The Dreadbox Treminator is an expressive analog tremolo pedal from Dreadbox, a Greek synthesizer maker that has been expanding into pedals. What sets it apart from a standard tremolo is its circuit: it is built on a VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier), the same stage a synthesizer uses as the last step in its signal flow, paired with an LFO that is controlled by envelope generators123. In practice that means the tremolo does not just cycle at a fixed rate, it can respond to how you play.
The envelope generators are the key. A secondary control lets the tremolo rate speed up or slow down every time the pedal detects your pick attack, and a Fade control fades the tremolo effect in or out on each attack2. Dreadbox describes the result as a pedal that "allows for intricate modulation and evolving tremolo effects"4.
Dreadbox lists the Treminator at a price of 156.00 EUR exc VAT, with a shipping time of 2 to 3 working days1.
A synth VCA tremolo that reacts to pick attack
Most tremolo pedals chop the volume with an LFO running at whatever rate you set, and nothing about your playing changes that. The Treminator comes at it from a synthesizer designer's angle. Delicious Audio notes that the pedal is "based on a VCA circuit straight out of one of their synthesizers"2, and Pedal of the Day explains the idea in synth terms: it is "Based on the synthesizer's last signal flow stage, called the VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier)," combined with "an LFO that is controlled by Envelope Generators"3.
For a player, the envelope generators are what make the pedal feel interactive. Two behaviors come directly from them:
- Dynamic rate response: a secondary control lets the tremolo rate speed up or slow down every time the pedal detects your pick attack2.
- Fade control: the tremolo effect fades in or out each time the pedal detects a pick attack2.
Premier Guitar's reviewer also highlighted a related feature, noting that "the super-useful LFO waveform reset mode restarts a waveform when the envelope reaches its threshold"5. In other words, your attack can retrigger the tremolo's waveform rather than letting it run free, which keeps the modulation locked to your phrasing.
The controls and modes
The Treminator's rate control is wide. Dreadbox gives the manual LFO speed knob a range from 20 seconds to 220hz4, and the pedal also offers tap tempo from 20 seconds to 20hz with subdivisions2. That puts it in synth-LFO territory at the slow end, far beyond what a conventional tremolo needs for a pulse.
Dreadbox also lists a 5-position LFO waveform selection, described as a position selector rather than a continuous wave-shaper4. Pedal of the Day adds that the pedal has "an entire second level of controls as well, accessed by holding down the On/Shift switch"3, so the face of the pedal does not show everything it can do.
The pedal's flexibility goes well beyond standard tremolo. Delicious Audio lists these common uses2:
- Standard Classic Triangle Tremolo
- Volume pedal (requires external CV)
- Signal Chopper
- LFO Generator for other CV gear
- LFO Accelerator / Deaccelerator
- Fade In/Out LFO
That list is closer to a modular synth's job description than a tremolo's. The Treminator's common uses include a Signal Chopper mode, an LFO Generator mode that serves as a control-voltage source for other CV gear, and a volume pedal mode that requires an external CV2.
Power and connections
The Treminator is a mono pedal: one audio in, one audio out. The input accepts audio from a line or fretted instrument at up to 2Vpp levels, and the output is meant to go to an amp, mixer or monitor4. Players hoping for a stereo tremolo will not find one here.
Power comes from a 9V DC supply, BOSS style, center pin negative, with a 2.1mm barrel, and the supply is not included4. Current draw is 80mA4, which is modest by pedalboard standards but well above what a 9V battery delivers in most battery-powered pedals, so plan on a pedalboard power supply or a dedicated adapter.
The center-pin-negative polarity matches the BOSS standard, so most common pedalboard power supplies will work. Check your supply's current budget: at 80mA the Treminator draws more than many analog tremolos4.
What reviewers said
Premier Guitar reviewed the Treminator in December 2023 at a list price of $199.005. The reviewer's verdict centered on the pedal's range: "its many waveform options, and the wide range and interactivity in its controls, can lead to many unusual or tastefully subdued tremolo variations"5. That matches the pedal's own design brief: it is built for players who want a tremolo that can be shaped and retriggered rather than simply switched on.
Pedal of the Day covered the pedal in October 2022 alongside the Dreadbox Treminator Smashing Tremolo and Raindrops Stereo Delay, noting the pair's CMOS buffered bypass switching and the second control level behind the On/Shift switch3. Delicious Audio had already demoed the Treminator at its NAMM 2022 stompbox booth, when Dreadbox's pedal line was still new2.
Videos
Premier Guitar
Dreadbox
Do Noise
Questions
Is the Dreadbox Treminator true bypass?
No. Dreadbox specifies a Buffered OpAmp Bypass for the Treminator, and Pedal of the Day describes its switching as CMOS buffered bypass. The pedal keeps its buffer in the signal path when switched off rather than hard-wiring the input to the output as a true bypass design would.
Does the Dreadbox Treminator have tap tempo?
Yes. The Treminator offers tap tempo covering a range from 20 seconds to 20hz, with subdivisions available. There is also a manual LFO speed knob, which Dreadbox lists with a range from 20 seconds to 220hz, so you can set the rate by hand or tap it in.
Is the Dreadbox Treminator stereo?
No. Dreadbox specifies mono audio in and out. The input accepts audio from a line or fretted instrument at up to 2Vpp levels, and the output is meant to be sent to an amp, mixer or monitor. Players wanting a stereo Dreadbox effect would need to look elsewhere.
Does the Dreadbox Treminator come with a power supply?
No. The Treminator takes a 9V DC supply, BOSS style, center pin negative, 2.1mm barrel, and Dreadbox states that the power supply is not included. You need to supply your own pedalboard power or a compatible adapter.
Can the Treminator be used as an LFO for other CV gear?
Yes. One of its listed modes is an LFO Generator for other CV gear, so the pedal can act as a modulation source for synthesizers and other equipment that accepts control voltage. It also has an LFO Accelerator / Deaccelerator mode and a Fade In/Out LFO mode.
Sources (5)
- Treminator, Dreadbox Synthesizers, 2026-09-17
- Dreadbox Treminator Tremolo, Delicious Audio, 2023-03-17
- Dreadbox Treminator Smashing Tremolo & Raindrops Stereo Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2022-10-17
- Treminator Effect Pedal, Dreadbox Synthesizers, 2024-11-09
- Dreadbox Treminator: Synth Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2023-12-19
