Old Blood Noise Endeavors Dark Star Stereo Reverb

A "next-generation" Dark Star in the lineage of a cult reverb

The Dark Star has established itself as a characterful reverb, closer to a sound design instrument than a "conventional" reverb. With the Dark Star Stereo, Old Blood Noise Endeavors evolves its flagship concept: you gain stereo, presets, MIDI, and much finer control over signal shaping. Whereas previous versions offered a 3-position selector, this edition adopts a more fluid approach by combining the signature elements (pitch, delay, and crush) into a single engine, allowing you to access classic Dark Star sounds while exploring new combinations.

Who it's for and the contexts where the Dark Star Stereo truly shines

The Dark Star Stereo is aimed at guitarists (and musicians more broadly) who want to build an atmosphere rather than simply "add reverb." It excels in ambient, post-rock, shoegaze, indie, experimental, and textured music, but can also become a formidable studio tool to thicken a theme, create a harmonic bed, or transform a mono take into a wide space.

In live settings, the stereo and "trails" facilitate clean transitions between sections, while the presets and MIDI allow instant switching from a soft pad to a dissonant wash. On a pedalboard, it fits well at the end of the chain, but its character can also yield surprising results earlier in the signal path (before certain delays or before an amp already in light crunch) if you're seeking a more granular and organic sound.

Controls, presets, expression, and MIDI: a reverb designed as a creative tool

The Dark Star Stereo offers a comprehensive control section to sculpt the reverb like a material. The Pitch 1 and Pitch 2 controls enable dual pitch-shifting (left and right channels) ranging from micro-variations to more dramatic octave jumps. The Filter control is used to brighten or darken the reverb via a high-pass or low-pass filter, very useful to prevent high harmonics from dominating the mix.

The lo-fi texture is managed with Crush, capable of going from subtle grain to more pronounced saturation, while Lag adjusts the perceived attack (pre-delay) of the reverb. Decay sets the tail length, Multiply adds a feedback loop to thicken and intensify the overall sound, Mix controls the dry/wet balance, Volume adjusts the overall level, and Spread opens the stereo image for wider, more immersive washes.

The Aux footswitch can operate momentarily or as on/off depending on the selected setting, with creative functions such as infinite sustain (freeze), instant low-pass filtering, or immediate octave shifting. You can save 3 presets directly on the pedal (with LED indicators), control all parameters via an expression pedal, and integrate the Dark Star Stereo into an advanced setup thanks to MIDI (Program Change for presets, CC for controls). Regarding routing, it supports mono, stereo, and mono-to-stereo configurations, with top-mounted jacks and soft-touch footswitches for silent operation.

Sound

Expect a dense, textured, and instantly recognizable reverb, with an aesthetic ranging from "dark velvet" to sharp, grainy halos. The Dark Star Stereo does not aim for clinical transparency: it favors a lo-fi color, dynamic responsiveness to playing, and a rare ability to generate pads that fill space without necessarily relying on traditional delay.

The dual pitch-shift creates lush stereo washes but can also produce deliberately dissonant harmonic tension for more experimental atmospheres. The filter helps place the reverb "behind" your sound or, conversely, make it stand out, and Multiply can transform a simple sustained note into a deep soundscape. This very "instrumental" approach is found in musicians like Emily Hopkins, who uses it for textures and drones with both amplified acoustic instruments and electronic sources.

Technical specifications

Effects	Reverb, Delay, Multi-effects	Type	sector
Technology	Digital	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Blue

Potentiometers	Filter, Pitch 1, Pitch 2, Crush, Lag, Multiply, Decay, Volume, Mix, Spread	Stereo inputs and outputs with routing options	mono, stereo, mono to stereo
Footswitches	Bypass (soft-touch), Aux (functions assigned per setting, momentary or on/off)	Selectable bypass modes	buffered bypass with trails or true bypass
Presets	3 built-in presets	Power supply	not included
Expression pedal input	controls all parameters	Required power supply	9V DC, center negative, 2.1mm connector
MIDI	controls presets (Program Change) and parameters (CC)	Recommended current	power supply capable of 350 mA