When the goal is to get people to fist pump on the dance floor so hard that their heads feel like they are going to explode, the key to achieving this moment is a big sound. A big sound comes from not just the right gear, but sounds with tons of overtone content, tamed in a way that will open up the ears and minds of the people listening. Sure, we can all get a computer, load some huge presets from a popular soft-synth and start plugging away, but if you are after a unique blend of popular sounds and your own special touch, you are going to need some more eccentric tools to get the job done.
That’s where WMD comes into the equation. The company’s brilliant electronic circuit designers have developed a line of effect pedals that make traditional distortion pedals and modular synth circuits look like they are still wearing pull-ups. The Acoustic Trauma distortion pedal is by far no exception, in fact it packs so much fortitude that it would even make John Denver sound like he has balls the size of a Tanuki.
Built completely on point-to-point analog circuits, this pedal is built on two separately voiced pre-amp circuits, one with a more tamed input, and another with more power than the Illuminati! In addition to these massive pre-amps, the two signals each receive their own dedicated 3-band boosting parametric EQ circuits. With this extensive EQ section, you can custom tailor your synth and drum sounds to rattle the floor boards loose, or shatter thick panes of glass, whatever seems more appropriate. After the dual-stage distortion circuits are processed by EQ, they are summed into a mixer stage, where once again you have ultimate control of how much force you want to apply to your sound. Knowing well that heavily deranged distortion processing can make for a noisy acoustic nightmare, the WMD guys included a fully adjustable gate circuit post mixer to keep things tamed down.
If you are afraid of giving your delicate downtempo mixes some serious crunch, then this pedal is not for you. However, if you are looking to ignite your tracks with huge synth lines, powerful drums and guitars that could potentially harm small children’s ears, then this momentous distortion unit is a one-stop for all your heavy processing needs.
WMD Acoustic Trauma (MSRP: $299)