Following this trend of floor amp modelling pedals comes, perhaps, the one who started it all, Universal Audio. The Universal Audio OX was a revolution in music recording — a device that let you belt a tube amp into it, receiving all that glass goodness, and then output it directly into a recording deck, or to a speaker at a lower volume. This made recording tube amps, and a variety of other things, a heck of a lot more creative and it all came down to UA’s algorithms and emulations of cabs. But the OX is like, a thousand pounds, and it's big. You wouldn’t want to bring it along with you gigging. Yes, it sounds fantastic, but it’s just not feasible. Until now…
The Revolutionary Universal Audio OX Now in a Compact Pedal
UA have come out with their newest pedal, the OX Stomp. It's everything the OX could do, rammed into a smaller case with some kickers on the front, and at a third of the price. The OX Stomp goes at the end of your effects loop, and from there you can have a lot of fun. You can send it to a speaker, or a set of speakers. You could send it to the front of house at a gig to have the sound tech run it all over. In a studio situation, you could record directly from it via USB C.
The meat of the pedal comes in app form, as do most things nowadays. You go on the app, pick your favourite amp and mic combos, and wham, you’re playing through them. The clarity is fantastic, and the emulation of these sounds is second to none. As soon as these stomp-cab-emulators became a thing everyone was waiting for UA to pipe up. It seems it was worth the wait. Yes at £379.00 on Andertons, it’s not the cheapest in the category; it’s the best. It’s the simplest, most fun-to-use pedal that has been designed for performers. From the hardware right through to the software this pedal is made to last, has contingencies built right on the pedal in case your phone dies, and comes with that Universal Audio pedigree. A great buy for a gigging player looking to fine-tune their sound and push their tone to the next level.