Controls
1. Level: Adjusts the output volume. The unity gain is between 10 and 12 hours depending on the diodes selected.
2. Diode selector: Germanium on the left for a softer, more transparent tone and Silicon on the right for a brighter, more modern edge.
3. More: Adjusts the gain. This control changes the bias of the transistor, so you may hear some noise when adjusting. Don't worry; This is perfectly normal. At maximum gain, the Special Cranker can achieve explosive overbiased tones depending on the output of your mics.
4. Tone: Cuts treble counterclockwise and boosts treble clockwise. A flat response can be found around 3 o'clock.
Design Notes
The Special Cranker picks up where our beloved Speaker Cranker left off. It has the same squishy, dynamic and tactile character of the original but with more gain, double the output volume (now with a user-friendly level control), an additional tone control to shape your signal and a diode selector. with the original single-ended silicon diodes as well as a new germanium diode option.
The More control ranges from almost clean overdrive to medium gain when maxed out. This control adjusts the bias of the transistor, so you may hear some noise when you turn the control. Do not panic; it's absolutely fine. Gain characteristics depend on the diodes chosen. When germanium diodes are selected, the Special Cranker provides a smoother, more rounded response with tamed treble and lower output, while silicon diodes add a brighter, more modern edge and higher output. Both are exceptionally responsive to gaming dynamics and have excellent clarity. The tone control gives the user full control over the treble frequencies, cutting the treble counterclockwise and adding a slight high frequency boost when turned clockwise. The level control adjusts the output from nothing to almost double at maximum.
Audio samples
GUITAR SAMPLES
Germanium Crunch
Harmony Juno
Silicon too biased
Harmony Juno
Punk rhythm
Harmony Juno
BASS SAMPLES
Ampeg crank
Dingwall Combustion
SYNTH SAMPLES
Crunchy Bloops
Spectrasonics Omsniphere
Driven 808 Glitchy Groove
Programmed and sampled beat
Germanium Reverie
ANA2
Industrial silicon
Spectrasonics Omsniphere
DRUM SAMPLES
Saturated psychedelic groove
Scheduled One Shots
Flexi-Switch® technology
This device features Flexi-Switch® technology! This relay-based true bypass switching style allows you to use momentary and latching style switching simultaneously.
For standard locking operation, press the footswitch once to activate the effect, then press again to bypass it.
For momentary operation, hold the pedal down for as long as you want to use the effect. Once you release the switch, the effect will be bypassed.
Since switching is relay based, it requires power to transmit the signal.
Power
This device should be powered by a standard 9 volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel. We always recommend pedal-specific, transformer-isolated wall power supplies or multiple power supplies with isolated outputs. The pedals will make extra noise if there is ripple or impure power. Switching power supplies, daisy chains, and non-pedal-specific power supplies don't filter dirty power as well and let unwanted noise through.
The Special Cranker can safely operate from 9 to 18 volts.