Closed for now: Analogue boost/drive/distortion pedals that can store/retrieve presets using MIDI?

TheBigDipper

As the title says. I really like my RevivalDRIVE, but you have to tweak the knobs to change tones. Fine at home and to record, but not so useful in performance. 

I've never yet found a digital drive I like, so I'd like to start with analogue pedals - but don't know of any. Anyone? I think there is/was a company in the USA that specialised in this feature but can't remember who they are. 

I'm going to take a look at the Neunaber Neuron, though, which is digital, but only because someone I know and trust(ish) says theirs is great - but they live 200 miles away and are a bit more metal than I am. (Well, a lot, actually). 

Thanks, folks.

sgosden

Pretty sure there was a thread on this a few weeks ago ? 

Chase bliss brother

Chase bliss automatone

Elektron analogue drive 

There's a couple of Strymon ones but I think they're digital ?

TheBigDipper

sgosden said:

Pretty sure there was a thread on this a few weeks ago ? 

Chase bliss brother

Chase bliss automatone

Elektron analogue drive 

There's a couple of Strymon ones but I think they're digital ?

Wouldn't be surprised, but I never know how to search effectively. Ta for highlighting these. Someone will be along shortly to embarrass me for my lack of expertise in using the search function. :-) 

StefB

Stock answer, TC Electronic Nova Drive.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/3140589/#Comment_3140589

english_bob

Ramble FX Kismet

https://www.ramblefx.com/kismet

Jackson Audio Bloom / Golden Boy / Asabi / Broken Arrow

https://jackson.audio/

Wampler Pantheon Deluxe

https://www.wamplerpedals.com/products/distortion-overdrive/pantheon-deluxe/

thomasw88

StefB said:

Stock answer, TC Electronic Nova Drive.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/3140589/#Comment_3140589

yeah that for sure.  I've had a couple and didn't like it very much personally but is analogue with presets..

rsvmark

sgosden said:

Pretty sure there was a thread on this a few weeks ago ? 

Chase bliss brother

Chase bliss automatone

Elektron analogue drive 

There's a couple of Strymon ones but I think they're digital ?

I am to blame for that thread. To help out, I ended up finding a Golden boy. I ruled out aN automatone due to cost. Others I ruled out due to size as I had limited real estate and then (inability to try out in person) watched a load of demos where it was frankly hard to differentiate as they all sounded good. I ended up looking for a Brothers but they are rare as hens teeth and the prices are daft (£400 plus for a pedal retailing at £350) but I liked it as it had the ability to store presets…..

I went back and started looking at Jackson Audios options as the prices were dropping in the sales and settled on a Golden boy. I found one sh and bit the bullet. The fella who sold it to me passed on the midi cable but it was the wrong type (genuine error).

I have now re wired the board and am cycling through the options and flavours of od and boosts and writing these out manually until the cable arrives. The GB is controlled by cc messages not pc so look out for how you want to control what ever you go for. I reckon my ocd would go into overdrive if I ended up with 128 presets for pc so have limited myself to controlling via my boss ES8 and cc messages….. which I have yet to figure out as I am waiting for the right cable! 

So size, cost, availability and how midi works were the relevant considerations for me

Hope that helps.

TheBigDipper

Thanks to all for the helpful input so far and informing me of a whole bunch of pedals I'd not really known about before. Lots of work to do with them all - assuming I can even find any to try or buy/recycle-if-not-right.

My RevivalDRIVE is great, and the sounds I get are really compelling and I love to just noodle with it and listen to myself. But... I don't think the way it works, coupled with the way I play and use effects in performance, will make it a viable tool for band use. I can tweak it for playing at home and recording, but it's a bit of a challenge in live use when all I want to do is get to a known sound quickly and reliably. I've don't like most of the Line 6 boost/overdrive/distortion models (the OCD is pretty good, though), nor the Headrush ones, so I'm not looking at that sort of MFX or spending that sort of money. FWIW, I recently sold an HX FX because I prefer the Plethora X5 for mod/delay/reverb effects.  

The Neuron is on sale at Andertons, so I've got one arriving on Monday. Not analogue, of course, but it might help me get my head around what I really need from this sort of thing and help me refine what I look for in some of the others you've all highlighted for me. It might even be exactly what I want, despite being digital. I'm looking to get 4-5 decent and responsive basic tones from the preamp - including a nice clean that is as loud as the dirtier tones. 

Work in progress, then. :-) 

TheBigDipper

I've had some time with the Neuron. If you're interested in what I thought, there's a "sort of NPD" post here:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/221178/sort-of-npd-neunaber-neuron?new=1

timbuk02

Selah do a midi controlled analogue pedal but not sure if it has all the functionality you're after(and I think they are in Aus)...

http://www.selaheffects.com/product/scarlett-love-od-v3/

vasselmeyer

I'm pretty sure there was an early episode of That Pedal Show that had an analog pedal which could have multiple presets controlled by a midi PC.

TheBigDipper

vasselmeyer said:

I'm pretty sure there was an early episode of That Pedal Show that had an analog pedal which could have multiple presets controlled by a midi PC.

Thanks. Yes, it was the Elektron Analog Drive. In terms of MIDI functionality it would meet my needs and originally I wanted to try one, but there are a few downsides. a) It's huge. b) Elektron dropped it and don't have a newer version. So, buying a used one (there's one on eBay right now for £210) just to try it out is a big leap in the dark. If it doesn't work properly, I don't think anyone in the UK will repair it and I'm not sure that Elektron would, either (they're Swedish). There just aren't enough out there to give me any idea of long term viability.

TheBigDipper

timbuk02 said:

Selah do a midi controlled analogue pedal but not sure if it has all the functionality you're after(and I think they are in Aus)...

http://www.selaheffects.com/product/scarlett-love-od-v3/

Ta. Sadly, it doesn't have the functionality I want. Now I've dived into this a bit more, I think I'm able to explain what I want a bit better. I think a new post is looming later this morning! :-) 

TheBigDipper

I think I'm going to say "Thank"s to everyone and close this thread down. A new thread will follow just talking about MIDI functionality and not specific pedals. I've still got a few pedals to look at as they come up for sale second hand or new ones go back instock with the dealers.

So far, the only analogue pedal I've found so far with the MIDI control I'm after is the Automatone II. I don't have a child to sell to raise the cash for one, sadly!