In a universe filled with constellations of stompboxes, the one where Interstellar Audio Machines resides continually shows signs of life. You may have already encountered Interstellar Audio Machines’ unmistakable pedals online and in social media feeds if your search history consists of words like “Klon” and “fuzz.”
Each pedal is painted with eye-popping sci-fi artwork and an accompanying thematic backstory involving an interplanetary extraterrestrial that ties into the pedal’s name.
One pedal in particular – the Octonaut Hyperdrive – has become one of the most talked about or, if you will, “hyped” stompboxes out there because of its reputation as one of the more noteworthy “Klone” overdrive pedals. You don’t have to take my word for it, because all-stars like Phil X, Jimmy Herring, Derek Trucks and Richard Fortus have sung the Hyperdrive’s praises.
Clearly, IAM is on a roll. Continuing in their space odyssey, it’s now safe to say a new overdrive/boost pedal has entered Earth’s atmosphere called the Supernova Zoeldrive from IAM, and whether it’s malevolent or benign in tone, it’s here to stay and devastatingly good.
First and foremost, the Zoeldrive is manufactured in the USA and ruggedly built with an all-analog, op-amp circuit design that offers quiet and transparent performance. It features the common three-knob control set for Volume, Tone and Drive, along with a two-way Voice toggle switch that affects midrange response.
The Zoeldrive features top-mounted ¼-inch input and output jacks, a bright red LED indicator, and it’s powered via a 9-volt battery or 9V power supply. As a bonus, the pedal’s box is packed with “case candy” of IAM stickers, pick, pin-back button and an intergalactic IAM membership card.
Whereas IAM’s Octonaut Hyperdrive builds upon the iconic Klon sound, the Supernova Zoeldrive is an in-your-face overdrive/boost with classic “tweed-like” breakup and growl.
Since I have the Hyperdrive to compare it to, I find the Zoeldrive is thicker and bigger-sounding, with extra gain on tap and very amp-like – especially if your tonal leanings fall on the Fender-esque side.
It shares some of the warmth of the Hyperdrive but with more clarity and presence when the Voice switch is in the up position and the gain is turned down. Here, single notes and chords respond with bloom and richness, adding depth to your tone.
As a clean boost, the Zoeldrive is favorably transparent, with enough headroom if you stack it before other drives. But if “chunk” is your thing, cranking up the drive introduces a grittier and slightly compressed signal that closely mimics speaker breakup similar to a tube amp being pushed.
Of course, this sound becomes more dramatically aggressive and midrange-focused when the Voice switch is flipped down. I found myself on the fence about where I preferred the Voice switch; up for softer warmth or down to cut through a mix? Either way, it’s a good problem to have.
Despite its name, the Zoeldrive will not go supernova in tone; rather, it’ll culminate in a more nuanced drive and energetic boost that’ll ultimately serve us six-string earthlings quite well.
Specs
- PRICE: $199
- ORIGIN: USA
- TYPE: Boost and overdrive pedal
- CONTROLS: Volume, Tone, Drive, Voice switch
- FEATURES: Op-Amp driven circuit, 100 per cent analog, top-mounted jacks
- CONTACT: Interstellar Audio Machines
