Maybe a controversial opinion, but pedals are for making noise. Surely not unilaterally, but it's undeniable that guitar pedals originated with making a statement – a ruckus, even. Pedals have certainly evolved into more refined, less assuming, if-you-know-it-you-can-hear-it creations. That's all well and good, but it is good to know that there are names in pedals today that still are unabashed, unapologetic, unmistakable, and unignorable. Enter Death By Audio .
One of the longest-standing pillars in the boutique effect pedal community, Death By Audio today is a trusted elder statesman of effects. Proudly loud, noisy, and artistic, DBA is one of the biggest names in the distorted, discordant, debaucherous sonic arts. There are pedals to keep quiet, subtle, and unimposing – but as the Mythbusters used to say, "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing!"
DBA to DBZ
Introducing Death By Audio Effects
For Death By Audio, noise isn't just a way to do things, an artistic fixation, or a thematic umbrella to sort everything under. For Death By Audio, noise is something you live and breathe. It's a way of life, it's a science and an art. What's more, the relationship between Death By Audio and noise goes way back, is deep and familial.
Founder Oliver Ackermann has long been a devotee of distortion, modulation and feedback. As frontman of the noise and shoegaze band A Place to Bury Strangers, Ackermann's musical origins were certainly informed by overloaded amps, mangled modulators, and walls of sound. Death By Audio began proper as an impromptu warehouse/performance venue/recording studio/pedal factory – sometimes in Williamsburg, Virginia, other times in Brooklyn, New York City, before ultimately closing in 2014. The remnants of the Death By Audio creative space evolved to its current form, a dedicated effect pedal workshop in Queens.
Since 2014, Death By Audio has produced highly customized, highly artistic pedals. Following in the creative ethos that first sparked the whole endeavor, Ackermann's efforts have produced a vivid and prolific library of pedals undeniably his. Today's Death By Audio lineup covers enormous ground. Off-kilter modulators, otherworldly distorters, what-the-heck-inators, it's all here. If you're a fan of noise rock, shoegaze, drone, any music of that sort, chances are you've probably already come across a Death By Audio pedal before. If not, allow us to help you out.
'Til Death Do Us Part
Death By Audio Effect Pedals
After more than a decade, the Death By Audio line is populated with a mix of cutting-edge innovators and classics of not only their library, but of boutique effects at large.
Death By Audio Drives and Distortions
One of the things Death By Audio is known for is their pension for heavy, fuzzy, distorted, and blown-out drives. Some of DBA's most famous effects cover these bases. If you're completely new to Death By Audio and want an introductory lesson to the creative ethos they wield, try their big-box Fuzz War and Bass War pedals. These unapologetic fuzz pedals feature enormous volume output, a mangled fuzz tone, and a classic DBA messy aesthetic. DBA has branched out with their distortions to even more weirdo ends. Pedals like the Supersonic Fuzz Gun, Interstellar Overdriver, and Crossover Fuzz have since showed off more of Death By Audio's outside-the-box thinking.
Death By Audio Modulations and Reverbs
As is all but required for any respectable shoegazer, Death By Audio also has a vast catalog of modulators and reverberators. Those looking to mangle and warp their signal to unrecognizable ends have plenty options with DBA. Check out their Reverberation Machine or ROOMS for dark, spacey, clouds of reverb. If you're looking to fire up walls of noise with delay, DBA's got you covered there too. Their Echo Master, Echo Dream 2, and Micro Dream are excellent such choices.
Death By Audio's modulations are among their weirdest, wildest offerings. Their Disturbance LFO Modulator, Octave Clang, and Robot Pitch Transposer cover your bases for warped, unwieldy modulations. If you still haven't gotten enough of the brand, DBA has kept pushing out exciting effects like their Destroyer Series Dream Station, Moonbeam, and Thee Treble Overload and Amp Crash combo amplifier and multi-effect pedal.
To Fight Another DBA
Death By Audio is an institution in effect pedals for good reason. Their off-the-wall artistic angles, their build quality, their concise aesthetic vision, it's no wonder why after so long players resonate with them. It's a way of life, noise – and what a beautiful way it is.
