It’s been said many times, in many ways – the concept of tone can be strangely difficult to comprehend. In so many ways, it’s an utterly subjective term to the beholder and their experience up to the moment said tone is perceived. Yet through conventional, industry-wide analysis, there a number of concrete, objectively observable factors like amplitude, frequency, and volume. So, if you’re nerds like us, you’d probably agree when we say that at the very least, tone is… interesting.
It’s like that non-newtonian putty that changes from solid to liquid and various stages in between depending on how much pressure is applied, and in the case of tone, that pressure is perception and/or analysis – and two of the most common ways to rein that putty in are pedals and plugins. But enough heady wonderings – if you’re still reading this, you’ve probably got the cursory knowledge to at least know what’s coming next.
That is correct – Fecking Bahamas’ first annual Top 25 Pedals and Plugins for Math Rock is here. Although we routinely state that genre mostly muddies the waters in the search for quality music at this point, one of its redeeming factors is that you can more or less predict the tones that lie in wait. Metal? It most likely wouldn’t be without distortion and overdrive. Funk? That guitar better quack like a duck or it’ll sound more like disco. Math rock? Well… for us, that’s actually where things get pretty interesting.
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Bands like At The Drive-In, Melt-Banana and Tera Melos broke the mold wide open for alternative tone at the turn of the 21st century, bringing in a new era that quickly departed from the darkness of no-wave and slow-core that many considered a key characteristic of math rock in the 90’s. Within a few years, a rainbow of new textures and transients had all but replaced them in the collective subconscious, and a huge part of that shift was the potential presented by effects pedals and rack-mount production gear.
We figured there aren’t very many people reading this that actively collect rack gear due to budgetary limits and various professional requirements, but that doesn’t mean you don’t has GAS… Gear Acquisition Syndrome, for the uninitiated. Now that we’ve more or less kicked off a Gear section at FB, we wanted to show off some toys from 2024 that just might be worth some Christmas money. Also, considering the spectrum of tonal potential has continued to grow exponentially through the world of plugins as well, we included some of those as well. They may not be analog, but what they lack in complex low end, they make up for in flexibility.
So without further ado, let’s get this breadboard and make some noise for 2025.
25. Keeley Electronics – Octa Psi Transfigurating Fuzz Pedal
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Robert Keeley has long held a special place in hearts of tone sculptors everywhere, and in 2024, you would have been forgiven for thinking that after so many years of perfecting various existing circuits, Keeley wasn’t necessarily planning on putting out something truly innovative. However, you’d be wrong, and the absolutely gorgeous sonic reductions made capable by the Octa Psi are undeniable proof. We’ve seen pitch done well, and we’ve seen fuzz done to perfection, but to make those things play together through one device is an intersection we rarely see with such satisfying execution. One of our favorite pedals of all time is the Old Blood Noise Endeavors’ Excess, which has some similarities but the pitch is locked into 5ths, whereas the Octa Psi has options for things like minor 2nds, major 3rds, perfect 4ths, even letting you sweep the spectrum with an intuitive dual-knob design. For a company that never misses, this one still managed to blow us away and has us genuinely consider selling something to add one to our board.
Check it out here.
24. Source Audio – Artifakt Lo-Fi Elements Pedal
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Listen in 2024, we ate the absolute hell out of those livestream lo-fi videos. We listened to them at work. We listened to them cleaning the house. We listened to them while existentially pacing the living room. We sometimes listen to it when we sleep. However you slice it, there’s a very comforting atmosphere to most people that comes to mind whenever the term comes up, and maybe it’s on us that we never really saw the potential in it as a ‘sound.’ Luckily, Source Audio, who have always blazed trails for themselves, have shown us the light – the Artifakt, from what we can tell, has the potential to make many of you immediate lo-fi stars, and it looks so fun to play with that at this point we’ll probably try our hand at it sometime as well. The LFO’s are perfectly carved, the vibrato and bit-crushing warble is supremely gnarly, and the modulations have true depth that you can take advantage of with stereo output. Also if you watch the whole Pete Thorn video above, be sure to pay attention around 10 minute mark for a kind of elemental degradation we didn’t know could be included in lo-fi, but we’re oh-so glad to find that it is.
