Automatone Rules Them All [Do You Need A Programmable OD Pedal?] - That Pedal Show

[@JacksonAudio]

Dan and Mick, thank you so much! It's such an honor to see our work on your show. All the best! :)

[@kasekeenan3165]

sorry to be off topic but does someone know a trick to get back into an instagram account? I stupidly forgot my account password. I love any tricks you can give me

[@billphillipstube]

The schtick in this video is great: Dan as the digital Sherpa laboriously trying to hump a reluctant Mick over mount MIDI. When he finally drags Mick’s tail, kicking and scratching, up to the summit, Mick corrects Dan, and effortlessly lists out all of the minutia. Mick then concludes with “and I’ll never use midi over my dead body”, fully knowing that handling this stuff effortlessly is the bread and butter of Dan’s company. Hysterical! Also, Dan claiming the automotone at the beginning of the video and then having to backpedal after Mick insists they have to share it, was quite the moment. No better endorsement for something than watching good friends fighting for possession over it.

[@timons7446]

I just wrote my last exam in this semester, came home and clicked on the new TPS video. This is one of the best rewards after studying night and day! I really enjoy your shows :-)

[@GregorHoul]

Nice revisit years later, in spite of a grim reminder of the crazy time hovering in the air between you.

[@ryanwhitley5427]

The Boss OD-200 completely surprised me. Sounded so much better than I would have guessed.

[@AndrewNuttall]

You've just summed up Boss as a whole. Their stuff always sounds way better than the price suggests.

[@bubbaw1234]

I so appreciate you guys on multiple different levels. I have learned so much about how to work with my guitar, different sounds, etc. I also really love the more substantial, in-depth content you provide but also the laid back and friendly vibe. I think the guitar world is broadly divided into two camps: those who have direct extensive experience with a wide range of traditional effects and amps and those who don't. I played acoustic guitar for the first 8 years, and only in the last few years got into playing electric. I was struggling with it until I built a pedalboard and started playing around with effects, but even then it wasn't really inspiring me. I bought a Helix a few months ago and it's been the most inspirational piece of gear since my first decent Acoustic (my trusty Seagull S6). BUT I realized that part of my enthusiasm comes from having no idea what my playing sounds like through traditional/analog setups. I have no reference point, and my focus is on getting a good sound and writing music rather than emulating. Sometimes that means copying a traditional via the digital menu (Tube Screamer block into a clean Fender block), but other times, when the modeling falls short of copying a real-world sound, other settings (that would not workin the real world) make something even cooler and more inspiring. If anything, the components all being based on "real" pedals and amps adds another set of things for me to learn because I don't have any experience collecting dozens of pedals and multiple amps and playing around with them. If someone said to me a few months ago "it sounds like the phaser before the drive into a cranked AC30" I had no sense of what that sounded like because it was all based on experiences I haven't had. You made a comment in a previous episode that multi-effects units are a good starting point to figure out what you like, but I can honestly say I don't think I will move on from this unit because of the space-saving and the way it has helped me to understand the gear jargon and other components of sound. Not a pitch for this specific product, but I think my lack of knowledge + desire to learn + not wanting too much stuff = why it's working for me. You guys are always so so good at qualifying that the concept of good and bad sounds is illusory, but I think for me even the goal of emulation (regardless of gear type) has always felt pretty futile. I think the vintage fetishism in the broader community gets to me sometimes because for me the reason Hendrix's sound was so cool is because he was taking some weird gear and doing new weird things with it. For me taking new tools and new technologies and doing cool things is the name of the game. I have learned SO SO much from your show. I love the way you guys approach this stuff, particularly when you delve into more overview theoretical concepts and when you get a bit lost in the inspiration and creativity of the music. I am really grateful for all the time and energy your whole team puts into making super quality content, and even as someone with a very different angle on gear I get a huge amount of benefit. Thanks.

[@dkpedals]

Dan: Just turn yourself on for a minute. Mick: Your looking very nice, maybe you would like to go to dinner. This is why I love this show.

[@merbertancriwalli8622]

Too late to the party on this one at 40:52. I'm sure that there are a lot more outtakes for a bloopers reel...

[@pabcrane]

Mick: "in that it's asymmetrical clipping diodes with certain amount of headroom" Dan: "Look at you!!"

[@wannabweiland]

5 seconds into the video with Mick playing I thought to myself, “whatever delay that is, I need one.” Finding out it was the Diamond Memory Lane Jr had me smiling because I already have and love it. Been on my board for years. I guess that’s a testament to how much I still love it. Great show, guys! Cheers!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Yay! Such a cool sounding repeater!

[@allakazoo6267]

Can’t wait to try the deluxe!!

