To take up a name like “Origin Effects” is to inherit a naturally large amount of responsibility. Such a monolithic name deserves fitting pedals, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly Origin’s specialty.
Officially founded in 2012 by Simon Keats, Origin Effects was born years before its first branded pedal release. The foundations of Origin Effects can be traced back to a repair job Keats performed on a pair of Urei 1176 studio compressors. Working with two compressors of this caliber inspired Keats to translate their awesome studio-grade power into a guitar pedal. The ultimate product of this project became the Cali76 – a compressor pedal among today’s most elite and celebrated.
The Cali76 would only be the beginning for Origin Effects and the incredible music to be made with them.
Today’s Origin Effects operation is based out of Buckingham, England. This epicenter of effect pedal production and innovation sees the creation of hand-built pedals that win rave reviews across the world. Starting with such high standards for effect pedal creation, the Origin Effect ethos has only evolved to involve even heightened standards and better pedals.
The Origin Effects line of pedals is a sight to behold. Sharing a unified aesthetic design that is sleek and all-business, an Origin Effects pedal is quite hard to miss. Tonally, the Origin Effects line shares a similar familial blueprint. Each effect complements the others with high fidelity and that studio-grade specialty that Keats set out to achieve ten years ago. Standout effect types from Origin Effects include studio-grade compression and amp-like overdrive. Between these two specialties, Origin Effects creates a proper studio from your board.
Since 2012, the Cali76 has evolved with a couple of key additions to form an impressive lineup of compressors. The Cali76 Compact Deluxe and the Cali76 Stacked Edition both provide in-depth and expressive compression experiences. Beyond your average compression pedal, Origin Effects compressors provide an effect that feels like you’ve landed in your own personal studio. The Stacked Edition of the Cali76 presents two compression circuits through which to send your signal. This dual-compression functionality that the Stacked Edition offers introduces players to a deep pool of experimental possibilities. The Cali76 Compact Deluxe’s Ratio and Dry controls incorporate more clean signal into the equation than an average compressor. Pair these two compressors with a Cali76 Compact Bass Compressor and you’re off to the races.
Compressors aside, Origin Effects has also made a name for themselves through their overdrive pedals, and if you thought the Cali76 presented an unprecedented number of studio-grade sounds, the Revivaldrive series is in a similar league of its own. The Revivaldrive Overdrives give you the same studio-like experience at your fingertips. Origin Effects’ Revivaldrive Compact is sure to hook you in its pedalboard-friendly size, amp-like tones, and post-drive EQ controls to make sure it is compatible with any rig possible, but the mainline Revivaldrive and Revivaldrive Custom are the ones that will make you stay. Impressive in not only size but in sound and interactivity, the Revivaldrives are certainly among the most advanced overdrive effect pedals around today. With two independent overdrive channels with six tonal parameters control configurations each, specific frequency setting controls, and extensive EQ adjusting to be done, the Revivaldrives make for solid contenders for the last overdrive you may ever need.
Further additions to the Origin Effects lineup include modulation effects such as tremolos and vibratos. The Magma57 Amp Vibrato and Drive keys into that natural desire for studio-grade modulation. This tonally amp-like pedal gives a definitive one-two punch of amp-like overdrive and vibrato effects. Drop in Origin Effects’ classic post-drive EQ controls and vibrato effect setting dials that are dead-on accurate to craft the exact amp tone you need, and you have yourself another outstanding entry. Match the amp-like vibrato of the Magma57 with the Revivaltrem Bias Tremolo and you’ve struck the tonal motherlode. The Revivaltrem incorporates similar aspects of the Magma57, only perfectly translated to a tremolo effect. Amp-like tremolo and vibrato completes a beautiful picture of Origin Effects’ excellent amp replicating lineup.
The clear devotion Origin Effects shows in creating studio-grade effects of the highest caliber is certainly noteworthy. Where sometimes it may seem that the pedalboard and studio recording console are lightyears away from one another, Origin Effects bridges that gap incredibly effectively. Discerning players and audiophiles alike are sure to find a match in Origin Effects’ rich tonal library and create their own musical origin story starting at the first footswitch click.
