Founded in 2011 by Bryce Young, Warm Audio are all about affordable, well-built gear designed to rival the sonic elegance of vintage classics. Based in Austin, TX, the firm develops and tests its products in the field while making great use of their own top-notch recording studios. Readers interested in recording, be it at home or in a commercial facility, would be wise to check out their extensive range of equipment that includes microphones, preamps, outboard gear and more.
Warm Audio has also turned its attention to guitar pedals, and their current lineup features a host of vintage-inspired stompboxes including the Foxy Tone Box (Foxx Tone Machine); Jet Phaser (Roland Jet Phaser AP-7); Centavo (Klon Centaur); and Warmdrive (Hermida Audio Zendrive).
Today, Warm Audio has added two more to the range: the ODD Box v1 and Mutation Phasor II.
Priced $119, the ODD Box v1 is based on the lauded Fulltone OCD overdrive, while the $149 Mutation Phasor II is inspired by the luscious Mu-Tron Phasor II.
ODD Box v1
Warm Audio says their op-amp-based ODD Box v1 overdrive is “inspired by an iconic pedalboard staple overdrive with a ‘cranked amp’ tone.” Like the considerably more expensive original alternative on the used market, the $119 ODD can be dialed in to produce a wide range of tones ranging from clean boosts to amp-like distortion.
“We wanted to revive a very popular modern sound but also reintroduce a pedal that inspires people to explore their tone,” said Young. “When considering the inspiration for the ODD, we wanted to accurately deliver an artist-favorite tone that has been part of some of our favorite music.
“We know this massive, live electric guitar sound has attracted so many players from Billy Gibbons to Mark Hoppus to Eric Johnson and we wanted to bring those tones back to the market.”
Mutation Phasor II
Billed as an “accurate recreation of a swirly phaser made famous in the experimental era of the 1970s,” Warm Audio’s Mutation Phasor II is an electro-optical phase shifter. As per the original ‘70s unit it features depth, rate and feedback controls, along with a purple/red/orange color scheme.
Capable of delivering a super-rich, colorful phasing sound or a mellower, less intense effect, the Mutation Phasor II ranges in speed from a gentle 1/10 sweep per second to an energetic 18 sweeps per second.
“The Mutation Phasor II really brings back the depth and psychedelic tones from the 70s when musical experimentation was actually celebrated,” continues Young. “To achieve this, we stayed true to the controls and tones of the original pedal that musicians like Billy Corgan, Tom Bukovac, and Robin Trower used to create innovative music that broke the mold.
“This phaser is for those who want to step out of the box and back in time.”
Visit Warm Audio for more information.
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