Compact on the way. Both the Valetons benefit from an onboard screen and better connectivity. I personally find the IK Multimedia Ecosystem a little clunky and complicated. For instance when I got in my recent EVH Brown Sound ToneX One variant - I had to upgrade the 3 different control apps - before I could even get to registering the device! Sounds pretty decent - but can be a little fiddly and frustrating to deploy at times! Not sure I really like the IK Multimedia EcoSystem - that seems very clunky to me! These pedals should be Bluetooth enabled - and updated from a connected mobile app - rather than constantly having to 'plug' the pedal into your Laptop!

www.bluecolander.com

Blue Colander Grimrobe Dual Cascaded Super Rat
 
Controls - OP07 RAT } Volume, Distortion, Limit Hard Clipping : Silicon / Off / LEDs, Comp Soft Clipping : Silicon / Off / LEDs, Right-hand Footswitch; LM386 MORE } More (Distortion), Harmonics : 9 o’c is Octave Fuzz / 10 o’c is Octave Distortion / 11 o’c is Overblown / 12 o’c is Regular Distortion, Voice : Full Range Boost / Lower Gain + Bass Cut / Balanced Upper Midrange Focus, More Left Hand Footswitch.
 
Fantastic sounding Dual Cascaded Rat with superb high octane playback modes - including Octave Distortion and Octave Fuzz. Totally amazing Rat style pedal - its textures are next level - such a cool character and timbre - one of my favourite all-time Rats for sure - with beautifully complex textures!

crazytubecircuits.com/venus

Crazy Tube Circuits Venus ECC832 Tube Driver 
 
Controls - Volume, Bias, Drive, Tight : On/Off, Hi, Mid, Lo, Line Driver (Volume Boost).
 
A really superb execution of that most classic Gilmourish Tube Preamp - a warm and articulate Tube overdrive - beautifully balanced. I struggled to get hold of one of these initially based on a series of misunderstandings and complications. The wait was well worth it though as this pedal turned out to totally match its original promise. The unusual choice of tube here really pays off - as it seems perfect for this purpose - warm and articulate. The finest compact take on the Butler Tube Driver to date - every way superb!

brelliott.com

Brelliott TODP Modular Tube OverDrive Pro
 
Controls - Filter (LPF), REC (Recovery / Make-up Gain) : +6dB / 0 / +12dB, BST (Low Frequency Boost) : Bypass / 200Hz / 80Hz, LOAD (Load on Tube) : 47K (Hot) / 220K (Cold) / 100K (Medium), CUT (HPF) : Bypass / 200Hz, Level, Clipping / Distortion : Germanium / Silicon / LED / 2 x Anti-Blocking Diodes / 4 x Anti-Blocking Diodes / N (No Anti-Blocking Diodes).
 
Such a killer concept and execution of a modular Tube Overdrive pedal - where you can swap in alternative modules for both the Core 'Tube' element, as well as the main Distortion / Clipping Diodes daughter board. You have several available options for both of those - to significantly change up the tone and colour of his pedal. Really super smart engineering. I would like to see the EQ made similarly modular - and hopefully get Dual Channel versions of this eventually - where you can mix up both sides of the pedal. This is such a great Tube Overdrive - pretty much neck and neck with the Tubesteader Gainlord - while that gives you 3 Channels of playback - which makes it slightly more versatile and potent in a live playback context. The TODP is an exceptional pedal - where I'm definitely getting a second copy - as there are so many fantastic options available - and I want to be easily able to run that pedal in 2 distinct ways!

drunk-beaver.rocks

Drunk Beaver Denys Toporchuk Signature Kavun MOS Drive
 
Controls - Bass, Mid, Treble, Level, Drive.
 
One of my favourite Drunk Beaver overdrives to date - this one sounds really well balanced - one of those instantly great sounding and well balanced overdrive - really easy to dial in and shape too - with those 5 controls. A wonderful daily driver! And very understandable that his would be Denys Tobpruchuk's signature - as it's so versatile and sounds good pretty much any way!

www.jimdunlop.com/volume-x-mini-pedal/

Dunlop DVP4 Volume X Mini Pedal

Internal Controls - 50 kΩ Trim-pot : sets FX parameter’sminimum level when using Expression Mode, TIP/RING switch - switch toggle heel/toe polarity of Expression Mode (set to TIP by default), TUNER/EXP switch (internal) toggles AUX output functionality (set to EXP by default).

