I have a natural affinity for underdogs, for so many reasons, and that definitely impacts the people i choose to interview. That certainly applies to eccentric artists who are compelled to create for the sake of the process, because they can’t do anything but make their art.
It also compels a curiosity about creators who are running small businesses. I’m fascinated by gear, though no expert, and pedals are one of my weak spots. They are a ton of fun, though often out of my meager financial reach. As such, I pay attention to affordable pedals, I watch and read reviews and try to find pedals that fit my budget and also sound good to my ears. Versatility is a huge bonus. Pedals that look nice are a big draw as well.
I reached out for a discussion with ALABS because the fit all of the criteria i just mentioned. I love that they are a small company creating pedals which are affordable and more importantly inspiring. Though it was not a requisite for an interview, they sent me two of their pedals to work with so I can give you an honest assessment, and as is proper, I am disclosing that here. I’ll let you know more about my views on these pedals after sharing our conversation:
CR: I would like to know how your company came together. What is your origin story and who is in your team?
ALABS: Actually, we met as a team through our shared passion for music. Most of us are players or enthusiasts. We got to know each other by attending shows regularly. As we became familiar, we realized that among us there are professionals in various fields including instrument production, audio algorithms and marketing, also we all share a strong desire to innovate within the industry. It was an instant connection, and that's how this plan started.
From the outset, our focus has been on creating professional-grade audio products. Whether it's product planning, algorithms or sound standards, these are areas where we excel. Moreover, we are passionate users of these products. Everything you see us creating is actually what we love the most. For instance, many ask why the Adam Adventures Series doesn't include analog distortion/ overdrive - it's because we personally prefer dreamy sounds :)
By now, our team consists of two main sectors: product development and marketing & sales. We are small so decisions are made swiftly. The core of our R&D team is based in Singapore, while for other positions we provide significant freedom to manufacturing and marketing resources, we frequently shuttle between China and Singapore, almost like digital nomads.
CR: Could you elaborate on what kinds of shows you were attending? I am curious because I would like to know if they were inspiring to you all and I don't know much about the music scenes in Singapore.
You started your business in 2021. Were pedals always part of the plan?
Also, would you be interested in talking about your other products? Your microphones get great reviews and they look super convenient. I'm also a fan of the look of your headphones and the FXcaster looks like it could have uses for musicians as well as podcasters. Are these designed by the same product development team that created your pedals?
ALABS: Ohhhh when it comes to this I have a lot to discuss lol. Long story short, it's not just Singapore, the entire music scene in Southeast Asia has been a significant inspiration for me. Hardcore and Emo scene have been the main drivers for us. Of course, within our team there are also fans of Shoegaze, Post-punk, Fusion and even Techno... We embrace the diversity of genres. However what I'd like to emphasize is how the DIY spirit of the music scene aligns in many ways with ALABS Audio's vision. Action, creativity and unity are values we all share. We aim for growth, but equally value active communication within the team, just like in the music scene.
Pro audio equipment and pedals have indeed been part of our initial plans, and that hasn't changed. The delayed release of pedals compared to other products is due to the complexity and difficulty of their algorithms and manpower. Nevertheless, we take pride in our other products. We're keen on innovating and improving existing market offerings, and aesthetics are crucial. These items have to be something we'd use ourselves and show off, so they must look good.
In a small team, we can't compartmentalize roles as extensively as larger companies. Each of us wears multiple hats, and everyone in the team is involved in creating all the products you see. The R&D team handles all technical aspects, while others contribute from user perspectives regarding aesthetics, packaging, usability and more. We're continuously striving to imbue all our products with the unique visual/experiential signature of ALABS Audio.
CR: Do you have intentions to continue development in other audio gear? If someone was interested in knowing more about the music scenes in Singapore and Southeast Asia, where would you recommend they start?
ALABS: In fact, we've planned three directions for our product line:
- Creator Series, designed for music players with instrument accessories; pedals fall within this category.
- Influencer Series, developed for content creators, such as microphones, mixers and audio interfaces.
- Urban Series, targeting home entertainment products like headphones.
All our future product planning revolves around these three use cases. Regardless of whether they're main items or their price range, our goal is to enhance them to perfection within these scenarios.