Check it out here.
23. Electronic Audio Experiments – Prismatic Wall Sympathetic Resonator Pedal
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Although the Prismatic Wall is technically a physical modeling synthesizer, a type of synthesis meant to emulate the vibrations of real objects, the tones on tap feel anything but Earthly – but we mean that in a good way. Similar to the Artifakt above (but also not at all), Electronic Audio Experiments have managed to take something familiar i.e. natural ambience and physical vibrations to create an absolute unknown. The accolades for this pedal have been incredibly diverse, with some people considering an ‘always-on’ situation, which would make sense for things like shoe gaze and post-rock where texture is key. In a way it kind of feels like the sequel to the reverberating madness of Earthquaker Devices Afterneath, but explored from an even grander scale – this one gets straight-up dimensional as it allows you to explore different kinds of strings, materials, and transient attacks. It sounds like a lot, but it’s actually just the tip of the iceberg.
Check it out here.
22. Oneder Effects – Wet Hot American Bummer Delay Pedal
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Nick Diener continues to soar on a post-The Swellers high as a producer for bands like Greet Death and Hot Mulligan, but he’s also managed to start an incredibly well-received pedal and guitar company as well through Oneder Effects / Oneder Guitars. Before we did our interview with him here, we still remember perusing Instagram and exclaiming ‘what the actual fuck’ when we heard the authoritative thiccness of the Red Ryder Distortion. Ever since, it’s been beyond apparent that Nick understands how to nail gain structures of all kinds, from fuzz and distortion to overdrives and boosts, but now, he’s turned his mind to the world of delay, and the Wet Hot American Bummer is packed to the gills with little bonus functions like reverb, modulation, lo-fi, and reverse. It’s a no brainer, really, but Diener’s inclusion of a Wet/Dry knob in addition to the Tap Tempo is what takes the pedal from good to great, especially when you hold the momentary switch and let the feedback build up to it’s wettest, hottest heights.
Check it out here.
21. Unfiltered Audio – Battalion Plugin
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When it comes to demoing your projects in the DAW, there are few things that can pose such a roadblock as shit-sounding drums. Of course, getting over this hump should be an important step in your recording journey and ultimately define part of your sound, but every once in a while you’ll see a unique plugin or software instrument that gives you a whole new window into the world of percussive force. The Unfiltered Audio Battalion is like a comprehensive feast of drum sounds that can either be synthesized into beats or outrageously textured synth patches. Yes, there are lots of plugins that do this, but the Battalion trades tradition for personality while staying highly usable, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you’re sick of your metronome, or just don’t want to record a shaker, maybe it’s a little much. But if you’re looking to experiment with samples, granular or FM synthesis, bizarre impulse responses, and a whole lot more, Battalion offers a lot of bang for hard earned bucks.
Check it out here.
20. Wampler – Brent Mason: ReWired Overdrive / Distortion Pedal
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While a pedal tailored to and created in partnership with one of Country music’s greatest guitarists might raise a few eyebrows on a math rock list, we think this one fits the bill in a big way. Remember, country tone, usually, spanks more than it quacks, and usually to the point of twang. Christ, we hope someone quotes us on that. But what makes the ReWired so incredibly tasteful is the diversity with which these spanking, cranking, stanking tones can be applied, from reversing the order of the distortion and overdrive circuits and mixing in your dry signal to adjusting dual fatness knobs. There’s not a bad tone to be found in this box – in fact, there’s not even an average sound anywhere to be found. If you happen to find yourself playing a lot of clean, high-headroom amps or IR’s, particularly with some single-coils, you just might find that the ReWired offers keys to a kingdom of clean yet dirty tones you didn’t even know existed.
