The two powerful units bring the brand's rack-based expertise to your pedalboard, serving as a high-quality multi-band compressor and a gateway into tones that "go beyond the boundaries of what is possible with a conventional guitar or synth pedal"
(Image credit: Endorphin.es)
NAMM 2023: We’ve seen our fair share of show-stealing pedal news at this year’s NAMM, but Endorphin.es – the name behind a range of rack-based effects units – has sought to top the lot with the announcement of the Ghost and Golden Master pedals.
Notably, these two units seek to continue Endorphin.es’s fine effects work in a floor-based format, marking the first time the brand has dabbled in the realm of pedalboard-friendly stompboxes.
The smaller of the pair, the Golden Master, is based on the company’s Golden Master eurorack module, and is marketed as a multi-band processor pedal used to deliver “high pressure audio for live concerts and venues”.
In other words, it’s all about sounding loud without overloading the master limiter.
(Image credit: Endorphin.es)
In practice, the Golden Master comprises EQ, compressor and a Mid Side, each of which can be selected via the left-hand Mode button. Six control knobs and four further buttons complete the relatively straightforward topography, which also has room for two footswitches.
While the footswitches are in charge of bypassing and saving and loading presets, the knobs take care of Volume, Threshold, Input Gain, Low Band, Mid Band and High Band functions. Three mute buttons are present to remove each band from the chain.
Other nitty gritty specs include 24 bit 96 kHz audio inputs and outputs, with 32-bit internal processing and an input for an expression pedal if so desired. Effectively, its sole purpose is to sit at the end of your chain and make everything sound top notch.
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(Image credit: Endorphin.es)
It’s joined by the much larger Ghost, which has been designed in collaboration with YouTuber/producer Andrew Huang. Said to be a gateway to tones that “go beyond the boundaries of what is possible with a conventional guitar or synth pedal”, the Ghost is a multi-dimensional effects chain processor with reverb, filter, distortion and modulation effects.
In what will no doubt pique guitarists’ interests, it also has a JFET input with cab simulation.
In total, there are three reverbs – spring, reverse and hall – and three filter types, which can be selected via mode-switching buttons. A nifty routing button allows users to get creative with their chain, offering six separate options for ordering the filter, distortion and effects.
The assortment of effects can be sculpted via dedicated Delay and Reverb knobs, as well as Time, Repeats and Tail sub-controls for sonic fine-tuning. For further in-depth modulation curation, there are parameters for LFO Rate and LFO wave shape.
Guiding you through this smorgasbord of effects are three footswitches, which serve as tap tempo, bypass, and preset loading and saving controls. Oh, and there's an expression input for assigning all sorts of the available parameters to a third party pedal. And breathe.
All we can say is, what a way to announce your entry into the world of floor-based pedals.
No official release date has been given to the Ghost and Golden Master pedals yet, but Endorphin.es has said we can expect them to arrive this autumn.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
