Writing at Pedal of the Day in 2016, reviewer Ryan B framed the company's approach in plain terms:
[quotation removed]
What Tapestry Audio is known for
The company's reputation rests on two products, each taking a pedal type players already knew and changing how it works1.
The Bloomery Volume Pedal
The Bloomery is a volume pedal designed around a small footprint. Pedal of the Day's 2016 review found the size the practical point: it "takes up WAY less room on your pedalboard, allowing you to squeeze another pedal or two into any crack or crevice you can muster"1. The reviewer also found that the smaller size did not cost comfort, noting that "it still feels nice and comfortable underneath your foot, which is key to any volume pedal"1.
On the whole product, the review's verdict was strong:
"look, design, features and sound quality are unparalleled, and although the price might seem a bit high for a volume pedal, just know that it will probably be the last one you ever need"1
The Bloomery line includes the Bloomery Volume Pedal, a volume pedal1.
The Time Traveler Tap Tempo
The Time Traveler Tap Tempo, reviewed by Pedal of the Day in 2014, is described as "the world's first tap tempo pedal with 10 BPM presets"2. Where a normal tap switch just repeats your foot taps to one pedal, the Time Traveler stores tempos and drives several pedals from one place. Pedal of the Day called it "a game changer for people who have multiple tap-capable effects, and want keep them all in sync with" tapping each one individually2.
How the Time Traveler works
The pedal's controls break down as follows, as described by Pedal of the Day2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Left footswitch | Taps in a BPM |
| Middle knob | Dials in the exact BPM; clicking the knob saves the BPM on the current preset number |
| Right footswitch | Selects the preset and sends a momentary signal like a standard tap pedal |
The pedal stores 10 presets via footswitch and sends out the same momentary latch signal as most tap pedals, which Pedal of the Day compared to the Boss 5S-5U2. It is available in 2-out and 3-out models, so it can feed two or three tap-capable pedals at once2.
Beyond whole-note taps, the Time Traveler can send out subdivision taps, including 1/4, 1/8, dotted 1/8 and triplet, at any given BPM2. That lets a delay and a tremolo, for example, run related rhythms from the same tempo source.
What a BPM synchronization pedal is
A BPM synchronization pedal sets a tempo in beats per minute and shares it with other effects so they stay locked together. The alternative is tapping each pedal's own tap switch separately and hoping the tempos match. The Time Traveler is one example; Molten Voltage's CTL-Sync took a related route as "a programmable PedalBoard Classic Effect Synchronizer that connects the Control or Tap Input of classic effects"4, and Molten Voltage documented a list of pedals with a tap input jack that can sync together even though they do not use MIDI Clock5.
MIDI offers another path. Strymon's support pages note that the Mobius and TimeLine use the same CC message for tap tempo, so with MIDI CT set to ON on the first pedal, both pedals connected on the same MIDI channel share tap tempo over one MIDI cable6. That approach needs MIDI pedals; the Time Traveler instead works with ordinary tap inputs.
The Time Traveler sends a momentary latch signal, the same format most tap pedals use. Pedals that only accept MIDI clock or expression control, rather than a tap input, would need a different sync method.
Other makers' tap and sync products
The Time Traveler sits in a small category of tempo-sharing accessories. For comparison32:
- Copper Sound Pedals Dual Tap: "allows you to sync up two tap-tempo devices with one footswitch"7
- Source Audio Tap Tempo Switch: a footswitch that "adds significant functionality to every One Series pedal in the Source Audio collection"8
- Revival Engineering Tiny Tap Tempo: an external tap switch for pedals with a tap input, such as the Throne Room Tremolo, which can also double as a sustain pedal for most keyboards9
- Anasounds Tap: works with Anasounds' tremolo range and upcoming temporal pedals10
The Throne Room Tremolo itself carries a tap input/output jack, so its tap tempo can be sent to another pedal or receive an input tempo from one11, the same kind of connection the Time Traveler drives.
The range (6)
Questions
What does the Tapestry Audio Time Traveler do?
The Time Traveler is a tap tempo pedal that stores 10 BPM presets. You set a BPM with the middle knob or tap it in with the left footswitch, and the right footswitch selects a preset and sends a momentary signal like a standard tap pedal. It can also send out subdivision taps, including quarter, eighth, dotted eighth and triplet, at any BPM.
What is a BPM synchronization pedal?
A BPM synchronization pedal sets a tempo in beats per minute and shares it with other effects so they stay in time together. Instead of tapping each delay, tremolo or other tap-capable pedal individually, one pedal sends the tempo to the rest, keeping everything locked to the same BPM.
Can the Time Traveler sync tap tempo across pedals?
Yes. Pedal of the Day described it as a game changer for players with multiple tap-capable effects who want to keep them all in sync without tapping each one individually. It sends the same momentary latch signal as most tap pedals, and it comes in 2-out and 3-out models.
Who makes Tapestry Audio pedals?
Tapestry Audio is an independent effects pedal maker. Published coverage of its work, including reviews of the Bloomery volume pedal and the Time Traveler tap tempo pedal, credits the company with re-inventing the way players think about traditional pedal formats.
Sources (11)
- Tapestry Audio Bloomery Volume Pedal, Pedal of the Day, 2016-04-14
- Tapestry Audio Time Traveler Tap Tempo, Pedal of the Day, 2014-08-22
- Tapestry Audio Intros Time Traveler BPM Synch Pedal, Vintage Guitar® magazine, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2013-07-01
- CTL-Sync_-_Molten_Voltage_Classic_Effect_Synchronizer_-_CONTROL_SYNC_Owners_Manual.pdf, Molten Voltage, 2014
- MIDI PedalBoard Devices: 28 Effects that can sync to MIDI Clock with CTL-Sync, Molten Voltage (blog.moltenvoltage.com), 2014-06-12
- Using MIDI to Control Your Strymon Pedals, Strymon (www.strymon.net), 2016-02-09
- Dual Tap // Custom Shop, Copper Sound Pedals
- Source Audio Tap Tempo Switch, Source Audio
- Tiny Tap Tempo, Revival Engineering
- Tap, external tap tempo, Anasounds, 2024-04-18
- Throne Room Tremolo, Revival Engineering