The Death By Audio Robot is a lo-fi 8-bit pitch transposer. It converts your signal into digitised, synthetic, robot-like tones. Think vintage Casio keyboards, early Nintendothen push it into arpeggiated pitch chaos.
Stop Press: DBA are discontinutng the The Robot. We have one band new Robot left
It’s completely synthetic: whatever goes in comes out transformed into something that no longer sounds much like a guitar.
There are four modes, via a rotary selector, for normal pitch with 8-bit conversion, octave down, octave up, and an arpeggiator.
The Control knob adjusts pitch in the first three modes and speed in the arpeggiator mode. At higher Control settings the effect is more extreme. As you turn it left, the pitch bends lower, regardless of which mode you’re in.
One practical note on power: versions of the Robot made before 2023 require a dedicated power supply — they cannot be daisy-chained with other pedals without causing issues.
Current production Robots do not have this restriction.
Controls
- Volume: Controls master output volume.
- Control Knob: In Normal, Octave Down, and Octave Up modes, controls the pitch — fully clockwise is highest pitch, counterclockwise bends lower. In Arpeggiator mode, controls the speed of the arpeggio.
- Rotary Mode Selector: Normal (8-bit pitch conversion at original pitch), Octave Down, Octave Up, Arpeggiator.
Key Features
- Lo-fi 8-bit pitch transposer
- Four modes — Normal, Octave Down, Octave Up, Arpeggiator
- Control knob for pitch bend or arpeggiator speed
- Bendable super lo-fi fuzz character
- True bypass
- Pre-2023 versions require dedicated power supply — no daisy chain
- Lifetime warranty
- Handmade in Brooklyn, New York, USA
Power
9V DC centre-negative at 23mA. Battery operation supported.
Watch The Death By Audio Robot In Action
FAQs
It converts your signal into lo-fi 8-bit digital tones — synthetic, robotic, and completely transformed. It’s not a subtle effect. Think vintage digital games and synthesisers rather than guitar effects.
Normal gives 8-bit pitch conversion at your original pitch – the Control knob bends the pitch lower as you turn it left. Octave Down gives a nasty octave-down sound (surprise!). Octave Up gives a nasty octave-up sound. Arpeggiator makes the pitch arpeggiate in a sequence, with the Control knob setting the speed.
Check whether it’s daisy-chained to other pedals for power. Pre 2023 versions of the Robot require their own dedicated power source or a a battery. Current production Robots do not have this issue.
Anywhere. The Robot transforms your signal so dramatically that its position relative to other effects is more a matter of experimentation than convention. Try it before and after drive pedals for very different results.
Yes.
9V DC centre-negative at 23mA. Battery operation is supported. Pre-2023 versions require a dedicated supply — do not daisy chain.
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