The Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dweller Phase Repeater is a phaser pedal with a twist: a Stretch control that changes the delay time inside each phaser stage, letting one knob move the effect between phaser, delay and reverb-like sounds. Old Blood Noise Endeavors coined the term "phase repeater" for exactly this, describing it as "an effect that can sound like phaser, delay, or reverb depending on one knob"1. Released in July 20182, it is built around a collection of modulating allpass filters with a sample stretching circuit inside the phaser, which Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio noted "creates some unexpected variations on that classic effect"3.
What a phase repeater is
Under the hood the Dweller is a phaser: a collection of allpass filters modulating to create its sound1. What sets it apart is the sample stretching circuit inside the phaser, which lets the Stretch knob change the delay time within each phase repeating stage13. At low Stretch settings it behaves like a familiar phaser or vibe; pushed further it produces warm delays and, in the maker's words, sounds that can resemble reverb13. Delicious Audio summed up its range as "from familiar phase and vibe sounds to resonant random step filtering, warm delays, and previously unheard in-betweens"3.
Controls and switching
The front panel gives you five knobs and two toggles:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rate | Sets the rate of the LFO13 |
| Depth | Sets the depth of the LFO13 |
| Regen | Introduces feedback, increasing intensity13 |
| Stretch | Changes the delay time within each phase repeating stage13 |
| Mix | Sets effect blend from 100% dry to 100% wet1 |
| Voice toggle | Selects four-stage or eight-stage phase repeating1 |
| Wave toggle | Selects sine, triangle, or random step LFO shapes32 |
The Voice toggle switches between four- or eight-stage voices12, and the wave shapes cover sine, triangle and random step24. The random step setting is what turns the pedal into a step filter: in a JHS Pedals demo, Nick used it on a synth, "turning the Prologue's Sparkle sound into a horror/sci-fi soundtrack"5. There is also an internal trimpot to control output level3.
Switching is a soft-touch bypass footswitch for true bypass and minimal switch noise1. Delicious Audio described it as relay bypass switching3.
Expression control
The expression jack externally controls the Stretch parameter13. Guitar.com highlighted this when the pedal launched: "You can even control this pot on the fly with an expression pedal"2. For a player, that means the sweep between phaser, delay and reverb-like territory can be performed live with an expression pedal rather than bent down to reach the knob.
Power
The Dweller requires a 9V DC center negative power supply with a 2.1mm jack, capable of 110mA, and the supply is not included1. Delicious Audio confirms standard 9VDC center negative power3.
The 110mA draw and 2.1mm center negative requirement mean the Dweller needs a proper 9V DC supply. There is no battery option in the maker's specifications.
Where it came from and what reviewers said
Old Blood Noise Endeavors released the Dweller Phase Repeater in early July 2018, announced around Summer NAMM that year24. Gearnews reported a recommended price of USD 199 with pre-orders open at launch4; the maker's page lists it at $209.001. The pedal's artwork is by Garrett Young1.
"This is a wonderful pedal that can sound like nothing else. I love placing it before fuzz or dirt."
That placement note, before fuzz or dirt, matches the traditional modulation-before-gain position, though placement is always a matter of taste. Guitar.com's take at launch was that the Dweller "is no average phaser," pointing to the three wave shapes and the four- or eight-stage voices as the starting points for its range of sounds2.
Videos
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
The Pedal Zone
Reverb
Questions
What is a phase repeater?
Phase repeater is a name Old Blood Noise Endeavors invented for an effect that can sound like a phaser, a delay, or a reverb depending on how one knob is set. The Dweller is a collection of modulating allpass filters with a sample stretching circuit inside the phaser, so turning the Stretch knob moves it between familiar phase and vibe sounds and warm delays.
Is the OBNE Dweller true bypass?
Yes. Old Blood Noise Endeavors specifies a soft-touch bypass footswitch for true bypass and minimal switch noise. Delicious Audio described the switching as relay bypass, which is the same soft-touch relay design that gives true bypass operation.
What does the expression jack on the Dweller control?
The expression jack externally controls the Stretch parameter, the knob that changes the delay time within each phase repeating stage. Guitar.com noted that you can control this pot on the fly with an expression pedal, sweeping the effect between phaser, delay and reverb-like sounds in real time.
Is the Old Blood Noise Dweller discontinued?
The maker's product page lists the Dweller Phase Repeater as Sold Out, so it is not currently available to buy. It was released in July 2018 at a recommended price of USD 199, and the page still lists it at $209.00.
Should the Dweller go before or after fuzz?
A gearnews.com commenter found it works well in front of gain, writing: "This is a wonderful pedal that can sound like nothing else. I love placing it before fuzz or dirt." That puts it in the traditional modulation-before-dirt position, but placement is a matter of taste.
Sources (5)
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors, Old Blood Noise Endeavors
- The Dweller Phase Repeater is no average phaser, Guitar.com, 2018-07-04
- Old Blood Noise Dweller Phase Repeater, Delicious Audio, 2020-10-14
- Summer NAMM 2018 : Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dweller Phase Repeater, gearnews.com, 2018-07-01
- GUITAR PEDALS FOR SYNTH, JHS Pedals