Check it out here.
19. Walrus Audio – Fundamental Ambient Reverb Pedal
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In a world of genuinely insane reverbs, it’s refreshing to see a stripped-back take on the subject that’s still fun to mess with. Although it’s technically designed as an entry-level / affordable model, the Fundamental Ambient Reverb might end up offering a little more dimension to players that struggle with what’s available with similar pedals that stick to plate or hall options. Walrus Audio’s console-like controls give players more control over more parameters without becoming overwhelming, and between it’s trio of Deep, Lush, and Haze settings, we imagine we’ll be hearing a lot of this thing in 2025.
Check it out here.
18. Hologram Electronics – Chroma Console Multi-FX Pedal
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Hologram Electronics already has one of the most distinct reputations in the world of effects pedals thanks to the high-fantasy adventures that consistently await users of their Microcosm and Infinite Jets machines, which feature some of the most gorgeous retro-futuristic layouts on the market. But this year’s Chroma Console tastefully compressed the company’s massive scope into a palette of highly intuitive textures that feel far more accessible to the average player, technically making for what feels like their most usable pedal yet. Don’t let it fool you, though – it’s still wild as hell, allowing you to mix four modules, which essentially amount to channel strips on a soundboard combined with a high quality multi-fx unit. It’s also got this fantastic little looping feature as well where you can route your captured phrases either post or pre-effects, so you can continue to add new sounds or effect the entire loop depending on your preference. It ain’t cheap, but if it’s in your budget, it certainly sounds and looks like it’s worth every penny.
Check it out here.
17. Aberrant DSP – Lair Occult Reverberator Plugin
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One of the biggest advantages plugins have over pedals in a more visual sense is that the user interfaces can be truly niche and specific. From meticulously recreated analog replicas from companies like Warm Audio to the anthropomorphic, pictograph-style experiences of plugins like the MNTRA Instruments Huracan, there’s really a huge range of ways to create your ideal sound outside of a given DAW’s stock plugins. Aberrant DSP blew us away a couple years back with the mysterious Digitalis, which mixed digital degradation and signal loss effects with visual synthesis. This time around they’ve taken the x factor to another level, using glyph-like symbols and mystic animations to illuminate alien worlds of darkened reverb. Like the Digitalis, Lair offers a strong emphasis on image-based sweeps through filters for movement, pitch, and room size, but it be subtle too, adding a lot of body and depth to acoustic guitars and piano through settings for compression, distortion, and tasteful degradation. That being said, even if you don’t dive into the plugins gravity bending parameters straightaway, but once you do, you’ll decipher the codes fairly easily after toying with the Lair’s Yautja-adjacent but strangely intuitive display.
Check it out here.
16. Nudist Audio – Nudistort Distorsion Plugin
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So, it’s more or less established that distortion is a well explored, if consistently rewarding subject. Its volume and boldness is easy to love, and you might be surprised to hear that it’s actually a pretty important step to the recording process – not with guitars, but drums. With such a dynamic signal overall, from the highs of the cymbals and the lows of the kicks, toms, and room mics, it’s a huge task to rein in depending how you do it. With the right attenuation, distortion can highlight some of the better frequencies and make for easier / tastier EQ’s, and plugins like the Soundtoys Decapitator have long dominated the market in terms of getting the tastiest of them. In 2024, Nudist Audio put a fresh spin on heating up those golden frequencies and leveling out the bronze ones through a beautifully colorful user interface that changes as you mix and match distortion and delay chains. Depending how you automate or tweak things, the synergy can result in clanging ring-mod chaos in the process that still manages to stay usable on signals of every kind.
Check it out here.
