The Bananana Effects ABRACADABRA is a mini reverb pedal built around one deliberate limitation: it does not try to sound like a room. Bananana Effects describes it plainly on the product page: "This pedal is completely unable to produce natural reverberation." Instead, its eight modes take unrealistic reverberation as the concept, layering pitch-shifted copies, harmonics, noise and glitch delay on top of your signal to make reverbs that sound synthetic on purpose1.
Pedal of the Day reviewed it in May 2026 and called it "an astounding and groundbreaking reverb unit with eight built-in modes that are completely incapable of producing natural reverberation... in the best of ways overall"2. The reviewer also noted it is tuned for instruments beyond guitar, including strings, percussion, keyboards, and some ethnic musical instruments2.
A shimmer reverb that avoids natural reverberation
Most shimmer reverbs work by pitching the reverb tail up an octave and feeding it back in, so the shimmer sits on top of a conventional reverb sound. The ABRACADABRA takes a different starting point. Rather than modeling a space, each mode builds its effect from ingredients like a note a fifth or an octave above the input, envelope filters, white noise, or a reverse delay, and treats those as the reverb itself12.
Pedal of the Day put it this way:
"Taking unrealistic reverberation as its concept, however, it has been born as a reverb like none ever heard before"
The maker also notes that the pedal is tuned for a range of instruments, not only guitar, which Pedal of the Day echoes in its review2. For a player, that means the pitch-tracking and harmonic modes respond to whatever you feed it, and the small enclosure leaves room for it on almost any board.
The eight modes
The pedal has eight selectable modes, and the four CTRL knobs change jobs depending on which mode you are in. There is also a Vol knob that acts as a level control for the wet signal in every mode1.
| Mode | What it does | CTRL knobs |
|---|---|---|
| Oct Up + Vib | Mixes the input sound and the octave above it before the reverb, with wide-range vibrato after the reverb | CTRL1 Rate, CTRL3 Depth, CTRL4 In mix1 |
| Shimmer + 5th + Vib | Mixes a sound a 5th above the input with a shimmer reverb, with wide-range vibrato post-reverb | CTRL1 Rate, CTRL3 Depth, CTRL4 In mix1 |
| Exotic Oct Up | Combines complex harmonics and envelope filters with a sound one octave above the input | CTRL1 Harmonix, CTRL2 Reverb, CTRL3 Filter, CTRL4 Sensitivity1 |
| Exotic 5th | Combines complex harmonics and envelope filters with a sound a 5th above the input | CTRL1 Harmonix, CTRL2 Reverb, CTRL3 Filter, CTRL4 Sensitivity1 |
| SH + Noise | Ambient reverb that mixes the input with white noise, plus randomly filtered sound; cutting the dry signal makes it more otherworldly | CTRL1 SH intensity, CTRL3 Noise vol1 |
| Inf + Cho + Oct Up | Freeze mode; see the bypass section below | 3 |
| Inf + Cho + Oct Dn | The hold sound can be mixed with the input sound and sound one octave lower, with chorus added | 1 |
| Error Delay | Delay and double-speed reverse delay sounded simultaneously | CTRL1 Forward time, CTRL2 Feedback, CTRL3 Reverse time1 |
The two Exotic modes are where the pedal moves furthest from a normal shimmer. Rather than a simple octave-up copy, they stack complex harmonics and an envelope filter, with a Sensitivity control for how the filter reacts to your playing, on top of the shifted pitch1. The SH + Noise mode is the ambient extreme: white noise and randomly filtered sound mixed into the reverb, and the maker says cutting the dry noise with the Kill Dry switch creates a more otherworldly tone1.
Error Delay
Error Delay is the mode that steps away from reverb entirely. A forward delay and a double-speed reverse delay, each with its own separately adjustable time, sound at the same time. Feedback from each is returned to the other's input, which is what produces the complex glitch delay sounds the mode is named for1. Pedal of the Day describes it the same way in its review2. The three controls are straightforward: Forward time, Feedback, and Reverse time1.
Switches, bypass and the freeze modes
The pedal has a buffered bypass rather than true bypass1. Around that are three switches:
- Footswitch: Engages the pedal, and in the two Inf + Cho modes it does something extra, described below3.
- Tail Switch: Selects whether the reverb tail is kept when the pedal is bypassed1.
- Kill Dry Switch: Mutes the dry tone1.
- Unlatch Switch: Latch / unlatch toggle1.
The two freeze modes, Inf + Cho + Oct Up and Inf + Cho + Oct Dn, use the footswitch differently from a normal pedal. According to Bananana Effects' own support documentation, in these two modes, when the pedal is in bypass, pressing the footswitch causes the unit to capture and hold the input sound at that exact moment, then process it with an octave shift, up or down depending on the mode, and a chorus effect3. In Inf + Cho + Oct Dn, that hold sound can be mixed with the input sound and sound one octave lower, with chorus added1.
In the Inf + Cho + Oct Up and Inf + Cho + Oct Dn modes, the footswitch works while the pedal is bypassed: pressing it freezes the input sound at that moment and processes it with an octave shift and chorus3.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's May 2026 review is the main published assessment of the pedal. The reviewer found it "an astounding and groundbreaking reverb unit" and wrote that "There are a LOT of sounds trapped in this mini pedal"2. The review walks through the same eight modes the maker documents, including the Exotic modes' harmonics and envelope filters, the SH + Noise ambient mode, and the Error Delay's simultaneous forward and reverse delays2.
Power and size
The ABRACADABRA runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug and draws 60mA1. At 52 x 93 x 49mm and 200g, it is a mini pedal in the same enclosure style as the rest of Bananana Effects' line1. The maker sells it direct at $199.00 USD with free shipping worldwide, excluding VAT and duties1.
Videos
BanananaEffects
BGB SATX
Pedal of the Day and BanananaEffects
Questions
How many modes does the Bananana Effects ABRACADABRA have?
It has eight selectable modes. These range from shimmer and octave-up reverbs with vibrato, to Exotic modes that add complex harmonics and envelope filters, an ambient noise mode, two freeze modes with chorus and octave shifting, and an Error Delay glitch mode.
Is the ABRACADABRA true bypass?
No. Bananana Effects lists the pedal as buffered bypass. The Tail switch lets you choose whether the reverb tail continues or cuts when the pedal is bypassed.
What power does the ABRACADABRA need?
It runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug, drawing 60mA. The maker does not list battery operation, so it needs a power supply or a pedalboard power block with a center negative output.
What does the Kill Dry switch do?
It mutes the dry tone, so only the processed wet signal passes. In the SH + Noise mode, cutting the dry signal is described by the maker as creating a more otherworldly tone.
Can the ABRACADABRA keep its reverb tail when bypassed?
Yes. The Tail switch selects whether the tail is kept when the pedal is bypassed. In the Inf + Cho + Oct Up and Inf + Cho + Oct Dn modes, pressing the footswitch while bypassed instead captures and holds the input sound at that moment and processes it with an octave shift and chorus.
What does the Error Delay mode do?
It sounds a delay and a double-speed reverse delay simultaneously, each with its own adjustable time. Feedback returned to each other's inputs lets you build complex glitch delay sounds.
Sources (3)
- ABRACADABRA Shimmer reverb pedal, Bananana Effects
- Bananana Effects ABRACADABRA Shimmer Reverb, Pedal of the Day, 2026-05-06
- SUPPORT, Bananana Effects
