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Spectradrive toneprints
- Thread starter Ramik
- Start date
The toneprints for the compressor and the tube drive are separate and you can have one of each loaded. I really like mine, but you cannot modify the toneprints they have since it is a different format than the spectradrive, and they have not come out with any new ones, but I have found the Nathan East compressor and the clean boost meet most of my needs. If you were looking forward to tweeking you're out of luck. You do get the compressor, tube distortion (I really don't want alot) DI and headphone amp and it is really quiet. There are good youtubes demonstrating what they have.
As an owner of a spectradrive pre, like Lennys said...you can't tweak the toneprint, only volume or gain for the tubedrive, and amount of compression for the spectracomp.
My 2cents is that the compressor is really good. I love how different it sounds depending on the toneprint loaded. I currently use the "Muscle comp" toneprint as it smooths out your playing and boosts and fattens the tone just a tad. I run it at 2o' clock most of the time.
Now the not so cool part...i just didn't get along with the "drive" engine on this pedal. Coming from a sansamp preamp, the spectradrives OD toneprints sound too digital, too sterile with no harmonics. I tried every one of them. The only useful one is the default toneprint with the gain almost all the way down, or the "natural drive". The other toneprints seem to be just for the novelty factor, and without the ability to really shape the overdrive/distortion characteristics.
So...I just got a Source Audio Aftershock. Problem solved and then some! Best ovedrive/distortion pedal out there. Now I can play clean sections and then engage the aftershock and have whatever tone I need/want. The drive section of the spectra now has a "clean boost" toneprint loaded.
My 2cents is that the compressor is really good. I love how different it sounds depending on the toneprint loaded. I currently use the "Muscle comp" toneprint as it smooths out your playing and boosts and fattens the tone just a tad. I run it at 2o' clock most of the time.
Now the not so cool part...i just didn't get along with the "drive" engine on this pedal. Coming from a sansamp preamp, the spectradrives OD toneprints sound too digital, too sterile with no harmonics. I tried every one of them. The only useful one is the default toneprint with the gain almost all the way down, or the "natural drive". The other toneprints seem to be just for the novelty factor, and without the ability to really shape the overdrive/distortion characteristics.
So...I just got a Source Audio Aftershock. Problem solved and then some! Best ovedrive/distortion pedal out there. Now I can play clean sections and then engage the aftershock and have whatever tone I need/want. The drive section of the spectra now has a "clean boost" toneprint loaded.
Thanks for your replies, the main reason is that I want a preamp that I can plug my headphones to study and practice, and I'm leaning towards the SD also because of the compressor and the drive, though later I would get myself a sansamp or something better for that matter
I think the headphone amp is great on the spectradrive esp with good IEM's you can plug in your i-phone if you want and jam silently. I agree with bassingeorge that there are better distortion pedals, but the cleanboost setting gives just minimal distortion almost like the Sparkbooster.
