The Death By Audio Space Bender is a chorus modulator pedal that packs chorus, flanger and modulated delay into one hand-made box from Death By Audio. Under the hood it uses an array of dynamically modulated delay lines, and the maker describes it as replicating and warping your signal into what it calls "beautiful and organic transmissions from a dimension somewhere beyond linear time"1. In practice, that means one pedal can cover subtle vintage chorus, resonant flanging, comb filtering and long, wiggling modulated delays.
The pedal launched on 26 July 20222 at a list price of $2701, with a limited edition of 200 white and orange units sold exclusively through Reverb alongside the standard black-and-white enclosure34.
Chorus, flanger and modulated delay in one pedal
The Space Bender is built around delay lines whose delay time is modulated, which is the same principle behind chorus and flanging: short modulated delays give flange and chorus sounds, while longer delay times stretch into modulated delay territory. MusicRadar described it at launch as a chorus pedal "with onboard delay time and modulation for that delay"3.
The key to moving between those territories is the Delay Time switch. Delicious Audio's reviewer found that "the Delay Time switch can make that delay 10x longer," stretching the effect from flange and chorus into wiggling, modulated delay5. Premier Guitar's reviewer called the delay switch "particularly transformative," and found that the +10 delay mode "is also the ticket to the most vintage BBD-like sounds, particularly at modest depth settings"7.
Death By Audio lists a set of named sound samples the pedal produces, which give a picture of its range1:
- Electric guitar (Mustang) samples: Envelope Flange Delay, Super Resonant Flanger, Comb Filter, Super Chorus/Delay, Ultra Mod Delay, Crisp Digital Chorus/Delay, Trippy Modulated Delay1
- Bass (Jazz Bass) samples: Metallic Bass Flange, Soundscape Delay Mod, Bending Envelope Delay, Chorus Pad, Resonant Comb, Dark Mod Delay1
The maker's own descriptions of what it can produce run from "subtle vintage sci-fi sounds" to "glassy bell resonances, massive reverse dive bombs, and seasick demon drones"1.
The controls
The control set is small, but each knob does a lot of work. Here is what each one does, according to Death By Audio1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Speed | Controls the speed of the LFO, the sensitivity of the envelope, and the time of the delay(s). At shorter times, expect flange and chorus sounds with slower modulation; long times stretch into wiggling, modulated delay1 |
| Intensity | Sets the overall intensity of the effects. High-intensity settings can create oscillations, feedback, and what the maker calls crazy noises1 |
| Modulator | Sets the main source of modulation for the delay line: either a sine wave oscillator in LFO mode or an envelope in ENV mode1 |
| Gain (internal) | Controls the output level of the pedal, ranging from unity to what the maker calls way too loud. Reached by unscrewing the backplate1 |
The volume trim is internal. To adjust the output level you need to unscrew the backplate to reach the Gain knob, so it is a set-and-forget control rather than something you tweak between songs1.
In Andertons' demo video, the presenters described the layout in player's terms: "Speed and depth control the delay side of things. We have like a one times or a 10 times" switch for the delay range8.
LFO and envelope modulation
The Modulator knob and its associated switch choose between two fundamentally different modulation sources. In LFO mode, a sine wave oscillator modulates the delay line continuously, which is how traditional chorus and flanger pedals work. In ENV mode, an envelope derived from your playing modulates the delay instead, so the effect responds to how hard you hit the strings13.
Premier Guitar's review explained the difference in practice: in envelope mode, the pedal "uses your input signal to modify the delay times rather than the intensity or rate of modulation"7. The reviewer also found the envelope function "the trickiest of the three switches to master," noting that switching to envelope settings can make modulations hazier and sometimes flangier, and that adding gain makes the envelope feel much more dynamic7.
The LFO side has its own range of characters. Premier Guitar found that "using the LFO setting at low intensity and at shorter delay rate, for instance, produces modulations that sound more like filter effects"7. The reviewer's go-to setting, with high intensity, +10 delay time, LFO on and depth around 9 o'clock, produced everything from 12-string-like sounds to thick BBD-style chorus to wobbly quasi-rotary sounds depending on speed7.
Where it came from and what reviewers said
The Space Bender was launched by Death By Audio, the company founded by Oliver Ackermann4, and is hand-made in New York City5. It arrived on 26 July 20222, with Guitar World reporting the release alongside the 200-unit white and orange limited edition exclusive to Reverb234.
Premier Guitar's overall verdict captured both sides of the pedal:
"The Space Bender may not be the easiest modulation pedal to master, but the path of discovering the sounds you want often leads to sounds you didn’t even know you needed."7
Premier Guitar's review, which found the pedal offers a cornucopia of textures from ring-modulated sounds to deep, throbbing tones that sound designers and experimental musicians will devour7
The same reviewer praised the presentation, saying that "as with most DBA pedals, its graphics and controls are stylish, smart, and make the Space Bender more fun to use," in what the review called DBA's retro-future design vernacular7.
For a demo of the pedal in action, Andertons Music Co posted a video walking through the Speed and Depth controls, the 1x/10x delay switch and the range of modulation sounds on offer85.
Videos
Death By Audio
Death By Audio
Reverb
Questions
Who designed the Death By Audio Space Bender?
The Space Bender comes from Death By Audio, the New York effects company founded by Oliver Ackermann, who is also the band A Place To Bury Strangers. The pedal is hand-made in New York City and launched in July 2022.
Does the Space Bender have an internal volume trim?
Yes. Inside the pedal there is an internal Gain knob, reached by unscrewing the backplate. Death By Audio describes it as controlling the output level, ranging from unity gain to what the maker calls way too loud.
How much current does the Space Bender draw?
The Space Bender draws 65 mA. It runs on a standard 9V DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel, the same arrangement as most modern pedals, so it fits a typical pedalboard power supply.
Is the white Space Bender a limited edition?
Yes. Alongside the standard black-and-white enclosure, Death By Audio offered a white and orange colorway as a limited edition of 200 units, sold exclusively through Reverb. The standard version is the regular black and white one.
Where is the Space Bender made?
The Space Bender is hand-made in New York City by Death By Audio, the company founded by Oliver Ackermann. The pedal launched in July 2022 at a list price of $270.
Sources (8)
- SPACE BENDER, Death By Audio
- Death By Audio Space Bender Chorus Modulator, Pedal of the Day, 2022-07-26
- Death By Audio launch the Space Bender chorus pedal with wonderfully bizarre video, MusicRadar, 2022-07-27
- Death By Audio launches Space Bender chorus into orbit, gearnews.com, 2022-07-27
- Death By Audio Space Bender Chorus Modulator, Delicious Audio, 2025-02-25
- Death By Audio's Space Bender is a chorus modulator offering “vintage sci-fi sounds, bending sonic bedlam, and pulsing atmospheres”, Guitar World, 2022-07-26
- Death By Audio Space Bender Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2022-09-07
- Death By Audio, Andertons Music Co, 2026-07-16