In 2012 I had a crazy idea for a tone shaping device that had never been done before in the world of guitar pedals. I wanted to create an effects pedal that reproduced the hard-to-obtain sounds of "direct-in" electric guitar recordings that I loved. Bands like the Beatles, Spoon, Wilco and Steely Dan had been using this technique for years, but it was almost impossible to recreate live.
I wanted this pedal to transform my guitar gear into the tonal equivalent of a Neve studio console, and that was no small feat. After a lot of trial and error, experimentation and tinkering, this concept evolved into something far beyond what we had imagined.
In 2014, when we filmed the first demo videos at Abbey Road Studios in London, this idea became the most unique product we had ever made. The Color Box was a full-fledged studio-quality preamplifier, EQ, and distortion generator with multi-instrument compatibility. He did what I always wanted him to do, but he did so much more!
The day it came out, I wasn't sure how it would be accepted, but I knew I loved it. As the months passed, we saw something amazing start to happen; this pedal appeared in all types of environments. Producers, engineers and artists were emailing us, tagging us on social media and showing how they used the Color Box. Studio vocals, live vocals, kick drums, acoustic guitars, basses, keyboards, overhead drums, stereo busses, room mics, synths, reamps and some incredibly large stage setups l 'had on almost every instrument! This unit can be heard on dozens of recordings by U2, Wilco, The National, Spoon, Collective Soul, Muse, the War on Drugs and Phantogram, among others. As proud of this pedal as we were, we wanted to improve it, so we did.
VERSION 2 EMERGES
The Color Box V2 has all the same features as the V1 with many new and improved additions like expanded EQ controls, a Hi/Lo switch for massive headroom, and the ability to pass phantom power to your mics at capacitor.
The most significant improvements are:
Adding an output transformer
Safely passes 48V phantom power
EQ Shift buttons for precise equalizer control
Hi/Lo switch for ultra clean headroom
100% clear signal available even on acoustic guitar
Silent switching, aka no “switch-pop”
Runs on standard 9V DC Neg power supply
FEATURES AND CONTROLS
The Gain section in red has three controls: Master, Pre-Vol and Step. Master volume controls the overall volume of the unit. Pre-Vol controls the amount of gain between the two internal gain stages. This acts as a "drive" or "gain" control, adding more grain, distortion, and even fuzz as you increase the gain.
The Step control increases the gain of each preamp stage in five stages. Turning the Step knob from left to right will increase the gain as follows: 1st is +18 dB, 2nd is +23 dB, 3rd is +28 dB, 4th is +33 dB, 5th is +39 dB .
The Color Box V2 features a new Hi/Lo switch to control how much clean headroom you have. In Lo mode, you can easily obtain ultra-clear sounds without breakage. Lo mode is excellent for sound shaping when distortion is not necessary. In Hi mode, the Color Box V2 will distort much more easily, giving you a wide range of overdrive, distortion and fuzz sounds.
In addition to the Hi/Lo gain switch, there is a -20dB pad switch on the right side of the Color Box V2. This feature only works in XLR input mode and can help control the volume of high output microphones.
MOST POWERFUL EQ YET
The EQ section in blue has three new Shift controls that correlate with its standard Treble, Middle, and Bass controls. The classically labeled EQ knobs adjust the amount of frequencies that are boosted and cut, while the Shift knobs adjust the range of frequencies that the Treble, Middle, and Bass knobs control.
Equalization functions
Treble Knob - Cut/Boost Control +/-15dB flat at noon. CCW cuts, CW increases.
Central button - Cut/Boost control +/- 10dB flat at noon. CCW cuts, CW increases.
Bass Knob - Cut/Boost Control +/-15dB flat at noon. CCW cuts, CW increases.
Frequencies controlled by the EQ Shift buttons:
Treble Shift - 2 kHz to 30 kHz - CCW lowers the center frequency, CW raises the center frequency.
Middle Shift - 150 Hz to 2.4 kHz - CCW lowers the center frequency, CW raises the center frequency.
Bass Shift - 20 Hz to 440 Hz - CCW lowers the center frequency, CW raises the center frequency.
The Hi-Pass section is activated by the toggle switch below the Hi-Pass button. Simply raise it to engage the Hi-Pass button. The HPF is a 2nd order high pass filter of 6 dB per octave. The -3 dB cutoff frequency (the frequency at which the filter begins to act) can be adjusted from 160 Hz to 650 Hz.
XLR AND OUTPUT
The Color Box V2 has a combination XLR and 1/4" input jack for using an instrument or microphone. Select your input with the input selector on the right side of the pedal labeled INST/XLR.
VERSION HISTORY
V1 = smaller case; no “shift” EQ knobs; seven buttons in total.
