Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Well since we launched the plexitone, our hdb's have not gotten much love.
Well only the mk3 really.
So I have tried quite a few changes to the hdb through two years now, the first change will be a lower box, same dimensions otherwise, just not as tall as it is now, anyways the normal ones the org and the mk2 likes loudplaying fat amps, not very convinient for lowlevels really, kinda gets thin and raspy to be honest about it.
They need a design change or two
I have found two good designs, with fets or with rectified clipping stage, those works well both at low and loud volumes, found a few other op-amps and redid the input as well.
One design of the rectified actually sits in the Quattro now, and a fet equipped drive in the plexibox will probally also see the light of the day, sporting a more vox like sound, that leaves me with the normal hdb line.
Basicly I am just curious about what you guys like and would love to see in a normal overdrive...yeah I know that it is a beaten to death subject with drives, but that is what people buy and like
I like the layout on the hdb, but the sound needs a serious update, it needs to be able to cover more different amps.

So got any inputs??
Niels

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Add a tube to the stage! Seriously, a simple od that has a tube circuit and an affordable price is a winner in my book! Something along the lines of the Silver Dragon but without the Second SS distortion stage. Should be a fairly simple and straightforward od circuit that can blend in with every amp.

In a normal overdrive: it should add fatness and either 'smoothness' or 'rasp' without getting thin on both low and high volume levels.

Good bass response is a thing that a lot of od's lack in stock form. When I modded my TS-9 for more bass response I couldn't believe how much better it sounded!

Maybe a 3 band eq section would be a cool feature instead of the simple 'tone' control.

True bypass, I find that my SD (which has true bypass) sucks less tone than the TS-9, SD-1, MT-2, etc.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Hmm no tubes...that I leave to others, they always compress and have too little current to work in any meaningful manner in a normal pedal, even in ours that work at +-12 or +-15v.
Besides we have one in developement hell, and it runs at high voltage, so that is not something I do, it will go from a whisper to a roar of a kind, well when it has the last bugs sorted out
Well the bass thing is no trouble, but we do not like too many knobs and options, somehow the pure sound always gets funny with all those filters, we belive in simple but effective, but switchable caps and restistors are in considerations.
It is not amps we are making with overdrives, the base is always your own amp.
We do not do true bypass...ever period, it is the new inword and has about just as many faults as a bad designed or powered buffer, keep in mind that our stuff do not run at 9v, that would be 4.5+- on the inside of most pedals, very close to the lowest voltage some chips can operate at, not strange that some of those 9v running pedals have less than optimum working conditions, hence the "tonesuckage"...another inword hehe.
Thanks
Niels
We use well fed buffers, high imp in and low imp out, less noise in our book.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

I don't know all the technical mumbo jumbo..just tone :laugh2:

I think you need a JMP/800-Tone!

You've managed to capture a plexi in a box. And now 2203s are the "hot lick". Obviously you need to make that. I'll be first in line to buy it

What I think would be really cool Rid..and I've got NO clue whether it would be possible in a pedal...is some kind of cabinet voicing options...

Meaning...if there was some way you could voice the pedal for 25W GBS, and then have a switch that could do say Celestion 75s, or V30s or something.

When it comes to Marshalls there are as many diff speakers that make up the classic sounds as there are amps.

you had the Early GBs that give the JTM45 it's sig tone

25W GBs for plexis

30Ws for JMP...

75s for 800 series

V30 for modern marshalls, etc....

for me personally...I like the 25W GBs..but through the later metal face/JMP/800 amps...it warms them back up while still sounding crunchy like they should (vs. the 75s or V30s)

just a thought..as I said, no clue whether it could be done.

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

I don't know how to desribe it either except to say that the original Marshall Guv'nor is the gold standard of OD pedals to my ear with the original Reverend Drivetrain a close second. I don't know how that translates into design changes for you though that might be helpful.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Well it is a standart od with extra eq, that interacts with the signal, I have an old one
And yes it is a very good od, hmm again those extra eq stuff, I don't like that part, it ads noise.
Niels

 

[Curly]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Rid,
one of my favorite "out of the box" ODs is my Maxon OD 820 Pro. Although it's in the tubescreamer vein, the drive pot is a dual pot, graduating the gain structure as you turn up. I think the Klon and maybe the Fulltone OCD use the same idea.

to quote Maxon:
"The OD-820's Drive knob does double duty, controlling both the amount of gain and the balance between distorted and non-distorted signal."

the Maxon also operates at a higher voltage, which I believe is also a feature of the Plexitone, so you know the advantages there.

anyway, I find it a very smooth, fairly transparent OD

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Yeah that is one very very good overdrive in that vein, I am tempted to say the best kind of ts-style pedal at all
Hmm we are more of a British voiced company, but with those switchable caps we could cover some more ground there, the OCD is a cascading drive of sorts, he uses fet's and some treblebooster, well dunno for sure, all that goop makes it alittle hard to figure out, but he seems to have looked Sean from Lovepedal over the shoulders there
Well we have a cascading distortion coming out now in the new 9v series, maybe we should play around with an overdrive?
Thanks Curly
Niels

 

[Curly]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Rid,
certainly a lot of people are big fans of Lovepedals

I don't know the technical stuff as far as the circuits, so I just plug in and listen.

