The company's identity leans heavily on Japanese culture. Its pedal names come from Japanese mythology, and its artwork runs in the same direction: guitar.com's reviewer noted the builder "adorning its latest boost pedal with a selection of tasty Japanese snacks"3.
The pedals
Noodles: the three-band boost
The Noodles Tone Shaper, unveiled in December 2020, is a 3-band active EQ/boost pedal4. guitar.com's review lists it as a "Three-band boost pedal, made in Canada"3. For a player, that puts it in the same territory as other tone-shaping boosts: a boost pedal with EQ control, so you can push your amp while cutting or adding bass, mids and treble rather than simply raising the whole signal.
The artwork is part of the pedal's identity. Richard Purvis, reviewing for guitar.com, highlighted Ground Control Audio "adorning its latest boost pedal with a selection of tasty Japanese snacks"3.
"Three-band boost pedal, made in Canada"
Tsukuyomi: the midrange booster
The Tsukuyomi Midrange Booster is Ground Control Audio's take on a midrange boost78. A midrange booster does what the name suggests: it lifts the middle frequencies of your signal, the range where a guitar cuts through a band, rather than boosting everything equally. It sits alongside the Noodles in the company's line as its earlier take on pushing your tone forward.
The UwU Virtual Pet Buffer
The UwU Virtual Pet Buffer is the company's take on a buffer pedal. At its heart, it is described as "a rock solid opamp-based buffer"6. A buffer is a utility pedal: it converts your guitar's high-impedance output to a low-impedance one so long cable runs and large pedalboards do not dull your tone, the same role EarthQuaker Devices cites for its own Buffer/Preamp and Buffer/Splitter utility pedals9.
What makes the UwU unusual is what sits on top of the buffer circuit:
- A virtual pet that listens to your playing and reacts in real time6
- The pet gains experience points as you play6
- It levels up with pixel art animations6
The virtual pet is a display feature layered onto the buffer circuit. The buffering itself comes from the opamp-based circuit underneath it6.
The range (10)
News
Questions
Where is Ground Control Audio based?
Ground Control Audio is a Montreal-based company, in Quebec, Canada. Its Noodles boost pedal is described in press coverage as made in Canada, and the builder is part of the wider Canadian pedal scene that includes Montreal's Diamond Pedals and Ottawa's MayFly Audio.
What is the Ground Control Audio Tsukuyomi?
The Tsukuyomi is a midrange booster pedal, announced in November 2018 as the company's fifth pedal. It launched at a list price of $159 USD. Like the rest of the range, it takes its name from Japanese mythology, which also runs through the company's artwork.
What is the UwU Virtual Pet Buffer?
The UwU Virtual Pet Buffer is a buffer pedal built around an opamp-based circuit. Beyond its buffering job, it contains a virtual pet that listens to your playing and reacts in real time, gaining experience points and leveling up with pixel art animations.
Sources (9)
- Ground Control Audio Locust Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2021-08-20
- Ground Control Audio Blood Oath Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2016-06-20
- Ground Control Audio Noodles review: A mouthwatering menu of useful boost options, guitar.com, 2021-08-16
- Ground Control Audio Debuts New Noodles Tone Shaper EQ/Boost Pedal, GuitarPlayer, 2020-12-14
- Ground Control Unleashes Tsukuyomi Midrange Booster, Premier Guitar, 2018-11-21
- UwU Virtual Pet Buffer by Ground Control Audio, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Ground Control Audio announces the Tsukuyomi Midrange Booster, Guitar.com, 2018-11-22
- Ground Control Audio Tsukuyomi Midrange Booster, Delicious Audio, 2021-06-21
- Using Utility Pedals to Fix Tone Suck, EarthQuaker Devices, 2024-11-19