It took several years to get there, but here it is finally, the Anasounds Utopia Deluxe, and we think it was worth the wait. Of course there’s a tap tempo footswitch that can also trigger self-oscillating infinite repeats. The pedal has three subdivisions to choose from, including dotted eighth. The Deluxe also features a Tone setting for brighter or darker repeats, a built-in preamp that makes your harmonics sparkle like a vintage Echoplex can. A knob adjusts both the volume and gain of the preamp, and a switch puts it in “always on”, “always off” or “on when the delay is active” mode.

Finally, the central “Bliss” knob takes care of modulation. It has three zones for three modulation types (tape echo, chorus and vibrato), and the effect zone allows you to automatically set up depth and speed.

Introducing the BigSky MX from Strymon, the next-generation reverb workstation that changes the game for dedicated reverb pedals. It can be daunting to dramatically improve a product like the original BigSky, as it’s been a staple on pro pedalboards for a long time for a host of very good reasons, but we’ve spent the last four years making sure that we achieved that goal. It sounds bigger, wider and more expressive than anything else on the planet, with a host of new features and capabilities that make it the new Greatest Of All Time reverb.

The new BigSky MX is a world-class reverberator that packs a host of powerful features into a single enclosure: it uses a tri-core 800 MHz ARM processor to achieve two reverb machines at once, with Series, Parallel or Split audio routing and new panning controls. Of the 12 reverb machines, seven are brand new and the remaining classic machines all get powerful sonic and feature upgrades. The new convolution engine is capable of playing ten-second stereo impulse responses, along with the ability to fully edit the IRs. 22 impulses come preloaded, including a large number of custom long captures of classic analog studio gear. Stereo I/O, DIN and TRS MIDI I/O and USB-C round out the connections, and a new OLED screen, dedicated Inifinite/Freeze footswitch and multiple footswitch modes make it easier to control than ever.

Brig’s stunning dBucket sound generation gives you three different and meticulously crafted analog delay voicings. The 3205 voice delivers gritty repeats that can morph as it feeds back, creating sounds ranging from gorgeous slapback echoes to psychedelic sci-fi effects. The 3005 voice recreates a dual MN3005 BBD chip circuit running at 15V for longer delay times, higher headroom, and warm repeats with a soft, dreamlike quality. The Multi voice features two cross-coupled, super-clean dBucket delay lines with golden ratio timing to create complex soundscapes and a huge stereo soundfield that remains musical and clean even while sitting on the edge of self-oscillation.

Brig is a triumph of compact design, offering a huge amount of power and flexibility in an elegantly small form factor: Three truly distinct delay voices. Artifact-free tap tempo. Stereo operation. Straightforward responsive controls and expression pedal capability. High-impedance, ultra-low noise discrete Class A JFET stereo input preamp for exceptional touch sensitivity, dynamics and feel. MIDI control for tempo, patch save/recall, and more. Premium components, rugged construction, and a USB jack for controlling the pedal via MIDI from a computer or for performing firmware updates.

With the DD-500’s 12 delay modes, you can create any delay sound you can imagine, and then some. Everything you need is here, from warm, gritty vintage delays and tape echo to complex modern delay lines that employ pitch shifting, filtering, and other unique processing. With the hands-on knobs, it’s easy to shape essential parameters and create great sounds immediately. Each delay type also includes a semi-parametric four-band EQ, modulation, ducking, and many other parameters, allowing you to dive deep and refine tones with maximum precision.

The Cloudburst boasts an exceptionally accessible knob-per-function layout, including a single Decay knob that unlocks a vast sweep of different echo options, from a slight room reflection to an all-out wash of ambient reverberation. Moreover, a cutting-edge Ensemble control integrates dynamic synthetic string-style harmonics into your signal, while the Mod control is a must-have for creating movement and texture in your signature soundscapes. Of course, this pedal’s slimmed-down box makes no compromises on Strymon’s studio-quality formula — the Cloudburst sports full MIDI functionality, USB-C, 300 presets, stereo I/O, and a host of other top-end features found on its larger siblings. Strymon never fails to impress; fittingly, the Cloudburst’s seamless blend of studio-grade sound, near-limitless sonic options, and traditional stompbox workflow prove the sky’s the limit for this single-algorithm reverb pedal.

