Dream pop, shoegaze, slowcore – we all love these genres. If you want to successfully play all of them, you need some pedals. Not just some random pedals – you need gear that actually works well for this kind of music.
And the truth is that finding effects that can be used for these genres isn’t that easy. There are so many different pedals out there! Things can get confusing, especially if you’re a guitar noob.
That’s why I decided to create a list of 10 best pedals for dream pop and shoegaze. Whether you’re searching for your next fuzz, chorus, reverb or distortion pedal, there’s a high chance that you’ll find it somewhere on the list below. Of course, the sound demos are included as well!
Walrus Audio Julianna Chorus
Walrus Audio Julianna is a high quality stereo analog chorus and vibrato pedal designed for the most demanding guitarists out there. In my opinion, this is one of the best and most versatile chorus pedals that you can potentially find on the market.
What makes it so cool? Well, it gives you access to a huge amount of amazing tones! This is a perfect choice for anyone who loves lofi, dream pop, shoegaze, indie and alternative rock music.
It sounds amazing with electric guitars, bass guitars and synths. Whether you’re looking for a classic chorus tone or you’re searching for something more psychedelic and experimental, there’s a high chance that this effect won’t disappoint you.
Additionally, the Julianna works particularly well during live performances and studio sessions. If you play in a band or you’re a music producer, you will definitely benefit from adding that high quality pedal to your own pedalboard.
I have no hesitation in recommending the Walrus Audio Julianna to all guitarists who are searching for a truly exceptional chorus and vibrato pedal. This is not a cheap effect, but it’s definitely worth every cent.
Here’s a quick sound demo – feel free to check it out.
Pro Co RAT2 Distortion
Pro Co RAT2 is one of the most famous distortion pedals of all time. It’s a fantastic choice for anyone who’s into shoegaze, but it works really good in other genres as well. Whether you’re into indie, alternative rock or grunge, you will definitely benefit from adding it to your own pedalboard.
The pedal features a very simple and extremely durable construction. It’s built like a brick and it’s really easy to use thanks to three individual controls: Distortion, Filter and Volume. You can use that effect as a lower-gain boost, but it sounds best on high-gain settings.
Although it’s not the cheapest distortion pedal in the world, it definitely deserves a lot of attention. It’s not surprising that so many professional guitarists decide to use the RAT2 on a daily basis for live performances and studio sessions.
I have no hesitation in recommending the Pro Co RAT2 to all guitar players who are searching for a high quality distortion pedal for shoegaze. This effect exceeds all the expectations!
Here’s the sound demo.
BOSS HM-2W Distortion
BOSS HM-2W is an another excellent distortion pedal recommended for all guitarists who are into shoegaze music. Just like Pro Co RAT2, it offers a fantastic value for the money. It’s not cheap, but it’s definitely worth it.
This is a pedal from the Waza Craft Series, so it’s manufactured in Japan. It’s basically an updated version of the BOSS HM-2 which is often considered as one of the most iconic distortion pedals of all time.
Most of the time, guitarists use it for all kinds of metal genres. The HM-2W gives you access to the classic Swedish death metal tone. However, when you combine it with a few other pedals recommended for shoegaze and noise rock, it gives you access to amazing high-gain and experimental tones.
Undoubtedly, this is a perfect pedal for anyone who loves the blurry sounds of shoegaze, noise rock, indie and dream pop. It won’t be easy to find a better distortion pedal – it works great as an alternative option for those who don’t like the RAT2.
Here’s a quick demo.
Electro Harmonix Cathedral Reverb
Electro Harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb is one of the most popular reverb pedals recommended for shoegaze, dream pop, indie rock and noise. Honestly, it’s not surprising that so many guitarists decide to choose it.
The Cathedral effect features eight different reverb modes – Grail Spring, Accu Spring, Hall, Room, Plate, Reverse, Grail Flerb, Echo. All of them sound really good, but the Reverse reverb is a particularly good choice for all lovers of shoegaze.
Of course, the pedal also allows you to fully adjust all of these reverb modes – you can control the reverb time, damping, feedback, blend and pre-delay. As you can imagine, that creates a lot of tonal possibilities.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the best pedals for shoegaze and dream pop music. The amount of possibilities is just endless! It’s not exactly a cheap pedal, but I’m sure that all of you will benefit from adding it to your own pedalboards.
Here’s the sound demo.
Fender The Pelt Fuzz
If you’re into shoegaze, you probably know that a good and reliable fuzz pedal is absolutely necessary in this genre. There are a lot of fantastic fuzz pedals out there, but in my opinion Fender The Pelt Fuzz is one of the best ones that you can find.
I think that this is a really underrated pedal – not many people are aware of how good and how versatile it actually is. When you combine it with a few other pedals suitable for shoegaze and dream pop, it results with a tone out of this world.
This is actually one of my favorite pedals of all time and it plays a crucial role in my own signal chain. Additionally, it’s built like a brick, so it should last you for years to come. Surely, it’s a fantastic choice for all gigging guitarists out there.
