The basics of the multidrive – Empress Effects Multidrive User Manual
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The Basics of the Multidrive
The Empress Multidrive gives you fuzz, overdrive and distortion
circuits that can be run simultaneously, in parallel; their individual
outputs get blended together to create the final output. The gain
control on each section controls how distorted the section sounds,
and the volume control on each section controls how much of the
effect appears at the output.
Fuzz: A classic sounding circuit with loads of gain and sustain.
Blending this in will add great note definition to lead parts. On its
own it will give you that classic, bursting at the seams kind of sound.
Overdrive: A completely original circuit, this overdrive is designed
to give you a warm and smooth break-up that cleans up well with
changes in volume and attack, much like a tube preamp.
Distortion: This circuit uses a combination of BJTs, FETs, LEDs,
standard diodes, and opamps. It’s a little bit of gain from a lot of
different places. In the mild setting, it’s focused and is an excellent
complement to the overdrive. In the crunch setting, you get a thick,
well defined sound with really tight low end. In the lead setting, it
compresses and gets over the top.