Let's Talk About NativeAudio...

by
Louise Smart
on
Wed, Dec 01, 21

When we cast our minds back 18 months, to the moment we decided to set up a business selling pedals, the conversation soon turned to the obvious question; which brands were we going to stock? 

Although there were lots of differing opinions, resulting in all sorts of variations on the word "maybe", there was one brand that we instantly agreed on. That brand was Boss... Only joking, as you may have guess by now, it was of course NativeAudio. 

We loved the vision set out by Mike ( NativeAudio's owner and resident effects pedal designing genius ) that seemed to produce an incredibly creative range whilst simultaneously paying homage to his Indigenous background. Here we thought, was a brand that really meant something to both its owner and it's fans. Spoiler alert... We were right! 

For a young company like ours ( read that as "noobs" ), Mike couldn't have been easier to work with ( Mr Trombley is what we would call a "proper sound bloke" ) and if we were very impressed before we got our hands on his pedals, we were absolutely, jaw on the floor, gobsmacked by the time we received our first batch!!

So why are they so good? 

OK...I'll be straight up with you here. I don't like fussy pedals with loads of features. There. I said it. They confuse the hell out of me. I'm a one knob, turn it up until it won't go any further and stand back, kind of a player. Yet what Mike and his NativeAudio team have created is a feature rich range of guitar pedals that is genuinely easy to get your head around. I actually burst out laughing the first time I plugged into the Ghost Ridge Reverb. Two knobs. All the reverb variation( modulated and un-modulated ) you would ever need and it's an absolute doddle to use. I was in a reverb induced trance within 60 seconds of stepping on it. 

It's the same with the Wilderness Delay. Yes, it may have more knobs this time ( a frankly terrifying five...and a switch! ) but its still a proper "plug and play" pedal that you can get lost in. The Wilderness is the type of delay pedal that encourages you to go off in a direction you would have otherwise never begun to have considered. The NativeAudio range is musically inspiring to say the least! 

The Midnight Phaser is more of the above. A fantastic sounding phase pedal in its own right, that nails those chewy tones from the 70's. Throw in the fact that you can easily modulate the speed of the phaser for authentic rotary speaker tones and you'll wonder how you ever played guitar without a Midnight on your board in the first place. 

Need a Tremolo pedal that nails the classic, optical trem sounds whilst giving you almost unlimited control? Well unfortunately NativeAudio haven't quite got this one right y...OF COURSE THEY'VE GOT IT RIGHT, HAVE YOU NOT BEEN TAKING ANY OF THIS IN!? Again this is a pedal that makes you want to play guitar. The ramp feature alone had me sat crossed legged on the dining room floor for about 3 hours! The Rising Sun may just be the trem pedal for people who think they don't like trem... It's that good. 

Oh and don't think they shy away from drive pedals either. The Kiaayo re-writes the rule book on just how much you can do with a three knobbed overdrive pedal. Yes it can go from subtle boost to a booze fuelled 80's roar at the turn of the drive knob but what about a momentary footswitch mode for staccato effects? Like I said earlier, these pedals are designed to inspire us all as guitar players.

In other exciting news, NativeAudio have just released a chorus pedal called the Pretty Bird Woman which is both;

A) The greatest name for a Chorus pedal ever and...

B) The very top item on our Christmas list this year! 

Whichever you try ( and you should ) you won't be disappointed. How could you when each pedal is not just great sounding but just as importantly, fun to play with. After all, isn't that what it's all about? Isn't that why we play guitar? To have fun? 

I certainly do. Thanks Mike! 

See you soon!

Louise