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NPD: SHOE Pixel

Sep 4, 2004
3,220
7,151
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Portugal
I've been searching for a good gated fuzz pedal for a while.
I had a mastotron that I really liked but I sold it to get other stuff. Then I bought a chinese Mammoth clone that sounded great on its own but was a bit picky when interacting with other pedals.
I have a TAFM but the gated mode maxes the fuzz and I'd like more versatility. The Carcosa also has a bias knob but it doesn't quite get to where I need.
I was thinking about getting another mastotron but after reading some reviews I decided to spend a bit more and get a SHOE Pixel.
I've just received it and still have to wait to get out of work to try this on. I hope it will correspond my expectations.
Here's the picture.

IMG_20181001_113900.jpg
 
The Shoe is the other gated fuzz I've hung onto in addition to my brown dog, which is my favourite. I also tried and sold the tafm and mastotron, as well as the red witch zeus, which I really dug but just couldn't find a niche for it on my synth board. Compared to the brown dog, I find the shoe's gate a bit harder to tame, the tone is a bit harsher and thinner without the clean blend. Having said that, it has some serious nasty gated mojo going on, sounds huge with an octave down and has outlived the others on my board :)
 
Just had a session this afternoon with the pixel, Cog T16 octave and SGFX funk lite envelope filter... such a badass synth combination! One thing I've found with my passive jazz is that a slight clean boost up front helps sharpen up the pixel's gate. Might be different with an active bass. It's definately a cool pedal with its own unique sound. Have you had a chance to put yours through its paces?
 
How does the Shoe Pixel compare to the Mastotron? They kinda sound similar to me from demos. Anybody know if the Pixel works with an active bass?
I can't remember the ins and outs of the Mastotron exactly but IIRC it was maybe a bit looser/buzzier/glitchier than the Pixel in gated mode? Maybe someone with a Mastotron could chime in. The Pixel just nails the tight, synthy, gated square wave sound I want from it. I haven't tried it with an active bass, sorry.