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Hatsubai « Bizarre noise maker »
Published on 06/08/11 at 18:11Zvex is usually known for their more bizarre sounding pedals, but this one really takes the cake. This isn't your daddy's fuzz, and it isn't your son's distortion pedal. This is a unique and crazy noise generator that is meant to create some bizarre crossover distortion to help cut through even the densest mix out there. It's pretty simple in that it has an in, out and limit knob. It also has true bypass to make sure you don't lose any of your original tone.
UTILIZATION
There are only three knobs on this thing, so you'd think it'd be hard to get a "bad" sounding setting, but this is just the opposite. It's actually hard to get a good sounding setting. I'll get to that later down in the sound category, but this thing is truly ... unique. There is a manual for this, but I never bothered reading it because the pedal is so simple and easy to use. Zvex also has some killer video demos of the pedal, so be sure to check those out.
SOUND QUALITY
The thing sounds bad, and I don't really mean that in a good way. Imagine the raunchiest, nastiest fuzz out there, and now imagine some bizarre noise that can cut through it. That's basically what the Machine is. It's some weird crossover distortion noise generator with a built-in fuzz to allow you to stand out no matter how many instruments are playing. It's really hard to find a use for this besides in the studio doing some indie punk/grind kinda thing.
OVERALL OPINION
You have to be a pretty "out there" person to recommend this pedal, but it's meant for those that are looking for sounds outside of the box. It's not a typical pedal so much as it's a noise generator meant to help you stand out from the crowd and give you that extra boost that makes your guitar signal slice through the mix. It's not a pretty sound, but it's unique. Check out the video on Zvex's site to see what I'm referring to.
UTILIZATION
There are only three knobs on this thing, so you'd think it'd be hard to get a "bad" sounding setting, but this is just the opposite. It's actually hard to get a good sounding setting. I'll get to that later down in the sound category, but this thing is truly ... unique. There is a manual for this, but I never bothered reading it because the pedal is so simple and easy to use. Zvex also has some killer video demos of the pedal, so be sure to check those out.
SOUND QUALITY
The thing sounds bad, and I don't really mean that in a good way. Imagine the raunchiest, nastiest fuzz out there, and now imagine some bizarre noise that can cut through it. That's basically what the Machine is. It's some weird crossover distortion noise generator with a built-in fuzz to allow you to stand out no matter how many instruments are playing. It's really hard to find a use for this besides in the studio doing some indie punk/grind kinda thing.
OVERALL OPINION
You have to be a pretty "out there" person to recommend this pedal, but it's meant for those that are looking for sounds outside of the box. It's not a typical pedal so much as it's a noise generator meant to help you stand out from the crowd and give you that extra boost that makes your guitar signal slice through the mix. It's not a pretty sound, but it's unique. Check out the video on Zvex's site to see what I'm referring to.