Expression pedal input enables expressive control over the delays’ parameters, and the external tap-tempo can be used for remote tempo control.
These followings algorythms are available : Digital (max delay time : 1 second), Tape (max delay time : 1 second), Diffuse (max delay time : 1 second), Ambiental (max delay time : 840 milisecond)

A multi-purpose jack provides connection to an expression pedal or tap-tempo pedal. Expression pedal input enables expressive control over the reverbs’ parameters, and the external tap-tempo can be used to control the tremolo speed in the Tremble algorithm.

Of course, that sort of approach proved to be hugely attractive to synthesizer users: and because of its thorough options for internal control and even external MIDI control, many people use ZOIA as a full synthesizer as well as an effect processor. Naturally, we wondered from the start what a modular iteration of the ZOIA might look like…and now it seems that it is on the way. Euroburo sports four CV inputs, and an equivalent amount of control voltage outputs (that alone is a significant upgrade from the pedal). There is also a pair of stereo audio I/O, and a dedicated headphone output. To top it off, the module is equipped with MIDI input and output.

With such an amount of connectivity across different formats, the power of ZOIA Euroburo is immediately apparent. It is easy to imagine this module in a variety of setups, though there is still more to be said about the richness, depth, and expandability of its own inner world. Though already hugely impressive, the collection of virtual modules that ZOIA and Euroburo come with is far from complete. There are plans for new modules to be added. There is a sampler module on the way, and who knows what else is in development already. Actually, Empress Effects use a voting system on their website to determine which modules or features will be added to the pedal/module next—so as a user, you get to participate in shaping the evolution of the product. Euroburo has two additional assignable buttons that can change in functionality depending on user preferences, ensuring that some controls will always be there even when you jump to the next patch.

Speaking of which, the module can host up to 64 patches simultaneously, and switching between them is super easy and fast. It only takes a button-press to transform Euroburo from synth to drum machine to effects processor. This makes it an uncommonly powerful performance tool—as pointed out in the video chat, presets in the Zoia are much more than just presets on a synthesizer: presets in the Zoia can make it an entirely different type of instrument or processor altogether. So you can imagine just how powerful a cleverly-programmed Euroburo or two could be: especially since the stereo I/O can be treated completely independently, you could wrench an awful lot of functionality out of a very small setup.

Like all of IK Multimedia’s X-Gear stompboxes, X-Space packs the company’s acclaimed AmpliTube processing into a cutting-edge, pedalboard-ready enclosure. X-Space offers 16 hyper-realistic emulations of real-world modulation devices, putting an array of tried-and-true plate, spring, hall, shimmer, gated reverbs, and more conveniently at your feet. Beyond that, this pedal’s X-Mode supplies you with extra signal-boosting features that are guaranteed to impress.

IK Multimedia went all-in with regard to the quality of X-Space’s hardware. The stompbox’s audiophile-grade components include ultra-low-noise, 24-bit/192kHz conversion for leading-edge sound, plus a 5Hz–24kHz frequency response — more than enough to capture your guitar’s full sonic range. You also get an impressive 123dB of dynamic range, ensuring that every nuance of your playing is reproduced, from whisper quiet to maximum overdrive.

X-Space comes with a matching plug-in for AmpliTube, enabling you to open a virtual X-Space stomp inside of the software. Thanks to this mega-tight hardware-software integration, you’ll be able to tweak your hardware’s parameters using AmpliTube’s award-winning workflow, then save them as one of up to 300 presets that you can recall directly from the pedal. X-Space includes a free copy of AmpliTube 5 SE to get you up and running.