Should You Buy Albie by Big Ear Pedals?

As the world of pedals gets more complicated, it might seem like a step backward to release a mono pedal with two knobs and no expression or midi. Then again, that might be the point. Albie is actually a step back in time; featuring eight sounds that are tailored to emulate 70’s and 80’s Post Punk and New Wave.

Big Ear Pedals vaguely refers to each of these sounds as “Effects”. Each of these Effects is it’s own unique combination of compression, overdrive, modulation, delay, and reverb. The Effects are blended in with the Blend knob, and that’s all there really is to it.

The first thing I noticed when plugging this pedal in is just how good it sounds. The Effects are distinct, yet subtle. While mixing the intro track, I noticed that there was no real need for compression or adding additional reverb and delay. Everything I needed was already there. If subtle isn’t your thing, Neil Mode ups the ante with longer delay feedback, longer reverb tails, intense flanging, and modulation so warble-y you might think you have vertigo.

So who is Albie for? First and foremost, it’s for fans of the Post Punk/ Synthwave genres. If that’s the sound you want, Albie wraps it up in an easy-to-use box. Speaking of easy to use, this pedal is great for anyone who likes to keep it simple. Albie has two knobs and a switch. That's as simple as it gets. Lastly, it’s for anyone who likes big things in small packages. Because each Effect features a chain of effects, it’s more like adding an entire pedalboard to your pedalboard. That’s basically Inception... but with pedals.

Other pedals used:
EQD - Plumes
Source Audio - Ultrawave
Source Audio - C4 Synth
Petty John - ROUS
EHX - OpAmp Big Muff (JHS Mod)
Line 6 Helix (for amp modeling)

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