Gamechanger Audio is a Latvian builder of effects and instruments that don't refine existing circuits so much as invent ones nobody had built. The Plasma Pedal turns your signal into electrical discharges inside a xenon tube, the Light Pedal reads spring vibration with optical sensors, and the Motor Synth MKII makes its sound with eight electric motors. All of it designed and built in Riga.
Who these are for
- Guitarists who already own the classics — one more Tube Screamer changes a tone; a Plasma or a Light changes the part you play.
- Electronic producers — most of the pedals have an instrument / line / eurorack input switch, so they drop into a synth chain without a matching box.
- Players on stage — the Plasma lights up, the Motor Synth spins. Being visible from the back of the room is part of why people buy these.
If you want transparency or a faithful clone of a classic, this isn't the brand. Gamechanger builds tools with a strong character and doesn't pretend otherwise.
What the range covers
- The PLASMA family — the Plasma Pedal (distortion and fuzz generated by a discharge in a xenon tube) and the Plasma Coil, an octave version with five harmonic modes, developed with Jack White and named after his label, Third Man Records.
- LIGHT Pedal — a spring reverb whose spring is read by optical sensors, which unlocks modes a conventional tank cannot do.
- PLUS Pedal II — piano-style sustain for guitar, voice, wind and strings. Its Spectral Sampling engine analyses the spectrum and stacks layers.
- MOTOR — the Motor Pedal, built around a real DC motor as its oscillator, and the Motor Synth MKII, a standalone instrument with eight motors plus a digital voice.
- AUTO series — Auto Reverb and Auto Delay: classic effects whose parameters follow your dynamics and pitch, with MIDI and USB-C.
How the models differ
| Model | Effect type | What sets it apart | When to pick it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plasma Pedal | Distortion / fuzz | Signal amplified up to 3500 V and turned into a discharge in a xenon tube, with a clean blend | The most aggressive drive here, synths included |
| Plasma Coil | Octave fuzz | Same tube plus five harmonic modes and octave up or down, latching or momentary footswitch | When you want plasma with an octave and instant switching |
| Light Pedal | Spring reverb | Six reverb types, optical sensors on the springs, gate with ducking, shock sensor | Reverb meant to be heard as part of the part, not as background |
| Plus Pedal II | Sustain / sostenuto | 1 to 10 layers or infinite, combo XLR input with a mic preamp, effects loop in three positions | Live pads and beds without a looper |
| Motor Pedal | Synth in pedal form | DC motor up to 450 rev/s, five synthesis modes, expression pedal with Accelerator, Brake, Clutch and Drift | Synth textures played on a guitar |
| Motor Synth MKII | Desktop instrument | Eight electric motors as oscillators, two motor voices plus a third digital voice | A studio instrument, not a floor effect |
| Auto Reverb / Auto Delay | Reverb and delay | Parameters driven by dynamics and pitch, TRACK input, MIDI and USB-C | Classic effects that should react to your playing |
What to choose
- You want one pedal that changes the band's sound — the Plasma Pedal. It is the cheapest way into the brand and the most recognisable thing they make.
- Your riffs need weight or an octave — Plasma Coil.
- Your reverb sounds like everyone else's — Light Pedal.
- You play solo and need a second pair of hands — Plus Pedal II, optionally with the footswitch.
- You want synth sounds but you play guitar — Motor Pedal.
- You want an instrument nobody else has — Motor Synth MKII.
- You want the classics, only alive — Auto Reverb or Auto Delay.
Browse more in guitar effects, desktop synthesizers and multi-effects.
Before you decide
- What is a synthesizer — useful groundwork before the Motor Synth.
- Analog vs digital synthesizer — where an electro-mechanical instrument sits in that split.
Why buy from us
Plasma and Light are effects you have to see and hear — no description conveys an arc inside a tube or the way that spring behaves. In our Warsaw showroom (Nowogrodzka 6A/102) you can plug them into your own guitar. You also get 36 months of warranty, 30 days to return with no reason given, and shipping to every EU country.
Brand history
The company was founded in 2016 by Ilja Krumins, Kristaps Kalva, Mārtiņš Meļķis and Didzis Dubovskis, with one goal: a proper sustain and sostenuto pedal for any instrument. That became the PLUS Pedal, funded by a crowdfunding campaign. The follow-up was the PLASMA Pedal, also crowdfunded and then put into production. Since then have come the MOTOR Synth, the LIGHT Pedal, four more variations on the plasma tube circuit, the BIGSBY Pedal made with Fender Musical Instruments, and the AUTO series. Research and manufacturing stay in Riga.