[@pohutt]

I went into a guitar shop today and played through an amp for the first time in 5 years (Morgan PR12). I forgot. I forgot how it felt. I forgot how it sounded. I forgot how it made me want to play. Looks like I’m buying an amp. You guys bang on about it often and I’ve been playing direct for so long I thought those days were behind me. Thanks for the constant reminder that playing through an amp is more than just the sound

[@ThatPedalShow]

Now THAT is a cool amp. Niiiiice!

[@mattflickinger8151]

JEEZ, welcome back...

[@pohutt]

That Pedal Show tried out a King Tone Soloist into it and I was gone. Ashamedly the first time I’ve ever played through a TS-type pedal (sorry Mick!). A very very cool amp indeed.

[@J4060]

Sure it is!

[@noname-ng6sj]

You would not notice if it was switched out for a captured tone.

[@michaelmatthews3027]

Dan inspires me to play (more than any pedal). He gets better with each episode. Mick inspires me to be a better human. Love this show, truly.

[@AlbusBand]

Yeah boy, woke up to use the restroom....looks like I’ll just stay up. Love YOUUUUU!!!

[@alanredversangel]

That's the first Boss dual OD I've seen that didn't look like it had been in an empty cement mixer for a day or two.

[@pkdude5334]

you don't have that issue with Behringer pedals

[@farrelldesign4621]

Thank you for all you that you both do. This coronavirus craziness has been very stressful. Watching this show has been a lifeline to a sense of normalcy for me and I'm sure for many others, that has been so welcome and very much appreciated.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you Farrell - genuinely glad it’s of use. It’s helping keep us sane too, so we’re all on the same boat I think. :0)

[@ChrisTotster]

The fun with the Automatone really starts when you plug in an expression pedal. It’s an incredible pedal.

[@mikemorrisonmusic]

“It won’t ever sound like a Metal Zone.” Good.

[@pabcrane]

Oh wow... Does it shift the slider if you use an expression pedal? That would be fun if it did

[@ChrisTotster]

Paul Crane yes, you can select one or more sliders to control and can do different sliders on each preset.

[@rkharper]

It is, sold mine anyway.

[@noname-ng6sj]

This comment is ass. It's a preamp pedal, if you use it as a scuffed q-tron you're just silly.

[@ParkerD-Music]

I’ve had my Golden Boy since they first hit Reverb, and I can say it’s one of the best OD pedals I’ve ever used. I haven’t tapped into the midi potential at all, as I basically only use a few sounds, but it’s fantastic. I do wish there was a way to set a preset or two on board without midi like the Chase Bliss stuff, but I don’t really mind! Great show as always guys and cheers from the US!

[@popsfitch7938]

You forgot my unit kids. The Decibel eleven dirt clod. A good unit that I use mostly for stacking purposes. Midi, programmable, multiple recallable memory and filled with good stuff. It does not replace or sound like my Robin Trower, OCD, or Friedman BE-OD but as I stated with its programmability and midi, it works perfectly in the dirt side of my setup setup. Another plus it hides in/under the basement of my pedalboard. It’s set and forget. Thank you for your time and consideration. Keep up the wonderfully done you tube movies. Most Sincerely, Pops Fitch Tacoma, Washington State USA. Post script: I control things on my board with a Decibel 11 switch Dr. midi controller and Pedal Pallet.........stay healthy men.

[@maniacalion6170]

I do need one.... in about 3 years when the trend chasers find something new and they are in my price range hahaha

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahah!!!!

[@pabcrane]

Boy oh boy that Automatone sounds great, but I gather that you, like me, just can't afford one at the moment!

[@billphillipstube]

Version 2: half the size and 2/3 the cost. Version 3: mini pedal w/ one feature removed and 1/3 the cost. Both future versions come with a host of guys in the forum complaining version 1 was better.

[@maniacalion6170]

Paul Crane Totally in that boat man, I’m a person of pretty modest means. But really all that means is you gotta buy smart as you can. I like to watch how things work for the first year or two, if I’m really interested I pay attention to reviews and such over that while, and usually when the next best new thing comes out the thing I’ve been eyeing for that long is a lot easier to come by hahaha

[@maniacalion6170]

billphillipstube by the time version 4 comes it’s gonna be a volume knob and you put a chip in your head and think really hard 😂

[@simononeill941]

How the heck can 38 people not like this? Dan and Mick will feature in my dying days I hope, if not at my wake. Camaraderie, larakinism, intrigue and technicality... it's what makes this channel special.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ha! And we’ll be proud to be there Simon. Thank you sir.

[@wolfnstrings]

The playing at the end with single coils came across to me with the versatility and fidelity of the Automatone. Fantastic tones fellows.

