Greece-based synthesizer specialist Dreadbox has unveiled a host of new effects pedals, with the colorful catalog boasting a wide range of different effects, including compression, reverb, delay, and phase shifter.
Adopting a Japanese-styled aesthetic, Dreadbox’s new offerings promise to provide your pedalboard with a versatile sonic variation and seek to encourage greater electric guitar-driven experimentation.
As well as being ‘board-friendly units, the new stompboxes can also be incorporated into wider musical setups for a more hands-on user experience, promising to be perfect partners for midi keyboards and synthesizers.
Read on for an in-depth look into the new Dreadbox lineup. US prices are yet to be released, so European prices have been provided.
Dreadbox Komorebi
The Komorebi – named after an apparently untranslatable Japanese word – is described by Dreadbox as a BBD chorus flanger effect pedal that "eloquently captures the effect of sunlight streaming through the leaves of a tree".
Suitable for string instruments and synths, the rack-compatible pedal features three different LFO wave options and control knobs that dictate feedback, static and rate.
Three patch points in the form of static, rate and LFO outputs also appear, with an additional control knob adjusting which parameter controls the BBD.
The Komorebi is available now for €199.
Dreadbox Lethargy
Derived from the Greek word '"lethe", which means drowsy or dull, the Dreadbox Lethargy is an OTA-based phase shifter effect pedal that can be used on pedalboards or on synth racks.
Feedback, manual and rate controls are in charge of setting the LFO rate and phase shift degree, while an amount knob adjusts the balance between LFO amount and manual control.
Three patch points again make the cut, as does a toggle switch that flicks between the two available LFO wave shapes.
The Lethargy will be available in April 2021 for €199.
Dreadbox Kinematic
The Dreadbox Kinematic is a VCA-based compressor and envelope filter named after a Greek word that "describes motion of points, bodies, or systems of bodies, without the consideration of the forces that cause them to move".
Offering two modes – Compression Color and Envelope Filter – the Kinematic carries three knobs that control level, drive and envelope, with a final filter knob acting as either a frequency boost or low pass filter, depending on what mode you're in.
Again, three patch points are present to allow for integration into modular units.
The Kinematic will be available in April 2021 for €179.
Dreadbox Darkness
Dreadbox has described its Darkness pedal as a highly versatile digital stereo reverb pedal that utilizes a flexible algorithm to curate everything from small, smooth reflections to huge, shimmering reverbs.
Suitable for strings and synths alike – much like the rest of the lineup – the Darkness features a 32-bit 48kHz digital effects processor that boasts a selectable pitch shift and up to 30 seconds of decay time.
Other appointments include a gate effect with variable attack and release times, a two-pole damping filter and a variable time scale with modulation. Mix, decay and control knobs are responsible for dialing in your preferred sounds, while a spread control adjusts the overall reverb spread.
Alongside the CMOS bypass switch is a freeze-function footswitch labelled "Hold", which loops 150ms of input signal.
The Darkness is available now for €259.
Dreadbox Raindrops
Not much as been revealed about the upcoming Raindrops pedal apart from the fact it's a stereo delay and looper effect pedal.
Aside from bypass and tap tempo footswitches, the pedal provides control, feedback, time and mix knobs, as well as a mode toggle switch.
For more info on all the new releases, head over to Dreadbox.
