The When The Sun Explodes is a reverb pedal with built-in distortion and a feedback loop, made by Beautiful Noise Effects and handmade in Newcastle, Australia1. Delicious Audio calls it "a reverb/distortion/tremolo pedal for space explorers," and it sits on that site's list of Best Reverb Pedals with Fuzz/Distortion1. Beautiful Noise describes it as a tool for "long ambient swells of atmospheric reverberation, to stuttering, chaotic feedback oscillations overloading your amplifier"2.
The pedal has two main sections. The Reverberation section is a spring-voiced reverb that, on its own, emulates a classic spring tank unit of the kind popularized in 1960s amplifiers, with a master volume and controls for Color and Decay1. The Feedback section adds a Gain knob and a Feedback/Rate control that works with the Feedback footswitch to create swells in the reverb's feedback, optionally routed through an LFO for a swirly, resonant effect1.
Three footswitches: Boost, Feedback and Bypass
The pedal carries three footswitches for Boost, Feedback and Bypass1.
| Footswitch | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bypass | True bypass, effect on/off2 |
| Boost | Doubles the amplitude of the reverberated signal, an instant wall of sound2 |
| Feedback | Momentary: hold down to engage the feedback loop, release to turn it off2 |
The Boost footswitch instantly doubles the amount of reverb for what Delicious Audio calls "an instant wave of sound"1. The Feedback footswitch engages a linear rising or LFO/tremolo controlled feedback loop that forces the wet reverberated signal back into the input1. A top-panel toggle switch selects between the standard feedback and the tremolo controlled feedback modulator2.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Master | Output volume control2 |
| Color | Tone of the reverb, left for darkness, right for brightness2 |
| Decay | Length of the reverb trail; also intensifies the feedback loop at higher settings2 |
| Gain | Distortion control on the pedal's output2 |
| Feedback | Intensity of the feedback loop2 |
The Gain knob spans a wide range. Beautiful Noise says that up to about halfway it acts as a gritty boost into an overdrive, and everything above that goes into fuzz territory; with the reverb knob fully counterclockwise, the distortion can be used entirely on its own2. Delicious Audio describes the same control as producing "anything from a slight crunch to a fuzzed-out drone," with an overdriven, blown-speaker-like fuzz tone when maxed1.
Clipping options and the Dry-Cut switch
Two toggle switches on the back panel set the clipping character: symmetrical, asymmetrical or no clipping, opening up tonal possibilities from softer to harsher sounding1.
| Clipping option | Character |
|---|---|
| Symmetrical | Even soft-clipping, compressed and fuzzy at high gain levels2 |
| Asymmetrical | Uneven hard-clipping, harsh and nasally, a mixture between symmetrical and no clipping2 |
| OFF | Diode clipping removed; the distortion is the op-amps overloading beyond their limits2 |
Beautiful Noise warns that the OFF clipping setting will produce buzzing, noise, and potentially harmful, amp-exploding levels of gain2.
A Dry-Cut switch on the back cuts the dry signal completely out of the mix for a 100% wet reverberated output2. Delicious Audio describes it as removing the dry signal entirely for "full-fledged ambient sonic wandering"1. Beautiful Noise recommends using it together with the expression input for ambient volume swells2.
Expression input and connections
The EXP input takes a standard 10k to 50k expression pedal and modulates the amplitude of the reverb signal2. That gives you hands-free control of the reverb volume, and combined with the Dry-Cut switch it becomes a wet-only volume swell control1. Expression pedals of this kind are covered on the expression pedals page.
Power and size
The pedal runs on a 9V DC power supply with a standard 2.1mm barrel, negative tip/positive sleeve, and draws 76mA2. There is no battery option in the specifications. The enclosure measures 19 × 12 × 5.5 cm2, which Pedal of the Day called "larger than your average pedal, but built to last and tough as nails"4.
"Larger than your average pedal, but built to last and tough as nails"
Where it came from
When The Sun Explodes was the first pedal from Beautiful Noise Effects, reviewed by Pedal of the Day on 30 May 2018 with its full control layout described4. Delicious Audio added it to its roundup of hybrid reverb pedals with fuzz/distortion in May 20231. The pedal is available in Black/White, Pastel Pink, Metallic Purple and Silver Sparkle finishes at a list price of $350.00 USD32.
Videos
Beautiful Noise Effects
collector//emitter
Pedalboard of the Day
Questions
Is When The Sun Explodes true bypass?
Yes. The Bypass footswitch is true bypass and simply turns the effect on and off. The other two footswitches, Boost and Feedback, are momentary controls for the reverb amplitude and the feedback loop.
What does the expression input on When The Sun Explodes control?
The EXP input modulates the amplitude of the reverb signal, so a standard 10k to 50k expression pedal gives you hands-free control of the reverb volume. Beautiful Noise suggests pairing it with the Dry-Cut switch for ambient, wet-only volume swells.
Where is Beautiful Noise Effects based?
Beautiful Noise Effects is based in Newcastle, Australia, and When The Sun Explodes is handmade there. It was the company's first pedal, reviewed by Pedal of the Day in May 2018.
How big is the When The Sun Explodes pedal?
The enclosure measures 19 by 12 by 5.5 cm, which is larger than an average compact pedal. Pedal of the Day described it as built to last and tough as nails.
What does the Feedback footswitch do?
It is a momentary switch: hold it down and the feedback loop is engaged, release it and the loop turns off. The loop forces the wet reverberated signal back into the input, either rising linearly or modulated by a tremolo LFO, creating swells and oscillations.
Sources (4)
- Beautiful Noise When The Sun Explodes, Delicious Audio, 2023-05-12
- WHEN THE SUN EXPLODES, Beautiful Noise Effects
- BEAUTIFUL NOISE EFFECTS, Beautiful Noise Effects
- Beautiful Noise Effects When The Sun Explodes Reverberation Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2018-05-30