Subdecay announces PixelWave phase distortion synth pedal
April 26, 2022 · 2 sources
Subdecay has announced the PixelWave, a phase distortion guitar synth pedal, listed on the maker's site at $199.00 with the SKU PW-1 and a shipping estimate of up to one week1. Delicious Audio reported the pedal on April 26, 2022, describing it as "based on Casio's synthesis technology" and adding it to its article on synth pedals2.
The pedal has three oscillators and one sub-oscillator, 37 programmable parameters and 11 user presets1. Each oscillator offers a choice of eleven waveforms, while the sub-oscillator is limited to Saw, PWM, Hard Res and Sync1. Oscillators can be offset over four octaves by half-step increments and fine-tuning1. Delicious Audio writes that the pedal tracks the guitar signal to generate 12-bit sounds2.
Controls center on an EDIT MODE switch, a SELECT knob and three knobs labeled R, G and B. In MATRIX mode the R, G and B knobs control individual parameters chosen with the SELECT knob, and holding the bypass switch for two seconds saves a preset1. In ADJUST mode those knobs change to FILTER, SENSITIVITY and CLEAN MIX, and in LOCK mode they are disabled, leaving master volume and preset selection1.
The accounts differ on oscillator modes. Delicious Audio states the pedal has "3 oscillators with 10 different modes each and one sub-oscillator"2, while Subdecay's page lists eleven waveforms for each oscillator1.
"One new idea was phase distortion synthesis. Casio sold it as the answer to Yamaha’s FM synthesis."
Subdecay says phase distortion is based on sine waves that distort to achieve other timbres, including saw waves, pulse waves and resonance, and that it can mimic analog filter sweeps that were impossible in FM synthesis1. The maker describes the pedal's range as covering "string ensembles to filter sweeps and resonant noise"1.