Fontelroy
Active member
Howdy folks!
This was a pedal I always wanted to try as I'm a fan of Ariel Posen, who I think used it and has a signature version of it. I was also quite curious to see if the transformer makes much of a difference in the circuit as I know a fair amount of folks have said it does not and I'd imagine the folks that make and sell the Broadcast would say it's an important part as it's mentioned in the description of said pedal on their website. Now with the music gear world full of all sorts of claims and marketing lingo from 'mojo parts' & 'vintage vibes' to 'transparent overdrive' I think the best thing to do is test stuff yourself.
All that being said, I wasn't exactly impartial going into this after some experience with cheap iso splitters; my theory was that the transformer would have some effect on the sound. But also in the back of my mind was this
video where the guy tested a variety of transformers and their varying degrees of effect to the signal - Not exactly an apples to apples comparison with a guitar pedal and instrument signal, but I thought the same principles would be at play.
Anywho, on to the testing!
Here's a pic of the recording in Audition. Yellow is when the transformer is in the circuit, red is bypassed.
here's a different recording with a little more playing - I can hear a small difference, but nothing that'd make me think I was playing a different pedal. I should also mention that since I'm not showing it in any pics of the audio or in a recording the difference between bypass and having the transformer in line didn't exacerbate much with any settings changes I made to the knobs. Knobs maxed out or at 2; nothing got particularly more drastic. It seemed to be slightly more noticeable with the pedal in its highest gain mode on the 3 position switch, but that could also just be due to the added noise, but I never got the sense that the transformer itself was distorting which was something the hudson website alludes to in the description of their AP variant.
Here's a pic showing the build:
One thing that's important for the test is to completely bypass the transformer so using an spdt switch (like you can use when if you were selecting between clipping diodes for instance) wouldn't cut it as the transformer would still be loading down the circuit as mentioned in the youtube video linked above.
Conclusion - does the transformer play a vital role in the sound of this circuit? I would say the answer to that is NO. But it does affect things a tiny bit.
Small disclaimer - I did not have the exact transistors the build called for and made due with some subs - originally a BC549B but recorded was an MPSA18 & ASX12C. Given the test, I don't believe the BOM listed transistors would make a difference to the final result but I thought it was noteworthy.
This was a pedal I always wanted to try as I'm a fan of Ariel Posen, who I think used it and has a signature version of it. I was also quite curious to see if the transformer makes much of a difference in the circuit as I know a fair amount of folks have said it does not and I'd imagine the folks that make and sell the Broadcast would say it's an important part as it's mentioned in the description of said pedal on their website. Now with the music gear world full of all sorts of claims and marketing lingo from 'mojo parts' & 'vintage vibes' to 'transparent overdrive' I think the best thing to do is test stuff yourself.
All that being said, I wasn't exactly impartial going into this after some experience with cheap iso splitters; my theory was that the transformer would have some effect on the sound. But also in the back of my mind was this
Anywho, on to the testing!
Here's a pic of the recording in Audition. Yellow is when the transformer is in the circuit, red is bypassed.
here's a different recording with a little more playing - I can hear a small difference, but nothing that'd make me think I was playing a different pedal. I should also mention that since I'm not showing it in any pics of the audio or in a recording the difference between bypass and having the transformer in line didn't exacerbate much with any settings changes I made to the knobs. Knobs maxed out or at 2; nothing got particularly more drastic. It seemed to be slightly more noticeable with the pedal in its highest gain mode on the 3 position switch, but that could also just be due to the added noise, but I never got the sense that the transformer itself was distorting which was something the hudson website alludes to in the description of their AP variant.
Here's a pic showing the build:
One thing that's important for the test is to completely bypass the transformer so using an spdt switch (like you can use when if you were selecting between clipping diodes for instance) wouldn't cut it as the transformer would still be loading down the circuit as mentioned in the youtube video linked above.
Conclusion - does the transformer play a vital role in the sound of this circuit? I would say the answer to that is NO. But it does affect things a tiny bit.
Small disclaimer - I did not have the exact transistors the build called for and made due with some subs - originally a BC549B but recorded was an MPSA18 & ASX12C. Given the test, I don't believe the BOM listed transistors would make a difference to the final result but I thought it was noteworthy.
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