Overdrive Shootout - Spark Booster, EHX Soul Food, TS mini, OCD, Mudhoney
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
- All of my pedals (Thomann Affiliate Link): redir.love/thocf/uznvi9agbc
Shootout/Comparison of different types of overdrives being played over backing tracks in different styles and applications.
Timestamps:
0:43 - 12 O'Clock
1:40 - Rock Crunch
3:15 - Clean Boost
4:14 - Solo with Delay
5:40 - Boost a Dirty Amp
7:22 - Conclusion
All my gear (affiliate links):
Pedals: redir.love/thocf/uznvi9agbc
Guitars: redir.love/thocf/zp7mu7izbe
Amps: redir.love/thocf/g83kr5y7g6
Home Studio: redir.love/thocf/q55sup25b4
#Overdrive #GuitarEffects #TheBedroomRocker - Hudba
Always tough to compare apples and oranges, but here are my opinions:
Clean Boost: Spark Booster or Soul Food. The OCD is never really "clean", but it's quite transparent and beefs up single coils, so it's great as a "dirtier" boost. The TS-Mini and Mudhoney do not have enough clean volume available for this function.
Rock Crunch: The Spark Booster sounded surprisingly great in this recording, although I normally love the OCD for this type of sound. The Mudhoney and Soul Food also did a pretty good job. The TS mini was a bit too thin and I would definitely not use it this way.
Solo with Delay: The TS mini sounded killer to me here. It added a lot of sustain and harmonic overtones, while maintaining pick attack and dynamics. I also liked the Mudhoney a lot and, overall none of the other pedals did a bad job.
Boost a Dirty Amp: I think all did fairly good here and the pedals did not change the core sound (character and EQ of the dirty amp and speaker IR, i.e. a 4x12 with greenbacks). I would probably give the edge to the TS mini again though. I think the mid-hump is just the way to go for boosting a dirty amp. However, the PRS Custom 24 is already quite mid-rangy, so I think this would be more useful with a Les Paul or other guitars with stronger bass response.
Overall I think the Spark Booster and the OCD are the more versatile ones and sound great in many different settings. The Soul Food, TS mini, and Mudhoney do more specific things and are just killer at these.
Great video and also love the write up/opinions here in the comments 👍
This is a killer comparison of drive pedals. Thanks for taking the time to make a comprehensive review.
Thanks a lot for the nice comment!
@@TheBedroomRocker1 No worries mate. It's obvious you put a lot of time into these videos, and they are excellent and exactly what the average user wants to see in a review. Playing the EXACT same riff through each pedal is perfect. You deserve more subs! Well done.
Yep. Exactly what I needed, as I needed
One of the best OD shootout videos I’ve seen. Thanks for taking the time to do it! Super helpful
Thanks for the nice comment!
This is a perfect comparison video! I'm watching a bunch of overdrive pedal reviews but this shoutout video is perfect to really hear the different in the sound itself! Thanks man!
Thanks for the nice comment! I'm glad it was useful! Choosing overdrives online based on CZcams videos can be challenging hahah it's always better if you can play them yourself to see how they "feel" and react to your playing, but that's not always an option...
Top demonstration and excellent playing! You deserve far more views and subscribers! Many cheers from Greece!
Thank you very much! Gonna keep those videos coming. Cheers from Germany
Your summary of thoughts were exactly what I was thinking. I didn’t like the TS until the solo with delay where it really began to shine. Wasn’t much of a fan of the more aggressive pedals, but loved the Spark and Soul Food on almost all the other comparisons. Nice job 👍
This was an excellent video. Great playing and informative. Really nice job.
Glad it helped!
I'm glad to have both, mud honey and the I tube screamer. Wonderful!
Great job, very great review !!!
Great comparison! Would love to collect different overdrive types!
Great demo! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for uploading this comparison video; very useful and thank you for your attention to balanced volume levels throughout. I recently became aware of the MudHoney and wanted to know how it compared with the OCD V2.0. I will be staying with the OCD....it just gets better with use and practice.
