Behold, The Empress Multidrive OD/Distortion/Fuzz

[rhino333]

I saw this thread and said "Oh. Another OD/Fuzz/Distortion pedal. Ho-hum."

THEN I checked out Youtube and thought "That sounds sweeter than anything I've ever heard on guitar!"

I still wonder how it sounds on bass, but I AM intrigued.

 

[Jared Lash]

I think if you look at it from that perspective, it makes more sense. I'm with you guys, though- traditional series logic would dictate a more straightforward approach. Of course, after seeing the gutshots, there's clearly no room for 4 switches.

Very true. And supported by the fact that the OD/distortion/fuzz are run in parallel rather than stacked, just like they would if you were using two or three different amps to get a single tone.

But having each channel be foot switchable wouldn't require four switches/stomps, just three. Each one would be a bypass stomp for that channel. But it would almost certainly require a Superdelay size enclosure to be useful.

In any event, giving the crossover point and the nature of the effects (Muff style fuzz, Marshall flavored distortion) it seems like it would rock on guitar but I don't think it would be my style on bass. I'd love to be proved wrong though because it is a great idea.

scotch, I'm hoping you pick one up and record some clips.

 

[scotch]

Very true. And supported by the fact that the OD/distortion/fuzz are run in parallel rather than stacked, just like they would if you were using two or three different amps to get a single tone.

But having each channel be foot switchable wouldn't require four switches/stomps, just three. Each one would be a bypass stomp for that channel. But it would almost certainly require a Superdelay size enclosure to be useful.

In any event, giving the crossover point and the nature of the effects (Muff style fuzz, Marshall flavored distortion) it seems like it would rock on guitar but I don't think it would be my style on bass. I'd love to be proved wrong though because it is a great idea.

scotch, I'm hoping you pick one up and record some clips.

It's on my short-list! I actually need a guitar distortion right now, so the Multidrive is calling... If I get it, I'll certainly be trying it on bass as well.

I kinda hate internet clips for judging tone. They never sound like what your own hands get out of an instrument, amp or pedal. I think clips are useful for seeing how a pedal works & an idea of range (with intelligently done clips), but usually we're just stuck with the users favorite tone that day. Blech.

 

[kenstee]

Their info page has demos with Bass.

Specs state: Bass - Works great on bass! It's eEasy to blend a distorted top end with a crystal clean low end to get an aggressive vibe with punchy and dynamic lows. And also says "We also like the multidrive on bass, here's a few clips.."

http://www.empresseffects.com/?page=multidrive#

Got to admit...sounds really nice. Anyone actually have/seen one in action?

And: "Products ordered through the Empress Effects website come with a 45-day money back guarantee. This means that if you are not completely satisfied with your Empress Effects product, you can return it for a refund." In fact, Tonefactor .com hads a 1-year money back as long as it's returned in mint.

 

[chris lykins]

it does sound pretty good in those clips. Interested

 

[Franz Jr.]

I just picked one up, have not had a chance to run it through its paces but first impression.......it is AMAZING!!!!! More to follow!!!

 

[ga_edwards]

I understand your perspective (echoed by Jared above), but I think you guys are missing what the Multidrive was designed for. It wasn't designed as a unit that combines 3 series stompboxes, instead it was designed to emulate 3 parallel amps.

I think if you look at it from that perspective, it makes more sense. I'm with you guys, though- traditional series logic would dictate a more straightforward approach. Of course, after seeing the gutshots, there's clearly no room for 4 switches.

Even so, 3 parallel amps, gives you 3 possible combinations (A+B, A+C, B+C). So why only 2 switchable presets? They could have given 3 buttons, whether simple on off for each channel, or preset combinations. I definitely feel like they've missed a trick on the design on this one. It's near perfect in my eyes otherwise.... hmmm, I wonder if it could be modded or customised?

PS, with simple on off for each channel, you'd only need 3 buttons, not 4. All off is effectively bypassed.

 

[RCCollins]

Their info page has demos with Bass.

Specs state: Bass - Works great on bass! It's eEasy to blend a distorted top end with a crystal clean low end to get an aggressive vibe with punchy and dynamic lows. And also says "We also like the multidrive on bass, here's a few clips.."

http://www.empresseffects.com/?page=multidrive#

Got to admit...sounds really nice. Anyone actually have/seen one in action?

Ya think? Reminds me of an ODB-3. A LOT. Doesn't sound a thing like an amp sim in the bass clips - just another harsh and middy guitar distortion with clean signal blended back in to compensate for it not being well-suited for bass (a poor fix IMO)

And who played those bass clips? Sounds like a guitarist to me.

I like empress but the appeal of this one is lost on me

 

[kenstee]

You're entitled to your opinion

 

[RCCollins]

Indeed - with or without your permission.

Geez, the bandwagon vibe in here is starting to get cultish. Never mind me, if it's new and trendy and they say it sounds great on bass, who am I to doubt them?

I understand your perspective (echoed by Jared above), but I think you guys are missing what the Multidrive was designed for. It wasn't designed as a unit that combines 3 series stompboxes, instead it was designed to emulate 3 parallel amps.

