30 Favourite Tremolo Pedals - Personal Capsule Collection

Controls - Output, Depth [], Attack Detector - [R]ate / Off / [D]epth / [Wavevforms : Sine / Ramp Down / Ramp Up], Depth [Treshold / Attack Sensitivity], Tone [Envelope Attack Vector : < Slower | Faster > / < Lesser | Deeper >], Subdivisions : 2/1 | 4/4 | 1/2 | 1/3 / [Waveforms 2 : Square / Polynomial 'U' / Double Cosine / Triple Cosine], Tap Tempo Footswitch [Hold for Momentary Max Oscillaotin], On/Off Footswitch [Hold for Secondary Options - []! ].

A wonderful sounding dynamic envelope-follower Harmonic Tremolo with Rate and Depth vectors - so you can dynamically vary Tremolo Speed or Intensity. Fabulous sounding Harmonic Tremolo, not as bold and flavourful as the Harmonious Monk - but really versatile and elegant. The only niggle here is the complicated control interface with multiple secondary options - that can get complicated really quick. But the Ages consistently produces superior harmonic tremolo tones, just not the easiest one to live with as such!

Controls - Filter Type : Ramp / LFO / Mad [PAR - X - BEE], Buzz : Dry / BZ (Overdrive) / BZZ (Fuzz), Parasite (Wet Signal) : Level / Mix / Tap Division / Ramp Up Speed, Wingspan : Depth, Bee (Dry Signal) : Level / Mix / Rate / Ramp Down Speed, Filter Mode : Octave / Off (Amplitude) / Honey, Presets : 1-5 + Live, Tap Tempo / Ramp / Momentary Expression Footswitch, Engage / Alt / Invert / Stop Modulation Footswitch.

Very much a Multi-FX Pedal - where the Tremolo and Trem-Fuzz voicing are just part of a much bigger picture. Like its Seabee sibling, and in a way similar to the above Anasounds Ages - the control interface here can really be a challenge - where you properly need to have the manual on hand each time you dive in. As with the Ages though - produces fabulous sounds, just a little trick to set up at times!

Controls - Balance / Tempo, Attack / Duty, Variation 1-11, Mode : Single [1.2], Dual [3,4], Tremolo [5], Harmonic [6], SFX [7,8], Hold Footswitch for Tap Tempo, Hold + Tempo for FX Level, Hold on Power-Up for Output Modes.

A fantastic Pattern Tremolo - excellently shrunken down from tis SL-20 dimensions to compact format, and generally works brilliantly in every area apart from selecting the output mode. Where on the SL-20 you had a dedicated control button for those 7 options - which you could change on the fly! While on the SL-2 model you need to do a power-up sequence - which involved winding back each of the controls, holding down the Footswitch etc. which is majorly clunk and inconvenient. It's a hangover from earlier times, and Boss engineers should really have come up with a different more elegant solution for that buy now, while it doesn't impact too much on the enjoyment of the pedal - which is still pretty genius at that form factor!

Controls (Alchemy Audio Modded) - Rate, Wave : Triangle > Square, Depth / Level (Dual-concentric), second Footswitch Rate x 2.

The Boss TR-2 notoriously used to have a distinct volume drop when engaged - which is why there are so many modified versions out there with added level control. Matt Knight though tell me since they moved manufacturing to Malaysia - Boss actually overhauled this circuit and somewhat boosted the output so as not to get an auditory volume drop. Me personally I still prefer a deviated control for that - so that I can apply subtle waveforms, and ramp up the intensity of the effects to compensate. Still a wonderful classic and benchmark sounding amp-stye Amplitude Tremolo!

Controls - Output (Ramp), Input (Fuzz), Color, Rate, Depth, Balance (Mix), Mode / Tap : Standard | Both | Harmonic + 1 / 2 / 4 or 3 / 6 / 8 Tap Divisions, Left Wave : Sine / Triangle / Square, Right Wave : Square / Triangle / Sine, Presets : 1 / Manual / 2, Bypass Footswitch, Tap Tempo Footswitch.[+16 Dip-switches].

The first of my Trem Fuzzes as far as I recall - a fantastic confection of Modified Choppier Gravitas Harmonic Tremolo, combined with Chris Bradford's Wee Beaver Fuzz - a superior take on the Oz Mutantes Regulus VIII High Gain Silicon Fuzz Face style variant. Everything about this pedal is fantastic - I had to wait it out on a waiting list for a while as the initial runs were only available to US citizens. I believe I got in on the first worldwide round - which was batch number 8 as far as I recall. Wholly delighted to have gotten 1 of just 10 Green/Magenta colourway variants - which was the same interestingly as the very original prototype. When I ordered mine I thought I was going to get the Blue/Pink variant, but was glad to get the Green/Magenta one in the end. Everything about this pedal is still killer!

