Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
T-Rex release 2 innovative mid-size pedals - The RoomMate D'luxe Tube Reverb, and Fuzztopia Fuzz / Distortion with Blend controls per Channel
The RoomMate D’luxe was announced at NAMM, where the Fuzztopia was out late last year - where I did not manage to fit it into my schedule.
It seems very timely now since the RoomMate D’luxe is in the same format - and those 2 pedal pair very well together.
The RoomMate D’luxe delivers 8 x Tube saturated Modes covering off all the main Reverb food groups - Room, Hall, Plate and Shimmer Hall.
And the Fuzztopia Dual Channel Fuzz + Distortion is fairly distinct for having separate Dry ...
Tone King releases Royalist sibling to its runaway successful Imperial Floor Amp - built on Friedman's all-tube IR Platform
There is of course a decent amount of sharing between Boutique Amps Distribution brands, and the Tone King Imperial Floor Amp owes everything to Friedman’s IR Platform - upon which it is built.
Obviously it’s been tuned to replicating Tone King’s Amps, first the Imperial, and then the Royalist. Each of those have different parameters in accordance with their source amps - and are built up on very similar circuits - but somewhat miniaturised.
The Imperial Floor Amp has already been a ...
Polyend releases intriguing Endless AI Prompted Multi-FX with Swappable Magnetic Face Plates
What we have here is a similar technology to that featured on recent Positive Grid Spark Modelling Amps - where you use AI Prompts to define sounds and effects.
The Polyend Endless consists of a main 3-Knob Pedal Unit with Swappable Magnetic Face Plates, and a ’Playground’ App (currently in Beta) - for generating the various effects and algorithms.
The pedal further has dual footswitches - so you can assign one for tap-tempo or boost duties presumably. In and Out ports are TRS ...
Neural DSP finally shoehorns the Full Quad Cortex Experience into a significantly smaller less costly Mini Unit
So this is what everyone was expecting when we got the Nano Quad Cortex instead - which wholly dispensed with the innovative Interface / RotoStomp Controls - that made the original Quad Cortex so enticing!
Here we literally have mostly just the screen of that original in a smaller box - where Neural have had to adapt the interface just a touch to accommodated the reduced number of controls.
The pricing of the new unit is $1,399 vs $1,799 which is a 22% saving.
And the footprint is ...
Old Blood Noise Endeavors collaborates with Emily Hopkins on the PARTING Glitch Delay / Reverb / Crushing Modulation Device
OBNE teams up with Emily Hopkins to deliver her favourite glitch, signal crushing, and ambient sounds.
We’re familiar with the format by now - with this being the 5th in the square format - which started with the Stereo Dark Star Edition.
The same layout - but with different parameters. The PARTING is a slightly experimental device - and for the braver sonic adventurers among you!
Controls - Rate, Depth, Chance (variation), Smear, 7 x Wave Shape, Dissolve, Glitch, 3 x Presets, ...
A simple overview of the Valeton GP-50 Multi-Effects Processor SnapTone and IR Loader
I had meant to acquire the GP-5 - but since this expanded range edition came out - it made more sense to get this one - it has a little more about, and a more elegant interface. Like the GP-5 it also has a neat Bluetooth app, while you can seemingly get to most things via the pedal interface. This one has only just landed for me - so I’ve only just scratched the surface so far - but I am really liking it already!
Controls - 3 x quick access Parameters, Core Parameters Rotary / Menu Select, ...
Robert Keeley and Andy Timmons collaborate once more - this time on a signature Nocturne 3-Mode Modulated Reverb
The last time I covered Andy’s Rig - he was rocking the Neunaber Immerse Reverb - so presumably that has been knocked off the board - by this Nocturne.
You have two rather conventional Modes - Plate, and Spring Reverb - finely honed by Robert over the years. And then we have a unique Nocturne Reverb voicing - which is derived from Andy’s Halo Echo - and reimagined as an ethereal, immersive Reverb.
The controls are pretty conventional as for the other pedals in the ’Core’ series - where ...
End of Year Pedal Chain Update - Class of 2025
New Pedals in the Class of 2025 Pedal-Chain Snapshot = 41
[OCTOBER] = 9
[NOVEMBER] = 6
[MARCH] = 5
[SEPTEMBER] = 5
[AUGUST] = 4
[JANUARY] = 3
[FEBRUARY] = 3
[APRIL] = 2
[JUNE] = 2
[MAY] = 1
[JULY] = 1
[A-Z by Brand]
- Becos FX CompIQ Pro Yuna Soft Knee Blackmer VCA Studio Style Compressor [SEPTEMBER]
- Blue Colander Grimrobe Dual Cascaded Super Rat [OCTOBER]
- Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields Ultimate Modulated Fuzz [SEPTEMBER]
- Boss RT-2 Rotary Ensemble Leslie / Rotary Speaker
2025 Best of the Best Pedals of the year
And here we have the GRAND FINAL- with all 36 Award Winners from the Group Stages - across all 5 categories!
The first two places have kind of been obvious for a while, where the 3rd / BRONZE position was actually the hardest to decide on - it was between the eventual recipient - the Tubesteader Gainlord, Boss’s XS-100 Poly Shifter, Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields and Gamechanger’s Motor Synth - all of whom would have been worthy runners-up - while in the end I went for the one that overall ...
2025 Best New Delay and Reverb Pedals of the Year
In many ways this is the most straightforward category with singular award nominees - GOLD, SILVER and BRONZE.
It’s the second smallest category after Distortions - and the one where I own the least number of pedals in proportion to the whole - just 10 out of these 26.
The order pretty much set itself - with the Cornerstone Nucleo being the clear winner from the start. I’m so impressed with every aspect of that pedal - it’s a perfect Trifecta of Design, Feaures and Playability - pretty ...
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