The Satan Oscillate My Metallic Sonatas, often shortened to SOMMS, is a sound generator pedal from Dwarfcraft Devices that blends synth tones with your guitar signal. Premier Guitar described it as "a downright diabolical machine capable of creating walls of harmonically twisted synth tones that you can blend with you[r guitar]"1. It carries a street price of $2791.
What sets it apart from most synth pedals is that the synth does not follow your playing. "With the SOMMS, your input signal and the synth signal are entirely independent," Premier Guitar's review explains, so the synth runs as accompaniment to the instrument rather than tracking its pitch1.
How it works
Most synth pedals work by pitch tracking. As Premier Guitar puts it, "Typically a synth pedal tracks the incoming tone from your guitar and, depending on pitch, uses it to tune oscillators." The SOMMS takes a different route: its oscillators run free of the guitar, producing tones that sit alongside what you play1.
Within the pedal are four square-wave oscillators1. Two of them, named Demon1 and Demon2, "tend to create haunting, discordant intervals or bending, screeching sounds" according to the review1.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Blend (far right) | Blends synth with the guitar input. At minimum it isolates the synth signal and darkens it. At noon, synth and guitar are at equal levels and the synth output is at its brightest1 |
Where it came from
The SOMMS combines features of two earlier Dwarfcraft Devices pedals, the Thumping Double Squaresnakes and Rot Yr Brain, including the four square-wave oscillators and a joystick1.
What reviewers said
Premier Guitar's verdict highlighted the pedal's range of sounds and its joystick control1:
"Unique tonal possibilities. devastating sonic potential. Joystick!"
Questions
How many oscillators does the Satan Oscillate My Metallic Sonatas have?
The pedal contains four square-wave oscillators. Two of them, named Demon1 and Demon2, tend to create haunting, discordant intervals or bending, screeching sounds, according to Premier Guitar's review. The pedal also combines features of two earlier Dwarfcraft Devices pedals, the Thumping Double Squaresnakes and Rot Yr Brain, including those four oscillators and a joystick.
Does the synth in this pedal track what the guitar plays?
No. Premier Guitar notes that typical synth pedals track the incoming guitar tone and use its pitch to tune their oscillators. With the Satan Oscillate My Metallic Sonatas, the input signal and the synth signal are entirely independent, so the synth runs alongside the instrument as accompaniment rather than following the notes played.
What does the blend control do?
The blend control sits on the far right of the pedal and sets how the synth sits against the guitar. At its minimum it isolates the synth signal and darkens it. At noon, the synth and guitar are at equal levels and the synth output is at its brightest.
How much does the Dwarfcraft Satan Oscillate My Metallic Sonatas cost?
Premier Guitar's review lists a street price of $279 in US dollars, as of the review's publication in September 2026.
Sources (1)
- Dwarfcraft Oscillate Pedal Review: A Deep Dive, Premier Guitar, 2012-02-10