The Dot Matrix is, at heart, an envelope-controlled square-wave tremolo—but it defies easy classification, and thrives in the liminal space between familiar modulation and sonic chaos. From choppy tremolo to bit-crushing, ring modulation, and everything in between, the Dot Matrix unlocks gritty, lo-fi textures and uncharted sonic territory, all controlled by your playing dynamics.
Engage the pedal, and your signal is fed into a lo-fi analog sample-and-hold chip, pushed well beyond its intended limits. The Rate control adjusts the sample frequency—from slow, abrupt chops to rapid cuts that evolve into digital crush and ring-mod tones. Turn it all the way up, and you can enter atonal, dying computer heaven.
The beauty of the Dot Matrix is in its ability to transition between all of these sounds simply with the dynamics of your playing. Flip the Envelope switch to ‘on’ to activate the Sensitivity control, which links your playing intensity to the Rate control. In Lo mode, harder playing speeds up the effect; in Hi mode, it slows it down. At lower settings, you can use it to create gentle movement, while higher settings let you control the entire range of the Rate control purely with your playing dynamics.
An expression jack on the back offers real-time control over the Rate, combining beautifully with the envelope section to produce unique, often atonal sounds.
Controls:
Volume - Output level trim.
Mix - Blend between dry and wet signals (capable of 100% wet or dry).
Tone - Treble cut on the wet path only, taming harshness (if you must).
Sensitivity - Adjusts how sensitive the envelope detector is. Lower settings create subtle movement, higher settings create madness.
On/Off - Turns the envelope detector (and sensitivity control) off and on
Hi/Lo - Changes the direction of the envelope's movement. Hi mode gets slower the harder you play, Lo mode gets faster the harder you play.
Rate - Adjusts the sampling rate. Low settings create choppy tremolo. Turning it up gets into bit crushing and ring-mod territory. This sets the minimum and maximum point that the rate returns to in envelope mode, in the Lo and Hi settings respectively.
Exp - Expression jack input for the rate control, for real time adjustment. Inserting an expression pedal disables the on-board rate control.
The Dot Matrix is true bypass and runs on 9VDC center-negative power (2.1mm barrel). Do not run it on anything else.
