That means if you don't use it right, your fan base is going to wonder why you're sounding so amateur. Overdrive, like all forms of distortion, is a very obvious effect.
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An example of a simple overdrive pedal and a more complex and less good option How to Use an Overdrive Pedal Sometimes, they're all so good in their class that it boils down to which one you like the look of best and the price range you're shopping in.
Some pedals may be known more for a specific frequency response, although you can alter any of this on the pedal usually or even by placing an EQ after it if needed.īeyond these considerations, they all tend to feature the same three knobs that give you all the choices you need.
As lead guitarist you might want to accentuate higher frequencies while sitting back in the mix more as a rhythm guitarist. Most feature so many knobs and even equalization stages that you can define nearly any tone of overdrive you want.Īnother thing to consider is whether you play lead or rhythm and your other gear. You'll largely be safe these days by trusting specific models by manufacturers with great reputations, in terms of the quality of the build and of the tone. Of course, you'll want to try to hear examples of a pedal you're interested in by watching videos, but that's not always accurate. What to Look for in the Best Overdrive Pedal? This results in a compressed sound that has a sense of warmth along with the gritty sound of the distortion.Īlthough some pedals and amplifiers with tubes are still used to achieve the overdrive effect, solid-state electronics and digital processors that emulate specific overdriven amplifiers are more common today. When tubes are provided with too much gain, the audio waveform is clipped off while sustain is added along with harmonic overtones. Overdrive is seen as a subtler form of the common distortion effect. The name comes from this act of overdriving the tube. For overdrive specifically, the effect was originally created by pushing the gain through a vacuum tube amplifier too high. Overdrive is a sub-type of the distortion effect, achieved by increasing the gain of an audio signal until it begins to break up and have a "fuzzy, growling, gritty" aspect to it.
Let's take a moment to discuss what features you should prefer in one of these pedals and how to properly use them, then we'll take a look at our top picks among the modern generation of these tone-altering beasts. Both have their strengths, albeit somewhat romanticized, over the other. That should tip you off that you can find analog and digital versions of the circuits used in these pedals. This is often because it adds coloration and warmth to the signal thanks to the actual tube or tube-emulation. We're all used to hearing the growling, harsh sound of a hard-clipped square wave distortion in heavy metal, but most of us find the more more musical, soft clipping of overdrive distortion a much more pleasant experience.
Guitar players have been praising and taking advantage of the subtle sounds of the overdrive effect for half a century now.Īlthough overdriving your amplifier was considered a mistake before, by the early 1960's rock bands were purposefully creating this effect with their amps as engineers scrambled to create ways to achieve this without altering your overall volume levels.Įventually the overdrive pedal hit the market and the game was changed forever. Click here to jump straight to the reviews!