[@lance134679]

I think for me, the interest in a programmable drive pedal started when I would get an overdrive where all the different gain settings sounded great, but I'd have to adjust other knobs such as the output level and maybe tone. Then, I'd start thinking about different songs in our set and how great it would be to be able to instantly recall the perfect setting for the rhythm part and then for a solo, or if I switched to the neck pickup and wanted it a bit brighter and quieter. The industry's answer at the time was digital multi-effects, but I'm excited that now there are ways to get exactly the versatility for live playing I always wanted from an analog pedal. The Brothers, Golden Boy and Automatone all take a different approach and have a different core tone, but all could make gigging with analog pedals better. It's a great time to be a guitar player (except there are no gigs)! Thanks.

[@lukenetti4244]

Dan's playing sounds amazing! The Automatone sounds at the end were incredible!

[@tgiencke]

The Strymon Sunset/Riverside is a programmable OD pedal if you connect a MIDI pedal to it. That is how I made myself a “library” of OD tone that I could flip through and not hamper the creative flow. Keep up the great work!!!

[@druwk]

Another great post Gentleman! It’s an amazing era of gear that we’re in. Being able to recreate studio sounds, make radical sound changes for different parts of a song, being able to dial in hundred of different sounds from one PEDAL! 🤯 Easily conceivable to have a Pedal Board and Guitar as your rig, and be able to reliably rely on simple back line. Over kill for the non-professional...boon for the intense hobbyist...mandatory tool kit for the working guitarist.

[@RobFlaxMusic]

51:43 My favorite surprise midi controller? Empress ZOIA. Seriously. You could control the Automatone with the Zoia, and have crazy sequencer stuff moving the faders, if you like.

[@genesisfalling]

That Automatone sounds amazing. I could understand some peoples fears about the faders breaking, but I had a Yamaha home studio (all in one unit) which had automatic faders. I purchased when I was 20 and sold it last year at the age of 43 with all the faders working perfectly. I'd be more worried about someone spilling their drink on it, so if i owned one I would get a clear acrylic cover made for it to protect it on my board. Great show as always guys. I'm proud to be an owner of a couple of your lovely T-Shirts.

[@Smitty_Werbenjagermanjenson]

Would have liked to see the Source Audio LA Lady come back for this one

[@JeighNeither]

"They feel different". Great way to put that, because some multi-units can sound fairly impressive, but there is less magnetism between the fretboard & your fingers with them.

[@laurencecoch6023]

First let me apologize for a long post. Number 1, Thank you Mick and Dan for all the great info and all you have taught me about pedals, amps, boards and making them all work together. I have been playing guitar in bands on and off, seriously and for fun since the mid 80’s. I have have had as most of us all sorts of rigs from pedals to rack gear to transistor amps to tube amps and finally have built a system that both sounds great for my tastes and style of playing. My comments relate to Dan’s comments about the automatone and the advantages of using midi. For many years I struggled with a rig that I could afford but that did not quite get me to the sounds that i needed or if i got the sound then the other sounds I needed required adjustments on the fly. As a result I was focused on the gear not the performance. My current rig is an AC15HWc1x with an RJM Music PBC10 pedal loop switcher (apologies to Dan and Gigrig G2). Drive pedals are Jex Telez range lord, Soulfood, D&M Drive, Jrocket GTO, and Walrus Audio Jupiter Fuzz. My modulations, reverbs and delays are handled by Strymon Möbius, Timeline, Eventide H9 and MXR Carbon copy Deluxe. I play Rickenbacker’s and Telecaster mostly. I have been fortunate to have a great day job in the audio business to allow me to afford this rig in the last few years all the gear in relation to my comments following. I currently play in a 3 piece band (drums, Acoustic guitar, and me playing electric and some bass) . We do some original music from our previous band and a lot of covers. Consequently I create the sounds to make the covers sound more like the original versions. I use OnSong on an IPad because my memory is not as good as it was in my 20’s. I have the PBC, which has extensive midi capabilities setup with presets that i can recall by song. I recall song A and If i have 5 sounds i need that are accessed on the PBC lower row of buttons. Each preset sends the proper loop commands to put the correct pedals in the signal path and also send PC and CC message to the timeline, mobius and H9 as needed. The really cool thing is that I also have the iPad connected via a lighting to midi converter cable to the PBC so that when I change songs the PBC switches to the right presets. What this has done for me is allow me to not think about the sounds, other than to enjoy and be inspired by the sound of the rig , and concentrate on my playing and performance. Not having to think “ that’s not really the sound” or “i have to hit these three pedals in the next 2 seconds...” has been wonderful and allowed me to spend time improving my playing and enjoying the performance and the gig. Just wanted to throw that out there. Certainly I have spent a lot on this rig but it truly inspires me to play and enjoy more. Again thanks Mick and Dan. BTW I love the D&M Drive I typically use the Soulfood or Range lord before the drive side and use the D&M boost after the drives for a lead boost Awsome. Cheers Laurence Coch Barn Door Recording

[@RobFlaxMusic]

52:49 This was what I was waiting for... the fuzz cleans up with volume knob rolloff! Of course it does... killer!