Regarding the Southeast Asian scene, Indonesia is where I'd highly recommend. You can find many bands playing any music genre you'd like to hear. Most have started creating music in their mother language and incorporate traces of Indonesian traditional music in their arrangements. This is very similar to Japan's music creation — melding imported cultures with local ones to create Indonesia's unique musical ecosystem.
An easy way to explore this is through Spotify playlists or by following events like Joyland, Indonesia's major music festival, which features numerous talented local bands. Singapore's underground scene is closely connected to Malaysia, they have small but closely-knit scenes, making communication more convenient. Also the music scene in the Philippines is also on the rise. Countries like Vietnam and Myanmar have sustained a punk scene over time.
(At this point in the correspondence, I had received two of their pedals to experiment with, their Novadrift Modulation and their Orbital Pitch, so our conversation shifted.)
CR: I've just started playing with the pedals and my initial impression is that they are both a delight. For instance, I crammed them into a busy pedal board and as a testimony to their build quality, there is no discernible sound degradation or interference with their inclusion. They sound wonderful and I am having a lot of fun tweaking my sounds and exploring how they interact with one another.
As far as a question for you: I'm quite taken by the visual design and the narrative theme of Adam exploring the cosmos. How did you develop this theme and what inspired the art design of the pedals? Is there a story behind the series? I certainly enjoy pedal designs that are imaginative in this way; the visualizations are inspiring in and of themselves!
ALABS: We've always been fascinated by hand-drawn illustrations, and most of our purchased band merch features collaborations with artists for their unique artwork. Hence, this form of expression is a definitive choice for us.
Adam Adventures into the cosmos stems from 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', we adore that novel immensely! Also creating a brand feels like forging a universe, where we witness the evolution of stars and explore new galaxies, expanding the boundaries of this universe continually. Thus we aim to encapsulate this feeling within the narrative. Then we invited a indie illustrator from Thailand to create these four prologue scenes, coupled with the tones & functionalities of four pedals, it's akin to crafting the visuals and soundtrack for a film. Needless to say, the outcome is incredibly thrilling!
CR: What does the design process of a pedal entail for you all? Did you know the sounds you wanted to cover in your first pedals from the outset?
ALABS: Actually, at the beginning, we didn't determine the specific tones covered by the effects pedal. Our process of designing the effects pedal may be different from most companies. We didn't start with a clear and definite completion of the hardware and software design of the effects pedal, then have others collaborate on designing the silk screen, packaging, or even just for the industrialized standard product of the effects pedal with a prominent "ALABS REVERB" lettering on the front.
We wanted the whole thing to feel like a form of artistic creation, much like composing a song. A song requires motivation, riffs, and coherent thought expression. When you write a song, the motivation might be a poem, an image, or an idea, but it certainly isn't a tool possessed by your band's bassist. So, the starting point of our effects pedal design wasn't a hardware circuit board or any audio effects everyone has heard. It was a hand-drawn painting, the one that is now printed on the Cetus Reverb. It comes from our artist friend in Thailand, who, while basking in the sun on the beach, casually drew the painting. When we saw it, we immediately started discussing the core, culture, and development of the whole thing, just like continuing the motivation of this song.
Then there is the sound design of the effects, and some endless and boring technical difficulties to overcome, and the sound design can be integrated with these hand-drawn paintings. For example, with CETUS, even standard conventional tones are designed to lean towards the atmosphere of sky, sea, and colossal beings. Each sound is the soundtrack for that painting, and a unique sound of sea waves, the "WAVE" tone type, was specially designed for it.
The same goes for TIMESLIP. For Adam's lonely and romantic journey, we designed ethereal and dazzling tones, including the gorgeous "GRANULE" tone type. As for NOVADRIFT, considering Adam accidentally falls into space with such a retro and cult plot, our first reaction was to create retro and cult tones. So, we used virtual analog modeling technology instead of the cold, pure digital standard tones. The well-received "RING" tone type perfectly aligns with the imagination of the universe in a similar way to Star Trek; it couldn't be more suitable for this painting.