I'm glad you found it useful! The OCD is just a killer overdrive pedal. It has a wide gain range and it sounds ace in every setting. It is my main drive pedal and it is so versatile that it hardly leaves my pedal board... I can't recommend it enough. I have also previously made a full review on the OCD v2: czcams.com/video/4ZBC4X0om2U/video.html
The Mudhoney is actually a distortion, so it has more gain on tap, more compression and sustain. Cranked, the Mudhoney sounds kinda fuzzy and full of harmonic content, so it is very nice for thick riffs or for solos, but not as nice for full chords. I am planning to do a full review on each pedal used in this video (OCD and Spark Booster are already there).
Great work. Very helpful
Glad to hear that! Thanks
Highly recommended demonstration. Subtle, but there are differences.
I like the soul food with a vintage boost sound , and although the spark with his cristal clean overdrive
Well done, Mr BedroomRocker! The soulfood as a "Klone"-Clone is not the best Overdrive into an overdriven amp. sounds better into clean or edge of breakup. Keep up the good work here! The Miniswitch of the spark - helps a lot for more midrange for soloboosting!
Thanks for the very nice comment! Yes, I agree on the EHX Soulfood... it's best as a clean transparent boost into a clean amp, but some people also like it with more gain and even into an overdriven amp: it's a quite versatile pedal. The Mini-Switch on the spark makes it super flexible! It's also by far the cheapest in this shoot-out
That Spark is just incredibly versatile. It's a boost/overdrive/EQ that sounds absolutely awesome. I also have the MojoMojo and the Dark Matter. Strangely though the first one is too dark while the latter is too trebly. Perhaps that is because both my amps are solid state. The Spark beats both as long as you don't need too much gain.
Thanks for the nice comment! I've been wanting to try out those as well, specially the Mojo Mojo. Maybe I'll put another comparison in the future as these drives are so popular and excellent value for money
Hey man, we almost have the same setup! I have a Victory V40 which i use with an OCD, TS808 mini and an TC Spark Booster. Its a Killer Combo!
Yeah, the V40 eats pedals alive!
T.,, Rex Mudhoney to my ears!
The TC is really a treble booster (thats a good thing) and a really good one and with the dip switch settings and bass/treble controls, its totally versatile. I see this in my studio rig and the mini in my live rig (the mini being so simple and still, a treble booster). Both for under $110. Deal or no deal? Deal!
Yeah, it's a really versatile pedal as well! At some point I'm also adding the mini to my pedalboard. It's just so tiny, cheap, and effective
Excellent review. I owned the spark, it did the job but was a bit sterile. Sold Maxon Tubescreamer (mistake!), and I still have OCD V3, the best pedal but too gainy for boosting my Marshall FX loop. For me Soul Food or TS.
Thanks for the nice comment!
Strangely, I've just bought the Ibanez Nutube TS with a 250 EUR tag. Very dissapointed soundwise; it does not inspire me to play when placed in front of my Fender DR, nor when in my Marshall FX Loop. Will return it. OCD is superb but it just does not have enough headroom volume boost when placed in my overdriven Marshall JVM 205 head on 100 % wet. Spark sounds great in the distorted amp comparisson, offers a lot of control, is affordable, should work great in a pedal infested:) chain. Not the first time I sold a music gear only to buy the same stuff later on, again.
All things considered, I favore the Spark Booster. I already have a Xotioc BB Preamp, Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Barber Direct Drive, and a GGG BSIAB kit pedal to handle OD and harder distortion.
The Spark is indeed amazing and super versatile. It's also crazy value for money..
I have a Spark and my best friend an OCD, we also have a lot of other drive pedals, these two plus a modded SD1 I consider to be by far the more versatile and articulate ones.
Hey thanks for nice comment! Yes, the OCD had an incredible range of gain and sounds good in most gain settings, while the Spark has an awesome EQ. I haven't tried the SD1 yet. Which mod are you using?
