Gamechanger AudioPlasma Rack Studio Distortion

Gamechanger Audio Plasma Rack

Plasma Rack from Gamechanger Audio is a 1U audio effects device for exemplary harmonic saturation and noise gating. Gamechanger took the high voltage distortion concept behind their acclaimed Plasma pedal and applied it to this powerful distortion module. Consequently, Plasma Rack houses a strapping xenon tube that’s capable of conducting audio signals at voltages all the way to 5500 V. Essentially, Plasma Rack gives players the ability to manipulate a bolt of electricity, as its electronic emittance is almost immediately converted into analog audio. The result is a truly unique distortion with a distinct character and handy noise-gating feature.

A three-band EQ is present for sonic shaping potential, with clean EQ button to affect the dry signal in addition to the plasma affected signal. It also features a built-in tremolo or amplitude modulation. At low speeds it acts like a tremolo, with stuttering type effects, but past 12 o’clock the LFO speeds up into audio territory. This creates a ring mod type effect and adds additional harmonics to the already twisted and distorted signal. There is a bipolar depth control; to the right side it affects the amplitude positively, to the left it begins to affect the signal negatively and phase shift the dry and wet signals, swapping them rhythmically. In dynamic mode, the tremolo is only applied to the transients of the incoming signal, with the depth control setting the threshold. With the depth control set to negative, the tremolo affects the trails of the signal instead of the transients.

Three effects loops are available: effects loop 1 only affects the dry signal, effects loop 2 only affects the wet signal before the tube, and effects 3 only affects the wet signal after the tube. There is an expression pedal input; by default it controls the tremolo rate, but can be assigned to any of the controls. The Plasma Rack includes MIDI in, out, and through. All parameters can be changed with with CC messages and up to eight MIDI presets can be saved and recalled on the fly. With all this together, it’s easy to see why Plasma Rack will be a contender for the ages.

Plasma Rack Features

• New method of creating analog distortion
• Uses a xenon tube to convert incoming sound into high-voltage electrical signals
• Facilitates nonlinear harmonic saturation for resolute presence
• Dedicated controls for Gate, Drive, Voltage, and Blend
• 3-band EQ
• Dedicated EQ band controls for Low, Mid, High
• Advanced noise-gate feature allows for extra space in-between notes
• Clean gate function applies noise-gating to clean signal
• Integrated compression and tremolo/ring modulation
• MIDI Sync and CC control
• 3 external effects loops
• Oversaturation effect