Collection: Crowther Audio Pedals Australia

Found Sound has been proudly stocking Crowther Audio pedals for many years, and we've been fortunate enough to get to know the man behind them, Paul Crowther, along the way.

Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Paul has had a remarkable career in music. A drummer, electronics designer and sound engineer, he was a member of Split Enz during the Mental Notes era before turning his lifelong fascination with electronics and sound into some of the most distinctive effects pedals ever made.

The story of the Hotcake goes back to 1976, when Paul began developing the circuit while in the UK with Split Enz. Unlike many overdrive designs, the Hotcake was conceived to add distortion without unnecessarily changing the underlying character of the guitar and amplifier. What began as a pedal made in small numbers for local musicians gradually developed an international following, while remaining very much Paul's own creation.

Nearly five decades later, Crowther Audio pedals are still made in New Zealand on a remarkably small scale. Paul and his wife Jo have mostly continued to build the pedals themselves rather than handing production over to a large manufacturer, an increasingly rare approach in the effects pedal world.

The Hotcake has since been joined by creations including the Double Hotcake and the wonderfully unconventional Prunes & Custard, but the philosophy behind Crowther Audio has remained much the same: clever, original circuits made by people who genuinely understand and care about sound.

We've always had a particular affection for Crowther Audio at Found Sound. Paul is one of those rare designers whose products have become part of music history without losing the personality and independence that made them interesting in the first place.

Meet Paul Crowther

For a great insight into Paul, the history of the Hotcake and his approach to designing and building effects, watch this interview with Paul below.