Hot Fuzz? The Effect Of Temperature On Your Fuzz Pedal [+ New Benson Fuzz] - That Pedal Show
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- čas přidán 4. 08. 2024
- Does your fuzz go weird when it’s hot? Ours too, so let’s investigate
Life too short for long CZcams videos? Please see the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.
Welcome to the show! In this show episode we’re delving into an issue that committed users of germanium transistor fuzz pedals will know all about. The ambient temperature goes up - for example if you’re playing outdoors on a sunny day - and your prized fuzz pedal starts doing very weird things. Cue folklore of studios keeping their favourite fuzzes in the fridge alongside memories mired with maddening mirth and misadventure.
So what about it then? What kinds of fuzzes, and how hot? And then what do you do?
Please join us as we lift the baseplate, fire up the hairdryer and do some, ahem, ‘science’ Dan-&-Mick-style.
Oh yeah, and Benson has a new temperature controlled fuzz too, so we should really be talking about that as well: TICK!
Enjoy the show…
Gear in this episode…
• TheGigRig Three 2 One
www.thegigrig.com/three2one
• TC Electronic PolyTune Mini Noir
UK & Europe: bit.ly/30GVcUn
USA: imp.i114863.net/BXnkd9
Australia: bit.ly/2GiHjRc
• Dunlop JHF1 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Distortion
UK & Europe: bit.ly/2AUTELD
USA: imp.i114863.net/zaxOmm
• Dan Drive Secret Machine
Find Dan on Insta and Farcebook
• Dan Drive Optimus Machine
Find Dan on Insta and Farcebook
• Analogman Sun Face NKT Red Dot
www.analogman.com/fuzzface.htm
• Benson Germanium Fuzz
UK & Europe: bit.ly/3xVvOve
Australia: bit.ly/2R3Q8Kf
USA: bit.ly/3uTf2ft
• Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive
Please check eBay and Reverb.com
• Diamond Pedals Memory Lane Jr
www.diamondpedals.com/product...
• Universal Audio Golden Reverberator
UK & Europe: bit.ly/3uu6iuL
Australia: bit.ly/3nWH71J
USA: bit.ly/3lafrGl
• TheGigRig G3
www.thegigrig.com/g3
Amps
• Supro Black Magic 1x12 combo
USA: imp.i114863.net/NK9EyO
• Tone King Imperial MkII head & 112 cab
USA: combo: imp.i114863.net/MXAEdP
Head: imp.i114863.net/7maK03
Guitars
• 1961 Fender Stratocaster - no specific video
• 2001 Fender Custom Shop 1963 Telecaster - Dan’s video - • That Pedal Show - Our ...
• 2012 Fender American Vintage ’59 Stratocaster (Custom Shop Fat ’60s pickups)
• Nik Huber Krautster II - Dan’s video at • That Pedal Show - Our ...
• 2016 Epiphone Casino (Lollar P90 pickups) - Mick’s video - • Epiphone Casino Pickup...
Interesting bits and go-to sections
- Intro playing: 00:00
- What are we doing today?: 02:00
- Our fuzz vs temp stories : 03:15
- Zonky things, gain, leakage: 06:15
- Secret & Optimus Machines, underfloor heating: 9:55
- Secret Machine Heat Test & Playing: 14:10
- To the fridge: 16:30
- Optimus Machine Heat Test & Playing: 18:38
- Hendrix Fuzz Face Heat Test & Playing: 23:50
- Sun Face Red Dot Heat NKT & Playing: 26:20
- Benson Germanium Fuzz and Mick's Fuzz Face: 38:48
- The Klon, The Buffer & The Benson: 44:40
- Benson Heat Test: 55:15
- Closing thoughts and discussion: 58:05
- Back to the cooled-down Optimus Machine: 1:02:30
We hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to our channel.
You can buy TPS merch to support our efforts www.thatpedalshowstore.com
We are on Patreon - crowdfunding for creatives
/ thatpedalshow
Please visit our preferred retailers!
UK & Europe: Andertons Music bit.ly/2cRvIvt
Australia: Pedal Empire bit.ly/2mWmJQf
USA: That Pedal Shop www.thatpedalshop.com/ - Hudba
"There is a point to this tangent..." There's your next T-Shirt design.
