KMA Machines launches Mandrake Octo-Shrieker octave-up fuzz pedal

November 7, 2023 · 4 sources

KMA Machines released the Mandrake Octo-Shrieker on November 7, 2023, an octave and pitch pedal that reworks the upper-octave section of its Moai Maea octaver¹². MusicRadar reported that KMA "has gone rummaging in the circuitry of its Moai Maea for inspiration and has reworked and improved its octave-up circuit for the Mandrake Octo-Shrieker"¹. Guitar Pedal X described the pedal as extracting and improving the Moai Maea's Analog Upper Octave Shriek Channel and adding fuzz voicing².

The circuit pairs a discrete transistor-based fuzz with what KMA calls an "enhanced rectification circuit topology," alongside an active pre-gain second-order filter intended to prepare the instrument's signal for the octave effect¹². KMA says the circuit has better tracking, for a more robust sound¹. The pedal runs on 9V DC and draws 30mA, is true bypass with silent relay-based soft switching, has top-mounted jacks and is made in Berlin, Germany¹²³.

Controls are Filter and Timbre on full-sized knobs, with Dry and Oct+ on mini-dials²³. Filter controls the low-pass filter: turning it clockwise smooths the sound toward quasi-synth fuzz, while setting it low or fully counterclockwise gives what KMA calls "unhinged, cutting and shrieking mayhem"¹. Timbre shapes the octave-up voice, from what KMA describes as "crunchy and percussive" at one extreme to a "crushingly saturated doom-hammer" at the other¹. Dry sets the clean signal level and Oct+ the level of the octave effect²⁴³.

Pricing differs between reports. Guitar Pedal X listed a MAP/RRP of $169.99². Guitar World reported the pedal as available now for $170⁴. Guitar Pedal X said it was available to order on the KMA Machines webstore and imminently at selected international dealers².