I have no hesitation in recommending the Pelt Fuzz to all guitar players who are searching for a high quality fuzz pedal suitable for shoegaze, noise and dream pop. There’s a really high chance that you’re going to love it!
Here’s the sound demo.
Walrus Audio Slo Reverb
Walrus Audio Slo is an another extremely versatile multi-texture reverb pedal suitable for the most demanding guitarists out there. Since I’m a huge fan of that pedal manufacturer, I have no hesitation in recommending this pedal to all guitarists who are searching for the best quality.
This particular pedal is very useful for creating lush and dreamy atmospheric soundscapes. It has three distinct reverb modes: Dark, Rise and Dream. And the truth is that all of them sound equally amazing! What’s more, it also gives you the ability to control the pitch modulation as well.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the best reverb pedals that you can potentially get if you’re into shoegaze and dream pop. It’s really tough to describe its awesomeness with words – you just have to hear it!
Here’s the sound demo.
Strymon Big Sky Reverb
Strymon Big Sky is one of the best and most versatile reverb pedals that you can currently find on the market. This is a really expensive piece of gear, but it gives you access to an indefinite amount of sounds.
The Big Sky offers 12 different reverb modes and 300 customizable presets. As you can imagine, the versatility of that effect is absolutely amazing. No matter what kind of music you’re into, you will definitely benefit from adding it to your own pedalboard. It’s also a fantastic choice for any studio.
Who is it for? Well, the Big Sky is recommended for all passionate and professional guitarists who are looking for the best gear on the market. It will be really tough to find a better and more versatile reverb pedal than the Big Sky. It exceeds all the expectations.
Here’s the sound demo.
BOSS RC-3 Loop Station
BOSS RC-3 Loop Station is an another really functional pedal suitable for both amateur and more intermediate guitar players. It’s not necessary for everyone, but it allows you to create loops which can be really useful in shoegaze and dream pop music.
The pedal offers up to three hours of recording time, so as you can imagine – that’s quite a lot. On top of that, it also has a lot of built-in drum patterns and 99 memory presets. Surely, it’s one of the best loopers that you can potentially choose for your pedalboard.
Although not everyone likes using pedals of this type, I think that this particular model is definitely worth the money. I’m sure that a lot of you will agree with me that it’s one of the best loopers that you can find on the market right now.
Here’s the demo.
Earthquaker Rainbow Machine
EarthQuaker Rainbow Machine is an another fantastic pedal suitable for everyone who wants to experiment with the guitar tone. This is a really interesting effect that can’t be compared with anything else. It’s a polyphonic pitch-shifting modulator pedal.
The Rainbow Machine allows you to create tumbling dynamic delays, lagging harmonies, echoing choruses and rolling oscillations. The tonal possibilites with that thing are just endless!
I have no hesitation in recommending the EarthQuaker Rainbow Machine to all guitarists who are looking for a high quality pedal suitable for experimental music. In my opinion, this is one of the best pedals for dream pop and shoegaze that you can potentially add to your own pedalboard.
Here’s the demo.
Behringer HM300 Distortion
Behringer HM300 is really similar to the BOSS HM-2W mentioned earlier, but it’s actually way cheaper. This brand manufactures budget copies of famous pedals and although these clones aren’t the best in the world, they’re definitely worth the money.
This is definitely one of the cheapest distortion pedals that you can potentially add to your own pedalboard. It may not be the best choice for dream pop, but it will definitely be useful for anyone who’s into blurry shoegaze and noise rock sounds.
If you’re searching for a budget distortion pedal that doesn’t suck – the Behringer HM300 is the way to go.
Here’s the sound demo.
My Recommendations
I love all effects mentioned in today’s article, but I particularly want to highlight three of them. That includes:
- Fender The Pelt Fuzz
- Walrus Audio Julia/Julianna Vibrato & Chorus
- Walrus Audio Slo Reverb
I’m using these three effects on a daily basis and I can safely say that they’re great not only for home use but also for rehearsals and live performances.
But the truth is that shoegaze, dream pop and slowcore is not only about fancy pedals in your pedalboard. It’s also about the idea. You can still use some crappy cheap pedals and you can create something beautiful.
And if you want to hear more tones and sound samples, you can always listen to my band called The Coastline 🙂 I use these effects in most of my songs, although it’s not really dream pop or shoegaze, it’s more of indie and alternative rock.
Summary
As you can see, there are a lot of effects that are perfect for dream pop and shoegaze music. No matter whether you’re just a bedroom player or an intermediate musician who performs live and records albums, all of the pedals mentioned above will be a good fit for you.
Which one of these pedals is your favorite and why? Leave a comment down below and let me know what you think, I’m really interested to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for checking out today’s guide, hopefully it was helpful and you found what you were looking for. If you enjoyed this article and you’re searching for more gear recommendations, you may also like:
