Drive
How hard you push into the warm overdrive.
- Turn up More mid-forward crunch and saturation.
- Turn down Closer to a clean boost with a gentle push.
Pedals / Mid-forward overdrive
Green Screamer
Mid-forward overdrive · play-tested
seth — fish
seth@ninevolt:~$
Knobs
In the TUI each knob runs from low (left / 0%) to high (right / 100%). Start near noon, then nudge while you play.
Tone
Brightness of the driven tone.
- Turn up Brighter, cuts through a mix.
- Turn down Darker, smoother mids.
Level
Output volume — often used to boost an amp.
- Turn up Louder; can push the next stage harder.
- Turn down Softer, easier to sit under vocals.
Inspired by
Ibanez TS-808 / TS-9 Tube Screamer — 4558 non-inverting clipper with 1N914 diodes in feedback, 720 Hz pre-clip HPF, 723 Hz post-clip LP mid hump, active Tone bandpass. Blink-182, Offspring, Metallica, Scorpions profiles use it as a mid-forward stack push.
Signal path
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| Input HPF ~90 Hz | Coupling cap — blocks DC / sub rumble. |
| Pre-clip HPF ~720 Hz | C3/R4 in feedback — lows distort less; mid-forward clip. |
| Pre-clip LP | C4/R6 tames harsh harmonics entering the diodes. |
| Drive gain 12×–118× | Drive → 21–41 dB clipper range (schematic; diodes limit practical peak). |
| Symmetric diode clip | 1N914 pair in op-amp feedback — soft, even-harmonic sustain. |
| Post-clip LP ~723 Hz | R7/C5 — trims clip harmonics, forms mid hump. |
| Active tone | Tone blends 723 Hz body + treble recovery (~720 Hz–3.3 kHz bandpass at max). |
| Level | Output volume. |
How we modeled it
TS path: input HPF → 720 Hz pre-clip shaping → variable op-amp gain → symmetric diode clip → 723 Hz post-LP mid body → active Tone treble recovery → Level. The 720 Hz + 723 Hz pair is what separates a Screamer from a transparent overdrive.
Simplifications
- One-pole filters vs exact RC/op-amp networks - No JFET buffer stages or true-bypass pop - Mono only