The Dark Aura Modulated Reverb is an effects pedal from [Haunted Labs], a small builder whose first pedal this was. It is a reverb with modulation built in, meaning the reverb tail itself moves, and it adds an optional Shimmer mode on top. Pedal of the Day featured it on March 29, 2018, ahead of its official release, following a Kickstarter campaign12.
The controls: Mix, Decay and Evolve
The Dark Aura keeps its front panel to three knobs, and each does a distinct job3:
- Mix blends the reverberated effect in against your dry signal, so you can dial the wet level to taste1
- Decay sets the length of the reverb fade, from short, slapback-style reverb sounds to long, drawn-out, ethereal blankets of sound1
- Evolve adds in a powerful shimmer effect that completely takes over your tone as it is turned up1
Delicious Audio's buying guide to hybrid reverbs lists the pedal's controls as Level, Decay and Color, with an optional Shimmer mode and modulation LFO shapes of Sawtooth, Sine and Special3. The two reviews name the knobs differently, so the panel may have been revised between the 2018 review and the 2023 guide.
The control names differ between the 2018 Pedal of the Day review (Mix, Decay, Evolve) and Delicious Audio's 2023 guide (Level, Decay, Color). Both agree on Decay and on an optional Shimmer mode.
The first pedal from Haunted Labs
Haunted Labs was a small company just getting going when the Dark Aura appeared. Pedal of the Day's reviewer called it a strong start1:
"A small company just getting going, Haunted Labs is definitely on the right track with this first pedal of theirs"
The reviewer's overall take was that the pedal "re-imagines the way the reverb effect should sound and takes the player to the edge of modulation insanity"1. The circuit is described as an original design rather than a clone1. Haunted Labs went on to make other pedals, including the Paranormal Fuzz V2 and the Frost Bite Fuzz, and later Pedal of the Day pieces still pointed back to the Dark Aura as the pedal that "blistered" them with ambience45.
Videos
Eddie Heinzelman (Cousin Eddie)
Pedal of the Day
Angry Tones Riff Clips
Questions
What is the Haunted Labs Dark Aura?
The Dark Aura is a modulated reverb effects pedal made by Haunted Labs. It was the company's first pedal, shown ahead of its official release after a Kickstarter campaign, and Pedal of the Day featured it in March 2018. Its controls are Mix, Decay and Evolve, and it offers an optional Shimmer mode with modulation LFO shapes of Sawtooth, Sine and Special.
Does the Dark Aura have a shimmer mode?
Yes. Delicious Audio's buying guide lists an optional Shimmer mode among the Dark Aura's features, alongside Level, Decay and Color controls. On the Pedal of the Day review, the Evolve control is described as adding a powerful shimmer effect that takes over the tone as it is turned up.
What LFO shapes does the Dark Aura offer?
According to Delicious Audio's buying guide, the Dark Aura's modulation offers LFO shapes of Sawtooth, Sine and Special. These shapes move the reverb, which is what makes it a modulated reverb rather than a plain one.
Who makes the Dark Aura?
The Dark Aura is made by Haunted Labs, a small company that was just getting going when Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal in April 2018. The Dark Aura was the maker's first pedal.
Was the Dark Aura funded on Kickstarter?
Pedal of the Day's review describes the Dark Aura as Haunted Labs' first pedal, shown ahead of its official release after a Kickstarter campaign. The circuit itself is described as an original design.
Sources (5)
- Haunted Labs Dark Aura Modulated Reverb, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2018-04-02
- Haunted Labs Dark Aura Modulated Reverb, Pedal of the Day, 2018-03-29
- The Best Reverb Pedals With Modulation Or Fuzz/Distortion In 2023, Delicious Audio, 2023-01-30
- Haunted Labs Paranormal Fuzz V2, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2019-01-30
- Coffin / Haunted Labs Frost Bite Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2019-05-22