I like OCD and Mudhoney, can't decide what is better probably OCD is more suitable for many genres, Muhoney for heaviest styles. Spark is just for crunchy tones I guess and TS mini, just a standard tones :) Btw. great review !
Thanks for the nice comments! Yes, the beauty of the OCD is that it has a wide range of gain and it sounds very good in every setting! It is super versatile and it's hard to dial a bad sound in it... sometimes it gets a bit muddy and overly powerful in the bottom end though. It's the one I use the most. The Mudhoney II is great because it's two pedals in one enclosure, so you can set two different levels of gain or set one brighter and one darker tone to balance your neck and bridge pick-ups. But like you said, it excels for heavy riffs and solos, not so much for clean boost or crunch. The spark is the best as a clean boost and it has the most powerful EQ. The TS-mini does the tube screamer thing: great into a mid-scooped Fenderish amp or into some distorted amp to make the bottom end tight and let your guitar cut through...
For all 5 categories I though the OCD was most consistent...but for the clean and dirty solo's (which is probably what I'd use this pedal for) I'd give the Spark the edge. I thought the Mud Honey was a respectable 3rd after the OCD and Spark.
Yes, to be honest the OCD is the one that spends the most time in my board! It has a nice range of gain and sounds excellent all across this range. I then tend to use the Spark or the Tube Screamer as a lighter gain stage and the Mudhoney for a heavier gain stage. I also made videos on all of these pedals individually. The only missing one is the tube screamer, which I am editing right now ;-) Keep on rockin' and have a great weekend!
I Like the spark ang OCD
Amazing video! Your music is full of good taste :) One question: I own a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe IV, great for cleans, and I would like to match it with a good overdrive and a distortion pedal, do you think that OCD and Mudhoney II put in the clean of the amp could be fantastic stand-alone pedals? Or could they lack of something in the Fender HRD (like I have read in some forums)?
Thanks a lot for the nice comments! May I ask you what kind of sound you are looking for? Both of these pedals work great into clean amps! You can essentially use them as your drive channel. The OCD is my favorite overdrive. It's super versatile and it sounds killer all across the gain range. It's very full and has a very nice amp-like feel to it that is addictive. The Mudhoney II is a different beast. It has more compression and loads of harmonics. It leans towards a rat/fuzz/big muff type of thing, so it's not great for chords, but excellent for riffs and long-sustaining solos. Not as versatile as the OCD, but it's a great pedal for that type of thing
@@TheBedroomRocker1 In my band we play a mix of Rock and Pop, so the distortion can be slight or more powerful (but without going in Metal and Hard-rock territories).
@@MartinStromer85 Sounds good! I think I would go for the OCD for the versatility. It's a classic and you can't go wrong with it. If you already own other overdrive pedals or want to use the dirty channel of the HRD, then the Mudhoney II offers you a different flavor that is quite unique. They are not exchangeable, so you can always get the other one down the line ;-)
the real fun begins if you combine any of these two. or three.
Thanks for the comment, that's a pretty good point. I always have at least two of them in my board
Have you had a chance to try the MXR Timmy? Am interested to know how the MXR Timmy compares with the Spark. I want to use it to clean push my amp, and other OD pedals - Fulldrive 2 and Catlinbread DLS. How do you think it'll work for this? Lastly, nice comparison and playing.
Hi J E, thanks for the comment. I haven't tried the MXR Timmy yet, but I haven't been very impressed by the online demos so far... the original Timmy has a reputation though. If you already own other overdrive pedals, the Spark is a great addition because it's an incredibly versatile boost. You can push an amp/pedal while optionally also adding some grit (it has a gain knob) and also tweak the EQ (cut some bass to make it cut through). If you just want a clean level boost, you can also get it bit placing the Spark after the overdrive. It also works as an always on pedal for enhanced dynamics. In my opinion it's a Swiss army knife pedal and you get so much for your money (they're only 45 EUR at Thomann). If you don't care about the gain and EQ options, get the little brother (Spark Mini - same price) to save some pedal board real estate.