For Orbital, we brainstormed for a long time. Because our friends drew the staff lines as the orbits of planets, constantly rotating orbits. In the end, well, we made the staff lines rotate. So, Orbital, this pitch shifter effects pedal, is different from most pitch shifter pedals. You can control the degree of deviation of its orbit through the "DETUNE" parameter and make its orbit start rotating through the "RATE" parameter. Because of this, Orbital can perform many uncommon functions, such as unique chorus, floating high tones, oscillating low tones, and expansive stereo expansion in a large space.
In addition to the overall art design, we also incorporated our own sound and product aesthetics and preferences team. By far the most talked about feature is "∞" mode, which some people call ramps mode, and others call automatic envelope mode, because we all love weird synthesizers, sound explorations, and playback explorations. These four modules all have Analog Dry-Through circuits with Digitally controlled analog technology, because one of us is a heavily fuzzy user, which is a very important function for him, although at the moment, our users don't seem to care. There are many kinds of details, you may not realize it, but our team in order to achieve these important and trivial details, lost a lot of hair :)
The Adam series is not limited to these four pedals; more are currently in the design phase. We don't know what will happen in the future, but for now, we will continue to write the song of Adam's adventure.
CR: I really like the narrative approach to your creation process~ while I doubt you are in a place to reveal any of the pedals your are designing for the Adam series, I was wondering if you might be willing to give some hints, however cryptic, about the directions his story might be unfolding into? You spoke about the series so far being a sort of prologue and I'm intrigued by that.
Something I'm really appreciating about your pedals has to do with the affordability of the line combined with the quality level. I've never had the ability to afford many of the pedals that I get enthralled by~ like most players, I'm inherently limited in my budget. As such, I'm really impressed by the quality level of your pedals in conjunction with the price point. I've already mentioned how much I enjoy the artwork, but the sound is of course the core of the experience and these are a delight in this regard. Can you speak to your intentions of creating gear that achieves that happy balance?
Also in terms of quality~ and you can completely skip this question if you like, I won't be offended in the slightest~ when I am researching gear I often see people complain about stuff that is made in China. I think that this approach is irrational in the extreme and extremely limited~ would you be willing to speak to this? So much of the gear I love is Asian, some manufactured there (Novation and TC Electronics for example), or that originate there (Mooer, GFI Systems, and now ALABS). How do your face the challenge of these generalizations?
ALABS: As for the follow-up to the Adam Adventures Series, we can only say that it is under development. We do not shackle ourselves and embrace the uncertainty of the future. After all, no one knows who will come first with technological change and inspiration
In fact, our original intention was not to manufacture affordable effects pedal boards. It should be noted that we never considered affordability as a factor. Our pricing is influenced by various factors, such as considerations from the Amazon team we collaborate with based on market and channel dynamics. As you know for a new brand, finding a channel that accepts it within the existing market system is a challenging task. The platform provided by Amazon's channel for selling products allows us to better focus our resources and energy on product development.
Also, because the Adam Adventures Series is still in the early stages of promotion. Our effects pedal boards feature our own DSP chips, hardware circuitry, and software algorithms. This demands significant resource investment in research and development. Even so at this stage, especially for a brand-new entity, our primary focus is on how to enable more users to hear the sound of our products, feel their uniqueness, and gather more feedback. The pricing strategy undoubtedly determines the time required for users to recognize and remember us.
As for the last question, the matter is not actually complex. We made this choice cause we observed that many major companies manufacture electronic consumer goods there, benefiting from a mature supply chain that allows the rapid production of well-designed products. This aligns with our needs and frees us from the intricacies of various tasks, allowing us to concentrate our efforts. As you mentioned, there are brands manufactured there and brands originating from there. There are both good and subpar factories. Ultimately, the results are determined by the products that reach the hands of consumers. If this process does not impact the sound we want users to hear and the design experience we want them to feel, then we believe there are no issues with this matter.
CR: I agree, the decision to use good factories in China is not complex~ I do think that sometimes people make the critical mistake of overlooking amazing products for all the wrong reasons. While I am hesitant to even acknowledge the negativity I see online (and there is a considerable amount), I do want to hold up your amazing work as a testimony to positivity, if you will. I think people should take note of what you've made.
I think that you have hit the sweet spot in terms of balancing a reasonable price with a high quality product. I'm really impressed with what I have seen and heard so far; your products are inspiring and creative. Combine that with accessibility and I think you have done something special with your Adam line. As for the future, I am excited to see what you develop, given this beautiful first batch of pedals.
