 A new player has entered the premium effects pedal market. Mentha Works, a fresh audio brand founded by key former staff members of the internationally acclaimed Gamechanger Audio (known for the PLUS Pedal and PLASMA Pedal), has officially unveiled its debut product: the Monk Echo Reverb and Delay Pedal.
Marketed as a “sound-design tool disguised as a guitar pedal,” the Monk Echo draws inspiration from the human voice and aims to recreate the sound of “a choir of monks echoing through stone walls.”
 The ‘Monk-Voice Engine’: A Vocal-Inspired Core
The Monk Echo is far from a standard time-based effect. Its core innovation is a dynamic ‘monk-voice engine’ that processes the reverb and delay signal through morphing formant filters. These filters are precisely tuned to human vocal resonances, a concept inspired by Baltic choral traditions and mythical acoustic spaces.
According to Mentha Works, this unique engine allows musicians to “infuse their sound with the character of the human voice,” enabling effortless morphing of entire soundscapes.
Mentha Works is the brainchild of musicians and sound designers Toms Lazdovskis and Matiss Tazans, who were pivotal in shaping Gamechanger Audio. The core team also brings significant experience from industry heavyweights such as Neural DSP, Darkglass, and Marshall.
Feature-Packed for Studio and Stage
Beyond the vocal effects, the Monk Echo is a powerhouse of sound-shaping tools, combining several effects into one unit:
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Vocal Timbres: Users can select from male, female, and children’s choir vocal timbres.
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Dynamic Vowel Expression: The pedal can dynamically respond to playing, allowing users to select or continuously glide between vowel shapes manually.
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Massive Delay Range: Features delay time from a metallic $1\text{ms}$ up to a sprawling 10 seconds, complete with tap tempo and MIDI clock responsiveness.
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Interactive Reverb & Delay: The two sections interact by feeding back into each other, creating evolving, layered ambient textures.
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Advanced Effects: Includes Reverb Pitch Grain for granular pitch shifting (creating shimmer effects), responsive Modulation and Fluctuation, plus Distortion and Degradation for everything from gentle saturation to vinyl crackle.
Macro Control: The Performance Hub
A standout feature is the Macro Control knob. This turns the unit into a true performance instrument by allowing players to link multiple parameters to a single control source—be it the dedicated knob, an expression pedal, or the built-in footswitch. All real-time parameter adjustments are clearly displayed on a highly visible $8 \times 8$ Dot Display.
Pricing and Availability
The Monk Echo is currently available for pre-order directly from the Mentha Works website.
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Introductory Pre-Order Price: €317 (Limited-time offer)
Mentha Works, a new music gear brand based in Latvia, looks set to become a company to watch for musicians and sound designers seeking truly unique expressive instruments.
Read More: Full specifications and audio demos for the Monk Echo are available on the Mentha Works official website.
More Information
#Mentha Works #Monk Echo
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