I typically just use this as my main expression pedal - for which it works fantastically - I've barely touched the Volume feature all this time! I have considered switching to the Chase Bliss EXP Expression Roller - which gives me 2 outputs - that just hasn't happened yet - I'm broadly satisfied with the Volume X Mini - but would still like to give the Chase Bliss EXP a fair shake one of these days!

reverb.com

Plutoneium Chi-Wah-Wah V2 Wah Pedal for Guitar

Controls - Level (±Output Volume - ± Attenuate / Boost), Contour (Q-Bandwidth : Wider > More Focused), Gain (> Drive + Full Frequency).

This pedal alas seems to be out of production at the moment - it's by far and away my favourite fuzz pedal - what with that auto-return spring-loaded expressor - works really beautifully - and always sounds amazing - for sure a permanent fixture on the chain now!

www.strymon.net

Strymon Sunset Dual Overdrive / Multi-Drive / Dual Boost

Controls - Level A, Drive A, Tone A, A Voicings : Ge (Klon) / Texas (SRV TS808) / Treble (JFET Treble Booster), B Voicings : 2Stage (Direct Drive / Dumble) / Hard (DS-1 / Rat / Dist+), JFET (Clean Boost / Soft OD), Level B, Drive B, Tone B, A Footswitch, B Footswitch.

A fixed tone component for the chain - where mostly the Treble Boost and Clean Boost Channels are used to enhance other pedals in the chain. This has turned out to be one of my most essential supporting cast members - it's just constantly incredibly useful!

www.ehx.com

EHX Pico Swello Attack Envelope - Bowed Cello-like Effect

Controls - 3-way Filter Button : GREEN is Disabled / AMBER is Low Resonance, RED is High Resonance, Volume is Output Level, Attack Time, Frequency (Low Pass Cutoff Frequency), Mod -/+ (Range and Direction of the Attack Envelope applied to the LPF).

This one essentially takes over from the Mini / Pico Attack Delay - does that same sort of bowed-string effect - just a little bit better. A great utility to have on the board - and such a convenient form factor!

www.solar-guitars.com

Solar / Ola Englund Chug Lite Distortion

Controls - Bass, Middle ±, Treble, Output, Mid Frequency, Gain.

For me an actual more versatile improvement over the 10-Controls original Chug. I prefer the Chug Lite in every way - it's not quite as searing as the original - but has overall better shaping abilities - sounds superb - and so potent for a slightly smaller pedal.

fortinamps.com

Fortin Kali - Plexi / JCM800 2-Channel Preamp

Controls - Bass, Mid, Treble, Master - Vintage / Raw / Saturated, Gain 2 - 1 / 0 / 2 (Bright), Gain 1 - 1  / 0 / 2 (Bright), Channel 1/2 Footswitch, On/Bypass Footswitch.
 
Great Plexi + JCM800 Marshall style Dual Channel Preamp - really tight and expressive. A little trickier to dial in than really necessary - but capable of some great voicings with a little due diligence. Took me a while to figure out the most appropriate toggle-switch settings - while when adjusted just right it can sound exceptional. 

fortinamps.com

Fortin Meshuggah Signature Dual Channel Preamp / Distortion

Controls - Active Bass, Active Mids, Active Treble, MVC Master Volume, Gain 2 (Low-end Frequencies Distortion), Gain 1 (Bright / High-end Frequencies Distortion, Gain Structure (Saturation & Compression) : Lo / Hi, Zuul (Noise Gate).

Obviously this comes with a superb 3-Band Active EQ, its own built-in Zuul Noise Gate, 2 Channels, and 2 Gain Structure Modes.  A super tight and potent focused distortion - one of the tightest and fiercest I have encountered. Superb heavy heavy pedal with such a tight and percussive action - really sounds so formidable.

www.sinvertek.com

Sinvertek MGAT-5 Soldano SLO-100 Real Amp Abstraction
 
Controls - Volume, Top End : Modern / X / Vintage, Low End : Full / Tight / Medium, Gain, Destity / Core EQ : Dark / Poweramp / Bright, Gain Structure : Low / Medium / High, Gold Era Filter : 1987X / 1959SLP + High Gain / 2203 JCM800, Presence, Gain : Green / Orange / Red, Treble, Mid, Orange Saturation : ++ / 0 / +, Red Saturation : ++ / 0 / +, Bass.
 