[@jcugnoni]

All the amount of work, design complexity and tone quality that goes into the Chase Bliss Brothers and Automatone is amazing. As an amateur amp/pedal builder, I can replicate and design some cool overdrives easily but those Chase Bliss pedals require true engineering skills! I cannot imagine the time they spent to develop it, make it sound great, be reliable, and to layout the final PCBs... Sounds WAY better than the Boss and is much more intuitive in my opinion. Much respect to the designers.

[@weschilton]

Oh man, Mick you nailed it, that Automatone will be KILLER in the studio! My local shop has one, I'm definitely going to check it out now. great show gents!

[@BenjyMontoya]

I own a Gold Boy and it's just amazing. I love it! Nice review folks, as usual!

[@tremelo68]

55:20 Mick fiddling with the midrange when it is actually off is 🤣. No offense Mick. This was a great video.

[@DavidDyte1969]

MDP (I think it's multi dimensional processing) is Boss' digital process that focuses on "what am I trying to do musically with this waveform" rather than "how do I model the electronic components in this circuit." So it's approaching the problem from a different angle. I have the CP-1X, the digital compressor based on this idea. It's pretty cool.

[@zynthio]

I used to just write off the Automatone because it's so big and expensive, but really it's not that big or expensive if you consider the fact that it could replace all of the drives on my board... That just makes me want one. I have a comp, drive, and booster now and I'm thinking of adding one more drive. But really I feel like I could just get that and have everything I need and more, for less space taken up. More space on the board and power supply for other kinds of pedals...

[@bryantwalley]

Neunaber Audio Neuron - Well in the price range of these pedals, great sound and control.

[@n3rdg4m3r]

That would have been a good pick for this episode. Not going to lie, I was hoping it was included.

[@wild291]

Just got one for Sale on Neunaber site that makes it cheaper than in EU even with Duty taxes and it sounds great. And if i can make even three presets with it (you can make 6) everybody can,even Mick.;-)

[@basilandrigsby]

Great video as always! I'm so glad you guys liked it. I've got an Automatone on the way...and I only had to sell 6 other pedals to pay for it!

[@RobFlaxMusic]

38:25 "That [Automatone] is never going to sound like a Metal Zone..." I can sense Mick responding, internally, "Perfect"

[@pedalgazer7109]

Great show guys- so excited for this one. The automotone pedal has been all over social media since it came out, and so I've been eagerly waiting for you guys to review. To be honest, the boss od 200 sounded ok, but each sound was more like the "idea" of the sound- like a picture of a fuzz pedal, rather than the actual real life sound of one. As soon as you switched to the chase bliss pedal it was night and day- rich harmonics, life, edge- you can easily hear the pedal push the amps and glue into the tones in a way that digital models never seem to be able to do. One thing my bass player and I talked about years ago was how, we all love pedlas- pedals with lots of knobs and options- but in reality we all get a pedal, set it up to sound like the way we want, and then leave it. To an extent all those knobs go to waste. We joked about how you should have a bunch of pedals with no knobs- you just set the sounds internally or something and then just turn it on and off-ha ha. The fact that the automotone has moving faders- like an ssl console or something- is just that 'next level"- it really is analog heart (tone) digital brain at it's best. Amazing. Also- Dan, that yellow tele sounds so good. I just made a new 69 thinline, with a JD in the bridge and I'm loving it because it is thick and meaty - not ice picky- yet still retains what I love about the tele bridge sound. Your vintage tele strikes me as that same sort of thing- sounds awesome.

[@alexlewis8468]

Mick, I doubt this will change your mind on midi, but I believe Matthews Effects have a small midi controller (4 switches) that simplifies the midi setup with menus (connected by USB) which uses drop down menus - you can select the specific unit that you are connecting to and it will offer all the features without giving a hoot about the PC and CC changes used - its all mapped for you. Great for someone who wants to add a bit of extra functionality without having to get the manual out! Great show guys!

[@ttbfan]

Glad to see the tone king on the show. It just so happens that the creator of tone king amps Mark Bartel was in my brothers high school band! He is the nicest guy. He now makes Bartel amps. Check them out if you have a lot of $$$$. They are not cheap!!

