Kma Audio Machines Astrospurt

A Tribute to Vintage Analog Octaves, KMA Style

With the Moai Maea, KMA Audio Machines claims a "old-school" approach: organic, massive analog octaves, deliberately imperfect as we love them. The octave up features that nervous, fuzzy grain typical of octave-up sounds from the late 60s and early 70s, while the sub-octaves provide a formidable foundation, enough to turn a guitar into a subwoofer machine.

And like any monophonic analog octaver, the Moai Maea prefers isolated notes: as soon as you stack notes (chords, double stops, overlapping notes), the pedal can "glitch" musically, perfect for dirty, psychedelic, and experimental textures.

For Whom, Which Styles, and In What Contexts

The Moai Maea is aimed at guitarists and bassists who want to go beyond the simple octave effect and enter a sound construction logic: monolithic riffs, screaming leads, deep drones, or synth-like layers as a "fake synth" on a pedalboard. It will work wonders in rock, stoner, doom, garage, noise, post-rock, electro-instrumental, and all music where the low end and texture matter as much as the note.

In the studio, it becomes a very effective sound design tool thanks to the clean blend and effects loop. Live, its dedicated footswitches allow switching from a thickened clean sound to an aggressive octave-up attack, then to a sub-bass that fills the room, without touching the settings.

Features and Controls: Smart Mixing, Gigantic Low End

The heart of the Moai Maea is its multi-voice mixing. You dose the amount of original signal (Clean), then add the generated octaves to taste: the +1 octave for bite and "fuzz octave" attack, the sub-octave -I to thicken, and the sub-octave -II to dive into an almost sub range. A dedicated selector allows choosing the sub-octave mode: -I, -II, or both combined for maximum impact.

To go beyond simple "octave on/off," KMA integrates a buffered series effects loop placed in the clean path. Practically, you can process only your original signal (for example with modulation, delay, reverb, filter), then blend it with the octaves to keep clarity while expanding the space. An internal phase inverter (via DIP switch) is provided to limit phase cancellation when blending differently processed paths.

Playing-wise, remember the analog spirit: the pedal rewards clean attack and clear monophonic phrases, but it can also become deliberately chaotic if you push it to its limits.

The Sound

The Moai Maea's sonic signature lies between vintage octave fuzz and brutal sub-generator. The octave up (SHRIEK) does not seek surgical perfection: it adds an aggressive, rough, almost "torn" halo, ideal to make a lead stand out or transform a simple riff into a harmonic scream. Conversely, the DRONE section imposes huge density in the low spectrum: -I adds body and stability, and -II shifts into a register that can shake a speaker if you're not careful.

The real luxury is the dynamic control via the clean blend and octave levels: you can keep the pick attack and note definition, or conversely erase the original signal for more synthetic, darker, more "wall-like" textures. On a pedalboard, it can be the centerpiece to build a huge sound without multiplying octave pedals.

Technical specifications

Effects	Octaver / Harmony	Type	sector
Technology	Analog	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Grey

Octave up	"SHRIEK"	Effects loop (FX Loop)	loop in / out
Sub-octaves	-I, -II, or combined -I and -II	Power supply	2.1 mm center negative connector
Mix controls	Clean signal level, octave +1 level, sub-octave -I level, sub-octave -II level	Dimensions	120 mm (depth) x 90 mm (width) x 62 mm (height)
Sub-octave mode selector	-I / -II / -I and -II	Weight	550 g
Footswitches	global bypass, SHRIEK, DRONE	EAN	0651650248849
Input	6.35mm Jack	Required power supply	9 V DC center negative
Output	6.35mm Jack	Maximum consumption	over 20 mA