United States · Est. 2001
Death By Audio
Brooklyn noise-rock boutique building the most extreme and unpredictable fuzz and distortion pedals available.
About the brand
Death By Audio was founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 2001 by Matt Dallow, who ran it out of a DIY music venue of the same name. DBA pedals are designed for players who want sounds that go beyond conventional musical territory — extreme fuzz, self-oscillating reverbs, glitchy digital delays.
The Fuzz War is one of the most aggressive and high-gain fuzz circuits ever put in a pedal. The Echo Dream 2 produces delays that border on controlled chaos. The Apocalypse is a six-mode fuzz/distortion that covers everything from vintage germanium warmth to modern silicon brutality.
DBA's aesthetic is inseparable from the Brooklyn DIY music scene that produced it. Their pedals have been used by Sonic Youth, Deerhunter, and countless noise-rock and experimental acts who need a pedal that won't play nice.
Key facts
- Fuzz War: one of the most extreme fuzz pedals ever made
- Rooted in the Brooklyn DIY and noise-rock scene
- Designs circuits intended to be played at the edge of control
- Used by Sonic Youth and the experimental rock community
Iconic pedals
Fuzz War
Extreme high-gain fuzz with a wall of saturation unlike any other pedal. Designed for players who want more distortion than seems possible.
Echo Dream 2
Bucket-brigade analog delay with controllable oscillation that can go from soft echoes to self-sustaining feedback of an absolutely chaotic character.
Apocalypse
Six fuzz and distortion modes — from vintage germanium to brutal modern silicon — covering the complete history of fuzz in a single compact pedal.
Notable musicians
- Kevin Shields · Fuzz War
- Deerhunter · Echo Dream 2
- Ty Segall · Fuzz War
- Total Control · Apocalypse