Haha...or maybe a t shirt design with “there is a tangent to this point” 😂😂
Dead-on
i know I am kinda randomly asking but does anyone know a good website to watch newly released series online?
@Thatcher Collin Lately I have been using Flixzone. You can find it on google :)
I bought my wife a new refrigerator for her birthday. She wasn't thrilled that it came fully loaded with germanium fuzzes.
Damn, that would be a main selling point for me. 👌🏽
That’s a great idea!
Bravo, man. Hilarious!
😂🤣🥲
Anyone who skipped forward past the chat should feel proper guilty. That is the gold...the setup, the background, the vision, the personality! Scroll your ass back to the beginning and try again.
Hahahahha! Thank you Joel!
I had to pause at "Woke up this morning" because I was laughing so hard I couldn't hear you guys. Well done, Mick.
Thank you! Glad somebody out there is as goofy as us. Hahahaha
@@ThatPedalShow Did you think I was turning in for your analysis of gear? Get serious, buddy :P
I love Dan's evil gremlin laugh on the way to the fridge... such wholesome fun
Great show today Mick & Dan, really good demonstrating the germanium fuzzes with the heat test so people can hear how the heat affects the pedal resulting in basically an unusable pedal.
Thanks gents keep up the good informative work. Cheers Steve
Fantastic episode. When the Dandrive went out at 20:00, it was unreal!
Hoping to see you go through the UA FX in detail sometime soon as well
This is the show where Dan and Mick destroyed all of their fuzz pedals.
So glad to see you guys fuzzing out classic videos!
***Nerd comment: adding a Germanium (Ge) diode to offset the leakage on a Ge transistor (reverse biased) is the solution to the temperature problem. Since they are both made of Ge, they are affected in the same way by the temperature. If they both have same leakage current, the diode will cancel the transistor leakage at any temperature.Very cool episode BTW!
Woah!
Assuming the pedal is keeping the transistor at the same temperature, would a simple resistor work (though not as resiliently as a diode)?
@@kbirridia maybe a small enough resistor would do a similar job. However a resistor would alter the 'sound' of the fuzz, because of its linear conductance. Both diode and transistor have non-linear conductance, so using a diode is the best solution here.
Is that in any way related to the, what is it, two transister and three transistor variations in the early Tone Benders?
This might be my favorite TPS episode of all time. So nerdy, and I love it!
Great show as usual, and nice to see a bit of the UA reverb too. They did a fabulous job with that (unsurprisingly).
Dan, that Krautster is the bee's knees! Love it every time you break it out! I will one day acquire one. Great show, guys! Thank you!
This episode cracked me up - fun and valuable stuff, guys! More Johan Segeborn style experiments and tangents would be great fun. Would love to see you do some experiments together once normal travel is back again.
Always covering the difficult topics guys and making them so enjoyable
Love this, super interesting topic. Used to rehearse through Canadian winters in a garage without insulation, band mate had an EAE Model FET drive pedal that used to give up when it got too cold. We’d take five while he’d hold it up to the furnace to revive it. 😆
Loved it! The tangents, the playing, the testing, the knowledge, all great!
Really surprised how well the Benson did with heat. Didn't think it would hold together.
I changed from a Kingtone Mini Ge to the Mini Si after trying to play one around 34c in my house last summer. Found out from Jesse that the ideal operating range is actually quite low 4c to 24c.
What The Fuzz ?! Great show !! Great playing, fascinating experiments, lots of laughs. Thanks guys!
My favorite demonstration of quantum mechanics inside a semiconductor (all those electrons jumping up to the next energy level as the temperature goes up...)! Real fun video!
"Honey, why do you have guitar pedals in the fridge?" - heard in houses all over the world.
@@Ndlanding yeah you prolly last as long as the condom stays cold while in use. A few seconds. Lol jk
I saw almost all of your vids... I've never laughed that hard on your video. This is masterpiece, at least for me as a phisicist and bedroom guitarist. You satisfy me in both ways :3
Hooray! Hahaha!
Fascinating show. Bravo. I'd enjoy more pick/mix/jam shows too, if that is a possibility. Thanks again.
You guys are so innovative and .... crazy! That's why I love your channel!!
Hooray! Thanks Jack!
Loved this video, guys. Couple of observations...
That floral board was beautiful!