[@pclindholm]

I think this discussion really makes me think the Line 6 HX effects was ahead of its time - so many overdrive sounds, so many boosts, etc and all are easily recallable and changeable with little effort. I'd like to see an HX effects vs Boss 200 series shootout as well.

[@Django276]

Its Just to complicated for me. (Multieffects)

[@DrGregWeisswasserND]

I love my HX effects but rarely use the drives.

[@stevehelmig7115]

Great show as always! I would love to see you guys put the Automatone through its paces some more, not only showing the capabilities it has within the box, but also how you could use it in various places throughout your signal chain, in conjunction with other pedals, in a recording setting with cab sims (like you mentioned), with a powered cab (if it can be used that way), etc. I think an innovative pedal like this deserves the screen time. Based on this episode, you obviously liked the pedal a lot and it sounded great to my ears, but it would be helpful to have a more comprehensive video to help understand the pedal and determine if it is worth the investment. I know there are other resources out there already diving into the pedal, but I think I speak for many when I say that your demonstrations and opinions exceed most, if not all of those other sources. Cheers from Philly!

[@AdrianJames28]

Loved watching Mick adjusting the mids while they were turned off. Never change Mick

[@robertfalconer5054]

Great Show Guys, Good to see you got the Golden Boy, I thought you'd Love It. All Pedals are Great in there own Application. I have a Broken Arrow and love it.

[@guitarsimon1]

Love how to left all the sliders down on the Automatone, ready for the dramatic reveal 😂

[@jonbarwick5946]

Please let this be next Ep: Golden Boy vs Morning Glory vs Timmy vs KoT 🙏🏼

[@RJW14]

Cool to see the ML Jr. on there for the delays, I've had one for years, amazing piece of kit :)

[@KristofferVad]

Having watched this - enjoyable as it was - the Automotone makes sense in a studio setting or live for sure, but for me personally as a basement rocker, I’d rather buy a bunch of different drive pedals (I have already because of TPS tbf) and still have money left over for a new good guitar!

[@noname-ng6sj]

...how much do you think this pedal is? it's $749.... Are those TC electronic pedals and a squier bullet?

[@KristofferVad]

no name I find great pleasure and great tone in affordable - often second hand gear. Current gain stages on my board are a fulldrive mk2, T-rex DGTM, TC Mojo Mojo, Session JD10 preamp, Fulltone ‘69 and a T-rex fat shuga. All were bought second hand and were around half the cost of the Automotone. Add to these my modded Korean late 80’ies Squier strat - an awesome playing and sounding guitar, and we are at the same as an Automotone.

[@SpencerP96]

@@KristofferVad okay so basically exactly what @no name said

[@TheActressAndBishop]

"You've f***ing got to leave that in!!!" .. aaahahahahahahahaha .. SO glad you did!!!! :-D

[@michelmoe]

hey guys! great episode =D that's why I love my tc Nova System: it has the ability to program everything, it has tc's digital delays, verbs and mod....AND it has an analog drive section with a green OD and a brown DIST. this is sold separately as the Nova Drive pedal....so is the Nova Delay but I gotta say, I need to live on both worlds so I always keep at least one drive pedal in front of that and mostly I kick it in for leads.

[@ridiculouswonk2135]

I would LOVE to see the proposed OD-200 episode. Bring out the Strymon Sunset for that one, too!

[@forgediron]

Agree! Yes please!

[@stuthefinestdrops5230]

I love my sd2. Glad to see some love for it from elsewhere. Cheers lads. 👍

[@philipbrister]

Big fan of the versatility the Golden Boy has. I love mine.

[@JakeBisognin]

"This is going straight to the pool room"...classic Aussie reference that Mick seemed to have no clue! I appreciated it though!

[@sph33_]

Mick at the end playing around with the benson mids with the mid control turned off made me chuckle. Great episode as always!

[@LeonTodd]

The red mode on the SD-2 is what I always wanted the Boss DS-1 to sound like. Stacked up great against the big boys here!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Yes, it’s such a great sound

[@boxonbass]

I’d definitely love to see an OD-200 comparison video! (Just to see ‘Mick with Manuals’... that sounds like a new video series 😂) Keep rocking guys...

[@19markz67]

Hi. I just wanted to say that I think it is great that you are associated with Sweetwater. I have had nothing but good experiences buying from them. I buy a pedal or a cable and I get a call from my assigned sales associate. They thank me for my business and ask me if there is anything else they can do for me. They give me their direct number in case there are any problems with my product. I have bought $4,000 guitars from brick and mortar stores and I got nothing. I walk in the shop two weeks later and it is like they have never seen me before. WTF! Customer service is still alive at Sweetwater. I encourage all TPS watchers to write to Sweetwater and ask them to become supporting sponsors of the show. A drop in the money bucket compared with their volume of sales. Cheers from NorCal.

