The Vein-Tap Dark Arts Tap Tempo Phaser is a phaser pedal from British maker Vein-Tap, part of the company's Dark series of stompboxes12. What sets it apart from most phasers is tap tempo: a soft-touch footswitch on the left side of the pedal sets the rate of phase in time with your music, overriding the Rate control when tapped2. Vein-Tap's own write-up liked straight away "the serious amount of control crammed into its small casing"1.
The phase path itself is fully analog, with sixteen wave shapes and a set of controls for shaping them2.
What it does and how you control it
The pedal is built around sixteen wave shapes, selected by a Wave Set switch that chooses one of two banks of eight waveforms1. Gearnews noted these shapes allow "all manner of phase and tremolo effects"1, so the pedal covers ground beyond straight phase. A Center Shift control moves the center of the wave shape, letting you push the sweep away from its default position2.
The tempo side works like this:
- Tap the left-side soft-touch footswitch to set the rate of phase; tapping overrides the Rate control2.
- Set the Tempo Ratio control to a multiplier of the tapped tempo: half, full, one-and-a-half time, double time, triple time or quadruple time2.
- Shape the wave with the Wave Set switch and Center Shift21.
A Phase / Vibe switch selects between Phase and Vibe positions. In the Vibe position the pedal leans toward vibrato, and phase tone can be introduced with the Feedback control, which Vein-Tap positions as a way to get blended phase and vibrato tones2.
Version 1 and version 2.0
The Dark Arts Phaser has gone through two versions, and the difference matters if you are comparing used units2.
| v1 | v2.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Blend control | Single Voice control, choosing ratios between Vibe and Phase mod tones, or between Phase and Dry signals | Split into a separate Depth control and Phase / Vibe switch |
| Feedback control | Earlier design | Vastly improved, per Vein-Tap |
| Control layout | Original | Updated control structure |
Vein-Tap describes the v2.0 changes as "updated control structure and a vastly improved Feedback control," with the Voice control of v1 replaced by the separate Depth control and Phase / Vibe switch2. In practice, a v2.0 unit gives you independent depth and mode selection where v1 combined them in one knob.
Where it came from and what it costs
Vein-Tap announced the pedal with a UK RRP of GBP 149.95, and GBP 129.95 special pre-order pricing at the time of the announcement1. It is covered by the Vein-Tap.com Lifetime Guarantee2.
What the press said
Coverage at launch was positive about the control density. Vein-Tap's own write-up of the pedal liked straight away "the serious amount of control crammed into its small casing"1. The announcement also highlighted the combination of an on-board soft-touch Tap Tempo footswitch with a soft-touch true bypass footswitch3.
Videos
Vein-Tap.com
Vein-Tap.com
Questions
Is the Vein-Tap Dark Arts Tap Tempo Phaser analog?
Yes. Vein-Tap describes it as a fully analogue phase shifter, and Gearnews called it an all-analogue effect when it launched in 2019. The tap tempo and wave shape selection sit alongside an analogue phase path rather than a digital one.
Is the Dark Arts Phaser true bypass?
Yes. Vein-Tap specifies soft-touch, true bypass footswitching, and both Guitar World and Gearnews reported the same when the pedal was announced. The bypass applies to the main footswitches on the unit.
What tempo ratios does the Dark Arts Phaser offer?
The Tempo Ratio control offers half, full, one-and-a-half time, double time, triple time and quadruple time multipliers of the tempo you tap in. Tapping the left-side footswitch overrides the Rate control, so the ratios apply to the tapped tempo rather than the knob setting.
How many wave shapes does the Dark Arts Phaser have?
Sixteen. The Wave Set switch selects one of two banks of eight waveforms, and Gearnews noted these allow all manner of phase and tremolo effects. A Centre Shift control moves the centre of the wave shape for further shaping.
Where is the Vein-Tap Dark Arts Phaser made?
Vein-Tap says each unit is hand made in Devon, UK. When the pedal launched in 2019, Gearnews reported it as designed and built in Plymouth, UK, which is in Devon.
Sources (3)
- UK pedal maker Vein-Tap conjures the Dark Arts Tap Tempo Phaser, gearnews.com, 2019-02-03
- Dark Arts Tap Tempo Phaser / Phase Shifter, Vein-Tap.com, 2026-09-01
- Vein-Tap Introduces Dark Arts Tap Tempo Phaser, Guitar World, 2019-02-01