Whenever there is a Sinvertek pedal under consideration it tends to take the top award in that category. And this one is of course no exception - an amazing full-fat amp abstraction of the Soldano SLO-100 - every ounce of that tube profile recreated as a transistor topology. Here with no less than 15 precision controls. The MGAT-1 GE is the best take of the entire Marshall oeuvre, and this MGAT-5 pretty much does the same thing but with the complete Soldano Amp profile in tow. It's so potent that it puts the official Soldano pedals somewhat in the shade!

www.boss.info

Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor - Alchemy Audio Modded Edition

Controls - Threshold, Decay, Mode : Reduction / Mode.

I'm still sticking to my old modded NS-2 - which mostly serves me really well - I know there are better noise gates out there. My NS-2 works so well most of the time - that I really don't think I need to make a change - but I probably will at some stage - just not a particular priority at the moment!

www.sitek.rocks

Sitek Cristal Signal Buffer

Controls - Single Footswitch

My favourite mini Buffer by far! Proper crystal clear and highest fidelity - I run one at the front and one at the rear of the chain!

empresseffects.com

Empress Effects ParaEQ MKII Deluxe

Controls - Low Q, Mid Q, High Q, Low Freq, Mid Freq, High Freq, Low Gain, Mid Gain, High Gain, HPF Filter 10-330Hz, Mid Shelf -15>+15, Mid Shelf 2 -15>+15, LPF Filter, Boost +30dB, Boos Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.
 
Simply the perfect EQ Pedal for my preferences - 3 properly parametric EQ's per Low, Mid and High frequency bands, 4 shelving filters and a +30db boost - which I mostly use as a solo boost. This is the most accurate, pristine, noiseless EQ that I have witnessed to date. Just incredible to have this studio tool in a compact enclosure - really special engineering be Steve Bragg and colleagues.

www.pastfx.com/index.php/effects/flangers/deluxe-elastic-mattress

PastFX Deluxe Elastic Mattress (Expanded EHX Deluxe Electric Mistress)

External Controls - Rate, Filter Matrix (Static / LFO Bypass), Range / Manual (centre-point of Delay Line sweep), Blend, Volume, Color (Tone), Feedback  : ↑ Positive / ↓ Negative, Filter EQ : ↑ 70s Darker / 80’s Lighter ↓.
 
Internal Controls - Delay Time : ← Mod / Stock →, Cancel Trimmer / Adjust, Gain Trimmer / Adjust, Color Trimmer / Adjust, Impedance Switch : ↑ High / ↓ Low.

A fantastic take on the Deluxe Electric Mistress - delivers a slightly richer and denser texture with a touch less brightness - but still incredibly lush and musical. PastFX can do no wrong when it comes to Flangers - the range has 5 of the very best available - another superb addition to that range!

www.pastfx.com

PastFX Echo 600 (EHX Echo 600 / Slide-based Deluxe Memory Man)

Controls - LEVEL } Input, Blend, Output; CHORUS/VIBRATO } Depth, Rate; ECHO } Feedback, Delay (0-600ms); RANGE } Short (Blue) / Long (Red).
 
I've so long wanted a relatively compact full-fat EHX Memory Man delay - where this a compacted take on the super rare Echo 600 slider variant of the Deluxe Memory Man. As a modulated delay - this has a very distinctive effect tone / texture - and PastFX has captured that perfectly here - just shrinking it down by a little more than half. I have considered a number of Memory Man takes over the years - including the J Rockett Clockwork Echo. While PastFX has done me proud once more - with a superb take on that legendary delay - this one sounds amazing - but does require a little finesse on the dial-in!

www.boss.info

Boss Rotary Ensemble RT-2 Leslie Speaker Emulator

Controls - Level | Drive [Balance], Fast | Slow, Mode : I / II / III, Rise/Fall Time : Slow / Fast, Drive Knob Function : Drive / Horn to Drum Balance (EQ), Press-Hold Footswitch to flip between Slow [5 seconds] and Fast [instant] Speeds.
 