15. Red Panda – Radius Ring Modulator / Frequency Shifter Pedal
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When it comes to sounding unique in the world of modulation, there’s few that get you out into the wilds faster than the discombobulating effect of ring-mod. Red Panda has already proven that they know how to give guitar and bass players synthesizer-levels of pads and granular delay, so to see an entire pedal with their signature eye for detail and style was pretty excited. There’s four different shapes of waves you can choose from that drastically change depending on how you set the mix and feedback controls, not to mention tracking, frequency, and more, it gives you a serious psychedelic entourage of effects to elevate, as well as mutilate, things like guitar and bass moments to both Hendrix-ian and Morello-esque heights.
Check it out here.
14. MXR – Layers Pedal
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The MXR Layers is somewhat of subtle beast compared to another pieces on this list, but it’s worth mention for the unique way it approaches the idea of… well, we’re not sure. It’s an octave effect that you often hear on massive pads of reverb, but without that implied sense of space – that part’s up to you. It does however give you delay and vibrato sounds to play with, which do add heaps of depth, especially when you intentionally choose which of the three available subdivisions. This thing looks like it’s begging to make clean parts more interesting if they’re even remotely percussive, so we’re predicting that math rock tropes like tapping and asymmetric rhythms are only going to reveal more hidden mysteries as players pick it up.
Check it out here.
13. Earthquaker Devices x Death by Audio – Time Shadows II Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator Pedal
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Earthquaker Devices should be no surprise to see on this list or any year end pedal collections of the last decade, and the last couple years they’ve been pretty focused on staples newer staples of theirs like the Hazumitas, Zoar, and Silos, all-gain friendly monsters. But their obsession with golden drive and distortion tones took an abrupt intermission this year when they shadow dropped this insane, damn near impossible to describe delay pedal. There’s DS-1 like distortion, sub-octave LFO sweeps, chorus like warbles, and everything in between, all packed into the chassis of a multi-voiced digital delay. There’s almost a callback to the stranger features of EQD’s delay and reverb masterpiece the Avalanche Run when you tweak the Time Shadows in the ‘!!’ mode, but there’s a lot of signature DBA gnarliness on tap as well, lending their squishy, synth-y suds to the pedal’s delay half. And now, there’s a third mode which is pitch-delay. If you’re looking for layers of sound that force you to be creative as you learn to speak their language, as always, the Time Shadows second iteration delivers, and it’s great to see them take a swing at real weirdo territory again.
Check it out here.
12. Old Blood Noise Endeavors – Dark Star V3 Stereo Reverb Pedal
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Although we were tempted to put OBNE’s absolutely monstrous Dark Light combo on the list, which mixed their Dark Star and Sun Light pedals, this refined take on the original Dark Star’s voodoo takes the cake in terms of usability, not to mention new levels of freedom with pitch and overall texture. To be honest, as novel as it was, V1’s left-field take on padded verb was an acquired taste, but V3 lets gives users access to parameters that make it far more friendly to players in every context and we’re excited to see what wider, more scenic vistas people are able to paint in the stereo field with the latest version.
Check it out here.
11. Blob Audio – Blobnarok Plugin
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The world of guitar centric plugins is moving forward at an inexorable rate, but sometimes it’s easy to look back and see little details that were missed or hard to replicate, like the real movement of amplified energy pushing air through speakers and that low-mid mud from subtle but essential frequencies. The Blob Audio Blabnarok suite addresses the heft issue with ease and actually provides a hyper-functional and convincing amp setup, but thanks to it’s extraordinary looking user interface, you might not notice at first – or care. There’s three separate personalities between the low-end friendly Loki (allegedly for bass, but you know…), the dynamic and versatile Odin, and the altogether violent Thor channels, it’s safe to say there’s no risk of you not having fun. Also, with the suite you get the Infinite Looper and access to an additional mixing / routing layer for compression and limiting, which is pretty much everything you’d need to get started to start your ascent to tonal Olympus.
Check it out here.