Control - Drive (Ramp), Volume, Tone, Rate, Depth, Sway, Mode / Divisions : Standard / Both / Harmonic, 1 / 2 / 4 or 3 / 6 / 8, Left Wave : Sine / Triangle / Square, Right Wave : Square, Triangle / Sine, Presets 1 / Manual / 2, Bypass Footswitch, Tap Tempo Footswitch.[+16 Dip-switches].

This was my first Harmonic Tremolo - and the one really that sparked my affection for that particular style of tremolo. The trick with this pedal is to run it at 18V - it's the only one of the Chase Bliss Modulations that can take 18V - and it significantly boosts the output of the pedal, which I found essential. This pedal sparked off my love affair with Harmonic Tremolo - which was then taken to further heights by the JAM Pedal Harmonious Monk in particular!

Controls - Speed, Waveform : Triangle / Sine / Square, Mode : Optical Tremolo / Harmonic Tremolo / Uni-Vibe, Mix, Phase Centre-Point, Reverb, Grain / Preamp, Output Cut / Boost, Tap Tempo Footswitch (Hold for Speed Ramp), Bypass Footswitch

A fantastic Multi-Mode Tremolo Vibe by my good friend AD Hauser - I believe the new version of this pedal is imminent - where AD is working on an entirely new chassis. This one covers you for superior DSP - using custom ElectroSmith chips - Optical Tremolo, Harmonic Tremolo and Uni-Vibe with some really smart additional features - sound as good as it looks!

Controls - CTRIL 1 (variable), CTRL 2 (variable), Tone, CTRL 0 / Gain (always Gain for Fuzz-side), Volume, Mix.

Dr Scientist's Ryan recently have his most popular BitQuest pedal a new lease of life - by issuing Bonus Pack EEPROMS featuring all 16 Atmosphere Reverb Algorithms, and 8+8 Tremolo Quest Trem-Fuzz algorithms. The standard Algos are fine really, but this is all about the unique LPF and HPF Sweep Filter Modes which deliver very unique and thrilling even Tremolo Textures - just those 2 Algorithms alone - make the Bonus Pack essential for Tremolo fans!

Controls - Output, Intensity (Depth), Rate, Wave Shape : 1-6.

A beautifully elegant LDR + LED Optical Tremolo with Digital Controls and 6 handy waveforms. A beautifully elegant and simple to deploy optical tremolo!

Controls - Level, Rate Mode : Pick-Attack/Manual, Rate, Depth, Frequency Mode : LFO / Manual / Pick-Attack, Frequency / Sensitivity (Attack).

Combines straight up Harmonic Tremolo with Fixed Filter and Phasey sounds - a proper handy Multi-FX of a Harmonic Tremolo - and sounds every-way superb - shame that this one is dicontinued!

Controls - Boost / Ramp Speed, Speed (Primary / Secondary / Drift), Randomness, Ramp : Latch / Momentary / Drift, Shape / Drift Shape : Triangle / Sine / Randomised, Depth / Drift Depth, Division / Harmonic Division, Width / Harmonic Width / Stereo Width. On / Hold / Alt Footswitch, Tap/Ramp Footswitch - Momentary / Latching / Drift. Press both Footswitches together to scroll through 5 colour-coded presets.

Interestingly I was originally meaning to get the Dandelion as that had been on my wishlist since it first materialised, but I waited so long, that by the time I got all my ducks in a row as such - a new more luxurious version of that circuit was out - int the guise of the Sunflower Deluxe. Another really elegant Harmonic Tremolo with a massive featured set. Not as bold or full on as the Harmonious Monk but not too far from that either - one of the favourites for sure!

Controls - Speed, Depth, Modify (Shape / Pattern / Tone), Mode : Tremolo / Opto / Bias / DuoTrem / Rotary / Vibe / VibroPan.

One of the ones I picked up this year - as much for its Rotary and Uni-Vibe voicings as its core Tremolos. I always get a little nervous when a modulation pedal doesn't have a dedicated volume control, while on this pedal there is no discernible volume drop - so it works really well as is. Actually a pretty fabulous DSP variant - not necessarily the most authentic sounding, but most always produced captivating tones!

