The shop is best known for the DroneTrash, AirTrash and Drone Tone MkIII pedals, and much of its range follows a pattern of combining those circuits in single enclosures2.
The story: a one-person shop
Mattoverse Electronics is the work of one person. Olson describes it as one of his primary creative projects over the past 12 years, devoted to "the creation of crude synthesizers, noise making devices and effects pedals"1.
His path there ran through music first. He started playing guitar in the early 1990s, after a growing interest in the music coming from his older brother's room combined with a friend's postcard suggesting they get guitars. That led to what he calls "many wonderful ( and often painful..ha ) years of writing, recording, and performing music in a variety of projects and capacities," and eventually to learning electronics as a means to explore his love of sound itself1.
The name is his own invention: "The Mattoverse ( my first name and the first letter of my last name combined with universe.. )"1.
Known for the DroneTrash, AirTrash and Drone Tone
Three circuits anchor the Mattoverse range.
| Pedal | What it is |
|---|---|
| AirTrash | A pedal for guitar or bass that "sounds like absolute garbage"5 |
| Drone Tone MkIII | A drone synthesizer for your pedalboard: a pitch and rate controllable square wave oscillator in a guitar pedal format2 |
| DroneTrash | A 2 in 1 pedal with the AirTrash running into the Drone Tone MkIII2 |
The AirTrash is described by Mattoverse as a pedal for guitar or bass that sounds like absolute garbage5. It has top mounted jacks, making it well suited to pedalboards6.
The Drone Tone MkIII also appears in the DroneTrash, a 2 in 1 pedal with the AirTrash running into the DroneTone MKIII7. Mattoverse also offers the SwellEchoTrash, a combo pedal combining the AirTrash and the SwellEcho in one enclosure8.
The shop also builds combination pedals that stack these circuits:
- DroneTrash: the AirTrash running into the Drone Tone MkIII2
- SwellEchoTrash: the AirTrash and the Swell Echo in one enclosure, a combo Olson says he very much enjoys8
- BadTrashenger Fuzz: the AirTrash running into the Bad Passenger Fuzz MKII, one of his favorite pedal combos in one box9
The wider range
Beyond the Trash family, Mattoverse's catalog covers phaser, synth and drum territory, plus a few pedals that exist almost as experiments10112.
- AirTrash: a pedal for guitar or bass that sounds like absolute garbage, with top mounted jacks that make it well suited to pedalboards12.
- SwellEchoTrash: a combo pedal combining the AirTrash and the SwellEcho in one enclosure8.
- DroneTrash: a 2 in 1 pedal with the AirTrash running into the DroneTone MKIII2.
- FloraVolt and Glitch Cookie: further pedals in the Mattoverse range1314.
- Swell Echo: paired with the AirTrash in the SwellEchoTrash combo enclosure8.
Two more pedals round out the range. The FloraVolt is a Mattoverse Electronics pedal15, as is the Glitch Cookie13. Both sit alongside the maker's crude synthesizers, noise making devices and effects pedals, the categories Mattoverse describes as its output1.
Matt Olson, the founder
Matt Olson is the founder and the whole operation behind Mattoverse Electronics1. He is also a player and builder in the wider pedal community: he appears as a verified owner reviewer on PedalPCB, a DIY pedal project site16. His background, as he tells it, is years of writing, recording and performing music, with electronics learned along the way as a means to explore sound1.
Ordering, shipping and returns
Mattoverse's product pages lay out the practical terms plainly:
- Shipping: orders ship via USPS Priority Mail within 1 business day17
- International shipping: available, with terms on the shop's international shipping page3
- Returns: a 7 day return policy4
The 7 day return window is short compared with larger pedal makers, so it is worth deciding quickly whether a Mattoverse pedal fits your board once it arrives.
The range (21)
News
Questions
Where is Mattoverse Electronics based?
Mattoverse Electronics is a one-person creative project run by its founder, Matt Olson. The shop describes itself as the creation of crude synthesizers, noise making devices and effects pedals, and it has been one of Olson's primary creative projects for over 12 years.
Where does the name Mattoverse come from?
The name comes from the founder himself. Matt Olson explains it as his first name and the first letter of his last name combined with 'universe', giving 'The Mattoverse'.
What is the Mattoverse Drone Tone MkIII?
The Drone Tone MkIII is a drone synthesizer for your pedalboard: a pitch and rate controllable square wave oscillator in a guitar pedal format. Released in May 2019 at $159, it has tap tempo, a tempo sync input and top-mounted jacks, and it does weird things to the clipping on gain based pedals.
Does Mattoverse make a solar-powered pedal?
Yes. The Solar Sound, released in March 2022 at $229, is a solar powered overdrive pedal with a solar panel on the enclosure. Mattoverse describes it as a beautiful and uniquely impractical solar powered effect pedal.
What is the Mattoverse return policy?
Mattoverse offers a 7 day return policy on its pedals, as stated on its product pages. Orders ship via USPS Priority Mail within 1 business day.
Does Mattoverse ship internationally?
Yes. Mattoverse's product pages note that international shipping is available, with the terms listed on the shop's international shipping page. Domestic orders ship via USPS Priority Mail within 1 business day.
What changed on the Bad Passenger Fuzz MKII?
The MKII, released in December 2020 at $99, has a completely redesigned circuit combining cascaded transistor and op-amp gain stages, a new character switch, a redesigned output control, and top-mounted jacks. It replaced the original one-knob Bad Passenger Fuzz.
Sources (17)
- About - Mattoverse Electronics, Mattoverse Electronics
- Mattoverse DroneTrash, Mattoverse Electronics
- Mattoverse Inflection Point, Mattoverse Electronics
- Mattoverse Swell Echo, Mattoverse Electronics
- Mattoverse AirTremTrashStortion, Mattoverse Electronics
- Mattoverse Electronics AirTrash fuzz pedal: Make your guitar sound like garbage!, gearnews.com, 2019-04-08
- Mattoverse’s Drone Tone MkIII is a glitchy synth for your pedalboard, guitar.com
- Mattoverse SwellEchoTrash, Mattoverse Electronics
- Mattoverse BadTrashenger Fuzz, Mattoverse Electronics
- [Mattoverse Just A Phase
- [Mattoverse Drone Tone MKIII
- Mattoverse Just a Phase: A new analogue phaser with digital control, gearnews.com, 2021-10-04
- Mattoverse FloraVolt, Mattoverse Electronics
- Glitch Cookie, Mattoverse Electronics
- Mattoverse Solar Sound, Mattoverse Electronics
- Sunflower Fuzz, PedalPCB.com
- Mattoverse DoubleTrash, Mattoverse Electronics