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I was turned onto the Oregon-based pedal company, Mr. Black Pedals, a few years ago by a good friend of mine. This friend reached out to me and let me know that Mr. Black Pedals was doing a massive 50% off Black Friday sale and that I should definitely check it out. I had never heard of Mr. Black Pedals before this, but I immediately found myself fully submerged in their website – browsing an endless sea of pedals, and hearing tones that I had never heard before. That’s when I came across the Ambience by Mr. Black Pedals.
The Ambience by Mr. Black Pedals
The Ambience is a modulated dual delay pedal that washes these two syncopated echoes into one incredibly eerie shimmering reverb.
This pedal could singlehandedly create the soundtrack of a dark hallway in a haunted house.
When you first plug the Ambience in, you will find that this pedal immediately sets itself apart from the other pedals on your pedalboard. Its unique sparkle finish makes this guitar pedal very intriguing. Yet, when the pedal is turned on, your intrigue level is increased tenfold. As you are immediately submerged in a glorious, washed-out echoverb. You will find that the pedal’s sparkly outer shell is just masking a dark, twisted, beautiful box of tones.
How can the Mr. Black Ambience create such beautiful soundscapes with just three knobs? Let’s find out.
Mr. Black Pedal Ambience Controls
Level
On your typical pedal, the “level” knob controls the pedal’s output volume, but this pedal is different. The “level” knob acts as a blend knob on the Mr. Black Pedal’s Ambience. Allowing you to dial in exactly how haunted you would like your tone to become. I typically find myself cranking this knob to 3 or 4 o’clock, but this effect sounds amazing at any of the level settings.
Span
The “Span” knob controls the syncopated dual delays within the pedal. This knob had two functions: It controls the time of the two delay signals, as well as how they interact with one another. When turned all the way down, the pedal acts as somewhat of a chorus-y reverb pedal. The echoes become more apparent as this knob is cranked up.
Decay
The “Decay” knob on the Mr. Black Pedal’s Ambience works like a typical decay knob. However, it controls the decay of the echoes and the amount of reverb being added to the echoes. While I think it would be interesting to have a separate control for the echo and reverb’s decay, I think Mr. Black Pedals did an incredible job with finding a balance for this knob. Cranking the decay knob up creates a massive, oscillating sound that mimics the cries of every forgotten soul in the world.
Final Thoughts of The Ambience
Overall, this pedal may not get the attention it deserves. The Ambience by Mr. Black Pedals does the job of two or three different pedals; while putting an eerily haunted vibe on top of it all. If you are interested in ambient music, or ambient delay and reverb effect pedals, we seriously suggest checking this beast out!
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