Controls - Depth, Intensity ±, Speed, Level, Mode : Harmonic / Amplitude, Mix, x2 Speed Footswitch, On/Off Footswitch.

This pedal was a proper game-changer for me - the richest sounding Harmonic Tremolo to date - as close to a Uni-Vibe as any Tremolo dares to dream it can be! Just a beautifully engineered pedal every which way - with immediately evident superior output. Markus Reeves and I are in solid agreement about the potency of the Harmonious Monk!

Controls - D (Depth), Mode : Up Harmonic / Down Amplitude, S (Speed), L (Level), Waveforms : Square / Sinewave / Reverse Sawtooth, M (Mix), Engage footswitch, Tap Tempo / Speed Ramp / x2 Speed. Press and hold both footswitches to change Tao / Speed Mode, and hold down Engage Footswitch on power-up to set default startup mode : On or Off.

So for the MKII we get more features - added Tap Temp and Ramp, with additional Waveforms and extra internal options. With all the wonder of the MKI edition intact. I feel it's default calibrated a little differently - but you can pop off the back of the pedal and adjust those trimmers to easily match the output of the MKI - if that's your preference!. Both are superb, while the earlier one is now discontinued. You certainly get quite a few more features in the new version, while the original was already pretty much perfect for my needs - really nice to have the tap tempo though!

Controls - Volume, Rate, Depth, Type : Amplitude / Harmonic.

Several out there seem to name this as their favourite ever JHS Pedals - I can only assume they've not tried too many of the others. For me on this one it's the core Amplitude Tremolo voicing that excels. The Harmonic variant even at peak prowess is still relatively weak sauce compared to most of my harmonic tremolos. It doesn't sound bad in any way - it's just not as flavourful and vibrant as most of my other Harmonic types. While the Amplitude voicing sounds pretty fabulous.

Controls - Mode [Blend], Filter Cutoff [LFO Spin], Filter Resonance [Gate], Gain [Level], LFO Rate [Wave Shape], LFO Map, LFO Range, 3 Modes : Drive / Low-Cut / Fold, Envelope Attack [Sensitivity], Layer (Black / White Controls / Parameters), Envelope Map, Preset Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.

I wasn't sure how I was going to use this pedal, and I mostly bought it because of its onboard Harmonic Tremolo voicing - which can get beautifully rich and textured, while the multiple secondary functions and many controls, range and effect ramping kind of gets in the way of my enjoyment of this pedal. It's a similar experience to the above Beetornics Zzombee - where both are a little too complex for their own good - both are Multi-FX - with a myriad of different features and flavours onboard. I found it hard to navigate the pedal without having the manual / booklet constantly at my side. It also didn't seem to be properly saving my adjusted settings on occasion. So I largely found the complexity in deployment somewhat marred my enjoyment of the pedal. It's capable of some really great sounds - but it really makes you work for them!

Controls - Level, Depth, Shape : Sine > Square Wave.

A cool quirky tremolo, but really too much of a one-trick pony for me. I already commented for my review that it deperatately need some way to vary the format or pattern of flicker - but it's the same pattern over and over again - at the same tempo - just with some textural variations based on the depth and Wave Shape settings. It really needs a few more patterns, accompanied by a speed knob. Otherwise it can get tired real quick. It's a lot of fun in short bursts, but there is not enough about it to sustain long-term interest - at least not for me. It's an interesting tremolo for sure - but somewhat severely limited in its scope. Hiro should definitely add a few more patterns and give you some sort of rate control - to make this more rhythmically and musically relevant!

Controls - Depth, Rate, Space, Waveform : Ramp Up / Ramp Down / Square / Triangle / Sine / Lumps / Stepped / Random, Dry/Wet, Output/Boost, Mode : Tremolo / Vibrato, Bypass Footswitch, Tap Tempo Footswitch.

A really cool compact Multi-FX which for many is all the modulation they need - you can fully alter the Dry/Wet ratio - and therefore deliver Chorusing, Vibrato and Tremolo - alongside a subtle Room style Reverb, and a suitable output boost - a really smartly conceived pedal for sure - and it really sounds good every which way - across those 8 Waveforms - proper handy too!

Controls - Rate, Depth, Waveform : Ramp Up / Ramp Down / Square / Triangle / Sine / Lumps / Stepped / Random, Output, Gain, Mode : Pre-Trem / Distortion Only / Post-Trem, Bypass Footswitch, Tap-Tempo Footswitch.