This is simply by far and away my favourite Rotary Effect of all-time - effortless to dial in - I have the Level and Drive pretty much on Max! For that full Hammond tonewheel + Leslie cabinet organ style - it sounds very suitably syrupy for me - and has the elevated levels to really make this effect work!

www.chasebliss.eu

Chase Bliss Lost + Found Collection of Curiosities - Multi-FX

Main Controls - RIGHT CHANNEL } Time R [Alt R], Modify A>B R [EQ R], Channel R Bypass Footswitch - Hold for Secondary Modifiers; LEFT CHANNEL } Time L [Alt L], Modify A>B L [EQ L], Channel L Bypass Footswitch - Hold for Secondary Modifiers; UNIVERSAL } Mix (Ramp) [Spill], Blend [Glue - Compression + Saturation], 1.Reverb, 2.Pitch, 3.Warp, Spread : L>R / L+R / L

A slightly left-field multi-fx / multi-modulator along similar lines to the Poly Effects Trails - each overlaps to a degree but mostly does its own thing - those two complement each other quite nicely and together deliver a really expansive group of fairly unusual effects.

www.polyeffects.com

Poly Effects Trails - Unfamiliar Effects That Sustain + Grow...

Besides the 8-Step Sequencer- the other 7 Algorithms are as follows :

• MEADOWS - Sympathetic Strings Resonator - [A] Blend | [B] Pitch | [C] Structure | [D] Density
• HAVEN - Bell Resonator - [A] Blend | [B] Pitch | [C] Structure | [D] Density
• PRAIRIE - Vinyl Effect Delay - [A] Blend | [B] Length / Speed | [C] Aging | [D] Noise
• OUTBACK - Vocal Mouth Modeller - [A] Blend | [B] Speed | [C] Shape | [D] Tongue Position
• TUNDRA - Pitch-Shifting Delay - [A] Blend | [B] Time | [C] Feedback | [D] Pitch
• BADLANDS - Wavefolding + Chebyshev Wave Brutal Distoriton - [A] Blend | [B] Delay | [C] Number of Folds | [D] Bias Amount
• COAST - Microlooper / Granular Texture Generator - [A] Blend | [B] Size | [C] Wave Shape | [D] Density

This one has a little overlap with the Chase Bliss Lost + Found - definitely in the core theme here - which is somewhat unusual expansive algorithms - both cover resonators - but the Trails in a little more detail. And while they are thematically similar - the actual aglorithms are mostly quite distinct. Both the Trails and the Lost + Found are currently on the board - and each really delivers!

www.colortonepedals.com

Colortone Pedals VibroVerb LFO Stereo Modulator / Tremolo / RotoVibe
 
Layer 1 Controls - Speed (Rate), Mode : Optical Trem / Harmonic Trem / RotoVibe, Waveforms : Square / Triangle / Sine, Blend, Phase, Saturation, Reverb, Left Tap Tempo Footswitch, Right Bypass Footswich, Press-Hold for Layer 2 Green LED.
 
Layer 2 Controls - Sine 'Q' (additional Sine Wave shaping), Presets : P1, P2, P3 [Waveforms switch], Boost, Stereo Spread, Drive, Drive EQ, Left Tap Tempo Footswitch - Long press is Preset Save, Right Footswitch is Bypass - Long Press for Layer 1 Red LED.
 
One of a pair of new potent Colortone Pedals this year - alongside the ZeroSum Delay. The Delay is somewhat slightly more instantly appealing - but this one really grows on you! Both of those have been on the board since they first emerged around the middle of this year. The VibroVerb delivers really lush sounding Optical Tremolo, Harmonic Tremolo, and RotoVibe. Some really beautiful engineering by my good friend AD Hauser here - every way an improvement on its Roundhouse predecessor! The only niggle here is a slightly complicated upgrade path!

www.colortonepedals.com

Colortone Pedals ZeroSum Multi-Head Rhythmic Stereo Delay
 
Layer 1 Controls [RED] - Rate, Delay Mode : Single Head / Dual Head / Echo Pong, Delay Style : Mode A / Mode B / Mode C [Patterns], Delay Mix, Tone (Brightness), Repeats, Spread / Stereo Width, Left Tap Tempo Footswitch, Right Bypass Footswitch, Press-Hold for Layer 2 (Green LED).
 
Layer 2 Controls [GREEN] - TT Rate Multiplier : x1 / x2 / x3 / x4 (Tap Tempo), Presets : P1, P2, P3 [ABC switch], Boost, Tape Age [Lo-Fi], Drive, Feedback Q, LEFT LED Indicates Presets - Amber P1, Red P2, Green P3, Left Tap Tempo Footswitch - Long press is Preset Save, Right Footswitch is Bypass - Long Press for Layer 1 (Red LED).
 
