Tube Screamer into Rat or Rat into Tube Screamer?

Hi guys, in today's video, we would like to experiment with two classic overdrives/distortions: the ProCo rat and the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-9. Boosting a Rat with a Tube Screamer is nothing new, but what happens if we boost a Tube Screamer with a Rat? In this video, we try both options, and we show you how they compare to each other.
#tubescreamer #procorat #distortion
use the following timestamps to navigate through the video:
What are we doing today? - 00:01
Let's check the TS-9 on its own - 01:07
Looking for a nice mid-gain setting on the Rat - 01:25
Back-to-back comparison - 01:37
Rat into TS-9 - 01:48
How does a TS-9 work when boosted by a Rat? - 01:53
How does a Rat work if it's boosting a TS-9? - 02:17
Looking for a nice "Rat into TS-9" setting - 02:56
Back-to-back comparison TS-9 vs Rat into TS-9 - 03:12
Same loop but different pedal order - 04:33
Looking for a good setting for the Rat - 04:41
Prepping the TS-9 for boosting! - 05:02
TS-9 into Rat - 05:21
How does a Rat work when boosted by a Tube Screamer? - 05:34
How does a Tube Screamer work if it's boosting a Rat? - 05:42
Tube Screamer boosting the Rat with the gain dimed - 06:17
Back-to-back final comparison - Rat into TS-9 vs TS-9 into Rat - 08:30
Here you can find more info about the pedals in this video:
ProCo Rat - bit.ly/2UCq3U5
Ibanez TS-9 - bit.ly/3qZKoyB
Watch more on We As A Company
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Thx for watching!

[@mikusheep]

The TS into Rat is really how you'd use a rat as a main rock/metal distortion tone. The Rat into TS has a really cool blown speaker sound that I'd actually use for solos or something

[@bluepedalsrock9271]

I think you’ve nailed it here. I’ve always heard that distortion > TS is ideal for leads.

[@Ty1350]

Trick question. The correct answer is RAT into RAT.

[@kellymckenzie4865]

Correct

[@ryneknutila4484]

Is it possible to learn this power?

[@safutentag7406]

@@ryneknutila4484 Yes, but not from a Ts user.

[@Owenwestrick]

Indeed

[@ablaylock4273]

👍👍Never thought of that. Is it worth it?

[@ganjaguy800]

RAT into TS sounds so DIRTY, how can you not love that??

[@bulletproofzest]

TS into Rat, or OD1 variant into Rat is my main distortion sound. It’s crazy how it changes the Rat into Marshall city that way, tightens up the low end, etc, however I’ve never tried it at unity like this.

[@mobydick3895]

It seems to me the TS has only a minor effect on the dominant RAT tone. stacking may not be worth all the effort.

[@MetalFingerzz]

Tube screamer has been first in my pedal chain for YEARS. It’s so versatile you can use it as a dirt pedal in itself; or use it to boost other dirt pedals and/or dirty amps. IMO every pedalboard sounds better with a tube screamer in front.

[@stevenryan9642]

This demo was super useful! I run a SD-1 into a Rat with the drive on both pedals set at about 9 o’clock. I mostly play punk rock and alternative and it works great!

[@WeAsACompany]

Thx very much for your comment.

[@LoudGuitarSounds]

I’m doing this right now! My octafuzz’ are very picky on placement when it comes to the Rat.

[@brandxlion]

I use a ts808 into a big box rat, it's like an articulate wall of sound lol cant explain it, just love it

[@stevewills735]

great video, I love the classic TS into the rat. That is a timeless rock sound. cheers!

[@PhatLvis]

When stacking distortion pedals, if the output of the first pedal is too high, it clips the input of the second pedal, which results in an inadvertent third distortion component - which tends to be a kind of unwanted flattener of the sound, usually nullifying any edge in the breakup of either pedal.

[@marcbiefnot9375]

Or sounds like a fuzz pedal... Which can also be interesting in itself. : )

[@ShredderPM86]

Agreed, less distortion on the rat when rat>ts

[@solitudejamtracks]

Or you just turn down the volume pot on guitar. The compression and clipping come from your hand dynamic.

[@marcbiefnot9375]

Thanks for your videos - very informative! I feel Rat into TS produces a huge mid bump, while TS into Rat retains the grain quality of Rat with bait more tightness. At the moment I am going : OCD > Archer (not a TS but also mid heavy) > Rat (> clean boost) for a nice palette of sounds with the Archer sandwiched between the other two drive pedals.

