Walrus Audio Monumental Stereo Tremolo

For a player, that means one compact box covers a wide range of amplitude-modulation sounds: six wave shapes, five tap divisions, a blend from standard to harmonic tremolo, and stereo spread that can go as far as full panning between two amps¹². Delicious Audio noted it "builds on its predecessor's warm tones while offering additional controls and features to enhance the sonic experience"¹.

What it does, and the six wave shapes

Tremolo raises and lowers your volume in a repeating cycle. A harmonic tremolo, like the Monumental's, splits that cycle so high and low frequencies fade in turn, which players often hear as a smoother, more swirling motion than a straight amplitude chop. The Monumental's S-B-H control (Stereo, Both, Harmonic) blends continuously from standard tremolo to harmonic tremolo, so you can sit anywhere between the two¹.

The six wave shapes, as listed in MusicRadar's review, are Sine, Square, Saw, Ramp, Bumps and Random⁷. The Random shape is the odd one out: instead of a repeating cycle it steps unpredictably, useful for choppy, irregular textures. Tap tempo works with five divisions, selected by a division button: quarter, quarter triplet, eighth, eighth triplet and sixteenth⁷. Delicious Audio noted the Ramp and Eighth Note Triplet divisions were new additions over the previous version¹.

The controls

The Pan control is the key stereo feature. Walrus Audio explains that counterclockwise it gives standard tremolo, with the same LFO (the low-frequency oscillator driving the effect) on both channels. Turning it clockwise offsets the phase of the right channel's LFO, and fully clockwise it reaches maximum panning, with the right channel's LFO 180 degrees out of phase with the left³. In practice that means anything from a matched stereo pulse to a sound that sweeps from left to right¹.

The pedal also saves and recalls three onboard presets plus a "live" mode, and each preset stores every parameter⁸. A Tap/Exp jack handles both tap tempo and an expression pedal, with full expression control over every parameter⁴.

Power: 9V or 12V

The Monumental runs on 9VDC to 12VDC, center negative, drawing 100mA². There is no battery option; MusicRadar's review notes a 9V adapter is not supplied⁷.

The reason to choose 12V is headroom. Walrus Audio specifies 1.7Vpp of headroom on a 9V supply, rising to 2.6Vpp on 12V, before the signal starts to distort⁵. If you feed it hot signals, or it sits after a boost in your chain, the higher voltage gives the clean signal more room.

History and versions

The Monumental builds on its predecessor's warm tones while adding controls and features¹. It follows the Monument Harmonic Tap Tremolo and the Monument V2; the Monument V2 is discontinued and no longer available from Walrus Audio⁹.

The Monumental is available right now from the Walrus Audio Webstore⁴. It comes in two enclosure designs illustrated by David Hüttner: orange/copper or flat black¹. A blemished unit was offered and has since sold out⁸.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, found the feature set practical for stage use, calling it "a pretty comprehensive feature set" that makes it "an extremely practical, compact choice for onstage needs," and concluding that "from the subtle to the extreme, Walrus Audio Monumental Stereo Harmonic Tremolo could satisfy all your tremolo needs"⁷.

Guitar World's review, also by Trevor Curwen, listed the true bypass and three onboard presets among its features but flagged the price: "It is pricey"⁶. Guitar Pedal X named it in its 2024 round-up of the best new modulation and utility pedals, marking it as a Gold pick at $279¹⁰.

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