The Dark Star Soundscape Textured Reverb is a stereo ambient reverb pedal from Old Blood Noise Endeavors, first shown in November 2024. The maker describes it as "a characterful lo-fi reverb, ideal for slow attack and pad generation"1. Where a typical reverb pedal gives you one tail with maybe a shimmer or modulation option, the Dark Star layers three texture engines, pitch shifting, bit crushing and delay, on top of the reverb itself, and lets you run them all at once rather than choosing between them.
Guitar Pedal X called it "the next evolution of OBNE's Dark Star", noting that the original compact pedal was "a long term fan favourite, but this new edition is something quite a bit more"2. It is hand-made in Oklahoma, USA, with top-mounted jacks and soft-touch switching2.
What the Dark Star Soundscape does
At its core this is a reverb pedal for players who want texture, not just space. The reverb tail can be reshaped by two independent pitch shifters, a bit-crusher with saturation, and a delay, all blended together. Guitar Pedal X described the result as "a very distinct Reverb sound with a set palette of Reverb 'colours' that can be mixed in various clever ways, plus a textured Overdrive beyond the Sample Reduction knob"2.
The Multiply control is the feedback loop: Old Blood Noise says it "add[s] feedback to the whole system, enhancing effects like rising and falling pitch shifts"3. Gearnews described it as "a feedback loop that can create rising or falling pitch shift textures"6. That is where the pedal moves from ambient wash into self-generating, shifting soundscapes.
For context on where the maker's reverb line sits, the Dark Star Soundscape is the flagship of a family that also includes the compact Dark Star Pad Reverb, the Dark Star Stereo, and the Dark Light Dual Reverb27.
The controls: pitch, crush, lag and multiply
The control set splits between the reverb itself and the texture engines layered on it. Here is what each knob and control does, from the maker's product page and Guitar Pedal X's launch coverage23:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Decay | Sets reverb trail length |
| Volume | Output level |
| Mix | Wet/dry balance |
| Stereo Spread | Width of the stereo image |
| Pitch 1 and Pitch 2 | Two independent pitch shifters, each covering -2 octaves to +2 octaves |
| Crush | Bit-crushing and saturation on the reverb |
| Filter | Tones down or opens up the filtered signal |
| Lag | Pre-delay before the reverb begins |
| Multiply | Feedback through the whole system, for rising or falling pitch shift textures |
| Reverb | Trail length (shared with the Dark Star family) |
Every knob is expression-controllable, and MIDI reaches every parameter, which is how the pedal works as a studio or live centerpiece rather than just a stompbox23.
Power and connections
The Soundscape runs on a 9V DC center negative supply through a 2.1mm jack and draws 350mA, with the power supply not included21. Guitar Pedal X's launch report gave the same figure, about 350mA2.
At 350mA this pedal will overload a small daisy-chain output designed for analog drives, and it has no battery option. Plan for an isolated output or a supply rated well above its draw3.
Connections are top-mounted: TRS stereo in and TRS stereo out, with routing options for mono or mono-in, stereo-out, so a mono board can still feed two amps2. MIDI in and out sit alongside an expression port, and the bypass footswitch is joined by an AUX footswitch input, all with soft-touch switching23. Bypass is selectable between buffered trails and true bypass, with analog dry through either way23.
History and versions: from the Dark Star Pad Reverb
The Soundscape edition, launched in November 2024, keeps those elements but removes the either/or choice. Guitar Pedal X reported that "for this new enlarged Stereo edition OBNE allows you to use all those textural elements together, with more options and a far higher degree of granularity than the compact original"2. Delicious Audio noted the stereo version, released in 2024, lets you blend all three modes at once7.
The standard colorway is blue, with Black/Monochrome and Pink/Red variants also offered at launch2. A Green Galaxy colorway of the Dark Star Stereo Soundscape Reverb later appeared on the maker's site at $329.005.
What reviewers made of it
Guitar.com reviewed the Dark Star Stereo and found the preset storage practical if not generous: "Three preset slots is just enough (but there's MIDI if you want more)"8. Guitar Pedal X's verdict was warmer still:
"This is actually a really fabulous Stereo Reverb - and one that’s quite appealing to me, where I generally prefer to deploy Reverb Workstation pedals in that role -"2
Guitar Pedal X also included the pedal, at $299, in its 2024 roundup of the year's best new spatial, immersive and time-based effects9. Earlier in the line's life, Delicious Audio had added the original Dark Star to its list of Best Reverb Pedals for Ambient and Shoegazer players4.
Videos
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
The Pedal Zone
Dickie's 90-Second Pedal Demos
Questions
What is the difference between the Dark Star Pad Reverb and the Dark Star Soundscape?
The original Dark Star Pad Reverb, released at the end of 2015, was a compact pedal with a three-way toggle that let you pick one mode at a time: Pitch, Delay or Crush. The Soundscape edition is a larger stereo pedal that lets you blend all of those textural elements together at once, with more options, presets, MIDI and expression control.
Is the Dark Star Soundscape true bypass?
It offers both options. The pedal has selectable buffered trails or true bypass modes, with a soft-touch bypass footswitch designed for minimal switching noise, and analog dry through for the dry signal.
How many presets does the Dark Star Soundscape store?
It has 3 onboard preset slots plus a manual mode. Guitar.com's reviewer found three slots just enough for saving sounds, and noted that MIDI is there if you want access to more presets.
Can the Dark Star Soundscape run mono in, stereo out?
Yes. It has stereo TRS input and output with a routing option for mono or mono-in, stereo-out operation, so a single mono feed can drive a stereo rig. The dry signal stays analog through the pedal.
What colors does the Dark Star Soundscape come in?
The standard colorway is blue, and Old Blood Noise Endeavors has also offered Black/Monochrome and Pink/Red variants. A Green Galaxy colorway of the Dark Star Stereo Soundscape Reverb has also appeared on the maker's site at $329.00.
Sources (9)
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors, Old Blood Noise Endeavors
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-11-21
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors, Old Blood Noise Endeavors
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star Pad Reverb, Delicious Audio, 2021-05-25
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors, Old Blood Noise Endeavors
- The 7 Best Ambient Reverb Pedals for any Budget: From Subtle Space to Full Void, www.gearnews.com, 2026-06-22
- Best Delay + Reverb Pedal Combos In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-11-07
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star Stereo review, Guitar.com, 2025-04-18
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-20
