In today's breakneck-speed, metrics-focused, here-today-gone-tomorrow world, sometimes it can be easy to forget that guitar pedals are works of art. No shade, but of course, when things are moving so quickly and everyone's chasing that next algorithmic hit, the process might stumble over the product from time to time. Guitar pedals are just boxes of chips and transistors, sure, but everyone could use a reminder of why we all got started in the first place.
If you're on the lookout for a name in pedals that solidly keeps artistry at the center of its ethos, could we recommend checking out AC Noises? A small operation from two lifelong artists, AC Noises has captured the imaginations of many an alternative musician with their striking designs, deeply expressive tones, and clear artistic lenses. Let's talk about it.
Life in the AC
Introducing AC Noises Effect Pedals
For AC Noises, the goal and path are undeniably clear: strikingly creative effect pedals with unmistakable artistic identity. AC Noises started in 2016 as a close collaboration between Andrea Ragusa and Claudia Bellotti. Ragusa, a sound designer and lecturer, and Bellotti, an illustrator and fashion photographer, respectively, coming from diverse creative backgrounds, joined forces in AC Noises.
The first pedals from this partnership included the VOLA overdrive, COMBATTI distortion, and ESPLORA fuzz. Before long, AC Noises bloomed into the form they're most recognized as today with more experimental effects like the URLA CMOS fuzz and AMA bit-crush reverb. Today's AC Noises lineup covers plenty of gorgeously glitchy, beautifully artificial, alternatively inspiring bases for a concise library with bold musical textures and a unifying creative ethos.
AC/DC
AC Noises Effect Pedals
Across the AC Noises library, charmingly glitchy and lo-fi textures appear for a unified lineup of effects. These unmistakably designed pedals present deceptively deep musical experiences within compact, clean casings.
If you're looking to get likely the most straightforward experience of the AC Noises line, the AC Noises AMA bit-crush reverb is a great place to start. The AMA's beautifully artificial reverb tone breathes with authentically glitchy and crunchy bit-crush textures for welcoming a crisp breeze of crushed ones and zeroes. Though notably compact, the AMA builds out with a number of onboard functions for effect ramping and self-oscillation, to name a few. All these features combined make the AMA a choice pick for soundscapers, glitch gurus, and more traditional guitarists alike who could stand to flirt with glitchy tones from time to time.
When you're looking to get down to brass tacks, AC Noises meets you there also. The AC Noises URLA CMOS fuzz hearkens to the unabashedly artificial drives and distortions of '90s electronic and industrial music. Gnarly CMOS fuzz tones smash alongside dual resonant filtering that injects the spikey peaking of analog synthesizers of the '80s. These decadently harsh tones are readymade for players looking to take the AC Noises outlook to their next punk show.
Beyond their standby entries, AC Noises has since continued on in their artistic journey with newer effects. These newer pedals have included designs like the CONTINUA dynamic sampler. One of the most powerful pieces from AC Noises, the CONTINUA dynamic sampler and multi-effect crafts an enormously powerful multi-effect experience with beautifully glitchy musical palettes throughout. Onboard, an incredibly expressive sampling engine chops incoming audio into new shapes and forms. Simultaneous bit-crush, stutter, reverse, and playback effects twist and morph such samples to dreamy and discordant ends, resulting in a single pedal to cover all your glitching bases.
A Beautiful Noise
There is a reason why the many artsy weirdos of the world have taken such a liking to AC Noises. An undeniable artistic lens and many love letters sent to the glitchy, abrasive, and misunderstood musical stylings of time make it no wonder why AC Noises lands among the fan favorites of the world's many pedal nerds. A globally-reaching community of musicians – all nerdy, artsy kids at heart – must be onto something, after all!
