Automatone Rules Them All [Do You Need A Programmable OD Pedal?] – That Pedal Show

The Chase Bliss Automatone has changed everything in the programmable overdrive pedal market. So let’s have a look at it alongside some worthy alternatives

Life too short for long YouTube videos? Please see the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.

Fond greetings to you! In this video we’re looking at programmable overdrive pedals. Sure, this is just a tiny handful of what’s out there, but we’re doing it in the context of the new and exciting Chase Bliss Automatone Preamp MkII. And flipping heck does it sound good!
We talk about the main uses of a programmable OD, some practical considerations, and of course give all the pedals here a good play.

Questions arising:
• Aren’t you selling the 335 Mick?
Maybe. This was recorded before I said I was selling it. I might just put it away for a while. Cheers!

• Why oh why oh why do you continue to ignore digital multi-FX and/or digital modelling amps, preamps and the like – surely they’re the best programmable overdrives anywhere?!
Erm, they’re just not our thing. We prefer the sound and feel of analogue pedals and valve amps. It’s just an opinion/personal preference so please don’t be offended.

Enjoy the episode!

Pedals & stuff in this episode…
• TheGigRig Three2One

• Sonic Research ST-200 Tuner (link for the ST 300 Mini)

• Chase Bliss Audio Automatone Preamp MkII

• Boss SD-2 Dual Overdrive
No longer made

• Boss OD-200 Hybrid Drive

• Chase Bliss Audio Brothers

• Jackson Audio Golden Boy Transparent Overdrive

• Diamond Memory Lane Jr

• TheGigRig G2

Guitars in this episode
• 1965 Fender Telecaster
No longer made

Interesting bits and go-to sections…
- Intro playing: 00:00
- What are we doing today? 02:56
- Boss SD-2 Dual Overdrive: 07:00
- Boss OD-200: 10:25
- Do you want programmability?: 18:25
- Chase Bliss Audio Brothers: 20:24
- PC and CC MIDI: 23:50
Jackson Audio Golden Boy: 26:10
- Chase Bliss Audio Automatone: 33:15
- Automatone: what do we think?: 37:36
- Pre and post midrange control: 39:45
- What about price? 48:10
- How does the MIDI work? 50:50

Amps in this episode
• Supro Black Magick 1x12 combo

• Tone King Imperial MkII & 112 cab

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[JacksonAudio]

Dan and Mick, thank you so much! It's such an honor to see our work on your show. All the best! :)

[billphillipstube]

The schtick in this video is great:

Dan as the digital Sherpa laboriously trying to hump a reluctant Mick over mount MIDI.

When he finally drags Mick’s tail, kicking and scratching, up to the summit, Mick corrects Dan, and effortlessly lists out all of the minutia.

Mick then concludes with “and I’ll never use midi over my dead body”, fully knowing that handling this stuff effortlessly is the bread and butter of Dan’s company. Hysterical!

Also, Dan claiming the automotone at the beginning of the video and then having to backpedal after Mick insists they have to share it, was quite the moment.

No better endorsement for something than watching good friends fighting for possession over it.

[timons]

I just wrote my last exam in this semester, came home and clicked on the new TPS video. This is one of the best rewards after studying night and day! I really enjoy your shows :-)

[GregorHoul]

Nice revisit years later, in spite of a grim reminder of the crazy time hovering in the air between you.

[ryanwhitley]

The Boss OD-200 completely surprised me. Sounded so much better than I would have guessed.

[pabcrane]

Mick: "in that it's asymmetrical clipping diodes with certain amount of headroom"
Dan: "Look at you!!"

[wannabweiland]

5 seconds into the video with Mick playing I thought to myself, “whatever delay that is, I need one.” Finding out it was the Diamond Memory Lane Jr had me smiling because I already have and love it. Been on my board for years. I guess that’s a testament to how much I still love it. Great show, guys! Cheers!

[dkpedals]

Dan: Just turn yourself on for a minute.
Mick: Your looking very nice, maybe you would like to go to dinner.

This is why I love this show.

[pohutt]

I went into a guitar shop today and played through an amp for the first time in 5 years (Morgan PR12). I forgot. I forgot how it felt. I forgot how it sounded. I forgot how it made me want to play. Looks like I’m buying an amp. You guys bang on about it often and I’ve been playing direct for so long I thought those days were behind me. Thanks for the constant reminder that playing through an amp is more than just the sound <3

[michaelmatthews]

Dan inspires me to play (more than any pedal). He gets better with each episode. Mick inspires me to be a better human. Love this show, truly.