The silicon fuzz face sounded awesome for me!
If you're ever in Surrey, pop over for a cup of tea and a jam. X
"So keep measuring it." As Dan is blowing on his NKT Red dot worried it wasn't gonna come back! 🤣 Sorry funny not funny!! My heart sank with you for a minute! Absolutely giddy every time you guys do an episode on fuzz!!! That never gets old! Bang on!! I'd love to see some more "...pedal pick" episodes highlighting interesting builders out there? Keep up the inspiring work guys, thank you!!
I sense a new resume update for some guitar techs...."Able to stand with fans and blowdryers on-stage at the pedalboard during a gig to ensure the fuzz is operating at the proper temperature. Watching you guys blowdrying the pedals was pretty epic. Well done.
Loved the show, so much fun!
Somebody's Fuzz Face
Is crowdin' my icebox
Somebody's cold one
Is givin' me chills
Guess I'll just close my eyes
I understood that reference
Best song you could've possibly referenced
alright
Wrestle with Jimi
That might be the best episode of that pedal show! So cool.. I mean neat
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy...sunshine on my fuzz face makes me cry! Cheers Mick and Dan!!
Bloody brilliant show, we laughed all the way through. Thank you for the Hot Fuzz sounds.
Yay!
This episode was That Pedal Show meets Bill Nye the Science Guy. Loved it!
Bill Nye the fraud guy. Doesn’t even have a science degree. And spare me the nonsense about science doesn’t require a formal degree. It certainly should if you are teaching it.
I love my Benson fuzz. I’m so glad you guys did an episode on it. I’ve always struggled to find a fuzz I got on with. I had tried a big muff, way huge swollen pickle, and OBNE Alpha Haunt, but none of them really clicked with me (the rams head muff was nice for certain things, but I found it quite limited). I always preferred the germanium sound to silicon, and was looking at a sun face, but just couldn’t decide which of the gazillion transistor options to get, and at the jam one (I’ve forgotten the name), but I was a bit apprehensive about dropping quite a lot of money on a pedal that would be temperature sensitive and would really need to be first in the chain. Then the Benson was announced, I watched a few demos and immediately ordered one. It’s been a revelation. First and only fuzz I’ve really loved!
Yes! Nice one! We think they’ve knocked it out of the park with this one!
Epic Episode! Congrats!
Absolutely loved this episode!
Awesome demonstration of 'hot' fuzz...nothing beats empirical knowledge!!
Epic experimentations today... love it! 🤘🤓
Gents, thanks for putting your pedals in danger for our entertainment. That was AWSOME!
I had to pause this half way through to have a play through my NKT Red dot Sun Face, which I bought promptly after watching your old show at Analogman. It sounded particularly glorious today because it was just me at the house and I could turn the volume up just a little bit more than normal to hear that singing sustain with my 335. Really seemed you guys had fun making this one! 😁 All you need is (a working) fuzz
Yes!!!!! Nothing like it when it’s all working Andy!
This is such a fun and inspiring episode, watch it again and again 🙂
Further proof of why I love the NKT Red Dot Sunface so much. When it was in the perfect temp range here, it sounded soooooooooooo good.
Of all of the guitars on this channel, that '61 Strat is just sublime.
love the 7am (est) uploads!🤘🏼🥳
Me sitting outside the office until I finish watching, lol.
Fancy ass “alrighty then” fuzz....and another shirt idea is born 👏👏👏. All my love per usual, this was incredibly enjoyable.
Hahahaha!!!
Wow, this was an interesting show you convinced me to shun away from germanium fuzz pedals and I always preferred silicon for some reason now I'am glad I did .Great Show by the way Thanks!!!
Great way to start the weekend!
Oh’ Mick.....that was a SWeeeeeeeeeT opener! 🙏
I have been waiting for this one....it is the most curious of conundrums. I also have a belief that there also must be some circuit sensitivity in some old amps as one day, it can be heavenly and other days, unrecognizable.
His playing is always great but lately he seems particularly inspired. The last video they just made about univibes has some of the best playing from him I've ever heard.
Wow, thanks guys. To be honest, this is my thing - the thing I love most. So that might be it. Thank you both. Pre - you’re right about the circuit sensitivity I reckon. So much variance in that old stuff!