[@darksunvalley]

Great video and demonstration! I was curious to see how others pair these two pedals in others ways. I love this pairing! I stack my TS9 into my Rat. I have my TS9 set as an always on pedal. I set it to 10 o’clock on the tone, full on for volume, and anywhere between off to 9 o’clock for gain. Mostly leave it on 9 o’clock and roll off guitar volume to clean up. I set my ProCo Rat2 to 3 o’clock on volume, 2 o’clock on filter, and around 11 o’clock on gain. Sounds sweet to my ears through my Hot Rod Deluxe! I also use the TS9 going into a Big muff!

[@ArthurFSP1996]

I love your channel and the fact that now and again you guys mention Oasis. Moreover, I absolutely love the "what is we as a company?" video because the quote "no blues licks, we are not good at playing". Love you guys

[@WeAsACompany]

Thx sooooo much for your comment. It really means the world to us.

[@ArthurFSP1996]

@@WeAsACompany Also, I bought the PW-2 because of your review :3

[@WeAsACompany]

@@ArthurFSP1996 how do you like it?

[@ArthurFSP1996]

@@WeAsACompany honestly, I liked him very, very much, it gave me the heavyness I was missing (he replaced my Turbo Distortion on the pedalboard). However I think it lacks some treble control, if the Power Drive would receive a treble control, would make it the best pedal ever, imo. Luckily enough, I have an SD-1 which gives this balance. So I actually use them both together to give the best sound possible, imo. I also have one fancy handmade reverb and also a delay from the same brand (Velouria FX) and a Super Chorus (and I actually want to suggest some videos on chorus pedals). They all work well together.

[@rederickfroders1978]

These two pedals are so good together, as if theyre made for eachother

[@adrianramirez7122]

Always knew I would get a rat but not a tube screamer, might have to get both now!

[@zwoelf160]

I love the RAT Into the TS

[@mikusheep]

I stack a rat clone into an EQD Talons, the Talons gets very fuzzy when you put it into other gain sources but takes gain in front of it like a champ. Gets some really cool high gain tones with the Rat filter and Talons 4 Band EQ (b+m+t+p)

[@Mindartcreativity]

I prefer TS into Rat and I used to run it that way until I tried my TC Electronic Dark Matter into my Iron Horse v2 after reading a suggestion on reddit to stack an OCD-type pedal into a Rat. I prefer the later for my sound now. Gain on 12h, Tone/Treble on 3h. On the Dark Matter you have a 2-band EQ so you can cut or boost bass as well. Good job WAAC crew! My Iron Horse goes into a Cloven Hoof (Muff type) after seeing your video of stacking a Rat into a BMP 😉 Now I have three different sounds at my disposal or stack them for different combinations.

[@WeAsACompany]

Very interesting, we have to try OCD into Rat. Thx a lot for your comment.

[@mattildahubbardo]

Rat into ts sounds like a blown speaker

[@ericskinner7355]

Lol, I used to run a Boss heavy metal and rat together back in the 80's. But it's been so long ago that I can't remember what order. But I do remember it sounded better one way than the other.🤘

[@user-dl4vw6qk1f]

very helpful thanks!

[@satchrules101]

Very cool ! You have a good ear and know how to dial in great tones!

[@TheJudy79]

Ts into rat is the way to go it's like having a ts into a Marshall amp

[@choadcityusa]

i had fg101 pickups at a low 4.7k output, sounded ok, helped bring the thump back that the ts takes away, maybe cause filter tron pickups are kinda meaty...but once i put jb sh-4s in, it turned into a monster. i love the "tube rat" more than ever now.

[@rgr4929]

I so surprised I am the only one who thinks that Rat into TS sounds better... Not just for soloing... For that rhythmic chords is a great combination, so warm and clear... BTW I am a Rat user who hates TS's :P

[@sojerz1044]

Yes I like the Rat first in chain!

[@looneyinkproductions-eduard]

You're not alone. In fact, I don't like the TS that much neither, so...I sold it long ago. My RAT is going into a Sweet Honey Overdrive , which is a great part of my sound.

[@chrislarimer974]

Rat into TS9. To be honest, I'd like to put the filter on the Rat more counterclockwise (either at 3 o'clock or more) while having the TS9 tone at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, or just above max to push with the filter of the Rat giving its curve. Then, just exchange the filter of the Rat with the TS9 with the above setting and blam, something probably more mid focused especially with a Vox amp.

[@caelenselke-minogue]

All I can say is that I run an SD-1 with volume maxed and drive at zero into a Rat and I can get some amazing modern metal sounds.