[@cyangusa]

Thank you guys~ but just to let you know Boss DS-2 does do 2 sounds. Regular DS1 sound and Turbo sound that give you Mid Boost.^^

[@eaglerayrob]

Thanks TPS, great show!! All good pedals but, to me, the Automatone just sounded fantastic. I could hear the specialness of the Automatone in my earbuds and I could see, from Micks response, how special it sounded in the room. For me it's not a question of if I'll own an Automatone but rather when. Once I hear that sound I can't stop thinking about it :-) Those last 200 steps to reach a high altitude summit take considerably more resources than 200 steps at sea level. But those last 200 steps are where the big reward is. Onward and upward.

[@ThatPedalShow]

No arguments here Ray!

[@rcoveyduc]

Bad Monkey was the first pedal I bought. Still have it. Love it. It will do the TS thing it was cloned to do, but it will also do a very passable clean boost.

[@TheSecondNature]

considering what recently happened with the bad monkey, you're a pioneer. lol

[@lopsrobins]

I think the MOST important thing about the automotone is that while they other pedals of its kind include the functionality of midi and many different drive flavours, they have made this pedal that hasn’t compromised any components and the price I think reflects that. If the other pedals bug you because you like some features but hate what it lacks as a result then this pedals takes all of that irritation and just lets you play man. Great show guys!

[@sph33_]

I picked up the automatone and it is my only gain/drive/fuzz pedal now. Just a brilliant pedal. Love what CBA does.

[@jamesfafrak7288]

You know what would be fun to see Dan and Mick try out the Joyo pedals I think it’ll be hilarious. Also they sound pretty good for the cost of them. I only make minimum wage so I’m more likely to go that route because I live in a apartment but I do love pedals though wish I could afford the crazy gear. I’m currently using a Fender Player Series HSS strat into a Boss Katana mkii Artist 100 2/12. Sorry for the long comment just wanted to tell my situation lol. Hope you guys are doing well through this craziness that we’re going through. Cheers from New Mexico, US.

[@sdkdrummer]

Many years ago (before he bought Supro) Bruce Zinky made a MIDI switchable amp called the Superfly. All analong tube amp but all the controls were adjustable with encoders and could be programmed into patches recallable though MIDI program changes. I think people were afraid of it or didn’t understand it. I wouldn’t worry about the motorized faders. I used to have a Soundcraft mixer that used them. Every layer and send caused them to move. Never had a problem with them. Or the motorized faders on my DAW controller. Like you I like being able to look at something and see what’s going on. And while I would use the iPad to walk venues and tweak mixes I liked having the control surface to look at and tactile controls to adjust things. Also glad to see the Black Magick out. I have one and it takes pedals really well. A buddy plugged his Topanga into it and right away mentioned that unlike his Lazy J when pushing the amp you could still clearly hear the reverb. Were you using the jumped input?

[@assaultfreightliner4666]

Someone’s been practicing. That final sequence was exceptional, Dan. At least until Mick started sticking his fingers in. Motorized faders! But does it go to eleven? One can dream.

[@dragonsquare2802]

I feel you! .. I tried to use a kemper once. In the rehearsal everything was fine. At the gig all of a sudden I had nasty high frequency feedback on all sounds (with the same settings of course) and there was just no possibility to quickly adjust something as I'd have to go through all the sounds. That was the first and the last gig with a computer for me. Immediately sold that thing and bought a nice tube head from the money

[@J4060]

Well done!

[@knommi]

yeah... to much programming drives me crazy..

[@noname-ng6sj]

Uhm, you had a faulty unit. You gave up on what most major acts use because you didn't understand you had a faulty unit. Of course you can't "quickly adjust" something when you've captured tones. I have more analogue gear than you, but this mentality drives me up a wall!

[@dragonsquare2802]

no name nope. My unit was fine. I mean: It worked flawlessly in other environments afterwards and I also sold it for good money because it was basically in flawless condition! The reason I sold it was because I don‘t want to deal with a computer when I just want to quickly turn the gain down. You have no idea how much analog and digital gear I've owned played or even built, so don't act like you do.

[@78awhite]

Love you guys and love this episode... I'm not sad that the honk is gone:)

[@Subropontes]

My brain just can’t deal with that sort of stuff when I’m playing so I know I won’t ever get something like that. I’ll stick with half a dozen 3 knob analog pedals (maybe 4 knobs if I’m feeling adventurous). If I have to think it’s getting in the way and it’s not for me. But great episode! It’s nice to learn about these things so I don’t feel like an idiot when people are talking about gear.