Really? Because it still goes into an amp - and the demo clips showcase its (guitar) sound through a variety of classic amps. Also, the sections are called "overdrive," "distortion," and "fuzz" - that doesn't sound like amp emulation to me.

$300 is too close to the price of a new amp in my book, for my uses. I can see this being a useful pedal though... on skinny string

Wow, that's pretty impressive! Lots of knobs and twiddly things...

Yep. It's SHINY too!

 

[Sound Chaser]

Clips don't impress me. Especially given the possibilities with the concept, and the price tag.

 

[kenstee]

Indeed - with or without your permission.!

You're welcome!

 

[kenstee]

That's why all these places have pretty return policies. All you're out is some return postage if you don't like it within 45 days or sometimes more......Not bad.

 

[scotch]

Indeed - with or without your permission.

Geez, the bandwagon vibe in here is starting to get cultish. Never mind me, if it's new and trendy and they say it sounds great on bass, who am I to doubt them?



Really? Because it still goes into an amp - and the demo clips showcase its (guitar) sound through a variety of classic amps. Also, the sections are called "overdrive," "distortion," and "fuzz" - that doesn't sound like amp emulation to me.

$300 is too close to the price of a new amp in my book, for my uses. I can see this being a useful pedal though... on skinny string




Yep. It's SHINY too!

Hey man, it's cool! We all have different perspectives!

Perhaps I'm not making my point very well. I'll try again.

9 out 10 times, limiting technical options leads to more musical results. I think Empress is on-point with the Multidrive with this in mind. I think that making the pedal a 3-in-1 solution might make it more flexible, but not necessarily better. Again, only my opinion, but 90% of the time, a simple design with one clear objective sounds better than the typical multi-effect unit. It looks like Empress has this concept in mind by not going too far with the Multidrive & turning it into something like a Line6 DM4.

Most importantly - I have no idea how the Multidrive sounds, I haven't gotten my hands on one! Internet clips are often frustratingly useless (as I mentioned in an earlier post). I just like the more music-minded direction of this particular design. Less swiss-army knife, more focused.

Cheers!

 

[scotch]

I hope I'm not sounding too 'traditionalist' either! Don't get me wrong, I'm open minded to new concepts and technology.... Heck, my bass setup is is far more complex than almost all of my colleagues around here!

I actually, by chance, had breakfast with Matt Bellamy's (Muse) guitar tech the other day. He lives in Nashville of all places! (The guitar tech that is!) It was an enlightening and interesting peek behind the scenes that made me all that more impressed with what that band is pulling off. I'm all for complex, as long as it sounds good. IMO, few people ever pull that off though.

 

[RCCollins]

you don't sound traditionalist at all! and there's no reason we have to like the same things.

At this point I'm really just questioning the notion that this pedal is designed to emulate amps - does empress claim that in their copy for the multidrive?

 

[sunbeast]

Pasted directly from the Empress website:
The idea of blending amps together has been a studio trick used on countless recordings over the years. Being able to blend the stregths of certain amplifiers and have other amps fill in the weaknesses produces a richer, better balanced sound. Up until now, the only way to repoduce this live was to haul a few amps around with you on the road. After a few gigs of doing that, a lot of players end up compromising tone for the ease of carrying 1 amp around with them. This is where the multidrive shines.

The multidrive allows you to blend Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz together, creating a full and rich array of tones that would not be available otherwise. Let the sustain of fuzz, the bite of distortion and the clarity and note definition of overdrive all work together! Do what would normally take 3 amps in a 4x3" box.

 

[RCCollins]

you got me there, it's their claim. still questionable IMO. what amp is "fuzz" supposed to be emulating?

 

[bongomania]

Weelll, they DO NOT say each channel is supposed to be emulating any specific amp AT ALL. They only describe how people use multiple amp channels in parallel to blend each of their strengths, and how having three parallel distortions is based on that idea.

They SPECIFICALLY SAY "The multidrive allows you to blend Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz together... Let the sustain of fuzz, the bite of distortion and the clarity and note definition of overdrive all work together!" And not ONE WORD about emulating any amps.

On top of that the Acoustic 360 amp, as played by Jaco, was famous for its built-in fuzz effect. So there's your "amp that fuzz emulates".

 

[sunbeast]

Not "specific amps", but creating the effect of "Being able to blend the strengths of certain amplifiers". Honestly, I think that whole ad copy about the multiple amps thing seems a little silly for an analog drive pedal (the "Tubescreamer" was so-named not because it sounded like a tube amp in itself, but because it could push the tubes in a tube amp to "scream", etcetera, etcetera). The only thing that the Multidrive is doing that is uncommon is having the ability in one pedal to blend multiple drive effects in parallel rather than the standard series (the only option to do a similar sort of setup that I can think of right now is the Wounded Paw Super Blender, though there may be other parallel blenders with similar functionality). It is a fantastic idea though, and I personally think the options they included give it a whole lot of potential previously unavailable in any single pedal form-factor. Whether the included effects are actually as great as the concept and whether it will actually be widely appreciated for bass use (or even guitar) only time will tell...