[@__Rob]

The TS seems more felt than heard when you put it first. I like it better with just a hint of RAT adding some "oomph" to a TS oriented sound from behind.

[@heartoffireproductions]

Great demo, you really got the early Oasis sound going on, nice job🤘

[@GlennJimenez]

Can you tell me what récord or song sounds like this

[@EthanRom]

When u just add a hint of that fuzz it sounds absolutely massive

[@Antonio-nn5ot]

Noel used the ibanez into the rat but in parallel. This means that when he was playing rhythm with the rat on, the buffered signal of the TS did not go into the rat which could make it sound too harsh. You may think that if those high frenquencies are harsh then you could cut them with the filter or treble knob... yes but not perfectly... losing some character and sound less hi-fi This is my life's dilema... love those 2 pedals, love stacking them have them in parallel in my xl pedalboard but for my miniboard I need the ts to be true bypass 😅

[@kinosousa3623]

Are you sure that Noel G. used TS>Rat in parallel also in live setting? Was he using looper/switch circuit already in the early-mid '90s? Thanks a lot!

[@blanedabbs5036]

Frostgiant Electronics has an Athos pedal… both circuits combined. It’s amazing.

[@BITESIZEJONES]

The Rat is one of those pedals that will deliver what you need but if you could opt for something else you kinda would. I have a mid 90s 2 sounds great if your covering some Ramones tunes. It's a good pedal just never been my favorite.

[@STRATMAN1969]

My first board has a Fat Sandwich ,which I know is not a RAT but it replaced mine.That chain is Fuzz ,Comp ,Klone ,WHFS ,T.S. 808. I'm tellin' ya that combo is great ,so versatile. Having the Tube Screamer last helps sculpt the over all tone stack. With single coils into cleanish / edge of breakup tube amps. All work well on their own ,or with any number of gain staging . Update sold Fat Sandwich ,went back to Rat.

[@stuartchapman5171]

Its all so glorious. The only thing for it is to run parallel, one side a rat into ts. The other side a ts into rat. Its tge best way to stack dirt. It also helps with chronic indecision. Seriously grab some y splitter cables and tear your speaker cones a new orifice. Stack in series a parallel. Its the best fun you can have with a pile of nasty cheap drive clones.

[@nowhereweareagain]

Allow me to preach the good word of RAT into Big Muff. It is pure bliss.

[@MetalDave98]

I can see the Rat to the TS being a cool dirty bass tone (unless you can’t do that I’m a drummer so 🤷) but for guitar def the other way around is best

[@Owenwestrick]

5:56 The gain will do stuff, but it depends on how mixed in it is, turning volume all the way up on the ts9 won't do too much, but turning it's gain all the way up with it will result in a far more sensitive distortion and alot of feedback

[@xenod1066]

"Two by two, hands of blue."

[@leftundersun]

Any good od with reduced low end into rat is a classic combo

[@ivankarczewski8582]

Definitely Rat into TS

[@jw6588]

That Noel Gallagher thing must be a myth. He's explicitly stated that he only got into pedals relatively recently, and preferred amp distortion during the Oasis peak period. Check out the That Pedal Show talk with him.

[@James-kj9hw]

I use the ts into the rat for a radiohead bends tone. It works so well.

[@Renav21]

Well, Jonny uses a Shredmaster, which is like a RAT with scooped mids. The TS does the opposite.

[@robertgail2775]

turbo rat boosted with ts9 in a marshall jcm900 on drive channel breakout settings would be awesome

[@jeffrey.a.hanson]

TS -> RAT. Gives TS focus and RAT some extra weight in the midsection. Now where’s my ODR-1…

[@AlbertRosenbrand]

The Electro Harmonix LPB-1 before the Rat is also great.

[@ablaylock4273]

I'm looking for the 6 feet under sound. Any suggestions???

[@martingalicia36695]

Cool video. Simple and effective

[@EC-ol8nz]

This guy with the gloves was committing a crime because he didn’t give us more Screaming Rat!

[@iamstan_rimp]

I own both of these. It sounds like the TS mids doesn’t even come through. I use the TS as a mid hump after my main distortion and with the RAT it doesn’t sound like it does much so I use the filter on the RAT to add some mods or low end

[@sojerz1044]

I like the first way when RAT is on the right side which is RAT into TS correct?

[@WeAsACompany]

Yep!

