When Gamechanger Audio launches a new product, you can expect the unexpected. Previous outings have included the awesome Plus sustainer, the high-voltage Plasma Pedal, the gorgeous Bigsby pedal and the Motor Synth. Now the quirky innovators are bringing dynamic modulation of effects using patch cables.
The Mod collection has launched with three stereo effects pedals, each serving as a standard unit but also coming with the option of altering parameters using patch cables, like synth wizards would do in a Eurorack-style setup.
"Players' touch, dynamics, and note choices become the primary architects of sound, creating tones and textures that evolve in real-time with their performance," explained Gamechanger Audio is a press statement. "This integration of sound design and musical expression invites musicians on a journey of endless exploration and discovery."
All three members of the current lineup share a similar look, with a patch bay in the valley between left and right control peaks. They each come with a Dynamics control that "captures the nuances of playing volume, reflecting the character of picking style and instrument decay" and a Pitch control that tracks and responds to notes, bends and vibrato.
The delay unit comes packing three effect algorithms – for tape, analog or digital flavors – along with overall level, tone, repeat and time knobs to control the pedal's function, and ping-pong panning and tap tempo. A player can modify how the pedal behaves by linking the Dynamic and Pitch modulations to any of the standard effects controls using a patch cable, such as causing sonic craziness by having the time parameter fluctuate when the player hits the high notes on the guitar.
The reverb offers plate, hall and spring options, with controls for tone, drive, decay and level to the left and right while three settings control stereo spread. Patching works the same way as for the delay unit. One of the company's given examples for this one sees the player using the patch cables to keep the trails tight while playing rhythm, and opening them up during solos.
There are three algorithms cooked into the chorus pedal too, which can offer a standard chorus shimmer, ensemble or flange. Users can also choose between sawtooth, sine and ramp shapes. Up top you'll find familiar control knobs for level, depth, rate and feedback, and the patch bay in the middle can, for example, be used to increase the speed of the effects as you move up the guitar's neck.
Each pedal has mono and stereo inputs and outputs, and there's MIDI plus a USB-C port for future updates. Patch experiments can be undertaken solely on each unit, or cables can be run between pedals "to take advantage of different dynamics along the signal path."
The company says that the Mod series "offers a combination of easy-to-use interfaces and profound sound manipulation possibilities" and is aiming the pedals squarely at "sound explorers" looking to explore the unfamiliar. The first three models are available now, priced at US$299 each. The video below has more.
Product page: Mod Series