The pedal is fitted with an audio-grade transformer, which provides “additional warmth associated with low-frequency harmonics”
(Image credit: KMA Machines)
After revealing the highly tweakable, Big Muff-inspired Chief Disruptor last month, Berlin's KMA Machines has further expanded its pedal offering, unveiling the Pylon, an all-in-one boost, noise gate and transformer buffer.
Based on a Blackmer VCA circuit, the pedal's noise gate features a simple control set, with a single central knob to control its threshold and a toggle switch for choosing between fast and slow decay time.
The pedal's switchable boost/attenuation circuit is controlled by two knobs: Boost, which offers up to 30dB of gain on tap; and Cut, which filters out some low-end frequencies, preventing a guitar signal from becoming too muddy. The boost circuit has three modes of operation: either always on or off, or Sync, which only engages the circuit when the pedal's noise gate is enabled.
Additionally, the Pylon features an audio-grade transformer, which KMA says gives it “additional warmth associated with low-frequency harmonics”. “Your guitars, synths or, in fact, anything you put through the pedal, will never have sounded so solid,” KMA promises.
The company adds that as a boosted output transformer can overload amp or preamp inputs, it built into the pedal a fixed roll off that affects all frequencies below 65 Hz when the boost section is activated.
Additionally, thanks to the pedal's onboard send/return loop, guitarists can accurately target noisy pedals in their chain. Also, by using the four-cable method, players can use the pedal to tame a noisy gain channel on an amplifier.
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(Image credit: KMA Machines)
(Image credit: KMA Machines)
(Image credit: KMA Machines)
In typical form, KMA Machines has offered up a fictional backstory explaining the pedal's existence, and it's as elaborate as you might expect.
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“Deep within the solitude of the temple, the Sau's of the Per-Ankh assembled in silence,” the company says. “Their conclusion was self-evident. Only those pure of tone could be received in the temple and find sonic peace. From the center of their silent circle, the Orb swelled and raised above the Pylons.
“Erupting in a rain of light and spewing forth daggers of lightning, their new God subdued and separated the chaotic ocean of noise from the perfect breeze of stillness. Peace reigned once more, the hordes of cacophony overcome.”
The Pylon is available now for $219. For more information, head to KMA Machines.
Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
