Ugly Guitar Truth: Boss MD-500 Modulation Effect Pedal

Along with the RV-500 Reverb and Katana Mini, Boss announced the MD-500 modulation pedal. It sport the same frame of the RV and DD 500 pedals, but it specializes in modulation effect such as Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Classic Vibe, Vibrato, Tremolo, Dimension, Ring Mod, Rotary, Filter, Slicer and Overtone. If that seems like a huge list of various effects, it is. So is this unit a shiny new 10/10. Let's take a look at what we know and what we can gather.

Inspiration

I think that most of us know realise that the BOSS 500 series is heavily influenced by the Strymon line of effects. The Timeline, Big Sky, and Mobius are legendary in their own right and few choose to compete with them in the compact, powerful, dedicated, floor-based effect market. By no means do I mean that BOSS cloned the Mobius, but the format and function of the 500 series sync up with flagship Strymon pedals pretty well. BOSS has put their unique touch on all the pedals in this line. They've also put great thought into the features and effect that went into this pedal. Although it share some characteristics with the more established pedals, the MD-500 is a stand-out in its own right.

Something New, Something Old

This brand new pedal has a list of feature that stretches long. Included in those are some that are familiar with  those who know their BOSS pedals. The Slicer and Dimension effects hearken back to pedals of BOSS' past. Long loved effects that have found a home with those that desire eclectic, vintage tones and those that want unique, creative effects. Also available in this unit is an effects loop. Place it before or after the main effect, the loop can be set to be triggered by the Control/Tap foot switch. Don't let the simple layout of the pedal fool you, this pedal fully editable.

More Than Meets The Eye

On the surface you get a powerful modulation pedal, but that's just scratching the surface. Each effect is deeply editable through an LCD screen or by linking to a computer and using BOSS' effects editor. All of these features are packaged into an unassuming, attractive frame. What make this particular pedal special, is the fact that it does so many different effects. Where the DD-500 does delay and the RV-500 does reverb (and a little delay) this pedal does so much. It's hard to say that a ring mod and rotary effect are related, but there they are sharing space on the same pedal. That's where this pedal shines. Where you may not use tremolo on every song, you very well may find one of the many effects available in this unit that you do need. So where as the DD-500 might replace your delay and the RV-500 could replace you reverb, the MD-500 might well well take several pedals off you board.

Conclusion

The MD-500 is something that the market has been looking for. Does it complete kill the Mobius? It's hard to tell since the pedal is currently only in pre-sell. Personally I think that the Mobius is a little more exhaustive. However, the MD-500 is offering a lot and the price seems like a bargain compared to similar units from Strymon and Eventide. It will be very interesting to see how this pedal stacks up with established top dogs in this section of the market.

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Airline Guitar Effects Are Now A Thing

I was first aware of Eastwood/Airline guitar when my local music store clerk alerted me to them. I was in the market for something funky, but playable. Their blend of vintage looks and modern craftsmanship make for a unique product. I've been a fan of there designs ever since, so when I saw that they were coming to market with effects my attention was peaked.

Designed after the front end, reverb, and tremolo of a vintage Airline amplifier, this pedal has a lot going on. You have Shape, Mix, Tone, Drive, Rate, more Tone, Depth, Level and Size. So if you like knobs or switches, then you need to pay attention to this pedal. I am digging the look and feel of the pedal. I can't speak much to the sound of it, but from what I've heard, it is at least not your 'same old' effect.

The next effect in their line is a Fuzz/Octave. Given the fact that Eastwood and Airline guitar kinda live in the "good old days", it makes sense that they make a Fuzz/Octave. The combo that rocked the 60's and 70's. Just like their guitars, they've added some modern features. The Octave is digital and it is fast tracking. You can blend an upper and lower octave. You can also select each effect separately. Not only that, but you can choose to separate the octaves from the fuzz. I dig it.

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Behringer UT-100 vs Boss TR-2 Tremolo Showdown

Years ago I picked up a Tremolo from Boss. A lot of my experience with effects start with getting a boss pedal and then finding something I like better. It would be fair to say that I've compared a lot of similar pedals to one another. Although my Boss TR-2 tremolo pedal has stayed around for a long time. Tremolo is such a simple effect that its easy to assume that most are relativity the same. The Boss TR-2 is considered by many the standard in tremolos. Many pedals have more features and functions. Some Uni-vibe clones are loaded with neat features, but the three knobs that come with the Boss are enough to get a wide range of sounds. Rate, Wave, and Depth are very descriptive. My Vox, with fantastic vibrato, doesn't even give you the wave shape to fiddle with. So I sat down with my work horse TR-2 and Behringer's most economical offering to decide if a pedal that is less than a quarter of the price could stand up to my current choice of Trems.