10. JHS – The Violet (Lari Basilio Signature) Overdrive Distortion Pedal
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Perhaps as much as any other kind of saturation, distortion seems like an effect that’s just hard to spice up these days. But even if that’s the case, it shouldn’t surprise us the JHS managed to put a highly musical spin on the concept by mixing in its closest possible cousin, overdrive. Thanks to it’s dual-midrange controls that are routed before the actual distortion kicks in, it creates a massive scope that includes headroom that’s ready to take on massive pick attacks and finger-style with equal aplomb. It’s marketed as a ‘third channel’ situation to help you add more gain to amps like Laneys and Marshalls, but no matter where you’re projecting from, it’s like having the best of the DS-1 and OD-1 in one place. It’s actually even better because you don’t have to spend nearly as long finding sweet spots, and both color schemes are killer as well. Perhaps in 2025 the Violet will revitalize an appreciation for distortion the same way the Earthquaker Devices Plumes did for overdrive a few years back, and we couldn’t be happier if that’s the case.
Check it out here.
9. Earthquaker Devices – Gary Automatic Pulsewidtch Modulated Fuzz Pedal
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Earthquaker indeed shows up again with one of the latest additions of the year, but absolutely one of the most welcome ones via the Gary, an absolutely crammed box of modulated fuzz made in collaboration with Lee Kiernan of IDLES. That’s right, not only did IDLES put out one of the most exciting records of the year, they also helped with one of 2024’s most exciting pedals. In fact, 2024 also represents a moment where EQD seemed to take back the jugular in terms of pragmatism and all-out imagination. They put out things like the Silos, Blumes, Zoar, and more, and the sheer amount of them took us back to the days the Akron based wizards revolutionized modern effects with devices like the Rainbow Machine and Dispatch Master, where we were constantly wondering what they’d think of next. Despite a crammed release schedule, Gary represents the fact that Jaime Stillman and co are still willing to crank out creative cult classics that take years to understand while continuing to expand their operations.
Check it out here.
8. Chase Bliss – Clean Pedal
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One of the most celebrated experimental effects companies of the 2020’s brings things three hundred and sixty degrees with what feels like a basic concept rendered irreplaceable – not just decent, but glorious, fundamentally elegant clean tone with layers of compression, EQ, and filtering to boot. Chase Bliss still includes their signature amount of flips, dials, and switches, but it’s almost closer to a miniature rack unit for studio-grade compression and limiting. Considering how much of the music we listen to at least starts with clean, strummed guitar strings, if you’re not sure you want to shell out for astronomically priced rack units, the Clean adds heaps of sparkle and chime to your tone with a level of versatility that’s hard to match. On top of all that, pushing the pedals parameters unlocks a fair amount of warble and weirdness, so there’s practically no limit to Clean’s applications.
Check it out here.
7. Old Blood Noise Endeavors – Beam Splitter Pedal
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While we’re on the topic of experimental clean tones, let’s make sure to mention the other immaculate elephant in the room – Old Blood Noise Endeavors’ Beam Splitter. Is it an overdrive? Is it a delay? Is it a boost? A doubler? Yes. There are technically three different layers of gain staging on tap, with one always on. The catch is that the signal path snakes through these stages to create not one or two, but three separate guitar lines, resulting in a huge spread that can take you from double-tracked studio chime to thick, swirling shoegaze. It also has an OBNE-specific path that allows users to go ‘trereo,’ mixing mono and stereo output for maximum dimensional impact, which edges towards rotary territory when you crank the deviate knob in the center. With thirteen knobs, it can be intimidating to look at, but it’s an intuitive design when you sit down with it, so don’t be alarmed.
Check it out here.
6. Oeksound – Bloom Plugin
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This lovely dynamic EQ does a lot of work so you don’t have to, and also looks pretty swank while doing so. While they’re not entirely the same thing, much of the motion and surgical detail people automate in production with FabFilter Pro-Q 3 (and now the Pro-Q 4) can be achieved in less time through the Bloom, and it’s a little easier to get creative with while making sure you don’t mess anything up thanks to it’s quick response and a low-latency mode for recording. There are lots of smaller, cheaper plugins that do part of what Bloom does, but considering the amount of workflow it can save you, we have a feeling it’s going to be popular in the coming year, if not years.