G4 is having MIDI controlled temperature for your fuzz pedals. There's a fine line between an amplifier and an oscillator.
Polystyrene cooling device is just a cheap styrofoam cooler (beer cooler) here in USA. Usually the cheapest cooler found at Walmart used for fishing trips. Loved this episode guys!
Highlight of the episode : Dan singes retina 🤣 Benson to rule them all🤘
I've been away for a while, the “Poppa Smurf” look fits you Dan!
Thanks for all of the fuzz videos. I've been on a fuzz trek. Just ordered a Sun Face low gain germanium with external clean trim and bias dials! I'm certain it will fit my ears and style like a glove.
If it does, I'll let you smell the glove
The RCA Ge Sunface by A.M is a great temperature stable option and they are temporarily back in stock. I have the Red dot/RCA hybrid and I love it.
The EQD Erupter Fuzz has had a similar circuit on the input to the Benson for years! Very cool pedals.
Love my Austin Pride with switchable Ge and Si transistors - a Fuzz Face for all occasions (and temp variations)! Some of your best bonkers oscillating fuzz tones produced thus far with these D&M-science experimentals. 🤓
The Benson sounds huge. I wish high school science class was this fun.
@That Pedal Show btw, from this day forward, let there be known that Dan is the Explanation Ninja, while Mick is the Presentation Ninja :-) Dan's explanation of buffers, impedance and how circuts work together around the 42:00 mark is just excellent :-)
That was great. I had a lovely 15 minuet nap about halfway through and all. Cheers
Hahahah! Dan too. :0)
I really want to see more with the UAD golden- yes it's pricey, but demos I've heard are sounding really, really good- better than anything else. Love to hear the TPS take on this unit-
This show also gives a new meaning to the famous sentence Trotsky once said:
"That fuzz was like an icepick to my ear"
If nothing else... the paisley Dan Drive is absolutely drop dead gorgeous looking. I love the look of that pedal.
It’s nice of you to add the “skip all the chat” disclaimer, but I can’t see why anyone would want to do that. Thanks for another fantastic show, guys! 🙏🏻
Some people really hate the chat Kasper. They’re the ones who haven’t worked out that there are no answers yet. We welcome them to our bosom. :0)
You’re probably right about that. It takes a while to realize that the world of pedals is not an exact science but more like a philosophy - there are no real answers, just more questions ;-)
Now that was true bravery - amazing!
Well I'm not even a big fan of fuzz but you fellas still made an entertaining and informative video as were the other videos of yours that I've watched.
I admit that I haven't watched a huge amount of your videos, probably because I don't get many notifications of your videos....CZcams doesn't do you many favours as far as recommending your videos goes 👍
Hey Mick you should be able get hold of and fit a low profile mini-micro fan inside the pedal housing that runs off your 9v pedal socket, I'm sure you should be able to get one as the size of the cooling fans they put in extreemly thin and shallow laptops these days is minute. If there is not enough depth in the pedal case; just add some spacers and longer screws to the pedal back cover to give you more room to possibly fit a low profile fan.
Didn't own a Fuzz pedal until I bought the CB MKII preamp. Then I realized how wrong I was about what I thought Fuzz was. Not only did Fuzz sound wonderful but it was so dynamic and varied in tonal character. Perhaps most important and something you can't get from just hearing someone else play Fuzz is how wonderful it "feels" to play through a Fuzz pedal. Since my great awakening to Fuzz from the CB MKII preamp I have added an Analogman Sunface and just recently the Benson Germanium Fuzz. Great episode. Thanks for helping us understand, at least in my case, the often misunderstood Fuzz. Fuzz, I had to feel it to really get it. Long live Fuzz!
Nice one Rob! Fuzz is a huge deal and it’s wonderful moment when you first get lost in it! Awesome!
Yes!!! Lab classes were always my favorite.
Thanks for a great demonstration! Very educational (as usual). I guess I need to replace all my vintage germanium with silicon. No! I shall buy more (new) fuzzes! Thanks guys.
Wow it’s crazy how big a difference that makes. I’ve never owned a germanium fuzz, (I’m not really a fuzz guy... yet) but i believed you guys when you said it changes with temperatures. I didn’t think I would hear it that much though!
