The Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdrive is a compact overdrive pedal from boutique effects maker Interstellar Audio Machines (IAM), announced in November 2021 as the company's flagship guitar effect1. It is a Klon clone: its circuit follows the design of the Klon Centaur, using hand-picked rare germanium diodes, rigorously tested for optimum tone, as the clipping elements23. Like the original Centaur, it blends the overdriven signal with the clean signal through what the maker calls a "natural crossover" circuit2.
Vintage Guitar reviewed the pedal in September 2023 and described it as designed to add low to medium overdrive, not high gain, with the maker's own words summing up the intent: "The Octonaut Hyperdrive delivers semi-transparent overdrive tones and expressive dynamics with inspiring richness"3.
A Klon-style overdrive with germanium diodes
The Klon Centaur, Bill Finnegan's original overdrive, used germanium diodes in its clipping stage, and that choice is central to why the circuit is still copied. Delicious Audio describes the Octonaut Hyperdrive as "a Klon clone that's gaining quite a bit of attention for its authentic tone that replicates the original's expressive and transparent tone"2.
The pedal follows the Klon recipe in two ways the press has highlighted:
- Germanium clipping: the circuit features hand-picked rare germanium diodes, tested for optimum tone2. In Guitar World's demo, Paul Riario noted "the hyperdrive uses rare germanium diodes for optimum tone"4.
- Blended clean signal: in true Klon fashion, it employs a "natural crossover" circuit to blend the overdrive with the clean signal2. The gain pot is dual-ganged, which Riario called "key in blending the clipping stage and the clean stage," with the two signals merging before the tone and volume stages4.
The pedal is an all-analog design, which Guitar World credited with "pure, ultra consistent performance"4. It sits in a small housing, which Vintage Guitar noted "is also perfect for placement alongside other pedals"3.
The controls: Drive, Tone and Volume
The front panel keeps to three knobs, and Pedal of the Day's 2022 review broke down what each does6:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| DRV | Sets the amount of input gain, from clean boost at minimum to classic distortion when maxed; turning it up also increases the mids |
| TON | A tone control: brighter to the right, more low end to the left, neutral at 12:00 |
| VOL | Sets the output level |
Because the gain pot is dual-ganged, the Drive knob is doing two jobs at once, adjusting the clipping stage and the clean stage together rather than simply adding gain to one path4. That is the mechanism behind the Klon's reputation for transparency: the clean signal keeps its character while the clipped signal is layered in.
Bypass, power and placement
Inside the pedal is a bypass mode switch that lets you choose true bypass or buffered bypass, so the pedal can be set to suit the rest of a board16. Delicious Audio describes the pedal as shipping with true buffered bypass2. For players deciding how to run it, the choice is the usual trade-off: true bypass keeps the signal path untouched when the pedal is off, while buffered bypass drives long cable runs; the internal switch means you are not locked into either6.
Power comes from a 9V battery or a 9V power supply4, and the jacks are top-mounted, which saves width on a pedalboard4.
Versions and price
Interstellar Audio Machines advertised the original Octonaut Hyperdrive as a transparent overdrive, with Premier Guitar's 2021 announcement calling it a pedal that "delivers the unattainable cosmic tone of the gods at an affordable price"1. Vintage Guitar's September 2023 review covered a new version, noting that "the new version offers boost based on the Klon Centaur"3. That version was priced at $199 at the time of the review5; by June 2026, Delicious Audio's guide to the Klon Centaur and the best Klon clones listed it at around $2705.
The pedal has been available at select retailers and directly from the Interstellar Audio Machines online store1.
What reviewers said
- Vintage Guitar (September 2023): low to medium overdrive, not high gain; semi-transparent tones and expressive dynamics in a small housing3.
- Delicious Audio (September 2023): "a Klon clone that's gaining quite a bit of attention for its authentic tone that replicates the original's expressive and transparent tone"2.
- Pedal of the Day (May 2022): covered the three controls, the Klon Centaur-based circuit and the selectable true or buffered bypass6.
Guitar World's Paul Riario demoed the Octonaut Hyperdrive alongside two other IAM pedals, the Fuzzsquatch Fuzzdrive and Marsling Octafuzzdrive, identifying the Klon, Big Muff Pi and Fox Tone Machine lineages behind them. On the Hyperdrive he highlighted the all-analog circuit, the germanium diodes, the dual-ganged gain pot blending clipping and clean stages, the internal bypass switch, the top-mounted jacks, and that all three pedals are designed and manufactured in the USA4.
Videos
Interstellar Audio Machines
Interstellar Audio Machines
Interstellar Audio Machines
Questions
Is the Octonaut Hyperdrive a Klon clone?
Yes. The press and reviewers describe it as a Klon clone, meaning its circuit follows the topology of the Klon Centaur: a dual-ganged gain control that blends a clipped stage with a clean signal, and germanium diodes doing the clipping. Delicious Audio called it a clone gaining attention for replicating the original's expressive, transparent tone.
Is the Octonaut Hyperdrive true bypass or buffered?
It can be either. Inside the pedal there is a bypass mode switch that lets you select true bypass or buffered bypass, so you can match it to the rest of your pedalboard. Delicious Audio also describes the pedal as having true buffered bypass as shipped.
Is the Octonaut Hyperdrive high gain?
No. Vintage Guitar describes it as designed to add low to medium overdrive, not high gain. With the Drive knob at minimum it works as a clean boost, and turned up it reaches classic distortion, but it is not a high-gain pedal.
What changed between the original and new Octonaut Hyperdrive?
Vintage Guitar reviewed a new version in September 2023, noting that it offers boost based on the Klon Centaur, where the original Octonaut Hyperdrive was advertised by Interstellar Audio Machines as a transparent overdrive. The new version was priced at $199 at the time of that review.
Sources (6)
- Octonaut Hyperdrive: Interstellar Audio's New Tech, Premier Guitar, 2021-11-05
- Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdrive (Klon Clone), Delicious Audio, 2023-09-10
- Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdrive, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2024-05-13
- Interstellar Audio Machines' Octonaut Hyperdrive, Fuzzsquatch Fuzzdrive and Marsling Octafuzzdrive, Guitar World, 2023-12-04
- The Klon Centaur Pedal And The Best Klon Clones In 2026: A Buyer's Guide, Delicious Audio, 2026-06-17
- Interstellar Audio Machines Octonaut Hyperdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2022-05-16
