NE5532P based overdrive, forget about TS9!

[Thebrainless]

Hi guys!
I've created an overdrive using the NE5532P, it came out so good that IMHO it's way better than the classic TS, I've made a video comparison so you can be the judge

I'm planning on selling pedals and other stuff, as soon as possible, ad soon as I got money to invest 
Let me know your impression on this overdrive, and maybe help me find a name for it 

[ElectricDruid]

From that video, what sounds really good is the two pedals together!

[Thebrainless]

From that video, what sounds really good is the two pedals together!

😂😂😂😂😂

[ElectricDruid]

More seriously, I think your pedal basically sounds just like the TS9. Side by side, they're extremely similar. And the frequency graph you display bears that out, there's almost no difference between them. You need to show a more varied palette of demo sound though too - the chugging riff works surprisingly well given that that's not what the TS9 is known for, but what about some funky rhythm playing, or some blues with a bit of light break-up, or any of ten other things? You know, variety!

You might sell some, but the marketplace for Tubescreamer-style overdrives is pretty totally saturated. What makes yours unique? If it's going to succeed, you need *something* that you do better than anyone else, and then you need to push that angle.

[Thebrainless]

More seriously, I think your pedal basically sounds just like the TS9. Side by side, they're extremely similar. And the frequency graph you display bears that out, there's almost no difference between them. You need to show a more varied palette of demo sound though too - the chugging riff works surprisingly well given that that's not what the TS9 is known for, but what about some funky rhythm playing, or some blues with a bit of light break-up, or any of ten other things? You know, variety!

You might sell some, but the marketplace for Tubescreamer-style overdrives is pretty totally saturated. What makes yours unique? If it's going to succeed, you need *something* that you do better than anyone else, and then you need to push that angle.

Don't get fooled by the spectrum analyzer, they look similar just because that's put on the master, you're looking at the end of the chain, I've should made it clear, the 2 pedals can look and sound similar in some settings, but mine is a different beast..
It's not another tube screamer as you can easily tell, the frequency response is totally different, it goes from harsh highs (almost useless) to extreme lows, and that's what makes it unique and useable by both guitars and basses!
I know i need to show way more, that was just a teaser and a comparison playing what I can, I'll have a couple of friends, who are real guitarists, showcasing the whole spectrum of possibilities of this pedal.
Have you watched the whole video? Cause the differences between the two are more than clear, especially towards the end.
Anyway thanks for your comment, I'll for sure make other videos showing all the possibilities of this overdrive!

[Thebrainless]

Apparently, even on bass, this thing sounds great!

[thomasha]

Is it based on the TS9 circuit, or is it a total different approach, like the klone?
There are a lot of YATS pedals on the market, with just some additional or changed resistors...

I have to agree with ElectricDruid. If you compare your pedal directly to the TS9, even if it sounds different, your subconscious will associate it with the Ts9 sound. Unless it's a total different sounding effect (delay, phaser).

The sound is quite nice, are you using standard tuning?
Most of the pedals that sound good for down tuned stuff, sound different with standard tuning. It would be interesting to see how it sounds when your sound is not as heavy.

If you want to fit the battery in the 1590a box, I would suggest checking this thread:
https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=64752.80
Some builders have already done it, with the circuit on the side wall of the box and the battery on the other side.

[Thebrainless]

Is it based on the TS9 circuit, or is it a total different approach, like the klone?
There are a lot of YATS pedals on the market, with just some additional or changed resistors...

I have to agree with ElectricDruid. If you compare your pedal directly to the TS9, even if it sounds different, your subconscious will associate it with the Ts9 sound. Unless it's a total different sounding effect (delay, phaser).

The sound is quite nice, are you using standard tuning?
Most of the pedals that sound good for down tuned stuff, sound different with standard tuning. It would be interesting to see how it sounds when your sound is not as heavy.

If you want to fit the battery in the 1590a box, I would suggest checking this thread:
https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=64752.80
Some builders have already done it, with the circuit on the side wall of the box and the battery on the other side.

It's a different approach, it has 2 different gain stages, hence the boost knob and the drive knob, and no level knob. It's soft clipping diodes, like the ts9, but that's all it has in common with it, the TS uses the gain stage with the diodes for the drive control, mine use it for the boost, the TS uses the other stage for the tone, mine for the drive, the tone in mine is passive (big muff style but with different frequencies and without the dips and the bumps), no level knob (I found it useless in this case), if this means that's based on the TS, then even the boss ds1 is based on the TS having a dual opamp and the same knobs as the TS.
I automatically associated it with the ts9 just because I'm not good to label pedals, so to me it's an overdrive, since THE overdrive is the TS, it was easy to compare the 2, but in reality it's more than an overdrive, it has much more gain and the boost can change a lot, so I really don't know how to call it 
Actually I'm using 7 strings drop A, but on a six strings (no high E string), so it's quite like standard tuning, but I'm not the best guitar player, this pedal needs someone who's capable of various genre and soloing as well, that's why I'll have some friends showcase it for me, so you'll hear all the possibilities this thing has.
I also came to the conclusion to put the pcb on the side, but  I've used a veroboard to build this prototype and didn't bother to measure it first, so it's too big to be put on the side, well, I'll use bigger enclosures for the final products anyway, so no room problems!
Have you listened to how it sounds on bass as well? I don't know each and every effect that's being made, but from what I know I can tell this pedal is something simple still with lots of possibilities, while most of the classic pedals are famous and used for just one thing, one sound that's what made them famous, and that's it, I went for versatility instead, that's why the tone knob has that ridiculous response on the highs but still doesn't add all the harsh and fizzines like other effects do, plus the overall EQ has been thought especially for a use in the studio, so it's kinda already high and low passed to work in a mix, which is something I've never heard in other pedals.
Ok, I'm obviously a little biased, it's my creation, so... but I've received great feedbacks from people who heard it live and tried it on an actual amps, people who knows their pedals told me this sounds great and wanna buy it, so I'm a little pumped about it 
Anyway, it'd be great if more people here would give me their opinion on this, like you guys already did, I see lots of visits to this thread and lots of plays on the video, but still no comments whatsoever (beside yours here, and one on the guitar video).
Come on, don't be shy!!!