The 3rd in my Mattoverse Plexi-fronted Series as such - this one is a neat combination of Tremolo and sort of Fuzzy Distortion really - across 8 Waveforms. You can run the Distoriton on its own, or Pre-Trem and Post-Trem. You can even sort of wind the Distoriton down and out by dropping back the Gain control. This one is not quite as handy as the above Inflection Point, but still very capable of making wonderful Tremstortion sounds!

Controls - Depth, Bias, Speed.

Supposedly a faily decent take on the Demeter Tremulator Optical Tremolo. I miss the days when TPS's Dan Steinhardt use to regularly roll this one out and onto his board. It's actually a really elegant tremolo that sounds much better than you might think it should. I've noted before that there are numerous Mooer gems out there - and this is definitely one of those - a truly great sounding Mini Tremolo!

Controls - Level, Waveform Select / Waveform Edit (Press / Press-Turn), Depth, BPM, Bypass Footswitch, Tap Tempo Footswitch.

My latest deep-dive expedition featured this very pedal - which I got properly under the skin of. Not without some quirks, but capable of some magnificent sounds. A really great sounfing Rhythmic / Pattern Tremolo - whose 'HowSoon Now' and Sine1234 Waveforms are almost worth the price of admission alone - those sound so musical and captivating. I tried out every inch of this pedal - and pushed to its limit. It's a really unique and expansive Tremolo for sure - where you can generate your own waveforms onboard the pedal itself, or via an online browser app. Generally the experience with this one has been great - even though there were some challenges right at the start of the experience. You should read my review! A lot of work and time obviously went into that detailed write-up - where I truly explore every aspect of that pedal. Very unique and compelling - even in this illustrious company!

Controls - Waveform Group : Standard / [Alternative], Volume, Depth, Speed, Waveform Type : 1 [9] : Ramp Up [Ramp + Oct] / 2 [10] : Ramp Down [Quad Ramp] / 3 [11] Pulse [Quad Pulse] / 4 [12] : Triangle [Triangle Step] / 5 [13] : Sine [Sine + Oct] / 6 [14] : Sweep [Sine + 3rd] / 7 [15] : Lumps [Sine + 4th] / 8 [16] : Random Levels [Random Slopes], Shape (Wave Symmetry), Tap Divide : Half Note / Quarter / Dotted Quarter / Eighth / Dotted Eighth / Sixteenth, Bypass Footswitch, Tap Tempo Footswitch.

This one was another delight for me - with some really interesting rhythmic waveforms - and a really bright and sparkly output profile. The Shape / Symmetry control also adds a lot into the mix alongside a multi-tap-divisons tap tempo. About as good as an Amplitude Tremolo can get. This one has a really decent reputation, and it's well-earned!

Controls - Depth, Voice :  High & Dry (Brightness + Clarity + Sparkle) / High & Low (Liquid / Phasey) /  Low & Dry (Dark + Throbby + Bassy), Frequency / EQ, Lag, Rate, Resonance.

Another classic Spaceman rollout, not quite as flavoursome as the Harmonious Monk - but still one of the more flavoursome of those Harmonic Tremolos out theree - with some really neat touches. And it's really easy to dial-in and deploy. Spaceman rarely puts a foot wrong - and this is another great take on the Harmonic Tremolo genre - really well-balanced, and nicely calibrated.

Controls - Volume, Tone (See-Saw EQ), Dry>Wet Mix, Fuzz Saturation, MODE : Fuzz - Standard / Latching [orange] | Fuzz- Momentary Octave [green] | Fuzz - Momentary Bypass [cyan] | +Trem - Standard Division [magenta] | +Trem Custom Division [white], VOICE : Bright Tone [orange] | Fat Tone [cyan], Bypass / Fuzz Engage Footswitch, Analog Octave / +Tremolo Engage Footswitch, Expression / Tap Tempo socket on side.

Very much the second coming / chapter of Stone Deaf FX. I'm not that captivated by the new knobs, but everything else here is top-notch - including the beautiful 3-Dimensional Enamel Facia and smart extended range functionality. This is a superbly versatile Trem-Fuzz - where you can nicely separate out each of the voicings - even though this is primarily intended as a fuzz type. Some really smart features onboard here - really nicely done.