I often close out my interviews by asking people to talk about other creators who are inspiring them right now. I was wondering if you'd indulge me in this regard~ without necessarily limiting yourself to pedal creators or musicians.
ALABS: Thank you very much for discussing issues related to Asian manufacturing and Made in China with us. We understand that this issue involves many factors, but for us, the results of production are more important. Here we'd like to share a little story.
Our branding guy recently visited the Philippines and was amazed by the music scene there. Bands of various styles support each other, and there is no apparent barrier between genres. The quality of their work and live performances is exceptionally high, and each band has its own unique sense. They are in no way inferior to bands in EU & US. Prior to this, we only had sporadic knowledge, never expecting it to be so interesting. Observing their pedalboards, most of them use the Asian brands that are often mentioned or very common classic models, some of which have even faded with extensive use.
What we want to say is that choosing equipment that suits you to the best of your ability is important. Even more crucial is how these devices, under your control, produce sounds and create music. Also, your music can help you find like-minded companions, and together you can unlock new experiences. Moreover, firsthand experience is undoubtedly the best way to break free from mental constraints!
The vision of the ALABS Audio team is that we can truly become a source of inspiration for creators, motivating them to produce outstanding new works, just as we are inspired by the artists and scenes we love. We aim to establish a cycle where inspiration leads to better creations.
In the future, we will collaborate with some musicians we admire. The Adam Adventures Series has just been released, and we are excited to see how everyone will use them. It feels like parents anticipating how their children will lead happy lives.
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Thank you so much to ALABS for our conversation. it was a pleasure.
I want to share my impression of the two pedals I have access to at this point (perhaps someday in the future, I’ll have the opportunity to explore the delay and reverb pedals from the line).
In my rig, one of my constant pedals is a TC Electronic Sub n’ Up. It is my main reference point for pitch modulation pedals before the Orbital Shift and I chose it for the sound quality and tracking abilities. The Sub n’ Up has Toneprint capabilities which are impressive and it is a wonderful pedal. So is the Orbital shift, which has a different approach to controlling the pitch shifting, great tracking, and is capable of delivering great sounds. The Orbital shift is mono in (probably to help with that tracking component) and stereo out, which gives it an advantage over the Sub n’ Up. I’d say they are close to evenly matched~ the stereo capability is a big deal, even if it is mono in; the Toneprint ability of the Sub n’ Up offers amazing utility. The comparison isn’t to find a victor between the two pedals, rather than show that the Orbital holds its own against one of my favorite pedals, which I consider a high compliment. I currently have then both on my board and I had no idea how strange things can get when you stack pitch shifting pedals.
The Novadrift Modulation is also a wonderful pedal, with a lovely range of effects and stereo in and out. It has also earned a place on my board. Modulation effects are enthralling to me~ one of my biggest pedal investments is in a GFI Synesthesia, which is an advanced and extremely high quality device. The Novadrift is not directly comparable to such a powerhouse, but it is a great compliment and stacks nicely. The Novadrift is a lot of fun and the Ring Modulation, the Multi Channel, and the Filter settings are some of my favortes.
Both of the pedals have the ability to shift from one setting to another, which is pretty fun and has some uses, especially when it is used subtly. It is extremely important to note that they offer versatility and high quality sounds that are affordable to most musicians. It is genuinely difficult to find pedals at this price point which can do as much and I think there is great value in that. During the correspondence with ALABS, we talked about the visuals of the pedals and that has value as well. I think these are a rare find and should not be underestimated.
Using this affiliate link will help to support the page at no cost to you or ALABS, if you are inclined to purchase or explore their pedals:
ALABS Amazon Page
The link which follows brings you to my Bandcamp page, where I mess around with the intention of allowing interested parties the chance to hear the sounds I got out of these two pedals using a Novation Bass Station and a simple but elegant Wiisp Synth from the developer Akunull who creates some lovely digital creations which I’m enamored with. I’m a fan of being able to really hear the different sounds you can get out of a pedal, and I know that deep dives like this aren’t for everyone, but it was a fun exercise.
If you’re looking for an exceptional video review, there is a final link to a review by Secret Weapons which will close us out.
Thanks for your time, hopefully this has been work your perusal.