Here's my full review on the TC Electronic Spark: czcams.com/video/2odW57f5Uos/video.html
Here's an affiliate link to Thomann's Website: www.thomann.de/intl/tc_electronic_spark_booster.htm?partner_id=60170
Anyone know the time please? jaja. ty 4 vid bro. well arranged.
Thanks a lot to upload this great demo. Could u recomend please any of this pedals to play ambient or post rock? Not high volume just to practice at home. 🙂
Thanks for advance.
Maybe you could give me some references to listen to? For bedroom use, I really like the OCD! It beefs up the sound quite a lot and make it sound big even at lower volumes. Otherwise, the TC Electronic Spark is also very versatile, but it's a booster pedal and does not have a lot of gain. Finally, the Mudhoney is also great if you are looking for more distorted borderline fuzzy sounds with lots of sustain and harmonics. The EHX Soul Food and the Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini kind of work the best into a tube/valve amp that is already working hard (not necessarily overdriving, but loud and starting to compress). Therefore, they are not the best for bedroom practice. Hope that helps!
@@TheBedroomRocker1 first of all thanks a lot for your fast answer...
Some of my favourite post rock bands are: Tides from nebula f.example song " Siberia" , The evpatoria report song
"Acheron" masterpiece that one 😀
Also Jakob song "Resolve"...
And I love " Sorrow " from pink floyd.
Greetings.
Norman
And yes you did help a lot 👍🙂
I didn't know how to classify the mudhoney... Is it a fuzz , overdrive , distortion pedal? I found the ocd really versatile and its sound so deep and bright at the same time...this one really looks like an overdrive. Anyways, I already ordered the mudhoney 👍😀
@@redseadiver43 The Mudhoney is a distortion, but it shares some sound characteristics with a fuzz, so some people call it Fuzzstortion. It resembles the Proco Rat a bit, but it's own unique thing. It's an awesome pedal! Sure you gonna have a lot of with it. I also made a full review about it: czcams.com/video/FUtWILZm8v0/video.html
@@TheBedroomRocker1 thanks a lot for your tips!sounds great!
I vote :
For booster clean : spark booster
For overdrive : OCD
Thanks for the comment! These two are also probably the most versatile. The Spark has an incredible EQ and the OCD has an incredible gain range!
Tha Mudhoney II, kinda does it all. Maybe a good combo would be the MH II with the TC Spark in front for an additional clean boost ?
Yeah, the Mudhoney II is one of my favorites, but honestly I still keep swaping all of them in my board hahah they all do their own thing. With that said, I think the OCD and Mudhoney II are my favorite drives and the TC Spark the best boost and most versatile in terms of tone shaping
@@TheBedroomRocker1 I also like both the OCD and Mudhoney, But I am thinking the Spark can really get the clean/dirty tones I really like
is that the spark's gain or are you overdriving the preamp?
anyway, excellent demo i loved it!
Thanks for the nice comment! The Spark has its own independent gain and volume controls, so you can crank the gain and basically use it as an overdrive pedal. Of course, by also increasing the volume, it kicks the preamp harder and make it compress and overdrive a little. But I set the amp relatively clean and most of the overdrive is coming from the pedals
@@TheBedroomRocker1 i had no idea the spark had that much gain on tap haha i thought it was just all clean (even tho there is clearly a "gain" knob woops)
@@AudreyYun yes.. I feel the Spark is a bit of a sleeper... Many ppl know the Spark Mini, which is a single knob clean boost. The regular Spark (in the video) has quite a bit of gain and an active EQ circuit, so it's a very good tone shaping machine! It's about the same price as the mini now at Thomann, so it's really about size vs. versatility and honestly, for 40 bucks each, you can even have both 😅
The Soul Food is the best. Because I just bought it.
hahahah yes, it's a great sounding pedal! Hope you'll enjoy it
Can you do a Ehx crayon overdrive review or a comparison? Tnx
Many thanks for the comment! I'll consider it in the future, when I do another drive comparison video. I think the EHX Crayon is also quite popular. Thanks for the tip!
