Earthquaker Devices Sunn O))) Life Pedal V3

Guitar effect Sunn O)))) Life Pedal V3 from the American brand EarthQuaker Devices was developed in collaboration with musicians from the band Sunn O)))). It is a distortion pedal with adjustable octave effect and a booster. The box is visually divided into three sections by three footswitches - Amplitude activates the distortion, Octave triggers the analog octave effect and Magnitude activates the booster.

The Amplitude section is based on the classic White Face distortion pedal, but additionally offers three adjustable limiting (or clipping) modes that affect the sonic character of the distortion. The first OpAmp position provides a full, crushing attack. The second position, Asymm, produces asymmetrical limiting that delivers mild compression and a smoother crunch, similar to a tube amp. The third Symm position offers standard limiting and with it the classic distortion sound we're all familiar with. Three potentiometers are also used to control the Amplitude section: the Distortion controls the level of distortion, the Filter controls the low pass filter, and with Amplitude you adjust the volume of the distortion - turn right if you're looking to lose your hearing and left if you value your eardrums.

In addition to the Octave footswitch on the box, you'll also find a knob with the same name, which you can use to smoothly blend an octave effect into the distortion. This is a pure analogue mono effect that is tied to the distortion circuit, so it only works when the distortion is active. It's at its best when played solo over the neck pickup above the twelfth fret, but you can also use it when playing chords to achieve a chaotic, roaring sound. When you turn the Octave knob all the way to the stop, your guitar rings out with an aggressive, fuzz-like tone. The octave effect can be controlled with an external expression pedal.

The Magnitude section activates a simple MOSFET booster that cranks up all the tubes in your amp. This is a 100% clean, high impedance booster that knows its place and does not distort the sound itself. However, it has enough power to build any amp to saturation. The signal path runs from the Octave effect through the Distortion and ends with the Booster. The Octave/Distortion and Boost circuits can be used independently of each other.