The Death by Audio Total Sonic Annihilation 2 (TSA 2) is a feedback looper pedal: instead of making its own sound in the usual way, it takes the pedals you connect in its loop and feeds their output back into their input, forcing them to cycle back on themselves1. The results depend entirely on what you put in the loop. As Death by Audio puts it:
"Boosters turn to alien fuzz breakers, delays build up to insanity, tremolos arpeggiate, and every effect in the loop gets juiced up and turned into something new and probably explosive. It even works as a bad-ass fuzz synth oscillator all on its own!"2
Premier Guitar's reviewer described it as "an oscillator, it's a fuzz, it's a sonic blender that feeds your pedalboard's signal back into itself"3. It is not a looper in the phrase-recording sense: nothing is recorded. It is a looper in the signal-routing sense, wrapping a feedback loop around other effects.
What it does: a feedback loop for your other pedals
The TSA 2 sits in your signal chain with two extra jacks, SEND and RECEIVE, that connect to the input and output of the pedals you want to feed back. When you activate it, it sends the pedal chain's signal back through a feedback and high-gain boost circuit that you can manipulate with the controls3. The maker describes it as a controllable feedback loop, causing your pedals to cycle back on themselves, feeding the output back into the input1.
Because the loop is built from whatever you plug into it, every unique pedal array produces a different world of textures and possibilities1. A boost in the loop behaves differently from a delay or a tremolo, and the intensity of the feedback is set from the TSA 2's front panel.
An important point for pedalboard planning: when the TSA 2 is turned off, the pedal itself is bypassed, but every pedal in the loop is still part of your signal chain and works as usual4. The loop pedals keep doing their normal job; only the feedback circuit drops out.
The controls
The front panel is built around one feedback knob and a small set of switches that shape or tame what it does.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| FEEDBACK knob | Controls the amount the SEND (external effect input) is forced back into the RECEIVE (external effect output); the more it is turned up, the more intense the effects1 |
| BOOST | Has, in the maker's words, "a boatload of gain to awaken even the faintest effect into an unearthly behemoth"1 |
| LIMITER | Tames the rowdiest effects, for when things get a little too wild6 |
| LIMIT | Limits the output volume of the entire pedal, only when the ACTIVE BOOST is engaged4 |
| PHASE switch | Flips the phase of the effects loop, only when the ACTIVE BOOST is on4 |
| ON toggle | In the ON position, turns on the ACTIVE BOOST circuit4 |
| STOMP SWITCH | Bypasses the effect4 |
The PHASE switch is worth a note: flipping the phase of the effects loop lets the TSA 2 work with all sorts of pedals6, since effects respond differently to feedback depending on phase. The LIMIT control only functions with the boost engaged, so in passive use the limiter does nothing4.
When the ACTIVE BOOST is not engaged, the pedal is completely passive and can work without power4. With the boost on, it needs the 9V supply, and plugging in the adaptor bypasses the internal battery1.
Jacks on the pedal: INPUT for your instrument, OUTPUT to your amplifier, plus the SEND and RECEIVE jacks that form the loop around your other pedals1.
From the first Total Sonic Annihilation to version 2
The original Total Sonic Annihilation was Death by Audio's first-ever pedal76, designed by company founder Oliver Ackermann, who described it as "a forced feedback looper" that nobody had released before7. Guitar World reported it was conceived as "the most insane pedal of all time"5.
The TSA 2, released in December 2018, is an update on that first pedal5. Ackermann decided it was time to revisit his first born, redesigning it from the ground up4. New features over the original include the active boost, phase switch, and limiter, which MusicRadar's Michael Astley-Brown described as additions "to enhance and tame the sometimes unpredictable" behavior2. Guitar.com noted the result is usable for so many more applications where the original fell short6.
What reviewers said
Premier Guitar's 2021 review found the pedal more usable than its reputation suggests, listing as pros that it is "more practical, manageable, and musical than it appears at a glance," capable of generating very complex textures, and that it "extends the voice of any pedal you own"3. The review noted a street price of $2503.
On the JHS Pedals channel, Oliver Ackermann himself looked back at the original, saying "total sonic annihilation was the pedal and death by audio was the brand"8.
Videos
Knobs
Premier Guitar
Death By Audio
Questions
Does the Total Sonic Annihilation 2 work without power?
Yes, in one mode. When the ACTIVE BOOST is not engaged, the pedal is completely passive and can work without power, so the feedback loop still functions. With the boost on, it needs the 9V DC supply, and plugging in the adaptor bypasses the internal battery.
Does the Total Sonic Annihilation 2 take a battery?
Yes, it has an internal battery. When a 9V DC adaptor is plugged in, the battery is bypassed, so the pedal runs off the adaptor. The maker specifies a standard 9V DC supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel and a current draw of 5 mA.
What happens to the pedals in the loop when the TSA 2 is off?
When the TSA 2 is turned off, the pedal itself is bypassed, but every pedal in the loop is still part of your signal chain. Any effect in the loop keeps working as usual, just without the feedback loop being applied to it.
What does the PHASE switch do on the Total Sonic Annihilation 2?
It flips the phase of the effects loop, and it only works when the ACTIVE BOOST is on. Flipping phase lets the TSA 2 work with all sorts of pedals, since some effects respond very differently to feedback depending on the phase relationship.
Who designed the Total Sonic Annihilation?
Oliver Ackermann, the founder of Death by Audio. The original Total Sonic Annihilation was the company's first-ever pedal, and Ackermann redesigned it from the ground up for version 2, adding an active boost, phase switch, and limiter.
Sources (8)
- TOTAL SONIC ANNIHILATION 2, Death By Audio
- Death By Audio releases sequel to “the most insane pedal of all time”, the Total Sonic Annihilation 2, MusicRadar, 2018-12-07
- Death By Audio Total Sonic Annihilation 2 Review, Premier Guitar, 2018-12-28
- Death By Audio Total Sonic Annihilation 2, Delicious Audio, 2019-01-26
- Death By Audio Unveils Total Sonic Annihilation 2, Guitar World, 2018-12-07
- Death By Audio launches the Total Sonic Annihilation 2, Guitar.com, 2018-12-10
- Death by Audio, Stompbox Book, 2019-12-20
- Who Is Death By Audio?, JHS Pedals (YouTube channel: JHS Pedals), 2021-07-16