whats exactly is a booster?
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BlackMoo
New member
A booster before your distortion unit adds saturation to the tone, not so much of a volume boost. A booster after your distortion unit will affect both saturation and volume.
What can be used as a booster? They range from EQ pedals, compressors, overdrive pedals, even other distortion pedals, set to low gain and high level.
What can be used as a booster? They range from EQ pedals, compressors, overdrive pedals, even other distortion pedals, set to low gain and high level.
You'll need to try them out in both combinations (TS->DS and DS->TS) to see what tone you like. I typically do this:
Guitar -> CS3 -> DS1 (modded) -> SD2 dual overdrive (modded too) -> other stuff.
I modded my DS-1 to deliver very mild overdrive when the gain is low (unlike the stock pedal which produces a very limited range), but a huge volume boost. The SD2 is modded to tweak the overdrive tone and presence. The SD2 reacts very well to this, with its overdrive set to low-mid. The midrange and overall presence increases and it distorts a little more.
When I use the SD2 before the DS1 the tones are not to my liking. It is a little thinner and the highs are not as good.
Play with your gain and level settings with both combos and see what you like. There is no hard and fast rule.
Guitar -> CS3 -> DS1 (modded) -> SD2 dual overdrive (modded too) -> other stuff.
I modded my DS-1 to deliver very mild overdrive when the gain is low (unlike the stock pedal which produces a very limited range), but a huge volume boost. The SD2 is modded to tweak the overdrive tone and presence. The SD2 reacts very well to this, with its overdrive set to low-mid. The midrange and overall presence increases and it distorts a little more.
When I use the SD2 before the DS1 the tones are not to my liking. It is a little thinner and the highs are not as good.
Play with your gain and level settings with both combos and see what you like. There is no hard and fast rule.
Yeap... sepultura's got it... you gotta test it out and let your ears decide...
However, do take note of Blackmoo's advise.
If you are using a hi gain distortion unit... say an MT2 set to black metal tones. Putting a booster before the mt2 (booster -> mt2) will not raise volume AT ALL. you'll just get more gain.
BUT...if you are using say.. an SD1 kind of light crunchy overdriven tone... and you put your booster before it... yeap, you'll get some volume boost but how much a boost will depend on how much your SD-1 can take before it starts to saturate.
If you are using hi gain tones... it is advisable to get a clean booster like the MXR Microamp (Subversion reviewed this) to be placed AFTER your hi gain unit or in the amp's efx loop. That way, you get a nice volume boost while preserving your basic tone. If you use something like a TS9 or DS1 and place it AFTER your hi gain unit... the TS9/DS-1 will colour your tone... some like, some don't.
Otherwise... if you use low gain stuff.. .like just a TS9 like of crunch... dropped a TS9 before that will be boost enough.
However, do take note of Blackmoo's advise.
If you are using a hi gain distortion unit... say an MT2 set to black metal tones. Putting a booster before the mt2 (booster -> mt2) will not raise volume AT ALL. you'll just get more gain.
BUT...if you are using say.. an SD1 kind of light crunchy overdriven tone... and you put your booster before it... yeap, you'll get some volume boost but how much a boost will depend on how much your SD-1 can take before it starts to saturate.
If you are using hi gain tones... it is advisable to get a clean booster like the MXR Microamp (Subversion reviewed this) to be placed AFTER your hi gain unit or in the amp's efx loop. That way, you get a nice volume boost while preserving your basic tone. If you use something like a TS9 or DS1 and place it AFTER your hi gain unit... the TS9/DS-1 will colour your tone... some like, some don't.
Otherwise... if you use low gain stuff.. .like just a TS9 like of crunch... dropped a TS9 before that will be boost enough.
iamnuthin_84
New member
so u guys are saying alot of stuff can be boosters from wat i've been reading.. it's just how u want the overall sound to be like that makes u wanna put one pedal before another.. basically u guys used 2 distort pedals, one as ur normal while the other as a booster... hope i'm making sense, cos i'm still a little blur.. that means i can just go out and get a decent distort pedal like u guys mentioned the DS-1 and use it as a booster? I'm having a proco rat 2 at the moment and was actually wondering wat can be used to boost it.... i read about compressors being boosters yet i dun really know how they can be used as one.. thanx for u info so far!!
Mr_KeyboardMan
New member
It is used to send your guitar to outer space
sleepykitty
New member
Mr_KeyboardMan said:
HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHH!!!!
damn joker!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
iamnuthin_84 said:
assuming you want to stack the gain to get a thicker, less fizzy tone..
one of the most popular ways to stack/boost od is to run some sort of tube screamer into a rat (or vice versa). set the pedal that is being boosted to a low level of drive and turn up the drive and volume on the pedal that is doing the boosting. this makes your boosted pedal sort of a "tone machine" that gets its sound modified by the pedal driving it. using a ts9 into a rat, you get both tube screamer articulation and rat punchiness. \m/ the mid hump gets kind of annoying though.
i personally use a z.vex fuzz factory and super duper 2-in-1 to drive an mi audio crunchbox. never been happier with my tone
BrokenWingz
New member
Hi .. so far, im using a JH-1 and a GE-7 to shape my tone too ... and sometimes to balance out volume ....
Shaping as in i use it to get the highs and lows, the mids and the kinda "chug" i want ...
does "boosting" mean i hv to add another Dist/Od Pedal
Or
AM i doing the Wrong thing?
Shaping as in i use it to get the highs and lows, the mids and the kinda "chug" i want ...
does "boosting" mean i hv to add another Dist/Od Pedal
Or
AM i doing the Wrong thing?
i guess the term "boosting" can be taken more than one way. you could be talking about boosting the level of gain (and therefore distortion/overdrive), or boosting the volume of your playing.
stacking drive pedals and using one to boost another is my favorite way of getting a good "chug" sound without compromising articuloation or clarity. alot of guitarists i know believe that more gain equals more chug, but i've always found that playing iwth lower gain and hitting my strings harder gives a better sound imo. for me, stacking low levels of gain achieves this really well while still revealing the guitar's tone and playing dynamics.
i used to use a ge-7 as a volume/solo boost too
stacking drive pedals and using one to boost another is my favorite way of getting a good "chug" sound without compromising articuloation or clarity. alot of guitarists i know believe that more gain equals more chug, but i've always found that playing iwth lower gain and hitting my strings harder gives a better sound imo. for me, stacking low levels of gain achieves this really well while still revealing the guitar's tone and playing dynamics.
i used to use a ge-7 as a volume/solo boost too
