Who Is Death By Audio?

In this week’s interview, Nick and Josh sat down with Death By Audio founder Oliver Ackermann, and the conversation that followed was every bit as metal as you’re imagining. If you’re the type of person who likes to skip the end of the book (or in this case, the episode) to see how it ends, we'll give a disclaimer: Josh ends it by telling you to go out and buy Death By Audio pedals. Shocking.
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Featured Pedals:
Death by Audio Apocalypse
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Death by Audio Robot
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Death by Audio Fuzz War
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Death by Audio Absolute Destruction
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Death by Audio Super Sonic Fuzz Gun
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Death by Audio Deep Animation
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Death by Audio Echo Dream 2
deathbyaudio.com/collections/...
#jhs #thejhsshow #deathbyaudio

[@deathbyaudioeffects]

heck yeah, Josh! thanks so much for coming to see us! be good buddy!

[@jhspedals]

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[@geoffblack9655]

You cats are too cool man. For real.

[@danielgalanti2166]

I love my echo dream 2. It is indespensible. My favorite by far. I loved getting a peek into the creation process. Def a mad scientist. I need a fuzz war.

[@muyeikasamurabi1602]

@Death By Audio JUST discovered you guys! My mind is blown to pieces. I will have the Space Bender..... eventually.... and the rest..... eventually eventually..... pedal fever.....

[@lowandodor1150]

I truly enjoyed these 20 minutes with you two. Josh asked really good questions i think and i love your graphics just as much as him. I am so happy to have your EVIL FILTER! Have not played a concert since i had it though, something i am so looking forward to do...to step on that fuzz switch..... *KKKAAABBOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!* ˘J˘ Oh and i asked you this once before but forgot what you told me, about the foot switch, i asked you if it would be possible to exchange them for silent switches, at least on the filter side, haha, 'cause it really is so loud and believe it or not, i really love playing very quiet at times..... ˘J˘ Greetings from Vienna!

[@ileutur6863]

You know your small boutique company has made it big when everyone from obscure noise bands, to arena rock stars, to blues session dads likes your designs. Not even kidding, I just had a 60 year old blues dude ask me about finding a fuzz war in my country.

[@andrewalburn]

Oliver is honestly one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet, and the Death By Audio venue and co-op space was an absolute gem in its time. Bands cut their teeth there in the same way people now look back at CBGB in the late 70’s - it’s undoubtedly a piece of Brooklyn music history. Between that, the pedal company, and his band, this dude has been pretty damn influential on a lot of music. Mad props and great interview, Josh.

[@willflint5014]

Ty Segall & John Dwyer are the ones that got me into DBA. I heard Slaughterhouse when I was like 17 and I only wanted the Fuzz War from that point on.

[@BillWolfe]

I heard Ty Segall talking about DBA in an interview and the Fuzz War is next on the list. I'm excited to see this video :)

[@miguelscserra]

Same here. There was a time when I was going to equiboard a lot to see what gear made the sounds there I loved. Went to John Dwyer's page, saw the fuzz war and was super intrigued by DBA

[@benjaminfowler4513]

@@miguelscserra same reason I got a dd3 lol because Dwyer uses it

[@jhspedals]

Segall, what a dream boat!

[@vanguardcycle]

@@jhspedals you spelled John Dwyer wrong 😄

[@commiebitch42]

I went to NYC for the first time back in '04, and went to Main Drag Music, and saw the Interstellar Overdriver, tried it and found out that I couldn't use it, it was just too loud. The day after, I went to an internet café, and I emailed Oliver saying that I liked the pedal, but it was too loud, he was super cool about it, and was like "I can just mod it for you, with a master volume, I've done that on others". I told him to make me two of them, and if it was cool, that I'd like to pick them up myself at his shop. So a week or so later they're done and I go to Brooklyn to pick them up, and got a tour of what was the DBA HQ/practice space/studio/living space, and he had made a new silk screen for the pedal, because it now featured the master volume permanently, and I got serial number 001 and 002. Still have them.

[@bobbyblair6862]

Rad story!

[@theothertonydutch]

You hold on to those puppies til the day you die! XD

[@TheZnth]

Hell yeah dude I got mine around the same time, little later with the master control and it’s so sweet thank you

[@nedim_guitar]

Great story! And a great username.

