Death By Audio and Rainger FX announce Amp Crash pedal with built-in amp and speaker

August 20, 2026 · 4 sources

Death By Audio and Rainger FX announced the Amp Crash, a collaboration pedal containing a 3-watt amplifier, an internal 2-inch speaker and a microphone, on August 20, 2026¹²³. Death By Audio lists it at $395.00¹.

The pedal is not an amp simulator in the usual sense. Death By Audio describes a real amplifier driving a real speaker, with a microphone capturing the result, and separate level controls for the direct amplifier signal (DI OUT) and the microphone signal (MIC OUT)¹. The company says the design "captures the interaction of a real speaker moving air, then lets you blend the direct amp signal with the mic'd sound for everything from rich overdrive to crushing fuzz, blooming harmonics, natural feedback, and completely unpredictable textures"¹.

Controls are GAIN, TONE, DI OUT, MIC OUT, a MIC GATE switch, and shared DEPTH and TIME knobs for the effects section, which offers reverb, echo and chorus selected by a three-way switch¹⁴. The footswitch is buffered bypass and also turns the internal speaker on or off¹. An external speaker output accepts a cabinet of 8Ω minimum and 3W or greater, and connecting one disables the internal speaker¹. Death By Audio gives dimensions of 5.9" x 3.76" x 2.85" and a weight of 23.1 oz¹. GuitarPlayer lists the size as 6" x 3.75" x 2.85" and the weight as around one and a half pounds⁴.

Death By Audio credits the idea to Rainger FX's David Rainger, who brought it to Oliver Ackermann; Guitar Pedal X reports the concept was shared about two years before launch and that the units are engineered and produced by Death By Audio in New York¹³. Death By Audio lists a lifetime warranty¹. Guitar Pedal X identifies the speaker as a Visaton 2" FRWS 5 and the microphone as a small condenser type, and notes the third effect is labeled Chorus but sounds closer to a flanger³. GuitarPlayer's reviewer describes the pedal as best suited to feedback and texture work rather than vintage tube-amp tones, and notes there is no blend control, only the DI OUT and MIC OUT levels⁴.