Which pedal did you like the best for blues type of vibe your doing?
That's a really hard one. For a more American blues vibe, I'd probably use the tube screamer into a clean Fender style amp (thinking Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer, etc.). For a more British blues vibe, I'd probably pick the OCD (thinking Clapton, Jimmy Page, Peter Green) as the OCD can give you a quite nice Marshall-in-a-box kind of sound.
mud honey ii rocks
4:17 WAAAAAAUUUU! Can you give me please the background music?
Thanks for the nice comment, but sorry man, I really cannot find the file. I'll revisit this riff at some point, because it's really cool indeed ;-)
Tube Screamer ...then OCD....tex rex....spark and soul food..
For me, Mudhoney was the best!
Thanks for the comment! The MudHoney is awesome! I recently made a full review on it as well: czcams.com/video/FUtWILZm8v0/video.html
Just an fyi; the Ep boost kicks Spark to the curb!
Hey thanks for the comment! Yes, the EP usually gets lots of love. I will see if I can get my hands on one for the next shootout
I own a soul food and found that sounds very thin when adding more gain, just me?
Yes, I agree with you. To me it works best in the low gain settings as clean boost
@@TheBedroomRocker1 yeah I replaced it with an emerson em drive, amazing pedal
Like#318 and Subscribed...Thanks 4 Ur Video 👍
Thanks a lot for the like and sub! Cheers!
OCD
nice shoot out, but you should pan the guitars for a clearer listening.
Thanks for the tip! Do you mean panning one pedal right and one pedal left for a direct comparison?
@@TheBedroomRocker1 I mean, when you are playing over a loop you just rec, pan it 50-75%, and then play over it panned the same way (but in the opposite side).
Both guitar sounds will share most of the frecuencies, so if they are both in the center they will mask each other. Panning them you will sound clearer. Usefull in the mix but in a test as well.
spark
Soul food vs ocd
1 OCD 9.8
2 T-rex 9.3
Thanks for the comment!
The spark isn't an overdrive right...?
Yes, you're right. Strictly speaking the Spark is a booster and the Mudhoney is a distortion... The Spark has separate gain and volume controls though, so you can get it to work as a light overdrive as well.
@@TheBedroomRocker1 but does it crunch on its own then? Or is it the boost pushing the amp that makes the overdrive...?
@@boimesa8190 Yes, it crunches on its own. With that, the active EQ, and the toggle switch, it's a super versatile pedal. Note that there is also a Spark Mini, which is only a clean boost with a single volume knob. It is also loved by many players, but here I have the regular fully-featured Spark. I have made an individual review of it with a bit more details, if you are interested: czcams.com/video/2odW57f5Uos/video.html
Anyone else have anxiety about the guitar on the stand on the bed?
Hi Alberto, great Job organizing the different chops to get a good comparison. Nice simple video production. Quick opinion: I liked the Soul Food (always have), the Mini TS-9 was surprisingly juicy (I'll have to give mine another try instead of trying to sell it), and also the OCD (I hated 2 that I had - Sold one and gave the other away). I wonder what version of OCD you used? I did what to ask what you used for Drums. I can't seem to put it al together. I am going to use your Vid as a model to mimic. To try to finally FINISH with a 3 or 4 instrument recording session. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for the comment Alex. Yeah, the Tube Screamer gets lots of love and hate, but I'm on the love team hahah it's not very versatile but it does what it does very well. My OCD is the version 2. It has a reputation for being a little bassy, which is actually true, but with a little tweaking I think it sounds great and has a very nice range of tones from almost clean into distortion. For the drums I use a plugin called MT Power Drum Kit. It's quite easy to use. They have many pre-made grooves to choose from if you don't want to program. I usually just drop a few of these grooves there, record a bass line, then move on to recording the guitar tracks
OCD > TSMini > Mudhoney 1,2 & 3