[@briandillon8041]

That was beautiful

[@300Foxes]

Nicholas Cage is taking this role very seriously, he makes a very convincing Oliver. If I were Josh, I would watch my Klon very closely to make sure this isn't an elaborate heist. 😄

[@VinnieBlues1]

Hahahahahahahahahahaha... i got it 😄

[@jsalmons84]

🤣

[@xdoctorblindx]

Do Fairfield Circuitry next! I feel like we need more features on pedal brands that do left-field stuff on the channel.

[@pdf_093]

Seconded!

[@mrkba]

Yeeeeeeeeeessssssssss

[@zenistermister9695]

I prefer center field. It's further out there lol.

[@xdoctorblindx]

@@markhammer643 I think that would be awesome! There isn't a whole lot of attention given to Canadian builders, so that would be an excellent opportunity. SolidgoldFX, Empress, Diamond, Union Tube and Transistor, Montreal Assembly, Dr. Scientist, etc. all deserve some major love. My bass pedalboard is entirely Canadian builders, and it sounds incredible!

[@bradruhfel4883]

Yes please. Ive mentioned this a few times here too! Do Fairfield!

[@asims1066]

I’ve been a long-time fan of A Place to Bury Strangers and Death By Audio. Oliver’s the sh*t! Thanks for doing this Josh!

[@davidbowen169]

I respect that Josh is supporting and promoting his fellow boutique builders transcending competition and in that process creating an alternate business via You Tube. There’s a certain karmic pay it forward virtuous circle that he’s embraced that has made his pedals more attractive to me.

[@iommiclife794]

Oliver is so down to earth. I met him twice. One time a meet and greet in SoCal on a Festival and the second time in Germany. And this guy even recognized me. Loving his Fuzz War so much! Hope he keeps up the good work.

[@frandsenphilip1]

I loved how candid Oliver is about vague understanding of things, and failure. Wow - so great.

[@lewisratford2908]

The Echo Dream 2 is one of the best pedals I’ve ever owned. I love the way they do the core sounds so well, yet can go to the extremes beyond normal parameters. Great art on the pedals & so much mojo

[@jamesonsteele1020]

I own a echo dream 2 it’s insane

[@tyerestes7554]

Thanks for flying out to NY to do this interview. You work really hard and we all appreciate it 😎🤙

[@alanbezada8830]

Oliver is one of the nicest and warmest person ever I went to NAMM for the first time in 2017 and DBA had this small room in their booth where you can try their pedals, I ask one of the team if I just could enter and start using them and he just told me “there’s gonna be a demo in 5 minutes, let me ask Oliver” and he was all cool about it and wait for me to finish playing so he could start the demo haha i leave the room with a smile on my face and he just say “fuck yeah man 🤟” A year later on NAMM we took a picture on my phone but at the moment was took my cellphone died and he was “let’s take a picture with mine just in case” and then texted to me.

[@MrTheWilliamville]

Never seen a D.B.A. pedal I didn't want.

[@b0000kify]

Absolutely!

[@tritonmosquito9348]

Same. Never seen a DBA pedal I could affort though...

[@randoH3000]

The designs are superb, and the sounds that come from them are inspiring at worst, and simply divine at best.

[@jhspedals]

Same.

[@chrisgugino1957]

@@tritonmosquito9348 the secondhand market is always pretty decent for scoring dba stuff.

[@bkebradley]

This guy reminds me of my uncle Tony who was a metal singer in the 80s and settled down to be a dad, but is still really cool and still has the long hair.

[@muletsag300]

Mugi

[@tylerdurden5122]

Did he have a wicked combover too?

[@kcapkcans]

I love that this guy's answers are all basically "because it looks/sounds/feels cool". There's literally not a better reason to do something.

[@IlyaDemidovart]

I don't know what's happening to me.. Cause I never was a "pedal guy".. I started with zoom 505 and always have had digital multi fx processing for effects connected to fx loop of an amp.. BUT after starting whatching your content I just can't help but searching for used pedals day and night, finding new gems and tell all my friends about it (i'm from Moscow by the way, it's bit difficult to find some good stuff in here). Your show is such an inspiration! But I'm worried that it can become an obsession.. At least for me)

[@jhspedals]

😈😈😈

[@gregrandallbtsr03]

Really fun episode. Great information and a neat ending. Thanks!

[@briand7381]

We need more of these videos. Thank you!

