Origin Effects launches M-EQ DRIVER mid booster and drive pedal

November 22, 2022 · 4 sources

Origin Effects announced the M-EQ DRIVER mid booster and drive pedal on November 22, 2022, and said it was available from its dealers worldwide¹. MusicRadar described it as Origin's second overdrive pedal of 2022, after the Halcyon Green Overdrive².

The pedal is based on the passive Pultec studio EQ of the 1950s. Origin says it reimagined that studio unit as a compact, guitar-oriented pedal rather than an exact replica, with a transformer-equipped circuit intended to recreate the original's sonic footprint¹. Guitar World reports that the Pultec's valve-powered push-pull overdrive is reproduced as a "valve-like" circuit with no tubes involved, and that the overdrive has been ramped up to go further than the original unit³.

Controls are level, drive, mids and cut⁴. A mini-toggle selects one of three mid frequencies: 0.8, 1.0 and 1.3 kHz³. Origin says the pedal runs from a subtle mid boost to thick, resonant overdrive, and that pushing it harder produces saturation from a classic "mid-hump" overdrive to "fierce 'cocked wah' distortion"¹. The Cut control removes top end, and Origin's Adaptive Circuitry, previously introduced on the Halcyon Green Overdrive, reduces the Cut control's high-end roll-off as the pedal cleans up¹².

Features listed by Origin Effects⁴:

The M-EQ DRIVER has a US list price of $319²⁴. Guitar World gives the price as around $319³. Origin says the pedal is built in the UK¹.