[@hermanbushaway]

I don't think your gloves are creepy enough

[@WeAsACompany]

Any suggestion is very welcome. ;)

[@groteandreas1482]

+1 for the the skin colored ones. They were the creepiest 😆

[@Tomtoms-tomtoms]

The blue man group on a day off 😃

[@mrbaiser4133]

Green Vannuki Drive (v.2) into Oxolgon Alpha, you can't beat that.

[@puffybuns2311]

You totally need an eq pedal in the effects loop

[@liam_loveless]

Noel Gallagher never used any distortion pedals as we've just learned in the That Pedal Show interview they done with him

[@dagony7383]

I boost my rat with a boss sd1,so much better for rock and metal than a tubscreamer...play through a fender 100 watt solid state on clean channel.

[@therainman7777]

Is it (the Fender amp) a Tone Master? Because if not, I’m afraid whatever tweaking you’re doing with your pedals is not where you should really be putting you attention in terms of tone.

[@jdmoney1000]

Boss SD-1 into a Rat.....Try it!!!!

[@smokepeddler]

I like to use a ts9 into another drive.

[@moonorbust7740]

Correct answer is always a BOS SD-1 boosting whatever drive pedal you want😅

[@midwaymonster30]

Were this in fx loop or in front of dirty channel?

[@WeAsACompany]

Front

[@Megarobotsquadron]

rat into ts all the way

[@Sludgegazer]

What song is this

[@bgrierofficial]

When your proctologist likes to test guitar pedals

[@WeAsACompany]

🤣

[@bezdred]

Guitar>RAT>TS 🤙

[@PsychoMetallico]

Para ficar bem thrash é so adicionar um eq

[@user-qp5qh8es3d]

When I stack them I get a loud buzzing sound and uncontrollable feedback. What can I do? :(

[@satchrules101]

What amp are u using ? Might need a noise gate ,

[@satchrules101]

Keep playing around with the knobs on ur amp ..

[@DangerAmbrose]

Are the latex gloves really necessary?

[@WeAsACompany]

No.

[@hermanbushaway]

Yes

[@Balvarez02]

He is handling a rat.

[@DirtyDirkDiggler]

@@Balvarez02 hahaha, perfect answer!

[@christopherkennedy873]

Definitely maybe

[@feeshyh7732]

I could even not hear if the ts is on when it is placed before the rat.😅

[@antonionevesdasilva8032]

I do not like the sound of the buffered signal of the TS9 going into the RAT when the RAT is on and the TS9 is off.

[@Tpood-us8sg]

Why the glove?

[@Riffmaster227]

Not gonna lie, the gloves freak me out. What’s that about?

[@71kevman]

Stack everything all the time. There is no wrong, only right.

[@tuentc4817]

Rat ts gana para mí. Estoy casi solo por lo veo

[@i.shadrin]

Much prefer RAT -> TS

[@Lluc06]

the rat can do it on its own, no need to get an expensive tube screamer. Double ratting is the way to go. Take my word for it. If you *must* try with an EQ pedal or a real booster (dedicated) pedal, maybe both.

[@drdre4397]

Expensive tubescreamer? You're joking right? You can find a used ts9 regularly for 70-100$... not to mention how many cheaper clones nail the same sound, tube screamers are not expensive. Heck you can find jhs bonsai (9 tube screamers in 1) selling used from 200-250$. You can enjoy rats and not TS style and that's fine but don't be ridiculous calling a generally very affordable pedal expensive.

[@juanforrester2283]

Eq pedals are great,i boost the rat with it cutting some lows and adding mids and with a boss od3 in the middle it gives a huge and articulated chugg that is already super tight and heavy with the eq before rat.Will try a boss ds1 or ds2 to see if it can replace rat & od3 and get similar results.Cheers.

[@Frommel2000]

TS > RAT for heavy metal.

[@nickrouse8426]

You have way too much gain on the second pedal during these considering how much you are already setting on the first pedal...That's why it is getting so muddy at times.

[@tlb2732]

Unity and maxed out are two different things. To set a pedal, or any audio device, at unity means setting it to where the volume with the pedal turned on is the same as the volume with the pedal turned off. You neither boost nor cut the signal. "Maxing out", diming, or pegging the level knob means you've set the pedal to it's maximum volume when turned on.

[@yanzt14]

RAT>TS

[@gibson2623]

In this case is a matter of taste, it s a tone thing.....Now, if we are talking and OD/DS into a FUZZ......That s a different thing, and no, a RAT is not a FUZZ. Fuzzes don t like anything in front of them (meaning a DS before a FUZZ), it s the nature of the beast, still, I use OD before fuzz, cause I prefer the tone it gives me. This is the general scenario, and of course there is always space for some exceptions ;)

[@logantang]

OCD>Rat or Rat>OCD?