[@lockyp204]

The interplay between you guys is the best 😄 ❤️ M one D one 😆

[@markieb1230]

Great show, perfect way to spend my lunch hour at work! You guys are also responsible for me buying a new USA std strat (rw fretboard, obvs!), a new tele (Fender Lite Ash model with SD Alnico 2 pickups, a few choice pedals (D&M TPS model, Wampler Velvet Fuzz, Wampler Pinnacle Deluxe, Boss BD2, T Rex Quint Machine Octave and Boss TR2 Tremolo amongst others) and a Fender Supersonic 60 watt valve combo to give this 'amp ran clean using pedals for drive' malarkey a go!! I love you guys, keep up the great work. The wife, however, isn't quite so fond of you... Cheers, Mark

[@Mennenth]

43:20 "That sounds really preampy. In the studio use an ir or whatever after it and phew". Thats what I was looking for. Its called a preamp and based on a preamp circuit, and yet all demos I've seen of it try and use it just as an overdrive/fuzz. I'd love to see an "as a preamp" demo to confirm though, but I think I'm sold. My use case is that as a preamp/pedal platform, then using a dedicated clean power amp pedal for powering a cab. Keep things small and simple.

[@tonybrooks476]

Ooh Daniel. Riffarrama. The sound after the gated fuzz was glorious.

[@MythosSoundStudio]

Hey Dan and Mick, great vid. Mick, I’m with you on the Boss OD 220. I’ve owned Boss GTs from the -3 thru the -1000, my biggest complaint has always been the OD sounds too digital. Very difficult to get that warmer OD feeling out most of their mult-FX/multi-OD systems - which seems so counter-intuitive as they make one of the most popular analogue ODs on the market - put it into MultiFX system, and it seems to lose all it’s personality for some reason. Thanks again, guys. Automaton is awesome - worth the price of admission.

[@stuart_rose]

I’m amazed by all of the programmable tonal possibilities but fear the onset of function/parameter paralysis. 🤪 Golden Boy sounds great! Thankfully, a Hudson Broadcast Dual and Revival Drive Compact offers enough OD options for me 🤓

[@bobbler42]

29:00 as a partially sighted guitarist whose complex vision problems include contrast vision so bad I fail the colour blindness tests, but not for the usual reasons, I feel your pain.

[@frmcf]

I got a Line 6 something-something 4 used for €70 (the big yellow one). It does 80% of what these do for 20% of the price and it sounds great. And I’m not scared of breaking it, it getting wet or whatever.

[@realgoodmind]

Dan I think you and I are on the same wave length. I have a dc30 that I love but I got an Imperial MKII last year and it has been such a wonderful change and all because of a random encounter. I went to guitar center in the us to check out a tele and the only amp they had was a Tone King Imperial MKII. After 10 min I said I had to have the amp. It's amazing. Got a Maz38 updated to the mkII that I just got back and now it is the front runner.

[@michaelsmith-zo5wq]

Tone King amps sound amazing and are built like tanks, but isn't naming an amp "Imperial MII" much like naming an amp "Genocide MKII"?

[@diegorhoenisch62]

Motorized faders have been around for over three decades, and they have been (ab)used in top recording studios for days on end without problems. Cheers, Alan Tomlinson

[@hallsofvalhalla1749]

Automotone looks awesome. It's pricey though. Could buy a guitar for that. But boutique pedals are expensive too. Seen plenty around 200-400 bucks. I know you made these points. For me, programmable pedals are for specialized applications. I'd rather just turn a knob and manually change pedal order. I just find that more enjoyable. Great stuff! Loving the videos! More music videos please! :) I loved them both!

[@JDGreen916]

No Strymon Sunset or Riverside? I would think when "programmable" and "midi" come up - they'd be go to. Sound pretty good too! Also very surprising since I can see the Riverside just over Mick's right shoulder...

[@evanmiller2579]

Great video. Thanks for all you do guys. Amps sounded great today.

[@MNGuitars]

Great sounds great video enjoy this one a lot... I recently got one of those Blackstar HT 20 head into 212 vertical cab .. my main Drive is the D&M drive and I always used to run the Dan side for my main overdrive and boost it with the mick side for more gain.. just recently turned the mid switch off the amp to get more of a blackface Fender sound but compensated the mid scoop with leaving the mick side on all the time in front of the dan side, what a great sound and feel!!!

[@joshfirlotte]

I saw Joel say on a forum he's had a few automatones sitting in a room now that have had the faders moving constantly for the last six months and haven't failed.

[@kentonschroer2347]

Yes! Jackson Audio! You go boys!