[iainpunk]

idk how it will feel to play IRL, but it sounds like just another overdrive/distortion.
im generally not a fan of the sound (or most overdrives in general). i feel like it has a certain grind to it in an uncomfortable place in the frequency spectrum. its a bit brittle or splashy in its character, and i feel that if the tone is set low enough to filter that out, it also filters out the potential good treble content.

all in all, it has potential, but i would spend a bit more time coaxing that chip into the right ''character'' a bit more. maybe a bit more low passing before it reaches clipping to tame the clipping a bit

also, coming from experience, beware of friends saying they'd buy it, its like your (grand)mother saying your handsome...

cheers and good luck

[Thebrainless]

idk how it will feel to play IRL, but it sounds like just another overdrive/distortion.
im generally not a fan of the sound (or most overdrives in general). i feel like it has a certain grind to it in an uncomfortable place in the frequency spectrum. its a bit brittle or splashy in its character, and i feel that if the tone is set low enough to filter that out, it also filters out the potential good treble content.

all in all, it has potential, but i would spend a bit more time coaxing that chip into the right ''character'' a bit more. maybe a bit more low passing before it reaches clipping to tame the clipping a bit

also, coming from experience, beware of friends saying they'd buy it, its like your (grand)mother saying your handsome...

cheers and good luck

but I AM handsome!!!!
Thanks for the feedback!

[Jmariner]

Can you update the link to the video, it seems to be dead for me.
I'm not exactly a fan of tube screamers, or opponent, but I am planning to build one soon just for it's midrange qualities and any ideas it may give me for my own designs. I've used the same original pedal design I slapped together 14 or 15 years ago lol. I used to rant about the 5532 superiority because the 4558 cascaded into every solid-state amp I have owned was useable, but a bit ratty. I have a decent tube amp today, but simply plug a G5 modeler into it and get the best of everything.

[Ben N]

Since this has already been revived, I'll chime in to say that I don't know what the point of this thread is -- somebody claiming their new whatever is the bee's knees, but not sharing a schematic -- on a DIY forum! (I mean it's right there in the title, right?)

[ElectricDruid]

I'm not exactly a fan of tube screamers, or opponent, but I am planning to build one soon just for it's midrange qualities and any ideas it may give me for my own designs.

If you're planning on building one, you might enjoy this article I put up over on my site:

https://electricdruid.net/designing-a-classic-overdrive/

[PRR]

video, it seems to be dead for me.

Is a YouTube problem. "Quote" the post so you see the link. Stripped of tags, it looks like this:

Code Select Expand

https://youtu.be/pMQv5ZPTxFk
Copy that URL to a new tab and it should play.

Why it doesn't play from the forum? Who knows? YouTube is too complicated for its own good.

[Lino22]

I am not sure if the heavy metal licks are what TS9 is typically related to. I personaly cannot hear any difference when you play just heavy chords. This is honestly a friendly advice, i am not trying to poop on your parade.

[Jmariner]

The clips were still enough to convince me to build a tube screamer. I have heaps of modelers with a broad variety of them digitally emulated, but it's still a classic circuit to have some experience with, the same as the Fuzz Face. I never liked the FF until I ran a roktek DR-01 into it nearly 30 years ago which gave me a modern lead gain and response with a classic rock and blues tone.
I am going to build a FF too, just to experiment with it and use NPN's because I still love the sound of fuzzes.

[Box_Stuffer]

I made an Opamp overdrive circuit recently with 1N34 diodes and I found that the NE5532 was best in that particular setup. It sounds more subtle and "rounder" than either the LM1458 or the 4558D - which is what I was going for.

[Ben N]

I made an Opamp overdrive circuit recently with 1N34 diodes and I found that the NE5532 was best in that particular setup. It sounds more subtle and "rounder" than either the LM1458 or the 4558D - which is what I was going for.

Is the OD buffered, like a tube screamer? If not, the difference in input impedance may account for the "rounder" sound of the 5532.

[antonis]

Ben, the input impedance of an op-amp represents the differential input resistance (resistance between + and -) under open-loop conditions, with zero common-mode input voltage..

When negative feedback is applied, inputs are generally at the same voltage so effective input impedance is hugely raised, hence barely affects the circuit..