The Defender Stargate Drive is a digital drive pedal from Alexander Pedals, part of the maker's Neo Series. Announced in May 2018, it puts three dirt flavors in one box: overdrive, distortion and fuzz, each selectable from the front panel. On top of the basic dirt it adds three special effects that can be combined with any of the distortion modes, plus a Warp footswitch that morphs the pedal from one setting to another over a settable time of up to ten seconds12.
Guitar.com described it as a pedal that "takes overdrive, distortion and fuzz to previously uncharted territories"1. Delicious Audio's take was more measured: "This is another Alexander pedal which might not thrill purists but that will certainly intrigue the more adventurous tone" enthusiasts2. It listed for $199.99 at launch1.
What it is and what it does
The Defender is a digital distortion pedal, but its bypass path is fully analog. Alexander Pedals says the dry signal path is digital "to maintain the phase relationship between distortion and clean," while the bypass signal is 100 percent analog2. For a player, that means the clean blend stays phase-coherent with the dirt, which matters most when you are mixing the two heavily, as on bass.
The pedal offers three distortion modes, selected with the Select button and shown on the upper LED2:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| OD | Overdrive with a clear midrange character, ranging from transparent to gritty with the Drive knob2 |
| DST | Distortion with a darker, smoother tone2 |
| FZ | Splattery, sizzly fuzz tone2 |
Once a distortion is chosen, you can add one of three special effects, and any distortion effect may be combined with any of them2:
| Effect | What it does |
|---|---|
| PIT | Polyphonic octave shifting applied to the distortion signal only; Tweak adjusts the blend between octave down, distortion and octave up2 |
| FLT | Super-tweakable resonant lowpass filter, ideal for synth or wah textures; Light controls cutoff, Matter controls resonance, Tweak mixes filtered and unfiltered sound2 |
| SPC | One of the three combinable special effects2 |
That gives the pedal nine basic tones before you start turning knobs, which is what Guitar.com highlighted when it announced the pedal1.
The controls
The front panel has four knobs, a Select button, a red Alt button and two footswitches. Three of the four knobs have alternate functions, accessible while holding the Alt button, and those alternate functions vary depending on the selected effect2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| DRIVE | Controls the amount of drive, saturation and distortion of the effect2 |
| LEVEL | Adjusts the overall output level; the pedal has quite a bit of volume on tap, enough to overdrive your amp2 |
| BLEND | Mixes the clean signal (fully counter-clockwise) with the distorted signal (fully clockwise)2 |
| Select button | Tap to choose a new effect mode, or hold to engage the ALT controls2 |
| Alt button | Hold to access the alternate functions of three of the four knobs2 |
The Blend knob is the one that makes the pedal work for more than standard-tuned guitar. Alexander Pedals describes it as useful for bass or low-tuned guitars, since you can keep your clean low end underneath the dirt2. See bass pedals for how dirt units fit on a bass board.
The Warp footswitch
The Warp footswitch is the Defender's signature trick. Tap it and the pedal gradually shifts from its current effect to a second setting of your choice, with the morph time settable up to ten seconds1. Hold the footswitch instead and you get Impulse mode, which enters and exits Warp only while the switch is held down2.
"Hit it, and the Defender will gradually shift from its current effect to a second setting of your choice"
Used with a long morph time, Warp can sweep a set of knob positions the way an expression pedal would, but between two complete pedal states rather than one parameter12.
Presets, expression and MIDI
On its own, the Defender stores up to four presets, recalled via the bypass footswitch. All knob values and effect mode settings are recalled, so each preset is a complete pedal state2.
The EXP port on the left side of the pedal can function as an expression pedal input, a footswitch input or a MIDI input2. With a MIDI controller connected, you can access up to 16 presets total via MIDI program change 0 to 152. MIDI input controls all pedal functions, and the USB port may also be used as a MIDI interface to a computer or mobile device2. For more on controlling pedals this way, see MIDI pedals.
Power
The Defender does not use a battery and is not designed to be powered on supplies higher than 9V. It requires a 9V DC supply with a 2.1mm pin, center negative, drawing 80mA2.
That is the standard pedalboard arrangement, so any isolated or daisy-chain supply with the correct polarity and enough current will run it2.
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Questions
Does the Alexander Defender take a battery?
No. The Defender does not use a battery and is not designed to be powered on supplies higher than 9V. It requires a 9V DC power supply with a 2.1mm pin, center negative, drawing 80mA, so a standard pedalboard power supply with the correct polarity is the way to run it.
How many presets does the Defender Stargate Drive store?
On its own, the pedal stores up to four presets, recalled through the bypass footswitch with all knob values and effect mode settings intact. Connect a MIDI controller to the EXP port and you can access up to 16 presets total via MIDI program change 0 to 15.
What does the Warp footswitch do?
Tapping the Warp footswitch shifts the Defender gradually from its current effect to a second setting of your choice, with the transformation time settable up to ten seconds. Holding the footswitch activates Impulse mode, which enters and exits Warp only while you keep it held down.
Can the Defender be used on bass?
Yes. The Blend knob mixes your clean signal with the distorted signal, and Alexander Pedals describes it as useful for bass or low-tuned guitars. With the clean signal fully counter-clockwise and the distorted signal fully clockwise, you keep low-end definition while adding dirt on top.
Is the Defender Stargate Drive analog or digital?
It is a digital distortion pedal. The dry signal path is digital, which Alexander Pedals says maintains the phase relationship between the distortion and clean signals, while the bypass signal is 100 percent analog. The pedal uses a buffered bypass with a soft-touch footswitch.
Sources (2)
- The Defender Stargate Drive is a mighty morphin’ dirt pedal, Guitar.com, 2018-05-08
- Alexander Pedals Defender Stargate Drive, Delicious Audio, 2018-11-09