I know so many raved about the OCD, and it does sound good and is a departure from other circuits, but the fact is, I found for me that it had "artifacts", or unwelcome overtones, almost ghost notes - I thought maybe it was my amp, but whatever, I haven't used my OCD much for that reason.

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Well it is a standart od with extra eq, that interacts with the signal, I have an old one
And yes it is a very good od, hmm again those extra eq stuff, I don't like that part, it ads noise.
Niels

I hear what you are saying but the EQ is what makes that pedal a notch above the rest. Without eq capabilites a pedal will work with a strat better than a LP or a fender better than a Marshall. That has always been the frustrating part of OD pedals to me. With the eq set flat that pedal is way too bright but because I can tweak it to the application I use it for everything. I don't find it to be any noisier than other OD pedals and in a few cases its quieter.

Just my 2cents

 

[saladin]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

I would like to see an AC-30 style overdrive pedal that sounds like a Vox about to explode! The sound of Joy Division and The Jam come to mind. I'm tired of Tubescreamers and I've owned the originals and never cared for them.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

I'm a big fan of the HAO Rumble Mod. It sounds very amp-like and will bloom into feedback at reasonable volume.

I'm not much of a fan of complex EQ controls on an OD. I think that one of the reasons the TS was successful was because it did one thing really well and didn't try to be all things to all people. IMO, the more versatility you try to put into an overdrive, the less clarity of purpose you have as far as how to voice it. Folks need the ability to tweak things to suit their taste and rig but I think a great OD has a distinctive tone rather than being a Swiss Army pedal.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

like a Vox about to explode!

Just buy a real Vox amp...they tend to do that (or at the least go up in smoke)

 

[saladin]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Yeah, but the sound they make just before is glorious!

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Well I am saying the same as aleclee, I do not like all that extra eq on conventional overdrives, I use my guitars and amps for that as well.
We already have one distortion The Fuzz and I do not really like all that eq very much, nah no additional eq, and it does ad extra noise
As for the Vox like pedal, that one is almost done

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Well, if it's of any help, I can tell you what I typically look for in a od pedal:

1. a slight mid boost but not overbearing
2. a slight boost, but not too much to really compress stuff
3. dynamics, responsiveness to both picking and volume

I don't really need EQ or other extras. it could be a nice for an od to add "bite", but I find it too hard to find a suitable bite so that the "smooth" option is better imo. Maybe it could have a single level knob that could go from a slight boost to real smooth to bite? Or better, have it footswitchable some way. Just a pedal with a single button that goes from 1-4 by pressing it would do. If you need someone to test it, give me a shout! Finland's much closer than the US!

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

I think you need a JMP/800-Tone!

Heh a thinner and more buzzy tone??
That was what we thought in the 80's when we used those metalpanels
Sighing for those old Plexi 1987's and 1959's
Ah sorry well and what model??2204 or 2205?
The newer ones sounds terrible.
Have you tried the plexi through one by the way??
No need to reinvent oneself too many times
Niels

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

I think one issue with Carl Martin pedals is that there's a bunch of them that look real similar, that have different types of gain. Of course, that's a good thing, but it's confusing to the consumer, who doesn't know which one to choose. The one that gets the most attention is the Plexitone, so naturally, that's the one that people grab for. Most of us have no idea what the other several OD's will sound like in comparison. Seymour Duncan has a similar dilemma, because of the number of choices.

If it were my company, I'd start making them in different color schemes. Keep the black, but use a different color stripe on each, other than purple.
Also, give examples of who would benefit from a particular pedal. Personally, I don't like small pedals with the knobs close to the switch. I also don't like bulky tall pedals. Make all of them low to the ground, with the switch far from the knobs, and market them all equally, and I think some of the issues would be solved. You know what you're doing electronically, so I'll leave that aspect to you and the rest at Carl Martin.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

^+1...er hehe well I think that some looks are about to change slightly, well I hope, the bigger pedals have different fonts and such.
The hdb will get a flatter housing, so will the compressor, and the compressor line will be expanded to a dual one, and perhaps one with a parallel blenderknob...
Yeah that is why we will end up with only two hdb's hopefully, the mk3 and a new redesigned one, but the boss is quite conservative
But the dropping sales on the other drives and the succes of the plexitone will make him more open to subtle suggestions.hehehe
The real shame is that those old drives sounds very good through a good amp at normal gigging loudness, but that is not enough today!

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Sorry want to collect some thoughts here, overdrive related.

Hmm what about cascading pedals then??
There is alot of sonic possibilities there, and not all that extra annoying eq stuff
Maybe the times are better now for such things, just look at the Eternity and a few others Sean has made.
Ibanez made some very cool units back in the days, but due to stupid names and customers not getting them...due to another green thing that gets all the hype, cascading stuff has been neglected for almost a decade or more now.