Hi guys, I managed to score one of these from origin effects. Really interesting on so many levels. I was surprised how responsive it is at high gain. These clips are a bit bright because I didn’t use any EQ in post processing. Some reverb and light compression.
The playing here isn’t good, my fingers were a bit sticky 
I really like the muting tone, it’s very addictive.
I think this pedal would make a great preamp for a DI setup. What do you guys think?
Cheers!
This sounds awesome! What’s the signal chain look like? Any IRs?
I was looking into this one or one of the Revv pedals for a practice setup with a Darkglass Element (cab sim / IRs). This definitely sparked my interest again lol
Im not sure I see what the benefit to recording really is, doesn’t seem like there’s much of a cost benefit certainly. It seems like some of those products go in the 300-600$ range. At some of those price points, you could just get a used a tube preamp, and use a “colored” IR. Or just buy a reactive load and use your real amp and an IR.
This reply is a bit confusing to me…
Are you talking about recording in general? Recording DI? Recording specifically with this pedal? I’m assuming it’s not “recording in general”, since that would be a strange stance to take.
While you can probably find free IRs, I’m not sure you could find something used for $400 (this pedal is less than $400 in the US) that would have a comparable sound, build quality, convenience of size… A used version of the same or similar pedal, but for the most part good used gear (especially tube) has gone up in price considerably since COVID supply shortages.
Maybe you’re not considering one of the biggest benefits of pedals of this style, which is to be able to play through different amps with a simple pedalboard layout and get as close to “your” sound as you can.
This again depends on your current setup and needs. If you didn’t have a “real amp”, it would be cheaper to just get this (or a similar) pedal, especially if the aim is to play through different backlines.
You’re taking it a bit too literally. Im speaking about recording DI and specifically recording DI with the pedal. If that’s your goal, there are better options to use at a similar or lesser price point.
Even the best paid IR’s are NOT high priced items by comparison, which you would need anyway if you were going to use this as a DI recording tool, so they are pretty much out of the equation. If everything has gone up in price due to shortages, than that pedal would be no different and not immune to the same supply shortages as due to its size, likely uses parts mostly affected by the shortage - SMD and SAND and sand that is smd. PCB fab houses are still producing. Last PCB I had to lay out for a client, I still had the same turnaround time as pre covid. As to build quality, I don’t know what the innards look like, but it’s likely prefabbed full of smd - in other words likely not markedly better than most of what’s on the market. But you are likely more of a consumer than I am, so I’ll leave that to you. I haven’t had to buy gear for a loooong time, and most of what I use I built, but for most of what I have looked for, I haven’t noticed much price difference and in fact have gotten some deals.
You have to first be able to define “your” sound. And most outboard preamps are pretty bad at this. This is just a preamp at the end of the day, it’s only going to do so much for you, and what you plug into will have just as much bearing on your sound. You would get the same mileage if not more going all digital and plugging into front of house. There’s plenty of small digital options now that even include the IR loader, that fit the whole pedal board into a single stomp unit in a similar price range and package size
This was meant more towards the direct recording use. I don’t see much use for it in that scenario. And if I was worried about backlines, I again would just go front of house with a small digital modeler and call it good or just use the back line. Most of who you play to won’t know the difference or give a toss anyway.
Thanks brother 
My YJM sig strat (sd fury) → the revival drive pedal → RR100 ( a 1959 marshall 69’ clone, basically a 100 watt plexi super lead built the old way ) → 1960B stock cab ( 4 x12 w/ T75s) → SM57 → DAW.
The compact revival drive hot rod is a great option.
That’s very interesting bro, I wish I could do that!
This pedal is particularly tweakable for that purpose. So many options to suite a variety of amps, at least in theory, I’m a one amp guy but it’s nice to be able to tweak for a change, my normal rig was the same gear but with a DOD 308, which is more like an on off thing, its doesn’t really clean up that well, but then I have the amp set to over the edge.
You probably understand all this much better, I’m not effectively familiar with how these things exactly work. It could well be that I’m still in the honeymoon phase but I do feel there some sorcery going on in here.
My initial reactions were. This thing is heavy, very heavy for it’s size, best build I’d ever seen too. Plugging it in was another thing, after a few days I realised I’ve never played a more dynamic pedal, the 308 feels kind of static in the way it responds, the revival is super sensitive to muting etc, feels very different too. I’m finding a lot more nuances than with the other pedals, ( have and had quite a few ). Things I took for granted or never though would be applicable at such high gain levels are now very much active, the overtones etc are very determined by picking attack and dampening. This really put me on the edge and challenged me in the most enjoyable way. I’m still dialling it it, right now its very bright and not sure where to place it in the mix, early days and I ain’t no pro.
Not for me, I’ve been back and forth between digital and tube and hybrids too, I personally would pick a real cab with an SS everything even, over IR. I had a kemper for years and started playing again with Guitar Rig 2, tube amps in tween etc. Also I don’t play out anymore so I’m not really qualified to comment.
This is a point of contention, I’ve figured this is a universal truth but with one nuance, the artists performance is aware of the gear in use, which effects the performance, and this performance, hopefully enhanced by said gear is what the audience picks up on. A rather indirect but certainly linked experience.
Sounds cool, nice playing, and a nice weapon to have at your disposal.
Thanks brother, cool weapon for sure.
The 308 is a really simple beast, you can’t really expect that much from it - Because there’s not much to it. it’s not so surprising you find it flat in comparison. Essentially all it does is slam a larger signal into symmetrical diode clamp - It’s the anti-thesis of dynamic, it’s designed not to be dynamic. Something like the 308 is better for an already saturated amp where your not using so much for distortion generation, but to add just that little extra bit of compression. As a drive box on its own, or to push a vintage amp like a plexi, it’s not that great. Yngwie can get away with it because he’s Yngwie.