Controls - LPF Tone, Digitally Controlled Rate, Analog Level / Volume, Digitally Controlled Depth, Shape : Sine / Sawtooth (Ramp Up) + Triangle 1 / Sawtooth + Triangle 2 / Triangle / Reverse Sawtooth (Ramp Down) + Triangle 1 Reverse Sawtooth + Triangle 2 / Reverse Sawtooth / Square 1 (different pulse-widths) / Square 2 / Square 3 / Square 4 / Square 5 / Square 6 / Square 7, Tap Division : Dotted Eight / Eighth / Triplets / Sixteenth, Presets 1-4, Bypass Footswitch, Tap Tempo Footswitch, Bypass + Tap = Presets 1-4.

A fascinating but alas discontinued Tremolo as the core chip is no longer in general circulation. This was my first introduction to Stefan Fast / Pedal Zone - while that exceptional demo seems to have disappeared since. The Tremotron is a genuinely fascinating and unique out on its own Tremolo - where I met the circuit designer of that - one Tom Wilson - at the first FX Expo in Stourbridge - a couple of years back! Someone should definitely bring this one back!

Controls - Shape / Preset : 0 - 10, Mode : Tremolo / User / Sequencer, Ratio : 0 - 10 / Tap Divisions, Volume, Shape / Warp : 0 - 10, Depth, Rate / Ratio / Beats : 0 - 10, Tap Tempo / Manual Footswitch, FX Engage / Save Preset Footswitch.

Kind of the Macdaddy of Pattern Tremolos in many ways - with an expansive range of features and tones. Not quite as handy for me as the Deluxe Subdecay Prometheus 3 Dual Super Filter - but might impressive nonetheless. Of course the Rounder Sounds Zebra-Trem provides some really strong competition in the Pattern stakes - wile this has a much more granular and expansive control interface. Those new generation Subdeday Deluxe pedals are really very potent! Sounds great too of course!

Controls - Speed, Depth, Level, Division : Quarter / Dotted Eighth / Eighth / Triplet / Sixteenth, Ø Phase / Mode / [Ramp] : Ping-Pong, Amplitude / Hamrmonic | [Ramp : < Slowdown / Alternate / Speed-Up>, Waveform : Sine / Triangle / Square / Ramp Up / Ramp Down / Stutter, Tap | Hold - Ramp | Manual Stutter Footswitch, Bypass | Hold - Favourite Footswitch.

Some 10 years ago this was probably the state-of-the-art of Harmonic Tremolo, but others have caught up and conceivably overtaken in many ways - while the feature set on this one - and the various options - including the Manual Stutter Tremolo - are really very handy. This is one of the more elegant sounding of Harmonic Tremolos, not nearly as flavourful as the the Harmonious Monk - but still highly commendable. This one still has much to recommend it!

Controls - FUZZ } Level, Attack, Fuzz Footswitch, TREM } Speed, Depth, Trem Footswitch.

A fantastic anniversary compendium of vintage style effects in a modern enclosure. ThorpyFX previews his forthcoming Silicon Boneyard with a Silicon TB MKI voicing that is superb. And it is married to a fantastic vintage amp-style tremolo designed by Dan Coggins when he was just 14 year olds. The Tremolo has the most marvellous decay on it - both voicings sound superb on their own and even more so together! This was a limited Andertons run - but there is a standard version of this forthcoming!

Controls - Speed, Depth, Speed Range : Fast / Slow.

This is a quite distinct vintage style tremolo - which sounds a little Harmonic in the demos, while practically is not quite as flavoursome, and is very much its own thing. It's quite a distinct sounding tremolo and lots of people really love it. While it's not necessarily the most expansive in its use. It does its own thing very well, while there are other tremolos in this selection which appeal to me more. Still very worthy having in the collection though!

Controls - Volume, Shape : Sine / Square / Ramp Down (Saw) / Ramp Up / Bump / Random, Pan (0 > 180°), Rate, Depth, Standard-Both-Harmonic-Blend, Tap Divisions : Quarter / Quarter Triplets / Eighths / Eighths Triplets / Sixteens, Bypass Footswitch, Tap / Ramp-Up/Down Footswitch, Press Both Footswitches to scroll through 3 Presets, Press Both and Hold to Save Presets.

This is the newest more expanded Stereo version of the Monument Tremolo - with a killer feature set. The Harmonic Tremolo voicing leans a little more in to the elegant side of things and is nowhere near as flavourful as the Harmonious Monk - but still very pleasant. I really like my Harmonic Tremolos to be properly full on - and nothing at the moment gets close to the Harmonious Monk in its richness of texture - while there are many, including this one which have a more rounded feature set - and of course stereo output! Overall the collection of Tremolo effects on this page is pretty supreme - and covers every facet of Tremolo - bar the Tube-biased variants. So much flavour overall though - and so many variations!