[@moustachio334]

Distortion after overdrive all the time. I forgot how bad TS pedals sound going into a clean amp. Practically useless in that sense. That’s why it works so well going into the Rat.

[@therainman7777]

Are you being serious? TS into a clean amp is worthless? I’ve got hundreds of hours of my own time and hundreds of professional guitarists and recordings that say otherwise.

[@Renav21]

Say that to The Strokes

[@daviddigital6887]

Serial tone killer, hiding his presence with latex gloves

[@vonmilash823]

Why am I the only one wondering about those stupid gloves?

[@WeAsACompany]

🤣

[@robertstan2349]

neither. guitar into amp. dump the pedals

[@poorbadger]

Drop the TS, replace w EQ

[@xenod1066]

Who plugs into a rat, with the insane amount of fuzzy distortion available, and immediately thinks "hmm 🤔 not enough gain, better boost it with annother drive pedal?" lol.

[@MarcoAntonio-px4zd]

O cara não sabe nem oque ta fazendo

[@darwinsaye]

Rat on its own sounded good. TS on its own sounds like you never took your amp out of the cardboard box it was delivered in. TS into Rat is passable, but cuts more bass, which the Rat already does so it doesn’t need it cut more. rat into TS sounds like an exaggerated TS, in other words, sounds like your amp is in a cardboard box inside another cardboard box. Lesson: Tube Screamers make *everything* sound worse.

[@therainman7777]

It’s hard to take a comment like this seriously. Have you ever legitimately tried to play through a TS and get it to sound good?

[@darwinsaye]

@@therainman7777 I freely admit I haven't tried "standard" Tube Screamers more than a couple of times. However I grew up with the Boss equivalents - SD-1 and OD-2 (both are similar mid hump, bass cut pedals) and I always struggled to get great tones from them. A couple of decades ago I got a Way Huge Green Rhino, which *is* a Tube Screamer circuit, but with added controls for upper mids and bass. That pedal solves all the problems I find inherent to TS style pedals because it enables me to return all the bass frequencies a TS cuts and bring them back to unity. I can stack my Rat with the Green Rhino and work out good tones, but the Rat and my OD-2, no. Like the demos here, the tone just sounds congested. I know a lot of guitarists like that sound, but I can't stand the lack of fidelity and flat, mid focused sound.

[@therainman7777]

@@darwinsaye Ok, fair enough. I was just referring to the “sounds like you never took your amp out of the box” thing haha. I know TS aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but if they truly sounded THAT bad to you, I would have to assume you didn’t spend much time tinkering with it. It does mid-focus the sound, you’re right. I have an MXR micro amp+ that comes before the TS on my pedal board, and it has bass and treble controls so I can sculpt the sound more (the micro amp into TS sound is great, IMO). So maybe I am actually agreeing with you in a roundabout way. But even without the micro amp, I’m still able to get pretty nice tone out of the TS on its own, but I do also play with the bass control on my amp set to 7-8, which is probably higher than average and may explain why I don’t notice the bass problem as much. To each his own, of course.

[@darwinsaye]

@@therainman7777 Yeah, I don't hate on TS pedals as much as it might seem. A lot depends on the rest of your gear as well. These days I'm mostly playing on a small 25 watt amp with a 10" speaker which wants to sound boxy and midrange focused already, so most of my setup is set to try to counter that. I might love a TS into something like a Marshall stack, who knows?

[@therainman7777]

@@darwinsaye Good point

[@Bob1053]

Love the video but, I hate it - no conclusion - no opinion - yuck!

[@christopherlopez2491]

Why wear gloves ?

[@IndianOutlaw1870]

Why does it bother you?

[@christopherlopez2491]

@@IndianOutlaw1870 it doesn’t. It’s a legit question. Why wear gloves ?

[@averyadrian1534]

Sounds like sh**

[@dildojizzbaggins6969]

Nice video, but you should work on your English grammar. It's a bit cringey and unprofessional. And no, "not my native language" is not an excuse :P Otherwise, very informative!

[@jeboteya5489]

You should show us how its done. And no, "I'm not a content creator" is not an excuse :P

[@Nickraculous]

Your comment is extremely cringey

[@jpsatre]

wtf

[@EddieZep]

Ma stai zitto. Che commento stupido.

[@cthomas2949]

I understood every word George. Let me know which bits you didn't follow.