The Subdecay Octasynth Octave Synthesizer with it's streamlined controls converts your guitar signal into three octaves of square waves singing in unison, then sends them through a resonant filter. The end result is reminiscent of a vintage analog synthesizer… or in some cases a malfunctioning analog synthesizer. The Octasynth reacts to your guitar and playing style. Tracking is usually best with the neck pickup. For some guitars it may help to roll the treble back a little too. Some experimenting with your playing style may be needed to really get full use out of this pedal. Palm muted runs can yield anything from funky bass stabs to staccato sequences. Let the notes ring for some sub bass thump or dreamy filter sweeps.

The Octasynth takes a “blunt instrument” approach to create synthesizer sounds. The filter is controlled by the depth knob AND how hard you pick each note. As a note fades away the filter sweeps lower and lower. This can trail notes off gracefully with the right settings and playing style.

The Octasynth is 100% analog. The Octasynth is also MONOPHONIC. Note: It will only track one note at a time. Power chords can sometimes create a musical, but glitchy effect. Diminished 9th chords… not so much. They just splatter and make a mess. 

Controls:

The Octasynth’s controls are tailored to creating a sound quickly. No endless tweaking required.

Blend- A mix control for 3 octave voices. To the left, two octaves down. To the right, one octave. In the center a mix of all three.

Depth- The range of the filter. As this knob is turned to the right each note you play pushes the filter cutoff frequency higher. This control can be a bit touchy, especially in the lower range. When turned all the way down the filter stays below audible frequencies (i.e. there will be no sound at all). It needs to be turned up at least a little bit for any audible effect. This design allows the filter to trail off to ultra low frequencies, which can make notes trail off gracefully rather than sputtering out.

Res- Resonance/Feedback for the filter. Turned to the right the cut off frequency of the filter is intensified. Turned all the way to the right the filter will approach near oscillation.

Level- Total output volume.

The Octasynth is tuned for electric guitar. We do NOT recommend the Octasynth for use with Bass guitar.