Boss TR-2












I picked up this pedal used for less than half the price of what it normally runs. Then I did a little messing around with it. I modded it with Mounte Allum's TR-2 mod to add a level knob. You also replace an opamp in this mod. There is a noticeable difference given the extra volume, but for this test I found unity gain as not to give an unfair advantage. I found some great sounds with little effort. It recreated the Vox vibrato and classic Tremolo with just the turn of a few knobs. It was very musical and flexible. You could dial in anything from soft, subtle vibe to spacey Tremolo. That's why I keep it around. No surprise I found it agreeable. These Behringer pedal are supposed to be Boss clones so I was excited to have a pedal that would be close to the same as one that I liked so much. Not to mention it cost a faction of the cost of new Boss TR-2







Behringer UT-100







Right off the bat the Behringer had a harder edge than the Boss. I dialed the Shape knob all the way down to the curvy wave. It helped, but I found myself wanting to turn past the point where it stopped. I tried to match the Boss's vibe, coming in and out like the chimey vibe of the Vox. No go. The UT-100 had a much sharper shaped wave no matter where it was set. I was able to get a usable routery cabinet sound, but for the most part I found it to sound a little harsh. The Behringer also produced some digital artifacts that were not musical. If you take the Wave knob all the way to the square wave, then you just get an abrupt on/off signal that more or less spits segments of tone at you. These setting is not enjoyable, but may be useful if looking to make you sound less like a guitar in general.







The Conclusion







The Boss TR-2 is hard to beat. The Behringer's price is just about the least amount of money you can pay for an effect. If you did buy the Behringer, then you'll wont to upgrade down the road. The sounds you can successfully pull off are limited. It's a little difficult for me to praise Boss as I often find there are better pedals in nearly every category, but it looks like the only thing that Behringer has done with this pedal is take a horible effect that you might find stuck in a budget multi-effect pedal and put it in a single pedal format. Literally, this pedal is just on the verge of unusable. It is nowhere close to the TR-2. Maybe the UT-300 is improved in some way. I couldn't imagine it being any worse.

Boss TR-2 Tremolo Guitar Effect Pedal Mod

A good while back I picked up a Boss TR-2 Tremolo. I like the pedal. I have a Vox Cambridge amp that has tremolo built in but I wanted to be able to switch the effect on and off, hence the pedal. As many people have commented on this particular pedal, there is a little drop in presence when switching the effect on. Go figure right... So I search for a mod that would help with this issue. I found Moute Allum. He offered a cure for a reasonable price.

Here's what Moute says:


Well, you asked for it and here it is. The stock TR-2 is noisy and has a volume loss when engaged. With this mod I have fixed each issue. I have also incorporated my new Dual Stacked Chip Adapter Mod using a very high quality Burr Brown OPA2134PA and RC4558P Chips. The effect is like lifting a blanket off the pedals tone. I can boldly say without a doubt this is now one of the best Tremolos available in a stomp box at any price point.

With this mod I have incorporated a pot that not only solves the volume loss issue but also now allows the pedal to be used as a clean boost with the depth knob all the way down. I also modify a resistor which increases the brightness of the LED. A Super Bright White LED is also supplied.
With this mod I have incorporated a pot that not only solves the volume loss issue but also now allows the pedal to be used as a clean boost with the depth knob all the way down. I also modify a resistor which increases the brightness of the LED. A Super Bright White LED is also supplied.
I'm so glad that I did. The pedal is excellent now. It does add a knob on the side of the pedal. Keeley has a similar mod that replaces the depth knob with a concentric knob. Super sleek. The mod includes some "hi-fi" parts and replaces a in-line op-amp with two 8-pin IC's. I really recommend this mod or one like it if you own this pedal and think you may benefit from it. All the changes it makes are good one. It makes a good pedal great. 

What Order Do Effect Pedals Go In?

