The Source Audio Pathways is a reverb and tremolo pedal in one compact box, built by Source Audio. It puts seven reverb and echo engines and three tremolo types under two independent footswitches, so you can run either effect on its own or both at once, in full stereo, with MIDI and preset storage on top1. Source Audio describes it as a pedal "designed to feel great the moment you plug in"1.
The idea is an old one. As Delicious Audio notes, "Spring reverb and tube tremolo have lived together since the days when amps came with both built in"2. Pathways gathers that pairing into a pedalboard-friendly stompbox, in the same enclosure format as Source Audio's Lo-Fi Artifakt, with a cactus graphic on the enclosure34. It launched in March 2026 at $349 MAP, and guitar.com's review put its list price at $34945. Source Audio's own product page currently lists it as sold out1.
What it does: reverb and tremolo in one pedal
Pathways gives each effect its own set of knobs and its own footswitch. The reverb side has Reverb Time, Tone and Mix controls; the tremolo side has Speed and Depth1. Guitar Pedal X's launch report lists the full reverb section as Reverb Time, Tone, Reverb Mix, a Reverb Type selector and the Reverb footswitch4. A center knob in the second row serves as the mode selector, which guitar.com's reviewer Jason Mays figured would likely be "the control you'll interact with most"5.
The two footswitches are the heart of the design. Source Audio says the separate reverb and tremolo footswitches "allow each effect to be engaged independently"1, so a player can leave a hall reverb running and kick the tremolo in only for a chorus, or pulse the tremolo on its own with the reverb muted. The tremolo footswitch also doubles as a tap tempo control4.
There is an expression input too. Source Audio lists external expression control capable of adjusting multiple parameters1, and MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley gives examples: using an expression pedal "to ramp up the rate of the tremolo, or perhaps increase the size of the reverb"3.
Reverb engines and tremolo modes
The reverb side offers seven engines, which Source Audio says are "inspired by the music gear industry's most iconic equipment"1:
| Engine | What the maker and press say |
|---|---|
| Spring | Classic tube amp reverb, bright and bouncy, the sound of clean guitar2 |
| Tank | Reverb tank emulation1 |
| Plate | Plate reverb emulation1 |
| Hall | Hall reverb3 |
| Room | Room reverb1 |
| Slap | Slap reverb1 |
| Echo | Echo reverb3 |
The tremolo side carries three types: Harmonic, Bias and Optical4. These map to the three classic tremolo circuits found in vintage amps, each with its own character of amplitude modulation.
MusicRadar highlighted the Echo Reverb as the unusual one. Horsley noted that "the aforementioned Echo Reverb is not something you find on every reverb pedal, even the digital ones," and found it can thicken a tone, work well with wiry single-coil pickups, or add physicality beyond a plain reverb3. Source Audio's own marketing for the pedal promises "a wider range of textures, moving from tight, immediate sounds to expansive ambience"3.
Stereo, MIDI and presets
Pathways is built for stereo rigs and MIDI-controlled boards. Source Audio lists four routing options: mono in to mono out, mono in to stereo out, stereo in to stereo out, and stereo in to mono out1. MusicRadar calls it full stereo operation3.
The rear panel carries MIDI In, Input 1, Input 2, a Control Input, the 9V power port, USB-C, MIDI Thru, Output 1 and Output 24. MIDI connections are 3.5 mm TRS MIDI In and Thru (Type A), plus MIDI over USB1. There is also a 3.5 mm control port for connecting compatible Source Audio control devices4.
Published accounts differ slightly on presets.
- Source Audio's product page lists 128 preset locations accessible from the pedal or MIDI1.
- MusicRadar says you can save 128 presets, all accessible from the pedal or via MIDI3.
- Guitar Pedal X's launch report gives 16 presets accessible via the onboard controls, with the full 128 available via MIDI4.
Deep editing goes through Source Audio's Neuro 3 app, connected over USB-C to a laptop. MusicRadar notes this also opens up a preset library created by other guitarists and Source Audio artists3. Source Audio's page adds that the Neuro 3 app unlocks additional features, parameters and an extensive library of free presets1.
The maker's page lists Pathways as sold out as of October 20261. Players hunting one may need to wait for the next production run or check the secondhand market.
What reviewers said
guitar.com's Jason Mays reviewed the Pathways in August 2026 and rated it 9 out of 10. His verdict on the reverb side was strong:
"Reverb sounds are some of the most authentic and detailed classic tones around"5
Jason Mays, guitar.com5
His one reservation was the software side: he felt the Neuro 3 app adds little for this particular pedal5. MusicRadar's coverage was positive on the feature set, though Horsley allowed that "It ain't cheap at £/$349"3.
Where it sits in the Source Audio range
Pathways follows a run of Source Audio combination pedals. The Source Audio Encounter pairs six delay and six reverb engines, and before that the Collider did the same job with 12 engines drawn from the Nemesis and Ventris Dual Reverb. Players after spring reverb specifically may also want to look at the Source Audio True Spring. Pathways is the one that swaps delay for tremolo, aiming squarely at the amp-style reverb-and-tremolo pairing.
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Questions
Does the Source Audio Pathways have tap tempo?
Yes. The tremolo footswitch doubles as a tap tempo control, so you tap the trem side of the pedal to set the tremolo speed in time with the music. Delicious Audio's write-up puts it simply: tap tempo lives under the trem side.
Can the Pathways run in stereo?
Yes. The pedal has stereo inputs and outputs and supports four routing combinations: mono in to mono out, mono in to stereo out, stereo in to stereo out, and stereo in to mono out. MusicRadar describes it as full stereo operation.
How many presets does the Source Audio Pathways hold?
Source Audio lists 128 preset locations accessible from the pedal or via MIDI. Guitar Pedal X's launch report gives a different split, with 16 presets accessible via the onboard controls and the full 128 available via MIDI. The maker's page is the newer figure.
Can I use the reverb and tremolo separately?
Yes. The pedal has separate reverb and tremolo footswitches, and each effect can be engaged independently, so you can run reverb alone, tremolo alone, or both together. The two effects also have their own dedicated knob sets.
Sources (5)
- Pathways Reverb & Tremolo, Source Audio
- Source Audio Pathways Multi Stereo Tremolo + Reverb, Delicious Audio, 2026-04-15
- Source Audio unveils Pathways reverb and tremolo pedal, MusicRadar, 2026-03-31
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-03-24
- Source Audio Pathways review: “between the worlds of modernity and tradition”, guitar.com, 2026-08-05
