- A full-fledged studio-grade preamplifier, EQ, and distortion generator with multi-instrument and microphone compatibility.
- The Gain section controls the overall volume of the unit, the a of gain between the two internal gain stages, and the gain of each preamp stage in five stages.
- Using the new Hi/Lo switch, get ultra clean sounds without breakup when distortion is not needed or achieve a broad spectrum of overdrive, distortion, and fuzz sounds.
- A -20dB pad switch on the right side of the unit tame the volume for high output microphones when in XLR input mode.
- The new Shift knobs in the EQ section adjust the range of frequencies that the Treble, Middle, and Bass knobs control to give you precision control over the EQ.
- The Hi-Pass section spans from 60Hz to 800Hz with a 6dB per octave slope.
- Offers 100% clean signal even on acoustic guitar, silent sw to eliminate "switch-pop", and passing phantom power to condenser mics.
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 replicated The hard to achieve
sounds of "direct-in" Electric guitar s that I loved.
Bands like the Beatles, Spoon, Wilco, and Steely Dan had used
This technique for years, but it was nearly impossible to
recreate live. I wanted this pedal to transform My guitar rig
into the tonal equivalent of a Neve studio console, and that was
no small task. After lots of trial and error, experimentation,
and re-works, this concept evolved into something far beyond what
we had imagined. In 2014 as we filmed the first demo videos at
Abbey road studios in London and this Idea had evolved into the
most unique product we had ever made. The color box was a
full-fledged studio-grade preamplifier, EQ, and distortion
generator with multi-instrument compatibility. It did what I had
always wanted It to do, but it did so much more! On its release
day, I wasn't quite sure how it would be accepted, but I knew
that I loved it. As a few months went by, We saw something
amazing begin to happen; this pedal was showing up in all types
of environments. Producers, engineers, and artists were emailing
us, tagging us on socials and showing how they had put the color
box to use. Studio vocals, live vocals, kick drums, acoustic
guitars, bass, keys, overhead drums, stereo bus's, room mics,
synths, re-amps, and some incredibly large stage setups had it on
almost every instrument! This unit can be heard on dozens of
s from U2, Wilco, Beck, Mac demarco, St. Vincent, the
National, Spoon, Collective soul, muse, to War on Drugs, foot
fighters, and phantogram amongst others. As proud of this pedal
as we were, we wanted to make it better, so we did. – Josh Scott
The color box V2 has all the same functionality of the V1 with
many new and improved additions like expanded EQ controls, a
Hi/lo switch for massive clean headroom, and the ability to pass
Phantom power to your condenser mics. The most significant
improvements are: addition of an output transformer safely passes
48V phantom power EQ shift knobs for precision EQ control Hi/LO
switch for ultra clean headroom 100% Available clean signal even
on acoustic guitar silent sw, Aka no "switch-pop" Runs on
standard 9V DC neg power let's take a look at the features and
controls of the color box V2. The gain section in red has three
controls: master, pre-vol, and step. The Master volume controls
The overall volume of the unit. The pre-vol controls the a
of gain between the two internal gain stages. This acts as a
"drive" Or "gain" Control, adding more grit, distortion, and even
fuzz as you increase the gain. The step control increases 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, 5th is
+39 dB. The color box V2 has a new Hi/ LO switch to control the
a of clean headroom you have available. In the Lo mode, you
will easily be able to get Ultra clean sounds without breakup. Lo
mode is excellent for tone shaping when distortion is not needed.
In the Hi mode, the color box V2 will distort much more readily,
giving you a broad spectrum 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 function
only works when in XLR input mode and can help tame the volume
for high output microphones. The EQ section in blue has three new
Shift controls correlating to its standard treble, middle and
bass controls. The shift knobs adjust the range of frequencies
that the treble, middle, and bass knobs control. The center
frequencies for the shift knobs are treble 10kHz, middle 1kHz,
and bass 120Hz, while the treble, middle, and bass knobs boost or
cut with +/- 17dB of control. If you want to boost high-mid
frequencies, turn the mid shift knob to 3 o'clock or above and
increase the middle knob above 12 o'clock. If you want to cut
upper treble frequencies, turn the treble shift knob to 3 o'clock
or above and set the treble knob below 12 o'clock. The shift
knobs give you precision control over the EQ for anything you put
through the color box V2. The Hi-Pass section is enabled by the
toggle switch below the Hi-Pass knob. Just flip it up to engage
the Hi-Pass knob, which spans from 60Hz to 800Hz with a 6dB per
octave slope. The color box V2 has a combination XLR and 1/4"
Input jack to use either an instrument or microphone. Select your
input with the input selector switch on the right side of the
pedal labeled INST/XLR. The color box runs on standard 9V DC
negative power and measures 5. 7” x 3. 75” x 1. 85".