Finegear The Dirt Magnet: the analog multi-FX with cassette tape delay is available now

Superbooth 2026: Finegear The Dirt Magnet, the semi-modular multi-FX with a real-life cassette-tape delay, filters, and more, is available now.

Four years ago, the Romanian company Finegear announced The Dirt Magnet, a semi-modular multi-effects unit with a real-life cassette tape delay. At Superbooth 2023, I reported that the unit was available for pre-order. That was the case; however, the device has not been shipped since then.

There were technical problems, and the release was delayed. At SB 24, they showed the production unit but still didn’t ship it. After many years of waiting, the Dirt Magnet is finally available as a regular product.

Finegear The Dirt Magnet

The Dirt Magnet is the second hardware FX unit in their Archive Effects series. The first was the Dust Collector with two tape saturation emulators, a real spring reverb, delay, and phaser.

It takes a different vintage direction but bundles a range of semi-modularly patchable analog effects.

The highlight of the Dirt Magnet is a real analog cassette tape delay built into the unit’s lower section. It’s a real eye-catcher, as you can watch the tape move from one side to the other.

According to Fineargear, it’s fully serviceable with a replaceable cartridge and cassette tape loop. It offers various hardware controls, including level in, tone, speed, feedback, and tap 1 and tap 2 levels, and mix. Speed and feedback are voltage-controllable.

Alongside this, it has a noise generator with a band-pass filter and VCA, a crackle generator, and an analog filter. They are manually or voltage-controllable with patch points. There is also a ring modulator with a carrier input.

To add movement, it has two MIDI syncable voltage-controlled LFOs with various waveforms, and control over the speed, and symmetry.

Connectivity

Like the Dust Collector, the Dirt Magnet is a mono-analog FX with flexible audio routing. On the back side, you have independent audio inputs and outputs for each effect, as well as main in and out connectivity.

A USB port for firmware updates is also onboard, as is a power supply input. Additionally, there are patch points in every effect, even the analog tape delay.

Finear The Dirt Magnet First Impression

It took a long time, but I’m happy that the Dirt Magnet is finally being shipped. It’s a very special analog FX processor with a lot of character. The tape delay is definitely the key selling point and contributes a lot to the sound.

Finegear The Dirt Magnet is available now for 1428€ (incl. VAT). It’s hand-built in Romania.

More information here: Finegear

Article from May 8, 2023

Superbooth 23: Finegear The Dirt Magnet, a dirty multi-fx with cassette magic & Modmix, an experimental mixing console, ready for pre-order.

Now it’s getting dirty and wild. Do you remember last year’s news from the Romanian company Finegear? Yes, the creators of the beautiful Dust Collector desktop FX. Last year, they showcased prototypes of the Dirt Magnet, a desktop multi-fx with real cassette tape, and the Modmix, an experimental mixer console.

A year has passed, and the lovely handmade products have left prototype status and are now finished. Both the Finegear Dirty Magnet and Modmix will be available for pre-order with the opening of the Superbooth 23 doors.

Finegear The Dirt Magnet

The Dirt Magnet is the second release of their Arkive_Effects_ series and follows up on The Dust Collector. It hosts a collection of classic effects in a hefty desktop format with large knobs and easy knobs. A lovely box and something that

This is a collection of classic effects in a large desktop format with large knobs and easy operation—something you don’t see that often anymore on the market. I particularly like that the concept is just as loved as with the Dust Collector.

You not only get classic effects, but they are also patchable, like a semi-modular Synthesizer. And this time, all in stereo.

Dirt Magnet features a vintage-infused cassette-tape delay, a VCF, a ring modulator, a highpass filter, a crack generator, a noise generator with a modulatable band-pass filter, and two VC LFO. And all effects can be modulated individually.

Finegear promises character and noise escapes per excellence. You can use and abuse any effects to add noise or crackle to your sounds, ring modulate them, filter them, or delay them using the Tape section.

Since the effects individually have no fixed signal path and can be freely combined, you can create the wildest effects. The Dirt Magnet is a lovely desktop FX unit with great attention to detail.

Finegear Modmix

If that’s not experimental and crazy for you, then the Finegear Modmix is right for you. Already presented at Superbooth 22, now finished and ready to pre-order, the Modmix is an experimental mixing console from hell.

Modmix consists of four CV-controlled channels, four sends, stereo returns, and multiple send-to-channel switchable routing options made for no-input mixing and feedback techniques. What Bastl offers in its Bestie mixer in a light form, is brought to the top here.

Finegear’s unique take on a CV mixing console also features two MIDI-syncable multi-wave LFOs and envelopes for wild modulations.

All four channels have an XLR/6.35mm jack combo for connecting a microphone or line-level signal (balanced or unbalanced). Thanks to the preamp, three-band EQ, and insert jacks, you can also use it as a transparent channel strip. But you can also take it to sonic devil with the four CV-controllable sends, panning, and volume. This unlocks new sonic worlds.

Mixer Becomes Synth & Effects Processor

Then, Modmix offers four effect-send buses and four stereo inputs. The latter can be used as either the returns for the effects buses or as four extra stereo channels. A combination is also possible.

With the flick of a switch, you can route each send to the corresponding channel (send 1 to channel 1…) turning Modmix into a no-input synth or feedback effect.

Further, it has a master section allowing you to set the channel mix level, master level, and the phones/cue level. Two analog vuMeters are also included to help monitor the output signal. Besides the modulation engine (LFOs, envelope follower), there are also high and lowpass filters.

Another product that was developed with great attention to detail. Here you can discover new worlds of mixing. From screaming, noisy synth sounds, feedback effects, to creative mixing, the Modmix is a fabulous product.

It’s not a product for the masses, but more for experimental musicians or sound designers with a fondness for noise and feedback.