The Death By Audio / Levitation Psychedelic Lightmare is a light-responsive reverb and tremolo pedal from Death By Audio, developed through a collaboration between the maker and the Levitation festival. In one box it combines stereo reverb, tremolo and light-sensitive pitch modulation: shine light on the pedal and all three effects warp at once, stretching the reverb decay, slowing the tremolo and bending the pitch of your dry signal by shifting the sample time12.
Pedal of the Day describes the pairing as "a lush stereo reverb paired with a sharp chopping tremolo," and sums up the result as "wildly shapeable soundscapes, warping reverbs, shifting tremolo speeds, and a light-controlled, tape-like warble on the clean signal"2. Guitar Pedal X calls it "a cool Tremo-Verb - with light sensing expression control"3.
Reverb, tremolo and a light sensor
The reverb section provides adjustable decay tails ranging from subtle ambience to washy, infinite sustain, and the stereo input and output are there, in Delicious Audio's words, "for immersive spatial processing"1. The tremolo sits alongside it, and the light sensor sits over both.
The light sensor is the pedal's defining control. Pedal of the Day explains how it behaves: "in a dark room, the clock will be slow, and when light shines on the pedal, the clock speeds up"2. Because that clock drives everything, a change in light intensity warps all the effects simultaneously rather than just one of them2.
| What changes | What the light does to it |
|---|---|
| Reverb | Decay stretches into what Pedal of the Day calls eerie decay2 |
| Tremolo | Speed slows as light drops, speeds up as light rises2 |
| Clean signal | Pitch bends through a tape-like warble as sample time shifts2 |
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson found the sensor a capable controller with a caveat: "It's a neat frictionless means of expression - but it can be sensitive to lifting conditions in the room, and requires y[ou]..." a more refined expression technique3. In other words, the pedal responds to whatever light is falling on it, so a stage with moving lights or a window will play differently from a dark rehearsal room.
The sensor can be reined in. The Warp Range control governs the Light Sensor, and per Guitar Pedal X "you can dial that out entirely if you want to," leaving the reverb and tremolo to run on their own3.
Because the pedal reacts to ambient light, where you use it matters. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio concluded that "for players seeking non-traditional modulation, the Lightmare provides a workable niche tool, though its performance" applications may call for controlled lighting environments1.
The Levitation limited edition
The Psychedelic Lightmare was designed to capture the otherworldly sonic experiences of the Levitation festival, and it is not a standard catalog pedal. It is a limited edition of 333 units, available exclusively from Levitation through the Levitation.fm website, at a list price of $225 USD as of 14 July 202532.
If you are looking at Death By Audio's wider reverb range, the pedal sits among the maker's other stereo designs, including the Rooms Stereo Reverberator, the Reverberation Machine and the Infinity Verb. For more on the effect family itself, see the site's pages on Reverb Pedals and Tremolo Pedals.
Videos
Death By Audio
Pedal of the Day and Death By Audio
Get Offset
Questions
How many Psychedelic Lightmare pedals were made?
The Psychedelic Lightmare is a limited edition of 333 units. It was developed through a collaboration between Death By Audio and the Levitation festival, and the pedals are available exclusively from Levitation, through the Levitation.fm website.
Where can I buy the Psychedelic Lightmare?
It is not a regular store release. The 333-unit limited edition is available exclusively from Levitation, through the Levitation.fm website, rather than from the usual pedal retailers.
What power supply does the Psychedelic Lightmare need?
The pedal runs on standard 9V DC power with a center-negative plug, the same supply type used by most compact pedals. No battery option or current draw figure is given for it.
Is the Psychedelic Lightmare stereo?
Yes. It is a stereo in/stereo out pedal, and it can also be used in mono, or in a mono-to-stereo configuration where a mono input feeds a stereo output.
Does room lighting affect the Psychedelic Lightmare?
Yes. The pedal's clock responds to light: in a dark room the clock runs slow, and when light shines on the pedal the clock speeds up. Guitar Pedal X notes it can be sensitive to lighting conditions in the room, and that playing it well takes a more refined expression technique.
Can the light sensor be turned off?
Yes. According to Guitar Pedal X, the Warp Range control governs the Light Sensor, and you can dial that out entirely if you want to play the reverb and tremolo without light responding to them.
Sources (3)
- Death By Audio + Levitation Psychedelic Lightmare, Delicious Audio, 2025-07-18
- Death By Audio / Levitation Psychedelic Lightmare Light-Responsive Reverb Tremolo, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2025-07-18
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-07-14
