To take up a name like "Origin Effects" is naturally to inherit a large amount of responsibility. Such a monolithic name deserves fitting effect pedals, and wouldn't you know it, that's exactly Origin's specialty.
Humble Origins
Formally founded in 2012 by Simon Keats, Origin Effects was born years before its first branded effect pedal release. The seeds of Origin Effects were sown with a repair job Keats performed on a pair of Urei 1176 studio compressors. Working with two compressors of this caliber inspired Keats to continue on and translate their awe-inspiring, studio-grade power into a guitar pedal. The ultimate product of this project became the Cali76 – a compressor among today's most elite and celebrated.
The Cali76 would prove to only be the beginning for Origin Effects and the incredible music to be made with them.
Today's Origin Effects bases their operation out of their factory 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 development, the Origin Effect ethos has evolved to raise the bar for their effects even higher.
Originality Now
The Origin Effects line of pedals is a sight to behold. Sharing a unified aesthetic that is sleek and truly all-business, an Origin Effects pedal is quite hard to miss. Tonally, the Origin Effects line permeates with a familiar blueprint. Each effect complements the others with high fidelity design and that studio-grade DNA that Keats set out to capture all those years ago. Standout effect types that Origin Effects brandishes include compression and amp-style overdrive. Between these two specialties, Origin Effects creates a proper studio that fits on your everyday pedalboard.
Since setting out with the Cali76, the Origin Effects family has grown with an impressive lineup of compressors. The Cali76 has since evolved into updated versions like the Cali76 FET Compressor and Cali76 Stacked Compressor that have brought about innovations like a dry blend control, heightened headroom, and accessible standard nine-volt DC power operation. In addition to the traditional compression use cases you can drum up with these pedals, Cali76 compressors' powerful, high-fidelity design enable breaks into new, experimental territories. The Cali76 series have also come to loop in the bass community with models like the Cali76 Bass Compressor.
Compressors aside, Origin Effects has also made a name for themselves through their overdrive pedals. If you thought that the Cali76 presented an unprecedented number of studio-grade sounds, it doesn't take long to catch on to Origin's celebrated series of overdrives. In recent years, models like the Halcyon Green, Halcyon Gold, and Halcyon Blue have given Origin the opportunity to strut their stuff on famous overdrive archetypes from screaming to mythical to bluesy. Adaptive circuitry and studio-grade sounds appear across the series for strikingly hi-def tones and cutting-edge modern playability.
From there, further developments and innovations manifest throughout the Origin line with the M-EQ Driver and Deluxe55 Overdrive as they embody the exciting essences of '50s equalizers and tweed amplifiers, respectively. If you're after authentic yet modern-minded representations of analog tech and gear, you can't shake a stick around the Origin Effects lineup and not hit something that strikes your fancy.
Anatomy of Originality
The clear devotion Origin Effects shows in creating studio-grade effects of the highest caliber in pedalboard-friendly packages is certainly noteworthy. Where it sometimes may seem that the pedalboard and recording studio 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 library and pen a new, musical origin story for themselves at the first footswitch click.
