Overdrive
Warm, smooth saturation that adds harmonic richness and grit — like a classic boost pedal into a tube amp.
What it does
The Overdrive effect uses soft-clipping to add saturation to your signal. Unlike hard distortion, the clipping is gradual — the waveform is gently rounded off rather than brutally chopped, which results in a warm, musical tone with natural harmonics. This character is prized in blues, rock, and country — it pushes the amp without losing note clarity or dynamics.
When placed before an amp model, Overdrive works like a boost pedal going into a real amp — it pushes the amp model harder so it saturates more. When placed after the amp, it adds overdrive character on top of the amp's existing saturation.
Parameters
| Parameter | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drive | 0–100% | 50% | How much saturation is added. Low Drive = a transparent boost; high Drive = thick, sustained saturation |
| Tone | 0–100% | 50% | A tone filter sweeping from warm/dark (low, ~600 Hz rolloff) to bright/cutting (high, ~6000 Hz rolloff). Centre is a neutral character |
| Level | −12 to +12 dB | 0 dB | The output volume after the overdrive circuit. The Drive control affects tone; Level lets you compensate for the gain change independently |
| Mix | 0–100% | 100% | Blends the overdriven signal with the clean dry signal. Reducing Mix adds bite without full saturation |
Tips
- Low drive, placed before the amp gives extra harmonic detail and pushes the amp model harder — a popular way to add "amp feel" and sustain without introducing pedal-style drive character.
- Higher Drive for leads — crank Drive and back off Tone slightly to get a singing, sustained lead tone with warmth in the upper mids.
- Tone at 50% for most rhythm work. Move it higher for single-note clarity when playing on the bridge pickup; lower it for a rounder, warmer neck-pickup feel.
- When stacking overdrive into a high-gain amp model, start with Drive low (10–20%) — you are looking for a slight push, not more distortion on top.