Here is what I mean when I say clean bleed. In this video I am plugging straight into a clean channel, the signal is guitar - Koko Boost - Boss SD-1 Waza - Amp.
So, I start off by playing the Boss SD-1 on and at the 23 second mark I turn on the Koko Boost and you can hear the overall volume increase, instead of the SD-1 getting more compressed. This is happening because some of the clean signal is leaking through and the overdrive is just sitting on top of the clean. Again notice the volume jump when I turn on the Koko at 33 seconds.
I then plug in the Suhr Riot and turn the Koko on and off and you don't get the clean bleed thing happening, the Suhr Riot just gets more compressed and the Koko introduces more midrange.
The clean bleed thing doesn't just happen with the SD-1, it also happens with the Shiba Drive, Rockett Holdsworth Boost, TC Electronic Dark Matter. Boutique or cheap pedals, happens with loads of them.
So, does anyone know why his happens and what type of OD pedals does it not happen with?
Just a note - if I boost an overdrive channel of my amp I don't notice the clean bleed volume increase as much, it just really happens on the clean channel.
It's nothing to do with the amp either as this has happened on both valve and solid state amps I've had in the past.
Also, it's nothing to do with the Koko that's doing the boosting - if I was to boost the SD-1 with a Micro Amp, Boss DS-1, Boss OD-1X, Suhr Riot etc the same thing would happen.
Comments
The reason is that when they're in the feedback loop, the diodes pull down the *gain* to unity, not the final level - technically (as @ecc83 will remind me!) they are not 'clipping', they're limiting. So a volume boost in front will pass through a TS-type overdrive as a volume boost as well as an increase in distortion. But a volume boost in front of a distortion-type pedal will simply add more dirt without increasing the level because the clipping is a hard ceiling level.
So the type of 'overdrive' pedals you want are the ones which are actually 'distortion-type' pedals, eg the DOD 250, Rat, Marshall Guv'nor/Drivemaster, Fulltone OCD etc and any pedal derived from them.
NB, this is an educated guess and not complete certainty! I don't use clean boosts, and if I run one dirt pedal in front of another I would actually *want* it to do that, if I'd set the first pedal louder on purpose...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
So I want an overdrivey sounding distortion pedal really?
damn, how did that happen?! Fixed now.
Sounds to me like you are using two pedals I'd use singly or as boosts.
Ie; SD-1w ( which I used to own) boosting into another drive, in my case amp drive.
OR Suhr Koko into another pedal, the very nature of the pedals seems to make them ideal boosters, however I've not really noticed the clean element of the sd-1w, but then I NEVER used it solely into a clean amp, oddly it was the one combination I didn't try.
The DM I use to boost mids into a Blues Driver, which then goes into a edge of breakup clean, so it's compressing a few times over, and the Blues Driver doesn't ( to my ears) have any 'clean' mixed in.
I use to own a Blues Driver a few years ago, but can't remember if I experienced the clean bleed problem with it. I normally would use these pedals as boosters, but just wanted to demonstrate the clean bleed thing.
Interestingly I recall John Suhr posting on TGP saying the Shiba Drive doesn't have any clean bleed, which I disagree with, but he probably uses the term "clean bleed" for something else.
It's OK, thanks for the offer. I'm just going to stick with the Riot and Koko boost combo for the time being. I have a lot of pedals I want to get rid of pretty soon so I can buy some more.....
Yes, I think so.
If I'm right, then the Blues Driver won't do it - that's a 'distortion-type' circuit.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Here's a thread on TGP about the same issue I have.
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/rockett-pedals-clean-bleed-does-the-blue-note-have-it-too.1216781/
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I didn't actually notice it that badly in your video (though I am just using laptop speakers), but then again I use two feedback-clippers as boosts in my rig (timmy and sd1 or ts clone) and I don't really mind it there either.