Death By Audio Amp Crash Pedal Format Amplifier

A collaboration between Death By Audio and Rainger FXA real amplifier, a speaker and a microphone, all packed into a pedalboard-friendly enclosure. Developed in collaboration with Rainger FX, the Death By Audio Amp Crash takes a radically physical approach to guitar effects, generating the overdrive, compression, harmonics and feedback of a miniature amp pushed towards its limits. Rather than simulating the sound of a cranked speaker, it creates that sound inside the pedal itself.

At the centre of the design is a 3-watt amplifier driving an internal 2-inch speaker, with a built-in microphone capturing the result. Because the speaker and microphone interact acoustically, the Amp Crash can produce everything from touch-sensitive overdrive and thick distortion to saturated fuzz, blooming harmonics and unruly feedback. The response feels alive and reactive, with the potential for sounds that change and develop as the amplifier is pushed harder.

A pair of independent level controls lets you blend the direct amplifier signal with the microphone output. Turn up the DI Out for a more direct, focused distortion sound, or bring in more Mic Out to introduce the speaker's acoustic character, adding extra harmonics and feedback. Finding the balance between these signals is a major part of the pedal's appeal, offering a much wider range of textures than a conventional gain control alone.

The Gain control takes the internal amplifier from cleaner, more responsive tones into heavy distortion and wild oscillation, while Tone shapes the overall response from deep, bass-heavy sounds to brighter, more focused attack. A switchable Mic Gate helps control unwanted microphone noise, with its operation triggered by the instrument input. This makes it easier to manage the extra noise and feedback that can accompany more extreme settings.

Beyond its amplifier section, the Amp Crash includes three built-in effects: Reverb, Echo and Chorus. Reverb ranges from a small-room ambience to cavernous decay, while the tape-style Echo adds repeats and feedback of its own. Chorus brings another dimension, covering everything from metallic, flanging-like movement to lush modulation. Shared Depth and Time controls adapt to the selected effect, adjusting reverb blend and decay, echo blend and feedback or delay time, and chorus depth and speed respectively.

The Amp Crash also offers practical routing options. Its output combines the direct and microphone signals, allowing you to send the resulting sound to an amplifier, recording interface or mixer. An external speaker connection lets you use a separate cabinet rated at 8 ohms minimum and 3 watts or greater; connecting one automatically disables the internal speaker. With the internal speaker disabled, the pedal can also be used as an effect in a conventional pedal chain, with the Gain and DI Out controls shaping the distortion and output level.

Powered by a standard 9V DC centre-negative supply and drawing 300mA, the Amp Crash is a compact but unusually capable tool for recording, practice and experimental sound design. It can serve as a miniature practice amp, a source of distinctive mic'd distortion, or a platform for feedback, fuzz and modulation that would be difficult to reproduce with a standard pedalboard setup.

For players who want more than a familiar overdrive or amp simulation, the Death By Audio Amp Crash puts the physical behaviour of a driven amplifier at the heart of the effect — and gives you the controls to shape it into something entirely your own.

at a glance • Real Internal Amplifier, Speaker & Microphone — Uses a 3-watt amp, 2-inch speaker and built-in microphone to create genuine speaker-driven distortion and feedback.
• Blendable DI & Mic Signals — Independent output controls balance direct amplifier distortion against the harmonics and acoustic character captured by the internal microphone.
• Three Built-In Effects — Reverb, tape-style Echo and Chorus add ambience, repeats and modulation, with shared Depth and Time controls.
• Gain & Tone Shaping — Move from responsive overdrive to saturated distortion, fuzz and feedback, with tonal adjustment from deep lows to brighter attack.
• Flexible Speaker & Output Options — Connect to an external speaker rated at 8Ω minimum and 3W or greater, or route the combined output to an amp, mixer or recording interface.