[@unboxedtravels]

Great interview, loved that ! Thanks Josh and Oliver :-)

[@k.p.wesleyiii6475]

I've been waiting for this episode for so long. This is fantastic, thanks for this one.

[@joecarl5473]

Amazing episode!!!!! Such cool pedals, glorious tones, special trippy effects!!!! Amazing thank you Josh and crew!!!

[@thseed7]

I always say the same thing: I love your channel. The history of companies and effects is really interesting. The demos you do make these cool effects companies and their products so much more accessible. Keep demoing, we'll keep buying.

[@shiloheaston9839]

Super cool! Love the smiles and the vibe! :) Great stories and history!

[@muyeikasamurabi1602]

One of the best eps, guys. The purple light and graphics in the jam were the icing on the cake

[@aaronpott7667]

I loved the production of this episode. Great work on this one.

[@whiteshedrecordings]

Dude, that outro song gave me chills! Great episode!

[@whatsthatsoundlike2502]

Much love to the D.B.A guys and JHS!!!!! Keep up the great work that inspires all of us!

[@szabolcsmezei4088]

Alright, this was worth it all the way through. The closing jam was gnarlsome too. Well done.

[@BitsOfInterest]

I must say you guys have a great video editor. It flows together so seemingly effortless. Best guitar content out there 👍

[@omnomnom504]

Thanks for doing this stuff, guys! The editing is a little jarring in this video. Which is especially noticable because it's usually seamless. The ending bit was really cool, though!!

[@lukeward4806]

WOW! more of this please!! OLIVER YOU ARE AWESOME

[@unfinishedBridges]

When they were talking about a kid going into a shop, they should have shown Nick plugging into a Death By Audio pedal with the "thought" voice over by Oliver.

[@bluerock5351]

Good interview Josh. I remember buying a DBA pedal because the instructions had question marks over what the knobs were for. Oh & it sounded like the most mangled fuzz you could buy. great Show (& pedals) Josh.

[@malsanders609]

Really enjoyable interview, and that ending was really cool

[@justingreen8539]

this is an excellent episode for me especially as an amateur builder/modder, love what you're doing with these interviews

[@justingreen8539]

ps VICE sucks long live DBA

[@christopherecatalano]

Great episode…really nice to hear about the process of learning the particular skills for building interesting pedals. I wanna try now! The truly great thing about this channel is that it ultimately celebrates real music, creativity, and how the potential is there to keep the “family” (music fans, musicians, music techs, etc.) expanding and thriving. Oh, and “Death by Audio” wins the pedal name game, hands down.

[@heydaydreamer8194]

Oliver's band APTBS was how I found out about DBA pedals. APTBS are hands down one of the best bands to see live IMO. As for DBA pedals, they are all amazing, I got a Fuzz War and it hasn't left my board. My band even played the DBA space before it closed! Awesome memories there. Can't wait to see APTBS again when concerts resume! Great episode Josh!

[@delivrance3961]

at last, awesome episode on my favorite pedal maker and band! thx guys!

[@toddzimmer39]

So good. Thank you Josh for the interview. Damn Oliver, I should have grabbed a copy of the DBA photo book when you guys were at the Madrid! Keep well. See you soon.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

He seems like such a nice and humble dude! Diving into the are artist can make you appreciate the product a ton more!

[@juggalo7718]

Thank you !!! I have been waiting on an episode about Death ByAudio !!!!!

[@E_chizzle]

That jam at the end was awesome!! Definitely downloading

[@the-creech4790]

It's 2021 and there is still one dude sporten' a comb over! With hippie hair even! Cool....

[@tylerdurden5122]

Haha how is no one else in the comments saying anything about the combover? He is owning that shit!!

[@ajgrob]

You think balding Millennials are gonna shave their heads like the generation before them, combovers are gonna make a comeback, Oliver is a trailblazer!!!

[@peekaboo4390]

That was a great interview with someone I had never heard of before.

[@RobertKeeleyTV]

"Burning myself really bad (smile) hahaha, It smelled really great like a hamburger, or something. When you're cooking flesh..." (eyes go down recalling all the times, melancholy at the fact he's in an interview, maybe even thinking about cooking and eating Josh), "the uh, regardless, you, I, was still..." (thinking about Cooking Flesh and how Great it smells, like Hamburgers!!!) Such a great interview, Oliver and Josh!

[@hendrix1175]

Awesome,awesome,awesome!!! Great video! Thank you!