Check it out here.
5. Cusack Music – Rebound Multi-Program Delay Pedal
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Much like distortion, overdrive, and fuzz, the category of delay is so vast and oversaturated that the idea of doing something unique with it could pose somewhat of a challenge, even for seasoned vets like Cusack Music. At least, that’s what we thought till we checked out the Rebound, a machine that makes delay so tangible and reactive that you’ll end up writing new parts as you tap-dance the night away with it’s Brake Up and Brake Down toggles. It’s like a tape-stop effect when you slow the delay (or loop) down, but squeaky overclocked samples when you speed it up. The Rebound is hardly limited to tape trickery, just in case you were wondering: it also offers modulated, reversed, pitched, and spaced out sounds to cycle through. Although at their core they might seem like simple alterations to the formula, the brakes and float functions help establish control over a certain Z factor after decades of exploring X and Y. It’s been a long time since we felt this way about a delay.
Check it out here.
4. Ground Control Audo – Uwu Buffer Pedal
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In a move of diabolical marketing genius, Ground Control Audio combined the always useful, always on situation that is a signal buffer for guitar signal with the Stockholm Syndrome inducing mania of mobile gaming, specifically it’s millennial predecessor, Tamagachi. The more signal flows (and from what we understand, gain) through the pedal, the more experience points you get, and the mightier your little Uwu becomes.
3. Airwindows – ToTape8 Plugin
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If you’re familiar as a guitar player with the concept of tape delay, and the fact that it’s desirable to some people because it’s warmer with a more complex low end than digital counterparts, you’re halfway to getting why this plugin is so special. You see, the same general principal applies to the idea of older records as all of their parts were recorded to tape to the same effect, giving off that booming vintage charm. There are dozens of plugins that help emulate this effect for the modern age, many that feature more features and prettier interfaces – but none of them are free, and not all of them are as convincing as Airwindows latest offering. Although it might require some setting up at first, whether it’s a master bus, drums, vocals, guitar, or just a signal that needs a little more sizzle to it, the ToTape8 is an absolute godsend.
Check it out here.
2. Gamechanger Audio – AUTO Series Delay Pedal
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You know, if you haven’t seen this thing before, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a time traveler’s vape, or a weapon taken from the center console of a spaceship. Genuinely, it’s a novel experience to look at something like the AUTO series Delay, let alone decide, “I’m going to buy that thing and then step on it.” But here we are. It’s 2025 now. The game is changing. After soaking in the vaguely Egyptian aesthetic and the pedal’s undefinable shape, you’ll find that the pedal’s pristine delay lines range from the standard to the sublime, but also, there’s a freaking patch bay between the two sides, allowing for hyper expressive CV control. Things can feed back, oscillate and pitch-out into space pretty easily, but it’s up to the dynamics of your playing. It’s one of the weirdest devices we’ve seen this year, and we can’t wait to see what else Gamechanger come up with. We just hope our mortal brains can handle it.
Check it out here.
1. Native Audio – Niisoo Harmonic Equalizer Pedal
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Over the last few months, it seemed like all of the sudden the pedal market was obsessing over dynamic filtering and equalization, which caught us by surprise because it was right after we fell madly in love with Native Audio’s Niisoo Harmonic Equalizer. None of the others seemed to have the immediate appeal that the Nissoo did – it didn’t just sweeten a given range instantly with its filtering, it gave us modulated, morphing magic as the signals bounced back and forth between easily set parameters. It can be an easy way to cut or boost your way through a mix, but more often than not, if you can match it’s pace, you’ll be tempted to tap some wildly robotic synth and wah tones out of it too.
Check it out here.
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