Notes: Welcome to a new era of the most iconic fuzz/distortion sound the world has ever known. You know, that epically huge and super saturated tone (some might call it big and muffy) that has defined the signature sound of so many artists and countless records in the past few decades. It's arguably one of the pedals with the biggest impact on the entire industry, which has seen it modified over and over and over again. So much that you think it's all been done, right? Well, KMA Machines have a surprise for you right here!
Holding three different Gain Modes, a pre- or post-EQ Clean Blend, active Bass and Treble controls, a foot-switchable and expression-controllable parametric Mid-EQ as well as a switchable top-boost for even more raspy, grinding bite, CHIEF DISRUPTOR is the most flexible, beautifully balanced and LOUDEST muff-style pedal you'll ever hear!
Over the years, different muff drives had different levels of gain, so KMA Machines derived three major distinctive gain structures all based on what was thought to be the best versions. The Vintage Mode (VTG) will give you every shade of discrete overdrive, while the Tight Mode will give a more focused and modern tone with less bass and super crisp harmonics. Heavy Mode is the essence of what we all love about muffs. Heavy, sustaining and crazy thick fuzzy distortion, with bone-shaking lows and chewy mids. Just crank the Disruption (Gain) Control and you'll see this in action.
Tonal shaping was one of the true weak points of classic muff pedals, and this has been remedied with the Chief Distruptor. KMA Machines opened the gates to more modern tonal flexibility through the active Bass and Treble controls, which let you boost or cut highs and lows with up to 15 dB, while the parametric Mid-EQ with adjustable centre-frequency and level boost/cut allows you to fine tune the mids with extreme precision, for everything from classic scooped fuzz tones, modern mid-focused dirt tones and all the way to cocked-wah saturation.
You can take complete hands-free control of the Mid-EQ frequency via an expression-pedal. This lets you make instant tone changes on the fly, as well as unleash fast and quacky wah-like sounds or slow and enveloping phaser-like sweeps. If you feel like the filter needs to be more resonant for screaming synth-like sweeps or needs to be subtler, then you can adjust the Q of the Mid-EQ via an internal trimpot. The mids can also be turned on and off via the relay-based soft-switch, allowing you to kick in the mids for soaring solos, cutting chords or when you want to get filter freaky. Having super saturated mids and lows can sometimes result in a perceived loss of highs. To fix this, just engage the Top-Boost to give your high-mids a big push for more crunchy harmonics and bite to cut through any band mix. The Top Boost has been tweaked, but if you feel like it's either too loud or not loud enough, you can also adjust the Top Boost Level via an internal trimpot.
The gain control has been carefully balanced to achieve total control of even the slightest harmonic nuances. So, whether you're looking for low gain drive, crunchy medium gain rhythm tones, singing or saturated lead sounds or skull-crushing doom tones, the Disruption control can and will cover all of them! A lot of gain rules! But gain also means compression, and the more you compress your sound, the more your instrument will lose definition. To preserve your precious core tone the CHIEF DISRUPTOR sports a clean blend control and a toggle switch to define the insert position. Insert your dry signal before the EQ section for a more cohesive sound or place it post-EQ to keep your dry signal completely unaffected.
Last but not least, KMA Machines have implemented stacked headroom topology to keep the EQs from getting saggy when cranked, all which results in the tightest, most punchy and LOUDEST muff-style tone on the market. Go forth and empower your creative side, with tone that has true vision to inspire. If you are ready for a change in distortion history, then it's time to follow the CHIEF DISRUPTOR!
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