[@danielhelderman5228]

Josh and Oliver must be my 2 favorite people ive never met. I would watch this interview if it was 8hrs long. WellJob!

[@jhspedals]

🤗🤗🤗

[@mapledelight]

Fab episode. Thank you to all involved.

[@iknowyouarh]

I always thought the name was a "Lost Boys" reference..."Death by Stereo"

[@rubrshrk]

Thank you for doing this, Josh. It makes me feel even better about owning several of Oliver's pedals!

[@jc-esl5238]

OMG I've been waiting for this for such a while.... it was about time!

[@simonpark843]

My first pedal was a Soundtank Modernfusion overdrive. It was so long ago now but I still remember that day so clearly.

[@TheBYRecords]

I discovered DbA at the winter NAMM show three years ago… i tried the fuzz war and loved it. I went to the bathroom immediately after (unrelated 😜) and when I came our my wife had bought the pedal for me as a surprise… I love my fuzz war, it is unruly and beautiful, i combine it with my keeley compressor and get infinite sustain and feedback galore… AWESOME!!!

[@Rogueguitarshop]

Big fan of these guys. Thanks so much for this episode, Josh.

[@ripster8766]

I was lucky enough to go to a handful of shows at dba. Great video!

[@steobrien2907]

YESS I Kept asking for this on the live streams Thanks x

[@KrachWerke]

Yup, silk screening is king. Love the whole process and completely get where he is coming from.

[@acidfilth2007]

He totally nails a point at 12:38 about his aesthetic designs, about making it seems mysterious so you want to turn the knob. Mystery is huge. Things that we don't know what will do, are fantastic and full of wonder

[@ScamLikely9327]

I bought their vocal delay and holy shit. Gives you all the echoes and more. Always wanted to do the weird time warp oscillations with vocals and they made it possible. Legends.

[@Sailor_Man_Music]

Josh!!! I bought the Bender!!!! Omg it’s amazing I went to the local guitar shop here in New London and got it. It is an amazing pedal I recommend it totally.

[@DrCrane1000]

God, we and Ollie deserved this episode! Ollie is one of the bests, he’s a great man and a fantastic musician and pedal builder imo. Love him so much! ❤️ Thanks for appreciate DBA.

[@richardsp2794]

Total inspiration. Just have an idea and work it out. Showed my daughter this who is struggling a bit with how school is a bit confining and she had a 'huh, ok' kinda moment. Can't buy this sort of thinking and inspiration.

[@jhspedals]

💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

[@ericp.3684]

That was awesome. I think Death by Audio's Deconstructionist approach is really fascinating. Great Interview with 2 legendary pedal makers.

[@rafaelocandof]

At one point Oliver says "it smelled really great like a hamburger, you know, cooking flesh" and his band's name is A Place to Bury Strangers so I'm not saying serial killer vibes but serial killer vibes

[@willflint5014]

The Fuzz War is the best pedal that I have ever owned! It was all that I ever wanted for a long time and I finally got it in December. Was not disappointed. Long live DBA!

[@jhspedals]

Nice!

[@jamesmoses4066]

@@jhspedals I had to delete my comment to save me from embarrassing myself but would you mind pointing me to a song that you like which has fuzz? I don't see the appeal of clipping a signal that hard, but maybe you would know a good instance in which it works for the song?

[@LennyLeonard.]

@@jamesmoses4066 witch - seer

[@boomtap7554]

I loved every second of that. Great interview.

[@nardcalls]

The editing makes it feel like they are in two separate rooms

[@daddygad]

Extremely fascinating interview. Loved the jam at the end!

[@danielhosie471]

That jam at the end holy shit! Thx dudes.

[@R_Rod]

loved this episode, the Apocalypse was my second boutique pedal (and third ever) almost 10 years ago, and it was soon followed by a Supersonic Fuzz Gun. They been gigged, sweat on, beer splashed on, even bleed on by someone who thought they were GG allin in Mexican $h1thole punk bars. Still have em, and still work flawless.

[@kbirridia]

BMG throwback, whoa. Had completely forgotten about those.

[@burresseffects]

I preferred Columbia House.

[@Yupppi]

Another great interview. Great company. Those screens, wouldn't you love a misprinted pedal?

[@miguelguimaraes4211]

Man.. JHS, you really are something especial.

