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Artec: Duo Drive Blender SE-DDB
List: $85
The quest for more distortion/ drive would lead many players to tread the path of ‘metal’; it would seem that intensity is synonymous with the heavy metal genre. Many would embrace metal-type pedals citing the increase in saturation to be the main account for this employment. However, the mild-mannered distortion enthusiast does not deem heaviness to be the essence of saturation, this is the primary reason they opt for a dual drive pedal line up, where one drive unit is commissioned to boost another, a metal type pedal need not make an obligatory appearance here. Fortunately for us, there are a number of pedal effects manufacturer who acknowledge this requirement & choose to offer a 2-in-1 gadget; Korea’s Artec range of pedals is obliged to keep this offering affordable. Enter the Duo Drive Blender.
Build/ features
The average Artec pedal isn’t a massive brick; it weighs just enough to buttress the unit down should you choose not to embrace a pedal board. The housing & chassis is made of anodized aluminum, stained black to endure whatever blemish your shoes might transfer. The controls feature a 4-knob affair, a pair of big master LEVEL & Tone knobs & sandwiched in between, a pair of drive type controls- CRUNCH/ HEAVY. As with other astute manufacturers, the pedal’s underside is adorned with a grip implement whose synthetic nature would give rise to limited concerns- it doesn’t feel like rubber hence its questionable grip capacity.
The manufacturer has opted for a side access adaptor input, the wisdom of such location could prove to be the manufacturer’s undoing as it gives rise to cumbersome connection as opposed to a top access (eg: BOSS pedals). The most disagreeable feature here has to be the LEVEL/ TONE markings, as the numbers, in a true spirit of economy, suffer a reverse application (see pic). Artec would have done better by leaving these markings, digit-free…
Rating: 79%
In use
As the labels suggest, the dual distortion voicings here are the crunch & heavy types alluding to a difference in intensity. Activating the CRUNCH mode in isolation, the tones generated are that, as you’ve correctly inferred, of the blues-crunch variety, nothing intense, very twang receptive. As such, this mode would appease the single coil proponents more than the humbucking fans. If there should be a tonal citation here, it would be BOSS’ Blues Driver with more midrange spike.
Moving on to the HEAVY mode, one would expect a typical bottom heavy generation but this voicing remains neutral, very much dependent on the TONE control & avoiding a predictable scooped context. It also manifests the guitars’ inherent pickup character so el-cheapo pickups would sound repulsive, especially the ones with excessive top end.
Under simultaneous employment, with both distortion voicings & TONE control in noon positions, the default tone here is rather treble excessive. This reviewer obtained premium results with the HEAVY setting being the primary drive while the CRUNCH acting as a restrained booster & the TONE set to 4. It is noted that the addition of more CRUNCH would influence the overall tone namely, being more top-end rich. As such, tweaking the distortion voicings here would not just manifest more drive in the mix but an altered tonality as well; being patient here has its virtues. All in all, with both modes in action, the player would experience an appreciable increase in saturation which makes string picking & harmonic triggering more enjoyable, regardless of the music genre he/ she embraces.
Tone test equipment:
• Amps: Ibanez ValBee/ Sound Drive SG-612R/ Marshall Zakk Wylde mini stack
• Guitars: Ibanez RGR321/ Gibson LP Std/ Fender Highway1 Strat/ BC Rich Ironbird
Rating: 80%
Final say
For those of us in search of more drive saturation, the DDB is an effective employment. The major gripe here would be the tiny CRUNCH/ HEAVY knobs on offer; with the different distortion voicings on offer, it is expected that excessive tweakings would take place & as such, the tiny nature of the aforementioned knobs present to be a real oversight. Also, the HEAVY module would be a let-down to the metal purists namely due to a lack in comprehensive bottom end propulsion but having a separate EQ integrated in one’s FX line up would be a simple remedy to this omission. The DDB isn’t one to appease players who embrace heavy music exclusively; with proper EQ tweaking (your amp/ separate EQ unit), it would do fusion fine. The true bypass feature is also another plus for players who wish for unadulterated, default clean tones.
Overall rating: 79%
Likes:
• Good drive saturation, triggers harmonics easily
• Not massive
• Price
Dislikes:
• Heavy drive- not quite metal enough
• Small CRUNCH/ HEAVY knobs
• Inverted numerals for LEVEL/ TONE
• Side-located daisy chain access
Worthy competitors:
• Electro Harmonics: Double Muff
• MXR: Double Shot Distortion M151