[@georgespiggot8502]

1440P and 4K now. Oh, such love. Should I watch and listen on Warfdales in the studio on 2K or Jamo in the lounge on 4? It's not always better through headphones ;)

[@grahamkelly8299]

Very cool guys!! The boss of 200 is very impressive and could be useful for gigs in small pubs and I'm sure its built to last as always! I recently got myself a jhs morning glory v2 which has a second gain setting switchable by home made switch!! And I run it into the jhs @+ and I'm blown away buy the amount of sounds I can get from just these 2 pedals!!

[@chedhead3278]

Cheers guys, thought provoking and enjoyable episode. Don't need all the functionality of the Automatone and there are legit concerns about putting it on a pedalboard but ... sounded pretty damned compelling at this end. Have a lovely weekend y'all. :)

[@aidanhamish]

That's going straight to the pool room... the pool room being my pedalboard. Hahahahahahaha. Well done Dan. The automatone is genuinely incredible. It's on my board and I've already made space for the CxM 1978 reverb collab with Meris in this format due to come next. By the way, it is the perfect complement to the Gladio for a range of drive tones - which no doubt you have already discovered.

[@josecarlosturner]

Hello from México City, great fan of your show here! Thanks to you I have improve a lot of my sound pedals, I just bought the OD 200 last weekend and an Eric Johnson stratocaster rosewood version, and the pedal sounds great! I'm still tweaking the knobs to find more sounds, experimenting with the boost in parallel and series, to be honest, is not really my thing, I prefer use a single effect but it's alway handy for some people to have a function like this. My favorites modes are Centaur and blues driver, with the BD you can achieve amazing SRV type of sounds and kind of clean old blues stuff. I'm using a reissue Fender Twin Reverb for clean and a Marshall Origin 50 Combo for all the fuzz and drive pedals, belive me, this pedal sounds incredible. Anxious to see the OD 200 episode, I really want to see how much you can get from this, cheers! 🤟🏻😎

[@YeatzeeGuitar]

Mick playing with the mids slider after turning the mids control off for a few minutes at the end was slightly hilarious. What an epic pedal regardless of it's practicality or price!

[@ericcarpenter3263]

Just starting the video. Holy hell, mick you’re killing me. Too funny. Everything is amazing so far, haven’t started laughing this hard at the first maybe ever. Don’t spoil the end but I’m hoping Mick holds strong.

[@mrblablablabla]

You must have missed the video on impedance... ;-)

[@ericcarpenter3263]

mrblablablabla the impy-dance was pretty sweet. Lol

[@bigideaslittlefocus1154]

Ever since the first I time I heard the Preamp, I knew I needed it. Now I need you guys to do a deeper episode on it and tell me what you think of the fuzz! 🤣

[@grahambliley8604]

One day Dan will be telling the Automatone to open the pod bay doors. It won’t.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahahahaha

[@astewart9410]

Best comment!

[@Sasketchejuana_man]

It should be said the Goldenboy has 2 internal trim pots inside. (VERY TINY). The left controls presence, the right controls tone. There are side by side comparisons to the KOT on YT and majority have said that the presence should be rolled back to about 10-20% to match exactly to the KOT. I did that and then left the tone at 6 o clock (factory setting). I'm glad I read about this because it sounded very sterile, fizzy, with a weird high end upon using it the first time. Opened the back and the presence and tone was turned ALL the way up. Not even on factory settings. Problem solved.

[@duffdunlap6705]

The automatons is awesome. Great demonstration. Some thing else to and to my wishlist when I am employed again.

[@Telorchid]

Cool to see the Automatone put through it’s paces. I’m excited for the reverb version (Meris collaboration) but overall skeptical of the long term viability of the mechanized faders due to wear & tear. I think the big-box Strymon LED color system is a more economical solution to ‘finding out where you are.’ Dan, would love to see more of the red Gretsch from you (as mentioned in the ‘guitars we own’ ep.) Overall this was a good overview of programmable drives. Honorable mention to JHS red remote system, TC Nova Drive & the Elektron Analog Drive. Cheers.

[@CorbCorbin]

It’s fully functional without the faders. It’s been the constant question about the pedal, and I’ve heard people from Chase Bliss state that if they quit working or break, the pedal is still functional. I’d like to know how much a non fader pedal would’ve cost, as I have no want for them either.

[@Telorchid]

@@CorbCorbin It's functional but you still paid for the cost of the faders (and this is an expensive piece). And the talk about it constantly is 'you can see where you are with the faders.' Even if you have sound but no faders, how do you see where you are?

[@vincenttuckwood]

Given the Strymon Riverside is Yellow/Gold, it’s interesting that the colour schemes are so similar (Automatone excluded, of course)