KVR Audio

MRT · Post by **MRT** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:54 am

While I agree with most of whats been said. A small breadboarded circuit that allows you to adjust component values without having to worry about frying anything seems like a learning tool that would motivate people to want to learn more?
Even if you never adjusted anything you've got a great pedal here.

davidka · Post by **davidka** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:55 pm

I tested this just now. I don't know. I couldn't tweak it to sound at least close to my TS7; what has a fuller frequency range and a mid-high range with more depth, despite being an impostor too. This plugin has a kind of strange compression behaviour when using greater drive settings.
Anyway, I see great potential in it, to be the mother of all TS emulations. Please investigate more on the aforementioned dynamics issue. Also, I'd suggest presets recreating the most famous variations of the good ol' screamer.

Cheers, David

metalifuxx · Post by **metalifuxx** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:57 am

davidka wrote:I tested this just now. I don't know. I couldn't tweak it to sound at least close to my TS7; what has a fuller frequency range and a mid-high range with more depth, despite being an impostor too. This plugin has a kind of strange compression behaviour when using greater drive settings.
Anyway, I see great potential in it, to be the mother of all TS emulations. Please investigate more on the aforementioned dynamics issue. Also, I'd suggest presets recreating the most famous variations of the good ol' screamer.

Cheers, David

What? Really, comparing it to the TS7, worst of the tube screamers that went to shit after they sent all the manufacturing to Taiwan and China and used the cheapest parts possible. I mean I have a Soundtank TS5 version that compares with the TS9 components but is cheaper plastic and build quality. But my friend has one of the TS808 "big sqaure knob" reissues, and Onqel's 808 is spot on with that real pedal. The real pedal has that same compression behavior when boosting the drive and volume. The real ones were really designed to take a lot of bottom and top end away for a real cutting notched lead boost. All quality overdrives will have different elements of clean boost compression, and some will allow you to adjust this mix. I'm not saying the TS7 might be bad and you and I might like it's sound, but it has strayed really far from the original component design and sound.

davidka · Post by **davidka** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:39 am

metalifuxx wrote:The real pedal has that same compression behavior when boosting the drive and volume. The real ones were really designed to take a lot of bottom and top end away for a real cutting notched lead boost.

TSE emulates nails the original perfectly? Then it seems TS7 feels much better for my taste. I guess I'll never do the TS808 resistor conversion mod...

Agreed · Post by **Agreed** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 7:16 am

IIRC the TS7 is more like a moderately more clipped TS9 than the TS808, which is relatively speaking a lower gain pedal with somewhat more aggressive filtering. You can mod a TS7 into a TS9, a TS808, or an SD-1 with a few parts changes. It's one of the best values if you want to end up with an "original spec" Tubescreamer because most if it is already what you need for the TS808, just a few cheap part swaps (only SLIGHTLY more expensive if you insist on new old stock parts) and you're at TS808 specs. But, and this is overlooked (hopefully the tweaking options will help folks understand more if they don't already), a few component differences can have a profound impact on the sound.

onqel · Post by **onqel** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:07 pm

davidka wrote:TSE emulates nails the original perfectly? Then it seems TS7 feels much better for my taste. I guess I'll never do the TS808 resistor conversion mod...

No, the plugin is a theoretical model, but there is always room for more improvements

michu · Post by **michu** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:05 pm

Onqel, would you consider some more esoteric diode options, like using asymetric clipping (separate diode type selection) and some more off the wall diode types like LED, 3 x germanium in series as described here?
Thanks for excelent work

ed. while thinking about it, would your model provide a possibility of emulating current starving - ie. a dying battery?

Dean Aka Nekro · Post by **Dean Aka Nekro** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 8:31 pm

mrblitz000 wrote:I too thought the download size 'big.' That had to have been due to the art, because this plug-in actually runs light on the CPU (as expected from the likes of TSE).

It sounds good (maybe great), and runs light.

This is one of the very best 'VST distortion pedals' i've tried.

Thank you!