To my ears it seemed like the sweet spots were just above room temperature, but once it started getting significantly hotter it got much much worse
Also to my ears the benson might be the best sounding fuzz on the board!
"Dan... play the, uhhh.. play the, ummm....this fuzz" at 13:24 for some reason made me laugh heartily this morning.
Just learned about those Temp controlled Bensons. My guitar player picked one up and it sounds incredible!
My favourite Germanium fuzz is my Ramble Twin Bender. In Queensland I need the ability to adjust the bias as it gets hotter, and it has an impedance pot like the Benson allowing me put a wah etc before it. Other than that it's a classic Mk II bender.
Honestly I don't know what all the fuzz is about.
Honestly, with fuzz, you either get it or you don't, me personaly, I am no longer interested in "normal" drives. Either amp overdrive or fuzz
@@hotmilkcrewberlin4475 I was just messin’.
Tony Brooks - There’s another t-shirt waiting to happen...
That Krautster is sweet.
I have a Yamaha with that pickup combination.
I put my Fuzz Face clone back on the board after Q&A on Monday.
I'll have to get some more Carbon Batteries for my Hubcap John ...
I also love that Dan’s new favorite lick is the Albert King lick! 😂🤟🤟
We’ll learn him eventually Eric. :0)
Nice timing, Sylvia Massy just did a demo of this effect on Earthquaker's channel a couple of days ago
She could go on Safari next winter, my Fuzz has a lamp pointed at it in an otherwise no mod cons studio, just out of town from her place. If I get the Echo Array [Death Star] fully operational,, she might be hearing that regardless.
Is "Sylvia did it first" the new "Simpsons did it first?"
@@robotsongs Hah, just a typical example of internet hive mind.
That said, Sylvia has an immense knowledge of pedals and gear, but from a completely different perspective than your average guitar player. She could be a cool guest on a future show if that opportunity ever presents itself
@@robotsongs I laughed
@@eskilseter honestly probably cool crossover to do her “studio experiments” style vid with the TPS bois.
That Pedal Show go all Mythbustery !!, such a fun show, HOT FUZZZ ;)
Best ever. Always thought those old roadies who told me they put FX in the fridge where victims of too much acid. And I wouldn’t have sold my germanium pedal last summer in the heat thinking it was on its way out 🤷♂️
That Benson fuzz is really good! So complex.
Dan, the things you do with Drop D tuning(s) are so dark and lovely. not to pander, but as a HUGE Silverchair fan they remind me very much of something Daniel Johns would craft. kudos, man! so...um...give us more D? all kidding aside, would love to hear you riff more in that tuning. cheers!
So excited , having actual band practice tomorrow
YES!
I agree Dan 100%... IT WAS AWESOME!
56:45
Mick: Heating up Benson. Hits 50C.
Benson: "I'm cold. I'm gonna heat up (turns on red light)." :D
Very cool experiment!
That Science Show! Loved this - thank you both. That said, shame on you for not honking Philip Sayce!
Pure shame. I so apologise. Mick here. Sincerely - love that guy!
I have the Benson Germanium Fuzz and it’s just awesome. The temperature control is nice but the way it nukes any impedance issues just blow my mind. I have a few active pickup guitars, I like to run a wah before fuzz, I like to use synths sometimes, and it just makes everything work without much else tinkering. It’s a great all around preamp and also a brilliant addition to a digital setup, I put it in front of my HX Stomp or Zoia and it’s a massive improvement in feel and dynamics
Coooool! Nice one Matt!
Cool I just got a germanium fuzz face to replace my svI sound fuzzozoid , now I know why it crapped out
This show was great! Like a mashup between guitar pedals and the British Baking Show!👍
I love the way it’s called The British Baking Show in the US. It’s called The Great British Bake Off here, and the producers thought Americans needed something less confusing. Uhhhhhmmmmmm.....
@@ThatPedalShow Haha, having met a few of my countrymen I guess I could see why that might be deemed necessary. Really do love the show guys!
What you need is a liquid helium filled cryo unit under the pedalboard. Run the cooling tubes along the length of the board, back to a mains powered pump. You can even use it to keep your refreshments cool while you play. Downside is, your board will weigh twice as much but it's a small price to pay in the interests of enhancing your performance, looking after your fuzz and keeping your beer nice and cold.
