(Note from the boss man: After accidentally incinerating our Empirical Labs Distressor last week, Gianni the Intern is being allowed to redeem himself with another Week in Review intro. We apologize in advance.)
Hallo again, dear readers of Sonic Odyssey! It is I, Gianni Oberhausen, returning from my short exile after what I now refer to as The Great Distressor Warm-Up Incident. In my defense, I was simply trying to achieve optimal harmonic coloration using thermodynamic techniques. [1]
But no matter! I am once again entrusted with the noble task of curating this week’s sonic headlines and gear gossip. It is a responsibility I do not take lightly. I have double-checked every link, gently blown dust off every RSS feed, and even asked ChatGPT for “what is hot.” The result is what you see below — a carefully balanced meal of Reviews, News, and Trends for your reading pleasure.
Before we begin, I must briefly mention something of great cultural significance: my boss owns one of the most wunderspielkartensammlungtastischen (wonder-game-card-collection-tastic) assortments of retro video games I have ever seen. Atari, NES, things that belong in a museum — and yet, somehow still work. I believe it may be magic. Or maybe he is just very good at eBay. [2] [3]
Let us begin anew, like a resurrected preamp.
Reviews & Roundups
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Cherry Audio Yellowjackets Plugin Review — MusicRadar
A synth inspired by bees. No, seriously. And it sounds great. [4] -
Soma Laboratory Harvezi Hazze — MusicRadar
Not so much a pedal as a ritual device. Absolutely bonkers in the best way. -
Submarine Pickups SubSix Review — Sound On Sound
Six tiny sensors, one very modular future. -
Vanguard V24 Condenser Mic Review — Sound On Sound
Modern tube tone that doesn’t require a second mortgage. -
Best Telecasters for Rock, Blues & Metal — Gearnews
Yes, Teles can chug — here’s the proof. [5] -
Phiverb Reverb Plugin Review (Orpheus Effects) — Rekkerd
Warm, textured reverb that doesn’t feel like it was born in a spreadsheet.
News
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Why Iron Maiden Had to Change Their Singer — MusicRadar
An honest take on vocal limits and evolution in heavy music. [6] -
Moog Unveils New Analog Monosynth, Messenger — MusicRadar
A new Moog always warrants your attention (and possibly your rent money). [7] -
JHS DIY “Not-A-Dumble” Pedal Kit — MusicRadar
JHS offering up a "DIY" pedal "kit" again [8] -
Beyerdynamic Releases DT 770 Pro X — Sound On Sound
The limited edition unobtanium is now a permanent part of the product lineup. [9] -
Brian Wampler Expands DIY Pedal Curriculum — Sound On Sound
Wampler enters professor mode. This is good news for pedal nerds. [10] -
Morphor Echon 6 Synth — Gearnews
BBD Polysynth. Modular. No survivors.
Trends
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AI Synthesis: Is It Art or Algorithm? — Gearnews
The machines are making synths now. Sleep tight. -
Music Fingerprinting and Copyright — Hypebot
Where the lines are blurry and the DMCA bots are hungry.
Sonic Odyssey Highlights
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How to Choose the Right Audio Interface
Released May 10, this is our epic-level, Tolstoy-length guide to making the right interface choice — without regret or re-buying in six months. -
Hardware Synths for Guitarists
For every guitarist who’s ever stared at an oscillator and whispered “I could fix him.” -
Week in Review – April 28, 2025
The most recent WIR before The Swamp Chest Incident?
And that wraps this week’s roundup.
Thanks for sticking with us — especially through the fiery trials of sick days and spontaneously combusting rack gear. And thanks again to Gianni for his unwavering confidence in his “thermally enhanced mixing workflow.” He’s not allowed near the SSL anymore.
We’ll see you next week — same Odyssey time, same Odyssey channel. 🎛️
It's not enough that I woke up with swamp chest Sunday morning, I hear a ruckus in the studio and go downstairs to see Gianni with the Distressor half-way out of the rack and, somehow, on fire. He's on double secret probation right now. ↩︎
I have been doing ebay longer than Gianni has been alive. I am, very, very, very good at it. Also, these sellers need to get their shit together. You folks should be shipping shit the next next but in NO circumstances should you be shipping in less than 72 hours. ↩︎
All these retro games are new to Gianni. He still thought mobile games were edgy when we hired him. He's been eyeing my sealed copy of Phoenix lustily. ↩︎
I love the interface on this. That yellow and black gives me all the feels. ↩︎
Teles are REALLY underrated as metal guitars. I have the Jimmy Page telecaster, the pickups on that thing are hot and clear and it's great for a searing 80s metal tone. Holy Diver all fucking day. ↩︎
I don't know a ton about Paul's life outside of Maiden but he clearly had a ton of health problems the last couple decades of his life. The Rock n Roll lifestyle did a number on him. I have a copy of Maiden Japan on vinyl, that era of Maiden is so fun. I'm also really glad Bruce paid tribute to Paul. ↩︎
Praised be Dr. Moog. ↩︎
I cannot even begin to tell you how much this pisses me off. I despite JHS as a brand with ever fiber of my being. It's fucking Etsycore disguised as a premium, boutique product. One of the reasons I started building and designing pedals is because I find the JHS aesthetics to be so fucking lame. I don't know Josh personally but I almost assuredly would not want to be in a room with him. This is straight up ripping off their customers, trying to cash in on a very real and awesome DIY movement in the guitar pedal world. It's not enough that I've seen Josh trying to milk work out of people on Facebook groups, he's continuing to just straight up rip off customers with shit like this. I GENUINELY feel for the people that buy this and get it as a gift and think they're building their own DIY pedal. It's a fucking scam, it's cheap bullshit, it's just fucking disrespectful. Maybe just stick to your trash ass looking pedals, guys. ↩︎
Gianni and I are both drooling over these. He claims his uncle worked for Beyerdynamic....but that's a story for another day. ↩︎
On the other hand, we have Brian Wampler DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY. This guy cares about pedals, cares about the community and cares about DIY. He wants people to be able to follow in his stead and he wants us to learn. Where the fuck would we be without guys like Brian, R.G. Keen and Jack Orman? Brian is the anti Josh Scott. ↩︎
