Source Audio
Encyclopedia
Source Audio is a guitar effects pedal company based near Boston, Massachusetts. They are the creators of the Hot Hand Motion Controlled Wah Filter as well as Soundblox and Soundblox Pro effect pedals.
. Chief Scientist Bob Chidlaw, owner of two digital signal processing patents at Kurzweil Music Systems
, and Chief Operating officer C. Hunter Boll, former Managing Director at Thomas H. Lee Partners
, joined shortly thereafter.
Source Audio's initial innovation was the Hot Hand Motion Controlled Wah Filter. The Hot Hand Motion Controller Ring converts hand movement into a digital signal through the use of an accelerometer
, a technology pioneered by Analog Devices. The ring combined with the Motion Controlled Wah Filter pedal produces effects similar to the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
, a pedal made famous by players like Jimmy Page
and Jimi Hendrix
. The unit offers 11 different wah filters including classic wah, low pass, band pass, multi peak, and volume swell which produce a wide range of wah effects.
SA followed up the release of the Motion Controlled Wah Filter with the Motion Controlled Phaser/Flanger pedal. Like the Wah, the Phaser
/Flanger is compatible with the Hot Hand Wireless Adapter and offers multiple tone options. The Source Audio Phaser/Flanger offers both LFO and Envelope Follower filters.
In 2008 Source Audio released the Soundblox Series, four versatile and Hot Hand compatible pedals. The Sounblox Tri-Mod Wah, Phaser, and Flanger offer effects similar to the original pedals, but package them in a smaller, easier to use format.
The Soundblox Series also includes the Soundblox Multiwave Distortion, a pedal that incorporates both multi band and single band processing and produces several unique distortion tones. In total the pedal offers 21 different distortion types ranging from standard distortion to synth-like octave and foldback distortions.
At the 2010 NAMM show SA introduced the Soundblox Pro Series. The Soundblox Pro Series offers the same effect types as the corresponding Soundblox pedals, but also include 6 user presets, a 7-band graphic EQ, a MIDI input and the capability to “morph” from one user preset to another with an expression pedal
. 2010 also marked Source Audio’s entry into the bass effects pedal market with the Soundblox and Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion pedals. The Bass Multiwave incorporates the same signal processing method as the Soundblox Pro Multiwave Distortion for the guitar but adapts it to fit the lower frequency range of the bass guitar.
Source Audio products currently in development include envelope filter pedals for both the bass and guitar.
History
Source Audio was founded in 2005 by Roger Smith (President) and Jesse Remignanti (Vice President of Engineering), while they worked together at the semiconductor firm, Analog DevicesAnalog Devices
Analog Devices, Inc. , known as ADI, is an American multinational semiconductor company specializing in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts...
. Chief Scientist Bob Chidlaw, owner of two digital signal processing patents at Kurzweil Music Systems
Kurzweil Music Systems
Kurzweil Music Systems is a company that produces electronic musical instruments for professionals and home users. Founded in 1982 by Raymond Kurzweil, a developer of reading machines for the blind, the company made use of many of the technologies originally designed for reading machines and...
, and Chief Operating officer C. Hunter Boll, former Managing Director at Thomas H. Lee Partners
Thomas H. Lee Partners
Thomas H. Lee Partners is a private equity firm based in Boston, Massachusetts specializing in leveraged buyouts, growth capital, special situations, industry consolidations, and recapitalizations....
, joined shortly thereafter.
Source Audio's initial innovation was the Hot Hand Motion Controlled Wah Filter. The Hot Hand Motion Controller Ring converts hand movement into a digital signal through the use of an accelerometer
Accelerometer
An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, also called the four-acceleration. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration , but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame...
, a technology pioneered by Analog Devices. The ring combined with the Motion Controlled Wah Filter pedal produces effects similar to the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Dunlop Cry Baby
The Dunlop Cry Baby is a popular wah-wah pedal, manufactured by Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. It is the best selling guitar pedal of all time. The name Cry Baby was from the original pedal from which it was copied, the Thomas Organ/Vox Cry Baby wah-wah. Thomas Organ/Vox failed to register the name as...
, a pedal made famous by players like Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
. The unit offers 11 different wah filters including classic wah, low pass, band pass, multi peak, and volume swell which produce a wide range of wah effects.
SA followed up the release of the Motion Controlled Wah Filter with the Motion Controlled Phaser/Flanger pedal. Like the Wah, the Phaser
Phaser (effect)
A phaser is an audio signal processing technique used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum. The position of the peaks and troughs is typically modulated so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect...
/Flanger is compatible with the Hot Hand Wireless Adapter and offers multiple tone options. The Source Audio Phaser/Flanger offers both LFO and Envelope Follower filters.
In 2008 Source Audio released the Soundblox Series, four versatile and Hot Hand compatible pedals. The Sounblox Tri-Mod Wah, Phaser, and Flanger offer effects similar to the original pedals, but package them in a smaller, easier to use format.
The Soundblox Series also includes the Soundblox Multiwave Distortion, a pedal that incorporates both multi band and single band processing and produces several unique distortion tones. In total the pedal offers 21 different distortion types ranging from standard distortion to synth-like octave and foldback distortions.
At the 2010 NAMM show SA introduced the Soundblox Pro Series. The Soundblox Pro Series offers the same effect types as the corresponding Soundblox pedals, but also include 6 user presets, a 7-band graphic EQ, a MIDI input and the capability to “morph” from one user preset to another with an expression pedal
Expression pedal
An expression pedal is an important control found on many organs and synthesizers, as well as in the pedal steel guitar, that allows the volume of the sound to be manipulated...
. 2010 also marked Source Audio’s entry into the bass effects pedal market with the Soundblox and Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion pedals. The Bass Multiwave incorporates the same signal processing method as the Soundblox Pro Multiwave Distortion for the guitar but adapts it to fit the lower frequency range of the bass guitar.
Source Audio products currently in development include envelope filter pedals for both the bass and guitar.
Product List
- Hot Hand Motion Controlled Wah Filter
- Hot Hand Motion Controlled Phaser/Flanger
- Hot Hand Wireless Motion Controlled Wah Filter
- Hot Hand Wireless Motion Controlled Phaser/Flanger
- Soundblox Multiwave Distortion
- Soundblox Tri-Mod Wah
- Soundblox Tri-Mod Phaser
- Soundblox Tri-Mod Flanger
- Soundblox Classic Distortion
- Soundblox Multiwave Bass Distortion
- Soundblox Pro Multiwave Distortion
- Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion
- Soundblox Pro Classic Distortion
External links
- http://www.sourceaudio.net/index.php
- http://www.youtube.com/user/sourceaudioeffects
- http://www.facebook.com/pages/woburn-MA/Source-Audio-LLC/21705858456