The Cog Effects T-16 is an analog octave pedal that produces octave down tones, announced in November 2015 as an octave down pedal for guitar and bass. Cog Effects engineered it, in its own words, to provide huge octave down tones in a tiny enclosure, and designer Jonathan Graham described it as "a truly fantastic analogue octave down for guitar and bass"1. It sits among the octave and pitch pedals that shift a note up or down, in this case only down.
Controls
The T-16 keeps things to three knobs, each with a single job:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Clean Level | Level control for the clean signal1 |
| Octave Down Level | Level control for the octave down signal1 |
| Octave Down Filter | Adjusts the voice of the octave down signal from buzzy and synthy through to fat and subby tones1 |
Delicious Audio's review, by Brandon Stoner, describes the octave knob from the player's side: "a 'Down' knob which controls the level and intensity of the octave element"2. The Filter knob is the one that shapes the character of that octave, from buzzy and synthy at one end to fat and subby at the other, so a player can dial the sub tone to sit under a guitar or a bass1.
Build and power
The pedal is built into a CNC-engraved Hammond 1590A aluminum enclosure, and Cog Effects points out that it uses no PCB-mounted jacks1. Delicious Audio's review describes it as "an all-metal small footprint enclosure"2. The 1590A is one of the smallest standard pedal boxes, which is why the T-16 takes up very little pedalboard space; Graham said he fitted the circuit into "the smallest enclosure I could possibly fit it into"1.
Power comes from a 9-volt standard DC input1. The signal path is entirely analog, and switching is true bypass, so the pedal is out of the circuit when off2.
Cog Effects describes the T-16 as "engineered to provide huge octave down tones in a tiny enclosure", and the builder set out to fit the circuit into "the smallest enclosure I could possibly fit it into"1.
Videos
BassTheWorld.com
MrExcane
Juanka Trujillo
Questions
Is the Cog Effects T-16 true bypass?
Yes. Guitar Interactive Magazine's announcement lists the T-16 as having true bypass switching, and Delicious Audio's review of the pedal also describes it as true bypass. That means the pedal's circuit is removed from the signal path when it is switched off, so your guitar's signal reaches the amp without passing through the octave circuitry.
What power supply does the T-16 Analogue Octave use?
The T-16 runs on a 9-volt standard DC input, according to Guitar Interactive Magazine's announcement of the pedal. As with most compact pedals, a standard centre-negative 9V DC supply is what to reach for, and the small Hammond 1590A enclosure leaves no room for a battery compartment.
Can you use the T-16 Analogue Octave with bass?
Yes. Cog Effects announced the T-16 as an octave down pedal for guitar and bass, with Jonathan Graham of Guitar Interactive Magazine calling it a truly fantastic analogue octave down for both instruments. The Clean Level knob lets you blend your unaffected low end back in alongside the octave down signal.
Does the T-16 make an octave up or octave down?
Octave down only. The T-16 is an analogue octave pedal that generates tones below the note you play, with a Down knob controlling the level and intensity of the octave element. There is no octave up circuit on this pedal.
How big is the T-16 enclosure?
The T-16 is built into a CNC-engraved Hammond 1590A aluminium enclosure, which Guitar Interactive Magazine describes as a tiny enclosure, and Delicious Audio's review calls it an all-metal small footprint enclosure. It is one of the smallest standard pedal enclosures, so it takes up little room on a pedalboard.
Sources (2)
- Cog Effects Introduces The T-16 Analogue Octave, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2015-11-25
- Cog Effects' T-16 Analog Octave Pedal, Delicious Audio, 2016-03-31