Utterly mad in a truly brilliant way! These guys are the mad eccentric scientists of the pedal world. Once gigs are back again there surely has to be new opportunities for hair drier roadies. 😂😂🤔
MICK. Wtf was THAT?!? KILLER intro dude. Holy shit.
Thank you!
Mick is a Golden God!
@@recklesstoboggan "I'm on drugs!" Jumps off the roof into the pool.
I live in Brazil and one hot day my lovely Jimmy Behan Tone Bender MK1 clone went silent just like that Analogman Sun Face. Now I'll have to find a sweet spot for it... In the fridge. 😄
Tremendous playing Mick! The Benson is a great device. May I humbly recommend MXR's Super Bad Ass Variac Fuzz?? Can you say "shit-ton of headroom"? I thought you could...
Hot fuzz! One of the best movies! Brits know how to make comedy. Loved the coconut horses as well! This episode is an example why this show needs to be in person.
I didn't use to understand or like fuzzes at all. Until TPS, a proper bad germanium fuzz face and listening to Jimi more. I still haven't even experimented with FF and tubescreamer or klon or others. Or built a silicon fuzz. That's on the list.
This episode shows quite well why you want that bias pot in your germanium fuzz in general. Just for a different room or day already, to adjust for your preferred sound. Might save you from complete disaster on a summer day, but no guarantees. The 50 C synth sound was really cool!
Btw were the guitar levels on the video much higher than voice compared to normal? I found myself constantly turning it up on talk and a lot down on playing.
I'm a bit envyous, your fridge is full of snacks!
Thanks for doing this Hot Fuzz episode "for the greater good" ;)
Bloody brilliant episode boys!!! F¥€£ me are they some killer boxes!!! Killer playing too.
Soooo you English chaps love your fuzz pedals. So do we. The US guys !!! Great show guys. Top of the morning to ya !!!!
@1:06:00 - For Mick's pedal cooler, the build could be really simple and is very possible to make. Get a small, powerful fan such as a Noctua 40mm running at 12v (costs under £15) and you could wire it straight to the Gigrig power supply you both use with a 12v adapter (trivial for Dan!). Plus it's small enough to fit the side of an enclosure and you can easily cut a hole on the sides for airflow.
Tbh this will work as well as any water cooling here as trying to get contact for heat transfer on components on a pedal would be a pain, directing airflow is straight forward & no condensation too!
You do understand that the air that a fan blows around is at exactly the same temperature as the rest of the air, right?
If you personally stand in front of a fan then the airflow past you feels cooler, but this is because the flowing air enables your own body temperature regulation system (sweating) to work better - the actual air itself is at the same temperaure as all the rest of the air.
If you do not believe this then set up a thermometer in a room and let it settle to the ambient temperature.
Then turn on a fan and blow it onto the thermometer. The temperture remains the same.
A fan has no mechanism whatsoever for absorbing heat, it just moves the air around at whatever temperature the air happens to be.
The reason that airflow works to lower the temperature of the cooling water which circulates around an engine is that the engine gets an awful lot hotter than the surrounding air. In that case, blowing the surrounding air onto the engine or more accurately through the radiator will cool the engine down, but only because the engine was so very hot in comparison in the first place. Obviously, blowing air which is significantly cooler than the hot thing will produce a cooling effect as excess heat from the hot thing can be transferred into the cooler air flowing around it.
But in a situation where a thing is at the ambient temperature, then blowing more air over it which is at the same temperature as it will have no cooling effect whatsoever.
Cool 😉! really like Jesse's take on temperature and germanium fuzz with the King Tone Ge Mini bias control in a small footprint!
A bias control helps, but if it’s too hot, the bias won’t save you either.
Analogman put bias knobs on his Ge Fuzzes, and they’re excellent most of the time. The reason I didn’t keep my White Dot NKT275 was because I played a lot of outdoor gigs, and it was so temperamental, that I went back to my Si Jimi Fuzz, like the one Mick uses a lot.
I thought about getting the Benson, but I have a feeling we’re going to see other Fuzz Faces with similar technology very soon. I really want to try one and compare it to my two main Si Fuzz Faces, before spending $300.
There are some asshats already selling these Bensons for near $400, while Benson is out of stock.
Dan's glee in that laugh at 55:10 :D :D