The Color Audio Cassette Preamp is a preamp pedal from the Finnish maker Color Audio, and it is the company's first release1. It takes the channel strip of a vintage Japanese cassette recorder, reportedly the Tascam Porta 2, and puts it into pedal form12. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as distilling "the soul of a vintage Japanese cassette recorder (reportedly, the Porta 2) into a rugged, tour-ready pedal"2.
What it does to your sound
Because the pedal reproduces the gain structure of a cassette recorder's input stage, it covers a wide sweep of tones depending on how hard you push it. Delicious Audio describes three stages as you drive it harder2:
| Gain stage | What Delicious Audio describes |
|---|---|
| Low drive | "Slightly compressed, clean tones perfect for adding warmth and presence" |
| Pushed | "Dynamic, gritty overdrive that cleans up beautifully with your volume knob" |
| Full drive | "Fully blown-out fuzz ideal for bass or shoegaze textures" |
Pedal of the Day frames the same range from the other end: "From compressed cleans to blown-out fuzz, it delivers a wide range of DI tones"1.
That range puts it in the same territory as overdrive and fuzz pedals, but as a single gain-staging preamp rather than separate effects. The high-pass and low-pass filtering adds to it: Pedal of the Day found that "The HPF and LPF functionality really opens up the sounds you can create"1.
Guitar, bass, and direct use
Delicious Audio states plainly that you can "Plug your guitar or bass directly in, and the Cassette Preamp becomes an incredibly versatile tone-shaping tool"2. The pedal also has a documented following among players running it without an amp in front of them. Delicious Audio quotes a forum user who, after seeing Mk.gee live, said: "I'm using it directly into my amp… and it does the Tascam Mk.gee"2.
The controls: five knobs and a three-way toggle
Pedal of the Day sums up the control layout as "Five knobs + a three-way toggle = wide tonal range and sonic exploration for days"1. The five knobs and the toggle give access to the gain sweep described above along with the HPF and LPF filtering1.
Origins: the Porta 2 circuit and Jarno Takkumäki
The design is credited to Jarno Takkumäki, and Pedal of the Day's verdict on it was direct: "This design from Jarno Takkumäki is simply brilliant"1. What sets the Cassette Preamp apart from other tape-machine-inspired pedals, per Delicious Audio, is fidelity to the original hardware: "This isn't just an emulation, it's a part-for-part reproduction of the original circuit," right down to "the prized NJM2068 and M5218 op-amps"2.
Build and hardware
Delicious Audio lists the hardware choices that carry its "built for the long haul" description2:
- Neutrik jacks
- Alpha pots
- Soft-touch relay switching
Soft-touch relay switching means the bypass is handled by a relay rather than a mechanical true-bypass footswitch2.
Price and availability
Guitar Pedal X reported on 17 October 2025 that the Cassette Preamp "goes for the same price as the JHS equivalent at $249 / €249 / £199"3.
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Questions
What is the Color Audio Cassette Preamp based on?
Delicious Audio describes it as distilling the soul of a vintage Japanese cassette recorder, reportedly the Porta 2, into a rugged, tour-ready pedal. The company says it is not an emulation but a part-for-part reproduction of the original circuit, right down to the NJM2068 and M5218 op-amps used in the original machine.
How much does the Color Audio Cassette Preamp cost?
Guitar Pedal X reported in October 2025 that the Cassette Preamp goes for $249 USD, the same price as the JHS equivalent, with European pricing of €249 and £199 as stated in that report.
Can you plug a bass into the Color Audio Cassette Preamp?
Yes. Delicious Audio says you can plug your guitar or bass directly in, and the pedal becomes a versatile tone-shaping tool. Pedal of the Day adds that from compressed cleans to blown-out fuzz it delivers a wide range of DI tones, and describes the fuzz as ideal for bass or shoegaze textures.
Does the Color Audio Cassette Preamp have true bypass?
The pedal uses soft-touch relay switching rather than a mechanical true-bypass footswitch, according to Delicious Audio, which also notes Neutrik jacks and Alpha pots as part of its build.
Who makes the Color Audio Cassette Preamp?
The pedal is made by Color Audio, a Finnish maker, and Pedal of the Day reports it is the company's first release. The design is credited to Jarno Takkumäki.
Sources (3)
- Color Audio Cassette Preamp, Pedal of the Day, 2025-07-24
- Color Audio Cassette Preamp, Delicious Audio, 2025-10-10
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-10-17