It all depends on why your using it in the first place. If your looking for a compact piece of gear to throw in a guitar case, and get many usable predictable sounds or to have the ability to save presets, and are going into a front of house without having to worry about hauling a ton of gear around, than really some digital thing is your best bet. If your just using it for home use or just another piece of outboard gear, than none of this applies really, as practicality is really a non issue there. If your looking for a small recording rig, again there’s likely other options that are more suited.
And the people who DO comment and care, are, you guessed it, other guitar players! It’s probably more useful in general to not be so reliant on particular gear. I saw Vinnie Moore do a clinic once, and that was a topic he went on and on about, and how gear reliance is really an Achilles heal, and to just get used to your guitar. The only thing he relied on was his guitar, and a crappy old Boss DS-1 that he could take wherever. He got all of his overdrive sound from that, and he sounded fantastic!
I used to fall into this trap of wanting all new kit, searching for that secret “sound”. Spent loads of money for sure, like many other guitarists I am sure.
I tried lots and lots of kit, amps and pedals and guitars and the early amp modelling tools, this was in the 2000s, but now after years of not playing, my old kit was just sitting there, or what was left of it, so I just use what I have left.
I do have a weird Marshall 1965B 4 x10 cab, from 1995 or something so I use that if I wanna play louder, driven from the Peavey.
However, I do have a Zoom portable studio from 2001, and that has some great built in effects as well as a metronome and drum tracks etc, so mostly I plug that direct into my HI FI amp and use that from day to day.
If I had money I might update and get some amp sims and newer pedals maybe, but there’s not a lot I would buy really apart from a JEM guitar or similar. Currently the old school kit is fine, does the job. I never even heard of IR until I saw you guys talking about it in this forum.
Cab impulse responses have become the norm these days for home recording and studios. It’s really a godsend for the guitar world because most people don’t have the acoustically tuned rooms, mic’s or consoles pro studios do, and/or can’t really blast their amps enough to get speaker cones moving. Nor do most people have an arsenal of different cabs and speakers to try. Although they are just snapshots in time, they are in many cases nearly indistinguishable from mic’ing the real thing.
The price that most professional companies and studios ask for them make them beyond a bargain. The most I’ve ever paid for IR’s was 20$ and that was for an expansive library from Own Hammer. Well worth it!
EDIT: the other beauty is that you can easily roll
Your own too. I have a few I made of one of my v30 cabs that was colored with a marshall styled el34 poweramp to try some different DI preamps out with.
Random bump, but I ended up getting the compact edition! Definitely can do high gain, but here’s some chill sounds lol.
Congrats Pepe! Is it the hotrod version? It’s a great pedal for roll of volume cleans, sparkles
@Twangsta yup, hot rod! Loving the tonal range, and the fact that it gets really close to the Mesa IIc+ sound (at least mine / the way I set it) as well as Marshall’s, “hifi” Matchless tones…
I does have a smooth tone! At least compared to the 308. I tried to use the 308 again after month(s?), the RD is def superior, less noisy too, enough that the NS2 is off my board. I find the blend knob to be incredibly useful, I mostly run mine at 9 or 12 o’ clock. I’ve set the vol and drive to full, so then the rest is up to the guitar volume pot, literally sparkling cleans to a very satisfying liquid leads and everything in between.
If their RD is this good, I wonder what their compressors are like. Even their two magnatone and vibrolux pedals sound incredible from the demos.
@Fossegrim I was going to disagree with you on the IR thing for convenience, I’ve been happier with lesser analog SS solutions. I have a few pet peeves, IRs, low action and SS frets on bright guitars ( hammers ons sound plunky ).
I thought the simplifier DLX sounded good in these demos, cool alternative if I ever have to lighten the load.
This one is packaged so well. Sounds right to me.
As a software dev I’m all for plug and play solutions, keep it simple, I know what I want and the last thing I need is another screen with a million options, the kemper was bad enough
But I have to admit, it was guitar rig 2 and a few others at the time that gave me a start at understanding the different classes of gear. Revalver iirc was really good back then too. Every now and then I look at the current crop of sims to see if the holy grail has been attained, I think we’re a decade or two away still.
IR in comparison to what and in what context? It all depends on what your using it for. An IR is a more accurate representation of a mic’d cab than an analog cab sim. You can also buy library’s of them cheap, or make your own out of your own cab easily for no money. If you are into recording, they are indispensable.
If you just want one or two sounds, than use whatever works for you. In that vein an old tech 21 pedal from the 90’s would work to get something useable enough if you just want plug and play. It all depends on what your goal is and what your using it for.
Personally, I’m a real amp and cab person. Guitar and cable straight into the amp, dry.
Me too, only diff I’ve added a wet rig to my plexi & 4x12. The wet rig is a quilter 201 into a 2x12. I’m very satisfied with my amp setup.
I just don’t like the sound of IRs, there’s an note attack issue that doesn’t sound or feel right to me to say the least, note attack is very important to me, much prefer the real thing. Also I don’t really care if it’s accurate or not, I need it to sound and feel right, personal tastes, the simplifier’s tone sound more forward and real to me, it’s all very subjective, so lets just leave it at that.
I’m sure you’re a very seasoned player with more experience playing live and can dance circles around me on the guitar, I just a creature of habit and have been at it with mixed results for 25 years almost, set in my ways I suppose
I uploaded a video with a high gain tone, totally loving it!