A really great Tape Stye delay - particularly on the Dual Head Mode. I really like the Single Head also - while weirdly I'm not particularly enamoured by the Echo Pong on this occasion - which seems to work somewhat unusually! Other than that this is a perfect pedal - particularly after the latest firmware update - which delivers a brighter output, and footswitchable preset selection via dual-press!

www.eventideaudio.com

Eventide H90 Harmonizer / Multi-FX

Controls - Select Program / Playlist / Bank [hold], Perform / HotKnob, Programs + Routing (System when pressed together), Quick Parameter Knobs 1-3, Presets + Parameters (Tempo when pressed together), [P] Active / On Footswitch, [A] Bank Down Footswitch, [B] Bank Up Footswitch.

The H90 has really become my main Multi-FX pedal - while it very much operates mostly in a backup capacity - filling in the relevant spaces - depending what else is on the board at any paricular time. The H90 is a really great Multi-FX - near enough everything onboard sound great - but you do need to dial a lot of that in on occasion. The use of this pedal is somewhat sporadic - as its so dependent on what is on the board, and what additional effects are need to bring you up to full strength. I still really like it - and I prefer its algorithms to pedals like Hologram's Chroma Console and the recent Polyend MESS Multi-Effects Step Sequencer.

flower-pedals.com

Flower Pedals Dahlia Dual Stereo Analog BBD Delay

Controls - MIX [ramp speed], TIME [ramp to : x2 <> /2, FEEDBACK [ramp to], MODE : stereo / scores / parallel [mod shape : triangle / sine / random], CONTROL : 1 / 1+2 / 2 [time lock : width / independent / division], TONE [gain], DIVISION : quarter / dotted eighth / eighth / triplets / sixteenth [time lock], MOD [depth/speed], TAP / RAMP Footswitch, ON / HOLD Footswitch.
 
Additional Controls & Ports - EXP : TAP / EXP, INPUT : SISO / MISO / MIMO, MIDI IN, MIDI THRU.
 
What's new in V1.5

• Kill Dry Option
• 1 extra 6th Preset Option
• 3 Expression Presets vs the original's 1

Still my favourite Analog Stereo Delay - with a few minor additions in the most recent upgrade. I've been spoilt his year - with this, the EchoSYstem, and the ZeroSum all on the board at the same time - also with the Rotoe Echo and Echo 600 - so at one stage I had a choice of 4 delays - in fact as per this final board - with the PastFX Echo 600 currently active. The Dahlia is still amazing for me - there is also the Wampler Meraki with a slightly longer delay time - while I much prefer the form factor and features of the Dahlia!

www.tcelectronic.com

TC Electronic Mimiq Double Tracker / Stereo Spatial Enhancer

Controls - Dubs : 1 | 2 | 3, Tightness, Effect, Dry.

I should really have checked out the KMA Geminus this year - while I'm still very attached to this Mimiq - which I always describe as 'Fairy Dust' for stereo rigs - deliver greater depth and width - for a proper wall-of-sound stoundsage. This is such a clever effect in stereo - while the mono edition falls a little flat!

www.cornerstonemusicgear.com

Cornerstone Paul Davids Signature Nucleo Power Station Reactor Hall Reverb
 
Controls - Mode : Room [lo-fi], Reactor [vintage], Hall [normal], Blend [volume], Modulation [rate], Air [pitch], Flux [speed], Decay [pre-delay], Tone [diffuse], Freeze-Pitch [freeze-volume], Rocker Switch : Live Panel / F2 Secondary / Presets [1|2|3], Bypass Footswitch [save], Freeze Footswitch [preset 1-3].
 
A truly perfect pedal in every area - Design, Features, Form and Function. This has huge playability with plenty of versatility across those ingenious slider modes - Modulation, Shimmer, and Granules. Everything combines beautifully - I so like this pedal that I never want to part it from its adopted slot. While the Hotone Verbera has been patiently waiting in the wings for near half the year - and I really need to give that one a fair shake too. So the Nucleo will briefly go on hiatus while I try other options! Congrats to Emilio and Paul for a job really well done - and curses on Emilio for ghosting me for most of the year - my once good friend has not replied to me since the middle of June - go figure!

www.butterflyeffects.world

Butterfly Effects Dobbo Granular Playground
 
Controls - Rate (Grains per Second : 0-20), Size (of Grains : 10ms > 1s), Mix (% Grains), Time (Delay : 0-5s), Pitch (-2 > +2 Octaves), Pitch Mode : Smooth / Octaves / Qnt Semitones, Space (Panning / Verb), Direction : Forward / Random / Back, Envelope : Fast Atck / Slow Rels } Balanced Atck/Rls | Slow Atck / Fast Rels, 5s Timer, Tap (Hold), DICE } Chance (% random wiggle / sway around centre setting) : per Rate / Size / Time / Pitch, Param Selector, Presets : 1-4, Bypass.
 
