The Heartbeat

The Heartbeat recreates the preamp and tube VCA tremolo of Shotmaker's Songstress amplifier in a pedal. The tremolo runs as a VCA design for smooth, deep amplitude modulation, with tap tempo and six selectable waveforms, including a random setting, so it moves from gentle amp-like pulsing to hard, stuttering, irregular chops. A preamp stage adds the amp's front-end character underneath. It runs at 9V or 18V, is true bypass, and sits in a CNC-machined, hand-finished oak enclosure. Hand-built as a boutique pedal for players who want vintage-style tremolo with modern control over speed and shape.