V2 =
Larger enclosure; ten buttons in total; added Hi/Lo toggle; passes phantom power. Added an output transformer.
THE COLOR BOX V2 OPERATES ONLY ON STANDARD 9V DC NEGATIVE POWER SUPPLY (DO NOT PLUG IN ANYTHING MORE THAN 9V) AND MEASURES 5.7" X 3.75" X 1.85"
INPUTS & OUTPUTS
The Color Box V2 has a combo XLR & 1/4” instrument input jack. Run any instrument or microphone into the Color Box and select which input you are using with the INST/XLR dip switch located on the right side of the pedal. The 1/4” mono output and the XLR output are independent and allow you to run parallel outputs to two destinations. For example, run the 1/4” mono out into your guitar amplifier and at the same time run the XLR output to your front-of-house mixing board. Another example of using parallel outputs would be to track amp tones and the “direct in” sound of your performance onto two separate tracks.
CONTROLS
MASTER - This is the overall master volume for the unit. It works in tandem with the PRE-VOL. For cleaner sounds, set the MASTER higher and the PRE-VOL lower. As you turn up the PRE-VOL, the Color Box will distort more as well as increase the volume, so use the MASTER to dial back the volume if desired.
PRE-VOL - The PRE-VOL acts as a “gain” or “drive” knob, adding grit, distortion, and fuzz as you turn it up. In this circuit, the PRE-VOL is between the two gain stages, and the setting of the PRE-VOL determines how much signal continues to the second stage.
STEP - The STEP gain changes the gain of each preamp stage in five stages. Rotating the STEP knob from left-to-right will increase the gain by the following: 1st is + 18 dB, 2nd is + 23 dB, 3rd is + 28 dB, 4th is + 33 dB, and 5th is + 39 dB.
HI-PASS - The HI-PASS spans from 160Hz to 650Hz with a 6dB per octave slope. This control allows you to only let high frequencies pass. The toggle switch below the knob will turn the HI-PASS on or off.
EQ CONTROLS - The tone control section is a highly modified Baxandall type that has been updated for the V2 for greater control over each EQ section. The SHIFT knobs enable you to select the range of frequencies controlled by the TREBLE, MIDDLE, and BASS knobs. The frequency ranges of the SHIFT knobs are TREBLE SHIFT 2kHz - 30kHz, MID SHIFT 160Hz - 2.5kHz, and BASS SHIFT 20Hz - 400Hz. The TREBLE, MIDDLE, and BASS knobs boost or cut the frequency range selected with the SHIFT knobs, giving you +/- 17dB of control.
HI/LO TOGGLE - The V2 has an added HI/LO toggle which allows you to select between a lower gain/clean mode, or a higher gain/distorted mode. In LO mode the Color Box has higher clean headroom and is better for clean preamp sounds. In HI mode you can more readily achieve a range of overdrive, distortion, or fuzz sounds.
UTILITY SWITCHES (located on right side)
INST/XLR SWITCH - This switch lets you choose between 1/4” instrument input or XLR input. Set the switch to INST when plugging in a 1/4” cable. Set the switch to XLR when plugging into an XLR cable. The pedal will not pass signal if the wrong input is selected.
PAD SWITCH - This is a standard 20dB pad for use with the XLR input. Use this if you're experiencing clipping from the XLR input. The pad works whether the pedal is on or off. This pad does not have any effect if using the INST input.
INPUT & OUTPUT FUNCTIONALITY
INSTRUMENT INPUT MODE - When plugging in a 1/4” instrument cable, you can use the Color Box like an effect pedal or as an always on DI for bass, acoustic, or any other instrument that requires a DI. When using the Color Box as an effect pedal, use the 1/4” output and turn the pedal on and off with the foot switch just as you would normally use an effect pedal. You can also run both 1/4” and XLR outputs in parallel when using it as an effect pedal. This is useful especially in recording situations where you want to send your signal to an amplifier and direct-in to a console or preamp. When using the Color Box as a DI, you can use the XLR output to plug straight into an audio mixer or recording interface and there is no need to use a separate direct-box.
XLR INPUT MODE - In this mode, the pedal accepts XLR microphone cables and passes a clean bypass signal through the XLR output when switched off. The 1/4” output also passes signal in this mode so you can pass a microphone through the Color Box into an amp or line level input. The 20dB pad is available in this mode only and works when the pedal is on and off. The Color Box V2 now allows phantom power to pass through the pedal when using microphones that require phantom power.* In both modes the XLR output has a slightly lower noise floor if running as a line-in to your mixer or interface.
POWER - The Color Box V2 runs on 9V DC negative center power ONLY and consumes 193mA. Do not run on anything greater than 9V. Your warranty will be voided.