[farrelldesign]

Thank you for all you that you both do. This coronavirus craziness has been very stressful. Watching this show has been a lifeline to a sense of normalcy for me and I'm sure for many others, that has been so welcome and very much appreciated.

[AlbusBand]

Yeah boy, woke up to use the restroom....looks like I’ll just stay up. Love

[alanredversangel]

That's the first Boss dual OD I've seen that didn't look like it had been in an empty cement mixer for a day or two.

[bubbaw]

I so appreciate you guys on multiple different levels. I have learned so much about how to work with my guitar, different sounds, etc. I also really love the more substantial, in-depth content you provide but also the laid back and friendly vibe.

I think the guitar world is broadly divided into two camps: those who have direct extensive experience with a wide range of traditional effects and amps and those who don't. I played acoustic guitar for the first 8 years, and only in the last few years got into playing electric. I was struggling with it until I built a pedalboard and started playing around with effects, but even then it wasn't really inspiring me. I bought a Helix a few months ago and it's been the most inspirational piece of gear since my first decent Acoustic (my trusty Seagull S6).

BUT I realized that part of my enthusiasm comes from having no idea what my playing sounds like through traditional/analog setups. I have no reference point, and my focus is on getting a good sound and writing music rather than emulating. Sometimes that means copying a traditional via the digital menu (Tube Screamer block into a clean Fender block), but other times, when the modeling falls short of copying a real-world sound, other settings (that would not workin the real world) make something even cooler and more inspiring. If anything, the components all being based on "real" pedals and amps adds another set of things for me to learn because I don't have any experience collecting dozens of pedals and multiple amps and playing around with them. If someone said to me a few months ago "it sounds like the phaser before the drive into a cranked AC30" I had no sense of what that sounded like because it was all based on experiences I haven't had. You made a comment in a previous episode that multi-effects units are a good starting point to figure out what you like, but I can honestly say I don't think I will move on from this unit because of the space-saving and the way it has helped me to understand the gear jargon and other components of sound. Not a pitch for this specific product, but I think my lack of knowledge + desire to learn + not wanting too much stuff = why it's working for me.

You guys are always so so good at qualifying that the concept of good and bad sounds is illusory, but I think for me even the goal of emulation (regardless of gear type) has always felt pretty futile. I think the vintage fetishism in the broader community gets to me sometimes because for me the reason Hendrix's sound was so cool is because he was taking some weird gear and doing new weird things with it. For me taking new tools and new technologies and doing cool things is the name of the game.

I have learned SO SO much from your show. I love the way you guys approach this stuff, particularly when you delve into more overview theoretical concepts and when you get a bit lost in the inspiration and creativity of the music. I am really grateful for all the time and energy your whole team puts into making super quality content, and even as someone with a very different angle on gear I get a huge amount of benefit. Thanks.

[simononeill]

How the heck can 38 people not like this? Dan and Mick will feature in my dying days I hope, if not at my wake. Camaraderie, larakinism, intrigue and technicality... it's what makes this channel special.

[maniacalion]

I do need one.... in about 3 years when the trend chasers find something new and they are in my price range hahaha

[ChrisTotster]

The fun with the Automatone really starts when you plug in an expression pedal. It’s an incredible pedal.

[lukenetti]

Dan's playing sounds amazing! The Automatone sounds at the end were incredible!

[popsfitch]

You forgot my unit kids. The Decibel eleven dirt clod. A good unit that I use mostly for stacking purposes. Midi, programmable, multiple recallable memory and filled with good stuff. It does not replace or sound like my Robin Trower, OCD, or Friedman BE-OD but as I stated with its programmability and midi, it works perfectly in the dirt side of my setup setup. Another plus it hides in/under the basement of my pedalboard. It’s set and forget. Thank you for your time and consideration. Keep up the wonderfully done you tube movies. Most Sincerely, Pops Fitch Tacoma, Washington State USA. Post script: I control things on my board with a Decibel 11 switch Dr. midi controller and Pedal healthy men.

[wolfnstrings]

The playing at the end with single coils came across to me with the versatility and fidelity of the Automatone. Fantastic tones fellows.