[@briandillon8041]

I love the way you advertise competitors.. you just like pedals and you can’t help it I guess. The thing is we will buy all of them

[@TOANhound]

Very very cool episode. I knew nothing of this company/brand and I came away really digging the whole vibe. Very cool stuff. Need to add some DBA gear to my rig!

[@hendrixg]

I was wondering how JHS' chill vibe would mesh with Dan's wild and noisy aesthetic on video. This is effin' cool.

[@danielcarter3928]

great episode!

[@staffnnontri7678]

The Powerlead was my first pedal too. Have it since then. I use it for hard grungy sounds in the studio.

[@Mockingbird650]

This video gives me hope. I've wanted to make my own pedal since I was in high school. That was 31+ years ago. Still want to do it.

[@SlackrUk]

This is really fantastic, thank you.

[@osuspirit]

The questioning is fantastic...

[@TenisDimants]

Amazing! Thank you!

[@virgilbprince]

thanks for doing this and damn that ending jam was the bees knees

[@austinnicely9781]

I absolutely love that his first pedal creation was a feedback looper. The JHS feedback looper was my 2nd pedal. Still perfect with its red and yellow knobs.

[@BillWolfe]

I've been thinking about getting a Fuzz War for a while now. This video helped me decide to get one and I just ordered it!

[@jhspedals]

Yes!!!

[@p9jpd9]

Mad Respect to Oliver for putting all out there

[@tungtobak]

First delay pedal I bought was a Echo Dream 2. To this day my most used pedal. Lately their Absolute Destruction pedal has gotten a lot of use in weird reamps when you want your amp to sound really really on the brink of complete implosion.

[@Sadsoft]

Finally an episode with the most wholesome content

[@jeroen4734]

Thanks guys!

[@johncox2552]

Loved the episode!

[@nickp440]

That ending jam was amazing guys holy shit

[@buffalosoldier675]

Wow! I was waiting long for this to happen

[@chimpsticks1]

Had the pleasure of playing some shows with John and Sandra - pic. 14.20 (as Ceremony East Coast) they're the most nicest, fun people I've met. John's fuzz sound was incredible....I'd never heard anything quite like it. It was an old Fuzz War.

[@rodhadland2404]

I got to meet John & Sandra this year touring with APTBS with Ollie, he had previously hooked me up with 2 DBA pedals after I met him and brought one of them for him to graffiti. John & Sandra were lovely to talk with, and John still is using that old 2 knob Fuzz War with his old Fender Mustang bass!

[@chimpsticks1]

@@rodhadland2404 what a sound tho!

[@davisgwynn4295]

DBA is one of my favorite companies. I just got a Reverberation Machine, and thought it was broken bc I couldn’t figure out how to work the feedback like a fucking idiot. I emailed them asking for help and they immediately got back to me and now it’s in my board permanently. Love these fucking dudes

[@TheLordcasio]

I came up in NYC at the same time as Ollie…we’ve met but he couldn’t pick me out of a line up. We share a friend J-Space (2nd drummer for A Place to Bury Strangers). I remember first seeing Death By Audio pedals at Main Drag at its second location on…North 3rd? It was the first time someone my age was making cool shit. I lived on South 2nd and DBA was down the street by the water. SO many good shows there. F’ VICE mag. On another note, I also lived in in KC when Josh was in high school….Wojees (spelling?). Bought a 606 at a pawn shop in KC, that I later sold to producer Chris Cody (a music shop guy that went on to produce TV On The Radio and The Ya Ya Yas to name a few). ANYWAY…this interview is an intersection of so many cool things for me: 90’s DIY, pre-eBay pawn shopping and NYC vs KC. Thanks Josh

[@pauljockers7482]

Big fan of the early A Place to Bury Strangers stuff. when I heard this guy was making pedals I just knew it would be wild.

[@dougpowley3749]

Great show!

[@NoMorePedals]

Just got a Fuzz War and loving it, this was a real cool interview.

[@Subhumanslug]

Best bass fuzz, imo.

[@SnaFOo75]

Username does not check out! HAHA

[@jamesmoses4066]

I have yet to hear any song that doesn't sound like complete ass when fuzz is used. It literally sounds like someone taking a shit on a guitar. Distortion is fine but fuzz is wack

[@SnaFOo75]

@@jamesmoses4066 no one cares what you think

[@jamesmoses4066]

@@SnaFOo75 instead of being salty for liking the literal sound of shit lmao, you could always point me to a song where it actually works? Because I haven't heard any songs where it works.