I dubbed this the 'Granular Playground' and that's a very apt moniker here - where this kind of doubles down on the kinds of granular effects fond on the Hologram Microcosm - here in a much more compact - with some really clever controls. While his is still mostly a table-top style pedal - which for most artists required constant tweaking and manipulation - which doesn't make I particularly suitably as a floor-based stompbox. You can still kind of use it that way (like I do) while this is really much more intended as its own improvisational instrument - which most handle in a table-top context! Still really great pedal - sounds amazing - but possibly not entirely built to my own preferences and sensibilities. Most definitely a significant technical achievement and to be lauded - particularly the 'Dice' section!

empresseffects.com

Empress Effects EchoSystem Delay Workstation

Controls - Mode : digital | tape | analog | multi | mod | filter | ambient | delay + reverb | reverse | stutter | lo-fi | whisky, Engines - single | dual parallel | dual serial | left / right delay time | ratio, mix (wet/dry), output (level). feedback (decay), tone, thing 1 (variable param A), thing 2 (variable param B), tap tempo, shift (+engines = order | +mode = solo active engine | +knob/s = assign to expression pedal | +tap = global/delay time source | +scroll = save preset), scroll, bypass.

Still my all-time favourite Delay Worstation - with no less than 42 algorithms onboard - where you can 2 different ones in parallel across the stereo range! Every way brilliant device - could probably do with a small screen - just to list the thing 1 and thing 2 parameters - that's that only modification that's needed for this pedal - it's so versatile - and it sounds exceptional!

www.strymon.net

Strymon BigSky MX Reverb Workstation with Convolution Reverb Channel

Controls - Type (Dual) : Room / Hall / Chamber / Plate / Spring / Impulse / Cloud / Shimmer / Bloom / Chorale (Formant) / Magneto / Nonlinear (Swoosh / Reverse / Ramp / Gate / Gauss / Bounce), Value (Param / Back / Global), Decay, Pre-Delay, Tone, Mod, Param 1, Param 2, Mix, A - Bank Down - B - Bank Up - C (Infinite).

Still the best Reverb Workstation for me - in combining all those great algorithms - its convolution reverb too - where you can add your own Reverb IR's. A fantastic evolution and improvement of the original BigSky. I will though be giving this a break in 2026 - where I will be checking out the mentha.works Monk Echo & Reverb!

www.cosmicloopfx.com

Cosmic Loop FX Parallelarator Parallel Blender and Wet-Dry-Wet Gateway

Parallelarator Controls - Dry Mix (Dry Blend with Loops), LOOP 1 : Stereo TRS / Mono TS, Level 1, LOOP 2 : Stereo TRS / Mono TS, Level 2, LOOP 3 : Stereo TRS / Mono TS, Level 3, 
 
Parallelarator Ports - 9-18V DC [-] 100mA, 1/8" Parallel Link (AUX), LOOP 1 } TS Send, TRS Return. LOOP 2 } TS Send, TRS Return, INPUT } TS Dry Input, OUTPUTS } TS Left Wet, TS Centre Dry, TS Right Wet, LOOP 3 } Phase Inverter, TS Send, TRS Return. [All Outputs are buffered for pristine signal preservation).

My Parallel Blender of choice - which also doubles up as a Wet-Dry-Wet Gateway. A fantastic and useful piece of kit which is absolutely essential for my setup - very high-fidelity too!

polyend.com

Polyend Step Drum Machine

Controls - Tracks 1-4, Song (1-1000), Effect (65), (Tempo (30-280 BPM), Volume (1-100%), Beat (332), Kit (245), Steps 1-16, Effect (Punch-in), Next Pattern, Play / Bypass (Hold to shift Songs).

A fantastic sounding drum machine with really smart functionally - and a huge library of beats and kits.  I do find pars of he control-side a little challenging - it's not always as intuitive as it needs to be - and certain functions are not always instantly acessible. It's still a fantastic device - and even though I love how it osunds - I'm not sure this is for me longer term. I will be trying the Beat Buddy 2 at some stage - but before that I'm checking out Audio.Computer's Beat Friend - another Drum Machine - which is not a stompbox though!