Is Universal Audio about to launch its first guitar pedal?
Cryptic teaser campaign points towards a floor-based device for guitarists
Universal Audio – legendary audio company, creator of countless high-end guitar plugins and the Ox Amp Top Box – looks like it could be taking its first steps in the guitar pedal market, judging from a new teaser campaign.
Accompanied by the caption “60 Years of Analog Tone”, a video launched on UA’s social media accounts features flashing lights and close-ups of a solitary control knob – and did we catch a glimpse of a guitarist in there? – soundtracked by clean guitar coated in swathes of flanger, delay and reverb.
An accompanying URL points towards UA Live, where we can glimpse the edge of a unit on what looks to be a wooden floor. So, most likely a, well, floor-based unit, then.
The plot thickens when you consider the filename of the teaser image contains ‘emperor_live_teaser’ – Emperor Live could refer to a product designed for, well, live use, or it could simply mean the live launch of Emperor.
Given UA’s wealth of software, we’d have said a multi-effects pedal was most likely on the cards, but that “60 Years of Analog Tone” is throwing us off. Perhaps it’s an all-analog multi-FX in the vein of ’80s Boss and Ibanez units? Or maybe that wooden floor was actually a desk, and it was a new audio interface all along. Hmm.
Anyhoo, there’s only one way to find out: head over to UA Live on January 27, and all will be revealed…
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Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.
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