I've asked myself this question so many times, and over the years I'm become inclined to set up a pedal board in certain ways to create particular sounds. There are some general rules to follow or completely ignore, whatever your case may be.

1. Volume.

Volume pedals are very handy tool in a guitarist's bag. It allows you to adjust your volume on the fly, mute your signal for tuning or guitar changes, boost you signal (provided that you running less than full volume) and create swell effects. Personally I like my volume pedals first. Why? Because it create to same effect as the volume knob on your guitar. If your volume runs into you overdrive/distortion then you can manipulate to distortion by changing your volume (ie you'll have a cleaner sound with lower volumes). If this is not the effect you desire then I suggest running the volume after the distortion. This will allow you to change the volume of your signal without changing the distortion level.

2. Wha

I know that this is not typically the wha pedal would fall, but Its where I put it. A wha will manipulate certain frequencies in your signal, mostly the lower-mids to the upper-mids. Your main concern with wha pedals is the voicing and pronunciation of the effect. I've played enough in bedrooms and stages to know that there are huge differences in how the sound is received. I've sat in a bedroom and thought that my digitech rp100 muti-effect pedal sounds great, but when I used it live it sounded like I was playing out of a tin can. ( by the way, never mess with multi-effects. just say no kids. Learn from my mistakes) What you will notice between have your wah before and after your dirt boxes is the presence of the effect. For the most part, the OD and Distortion will want to change your signal frequencies just like the knobs on your amp. The "tone" knob of your Overdrive with play with how your wah opperates. (given that it is on while your using your wha) A wha before the dirt will be less noticeable (more organic sounding). While a wha post dirt will take your whole signal for a ride. This may be what you want. I like a mellow wha, but sometimes you need to be out in front of the sound and make that effect stand out.

3. Dirt

There are many different ways to get your dirty signal, but if your using a stomp box, this is where I put it. Having your Volume and Wha before these pedal gives you more control over the entire sound. I like control. Maybe thats why I have so many choices when it comes to my Dirt Boxes. I have a lot to say about OD/Distortion but you can catch most of it if your follow that link there.

4. EQ  (and other signal processors)

Again, this isn't exactly would you should do, but this is how I like it. Remember how I said I like to control my tone? Well, this is a little part of that. I use my EQ as more of a boost. I set it up to give me a little mid-hump action and maybe a overall volume boost. Some people like to set their EQ and forget it, just let it do its thing for your tone. That's fine, but everything is trying to change your frequencies. If you run a Compressor or Noise Gate of some sort, here is where I would put them as well. Be aware that your Compressor and Volume pedal are not going to play well with each other. Basically, they are doing the exact opposite of each other. If you want comp on your signal and swells. then you have to run your volume after the comp.

5. Delay

I had a Boss DD-3 that absolutely hated be overwhelmed by a distortion. Other than that particular Combo, delay is best left near the end of the chain. I'm not a big delay user. I will use it from time to time to fatten up my sound, but for the most part I like a nice straight sound.

6. Filters

I don't mess with delay much, and I use filters less. In theory, filters behave better at the end of the chain. That way they can have their way with your sound and change it as they see fit. If you are a fan of these then have at it.


So there you have it. I encourage anyone interested in effect to play with them as much as your can. There really is no wrong way to set your rig up and I may be doing it all wrong as far as you are concerned. If you disagree with any of this then leave me a comment below. If you want to see what else I have to say about all things musical then subscribe. Let me know someone reads this mess!

My Pedal Rigg

So, here it is. The key to my sound. I bet you are just dying to know. I look at it now and personally, I'm not that impressed. I mean, I just transferred my pedals to a larger board and it looks way to big for the few pedals I have. See for your self.

As you can see. Pretty Simple. Going right to left: Modtone Wah, Modetone Chorus, Visual Sound Rout 66 OD and Compression, Modtone Volume Pedal, Boss DD-20 Delay, Boss TU-2 Tuner. I like to keep the effects simple. I don't like putting anything on my board that I could see my self using in nearly every set I play. Its just too much of a hassle to put everything you own on one board and haul it around with you. I have a single Power supply (visual sound 1Spot) I've used it for the last five year and its still running strong. I plan on looking into getting a couple of pedals to help flesh out the board; boost, tremolo, and maybe another OD to place post volume pedal.

So if you have any suggestion, I'd love to hear them.