Its a bloody Overdrive and NOT a 'distortion' pedal simulation

An Ibanez TS808/Maxon OD808 don't do distortion just a decent boost to mild overdrive. Unless you mod it (or send it off to Robert Keeley to rape you of what cost literally a few quid in parts and a half hour with a soldering iron!) or buy a TS-9DX but then again they sound shit in anything but the 'regular' mode. That is why they are put infront of an amplifier which on a fairly high-gain setting will go into awesome distortion...Maybe that is why it is one the very best you have tried

Only joking mrblitz000 but yah it works differently than a distortion box (or it should do at least, makes the mid-range sound dope and has alot less gain on tap) and sits infront a dirty amps front end much better

I haz four real ones (and many variations on the same theme if i am honest but i still keep buying them

) but a virtual one is welcome if it nails the real deal or comes close

Cheers

metalifuxx · Post by **metalifuxx** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 8:56 pm

Has anyone noticed this year Ibanez themselves have released a high quality hand wired blah blah original spec Tube Screamer, that does what a modded version should do. They finally realized that their current line does not hold true with the older originals and that the tone snobs know that. And also they know that people that want that sound will send them off to get modded or buy them modded already for insane prices of $200-$350. That's why they are now offering an original spec version in the music stores for about $300 USD to compete with the people that do the mods.

Yeah as Nekro/Dean said, the tubescreamer is not a distortion box. It will not turn your clean amp into a ripping distortion metal monster. If you want that then get a dedicated distortion Boss DS-1 type pedal or distorted high gain preamp type box for your clean amp signal. The tube screamer works best when thrown in front of a medium/high gain crunchy amp to add even more of a cutting edge sound with more saturated harmonics and sustain. It does do clean boosted compressed signals good when fed to a clean amp. They especially work well when chained together with 2 of them in series for a more overdriven sustain distorted sound. But one of them alone will not give you that distorted rock/metal type sound you might be looking for.

metalifuxx · Post by **metalifuxx** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 9:05 pm

Hey Onqel, how bout making a modular type overdrive/distortion unit with same tweaking idea and some basic presets/models, so we can get emulated tones from the wide range of OD/Distortion/Fuzz boxes with a lot of the mod options that are done to them or the different boutique variations that spawn from the originals. You can have the same basic three knob design or maybe have the option to add boost and other EQ knobs like the blue Fulltone MOSFET2 type pedals with toggle switches etc. Now that would just be awesome.

Dean Aka Nekro · Post by **Dean Aka Nekro** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:11 am

Yeah good call man think the idea is cool metalifuxx

metalifuxx · Post by **metalifuxx** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 11:35 pm

hmmm, someone listened to my modular request for a boutique type overdrive/distortion pedal.

Coming Soon from Alu (aka Wild Hades on kvr):

Alu at guitarampmodeling.com wrote:

Ignite Amps TS-999 SubScreamer

nspired by the most famous green overdrive pedal (version 9), based on the real pedal built by Ignite Amps for the italian thrashers Subhuman

Features:
- Dynamic 2N3904 BJT input and output buffers analog modeling
- Dynamic 1N4148 diode clipping circuit analog modeling
- Symmetric / Asymmetric clipping mode
- Normal / Fat mode
- Input level control for better response to different pickups
- Internal oversampling (selectable between 2x, 4x and 8x)
- Switchable input and output buffer modeling for better CPU performance
- Mono / Stereo support
- Double precision floating point internal processing

Stay tuned.

Looks like it should be useful for down tuned/7-8 string baritone guitars/bass guitar and synths with the FAT mode (and also mono/stereo), which I think wont cut/filter out the bass.

Dean Aka Nekro · Post by **Dean Aka Nekro** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 12:26 am

I won't say no to that one either, cheers for the heads up man

onqel · Post by **onqel** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 8:16 pm

I would appreciate this thread staying on-topic

The next version of the DIY panel will include individual diode-type selection and the option to switch between different op-amp models. (And a little more user-friendly gui)

AudioGuy720 · Post by **AudioGuy720** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 8:30 pm

geroyannis wrote:
Onqel wrote:Included is an amazing GUI done by FrankZappa!
What tha???....

Franky is back from the dead!

Huge .dll file but the GUI is sweet! I don't have a guitar or a guitar player to test it at the moment but for free damn I'll take it.

TSE 808 ver 2 update (8-22-2012) - TubeScreamer sim from Onqel