Heart Müller, a true bypass pedal, originally was developed to be a bass overdrive. However, this latest version was tweaked in order to be used by a six-string as well. The accompany demo video focuses on the bass in the first half, with a rhythm/lead/bass composition to showcase the results of Heart Müller in a mix. I would consider this a low to moderate gain pedal, which is more than sufficient for bass or crunch/hi-gain rhythm/lead guitar. For a very clean rhythm channel, it adds some aggression, but nothing excessive. For rhythm/lead, it is easier to dial into the right amount of drive, since there seems to be a sweet spot (at least with my gear). For bass, however, the range of tone seems to be far more expressive and broader. I’m able to achieve tones that resemble a fretless bass, a classic rock bass, a jazz bass, a metal bass, etc. And although the Heart Müller does make rhythm/lead stand out better in a mix, it really makes a bass pop with clarity. Heart Müller has the basic VOLUME and DRIVE controls, both of which need to be balanced for proper output levels, viz., the more DRIVE you have, the more the VOLUME needs to be toned down (unless looking to use it as a boost). The KLANG control provides either high or low-cut of the frequency. At 12-noon the EQ is flat (although with DRIVE all the way down and MIX all the way up, the tone is livelier and clearer, even with KLANG set at 12-noon). If you turn the KLANG toward to the left, you cut the highs, thereby increasing bass response. Conversely, turning the knob to the right increases highs and decreases lows. This allows for a very deep (yet clear) thunderous bass, or one that is very bright and punchy. Now, the signal is buffered and split into two signals, one wet and one dry. This is controlled by the MIX knob, and when turned all the way left, the signal is hardly affected by Heart Müller (a touch more clarity due to the buffering). As you turn the knob to the right, you integrate more of Heart Müller into your original signal. This increases Heart Müller’s diversity significantly, and so, the demo video does go through various settings at full MIX, but also varying combinations of the settings (including low to moderate MIX) as I present my favorite settings. Heart Müller is a very impressive pedal. Yes, I like it with rhythm/lead, but love it for bass. Hand-built in Sweden, at an approximate price of $200 USD, if you want your instruments to cut through the mix better, while being able to customize your tone in subtle to broad sweeps, Heart Müller should be a serious consideration. For some time, I’ve relied on pre-created bass lines in my backing track program, but always found the lines a touch boring, not very melodic and they tend to blend and get lost in the mix. Recently, since acquiring a Busuyi bass, I’ve been composing my own bass lines, and do they ever cut through with the Heart Müller. Listen to the second composition on the demo video, and you will hear lucidly what I mean.
SOUND: The Octorsion is a rather diverse pedal based on its dual-functions, with distortion and an octave up blend merging together. I have reviewed other such pedals, but found them more specific to that heavy stoner or proto-metal type music, which is perfectly fine. The Octorsion, on the other hand, works very well if you want that heavy and thick distortion/fuzz quality, but it offers so much more. First, you can dial in just a bit of distortion (with or without a bit of octave) for a classic Rock sound (as well as adding a hint to an already driven amp to drive it harder). Dialing it up provides some nasty sounding distortion that would sit well with Thrash Metal, whether playing rhythm or lead. Next, adding just a bit of Octave fattens the tone, but not in an exaggerated way (you don’t really hear that high-end octave jump through as it tends to blend exceptionally well with your guitar’s tone and the pedal’s distortion). Of course, the Octave function can be used independently and without the Distortion if you want some added dimension to your amp’s tone, whether clean or driven. Overall, the Octave is highly complementary rather than boisterous or super obvious. My favorite setting for rhythm is to have the Distortion close to 12-noon and the Octave about 9-o’clock (a solid heavy crunch with some added fullness). However, the demo included with this review goes through various settings that range from subtle to intense. There is an issue of dialing in both Octave and Distortion, which is not problematic, but it takes a few seconds of tweaking. When cranking the Distortion the volume increases (as it’s driving the circuit harder), whereas mixing in the Octave reduces the volume somewhat. Consequently, although both Octave and Distortion work very well together and sound great, you will need to adjust volume somewhere (on the pedal, from your guitar or amp, or via a volume pedal) if you prefer different combinations of Octave and Distortion in your playing. GENERAL USE: The Octorsion is activated by its popless footswitch. The Volume provides good headroom, and so make certain the volume is turned down prior to engaging and then determine your volume accordingly. The Tone knob (a combined high and low pass filter) has a good range and sounds very appropriate at 12-noon to start; from there you can tweak in more low or high end. There is no mud or shrill whether turning the Tone knob very low or high, which makes it easy to find several good sounds. The Distortion and Octave knobs work independently – you can have none or a lot of either and in any mix between. The Distortion knob has a very big range, with zero heard in the signal when turned all the way down and with a moderate crunch being heard when turned to 9-o’clock (presuming you’re working with a clean amp channel). At 12-noon the Distortion kicks in very nicely for Hard Rock tones; it becomes aggressive and ‘nasty’ beyond 2-o’clock as it pushes the circuit to the limits. The Octave knob is connected as a mix knob and provides an octave up effect. When up full (with distortion turned all the way down) you get a clean octave up. OTHER DETAILS: Hand-built in Sweden, the Octorsion measures 112mm(D) × 90mm (W) × 50mm (H with knobs) or 4.40 (D) x 3.54 (W) x 1.97 (H) inches. A solid built pedal, it has raw metal aluminum chassis with black laser engraved graphics (each pedal is machined engraved/etched with ‘Moody,’ the number and date on the underside). The footswitch has a solid click when engaging and disengaging the pedal, although silent when turning the pedal on (no popping). The four plastic knobs (Volume, Distortion, Octave and Tone) are of standard and good plastic quality, and the pots feel very solid and smooth when turned. The footswitch is far removed from any of the knobs, although sandwiched between the cable input and output (and so, some care is required to prevent possible damage from regular stomping and a slip of the foot). The Octorsion’s power input is located in the back, requiring a 9VDC standard power supply (negative tip) and no battery. OVERALL IMPRESSION: This is one of the better drive/distortion + octave pedals I have tried because of its overall sound (great distortion tone), but also the flexibility of the tones and how well the octave compliments the distortion (rather than dominates it). Both the Distortion and Octave can be dialed all the way off or all the way on – and any combination thereof. This flexibility has the Distortion ranging from a very light crunch when turned up slightly to being very gnarly and intense when cranked beyond 1-o’clock. The Octave is that added bonus that, as stated, creates an element of fullness without dominating the tone; it acts as a supporting facet to the primary tone and to help push through the mix. At about $155 USD (depending on exchange rate at the time when ordering direct from Moody Sounds in Sweden), the Octorsion is a very averaged priced pedal that offers a lot of flavors, whether driving your dirty amp just a little harder or converting your clean channel into a Rock machine. You can achieve light crunch and filthy bluesy leads, all the way to heavy thick grungy tones and even ripping buzzcut sounds. The Octorsion also has a cool industrial look, with its bare metal aluminum chassis and laser etched writing/graphics.
