The Anasounds Ego Driver is a mid-boost overdrive pedal from French maker Anasounds, sold both as a DIY kit and fully assembled. Its circuit is inspired by what Anasounds calls "a popular green mid-boost overdrive," which places it squarely in the Tube Screamer family: the company's own technical analysis states that the input buffer "is the same as the original Tube Screamer," and that its team "analyzed more than a hundred schematics inspired by the OD 808" in developing the pedal123. Anasounds describes it as "more than just a simple booster," a mid-boost overdrive that adds midrange frequencies and extra gain, and that works well pushing a crunched amp or stacking into another overdrive456.
The Ego Driver was the first pedal released under Anasounds' FX Teacher line, a range of DIY pedal kits designed and manufactured in France in Anasounds' workshops47. It is an analog pedal with true bypass switching81.
A mid-boost overdrive from the Tube Screamer family
Like the pedals it draws on, the Ego Driver is built around a mid-forward voicing that pushes an amp or another pedal harder rather than acting as a clean volume boost. Anasounds positions it as a stacking tool: the Blues Believer manual notes that "the Ego Driver adds midrange frequencies and extra gain, also boosting the signal into the Blues Believer" in a stacked setup6. The company also says it "is able to reproduce all these vintage sounds, and go further by creating new ones" through its voicing and clipping options5.
The circuit lineage is explicit. The input buffer matches the original Tube Screamer's, and the clipping and voicing stage uses a pair of 1N914 diodes (D1/D2) in the factory configuration91. Anasounds notes that it and the FX Teacher line are not associated with or endorsed by the creators or brands of the pedals referenced in the design7.
The Ego Driver's circuit later found a second life inside a bigger pedal: the Anasounds Sandman Double Overdrive.
The controls and voicing options
The pedal has three knobs and two switches, and the switches are where most of the voicing flexibility lives9.
| Control | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| GAIN | A500k potentiometer | Sets the gain of the gain stage9 |
| TONE | B25k potentiometer | Sets the highs at the output9 |
| OUT | B100k potentiometer | Volume9 |
| VOICING | SPDT ON-OFF-ON lever switch, 3 positions | Selects the voicing; the middle position is the original voicing of the famous mid boost910 |
| CLIPPING | SPDT toggle, 2 positions (ON-OFF-ON from kit #690) | Selects the clipping diodes9 |
The VOICING switch's three positions change the low-mid character. In the updated version, the 22nF capacitor, which Anasounds calls "our favorite for strong high mids, is now the upper position of the voicing switch"4. Three additional capacitors on a terminal block "allow for a wider range in the low mids, for even more versatility"4.
The CLIPPING switch chooses between the stock 1N914 silicon diodes "for original clipping" and an LED option "for more dynamics and less compression"10. From the factory the pedal ships with 2 diodes 1N9147.
Power and connections
The Ego Driver runs on a 9V DC center-negative supply and draws 38mA8. Internally it operates with an 18V dynamic range from that 9V supply, thanks to a charge-pump stage built around a TC1044SCPA IC, which gives the headroom of an 18V pedal without needing an 18V power supply79. The power connector is a Lumberg DC jack7.
The 38mA draw is modest, but the internal voltage doubling means the pedal behaves like an 18V circuit on a standard 9V center-negative supply. Anasounds' technical analysis lists test-point voltages of 9,35V, 9,35V and -9,35V on the power stage with a 9.35V supply, and 9,25V and -8,98V on the IC power pins9.
Input impedance is 1.3MΩ and output impedance is 146Ω7. The output buffer is built around a 2N5088 bipolar transistor9.
Kits, versions and the FX Teacher line
The Ego Driver comes in several forms, all under the FX Teacher banner, Anasounds' DIY-focused line that also includes the Blues Believer and the Spinner expression pedal kit473.
- Full kit: the complete kit to build the Ego Driver, including the PCB and a true bypass kit with 3PDT1
- Electronic kit: all necessary components, one PCB and a bag of bonus components for customization11
- Enclosure kit: an Ego Driver enclosure with the Anasounds design and all holes drilled, 3 transparent knobs, and a power jack screwed and glued in place12
- PCB solo: the PCB alone, "for adventurers"13
- Assembled pedal: built, tested and adjusted, with a bag of bonus components to customize it4
Anasounds developed its own step-by-step PCB assembly method for the FX Teacher kits, "to constantly check its proper functioning" during the build1. The warranty matches the Origins line, with one distinction: serial numbers starting with "D" on the certificate mark DIYer-built pedals, which are not under warranty7.
The current version is an update of the original: a new black enclosure with a gray and black design and an interchangeable footswitch system. "The circuit remains the same, with only one change," the voicing capacitors, with the 22nF moving to the upper position of the switch4. The enclosure carries a two-tone plexiglass plate engraved with a laser7.
Anasounds does not ship the Ego Driver to the United States, in any of its kit or assembled forms, and directs US customers to the FX Driver kit instead45.
The schematic and circuit documentation
Anasounds is unusually open about the circuit. It published the Ego Driver schematic in May 202314, and its site carries a detailed technical analysis breaking the pedal into stages: the input buffer, the power supply stage, the clipping and voicing stage, and the output buffer, each with a component-level bill of materials and test-point voltages14. For a player comparing circuits, this makes the Ego Driver one of the better-documented Tube Screamer-family builds available.
Videos
Science of Loud
Peter “Danish Pete” Honoré
intheblues
Questions
Does Anasounds ship the Ego Driver to the United States?
No. Anasounds states on its product pages that the Ego Driver, in kit and assembled form, is not shipped to the United States, and directs US customers to the FX Driver kit instead. The FX Driver is the equivalent product offered to US buyers.
Is the Anasounds Ego Driver true bypass?
Yes. The pedal uses true bypass switching with a 3PDT footswitch, which sits on a small separate PCB connected to the main board by a 2x6 connector. This is the standard true bypass arrangement used across Anasounds' FX Teacher kits.
Do I have to build the Ego Driver myself?
No. Although the Ego Driver began as a DIY kit, Anasounds also sells it fully assembled, tested and adjusted, with a bag of bonus components for customizing the voicing. The kit route remains available if you want to build it yourself.
What diodes does the Ego Driver use?
From the factory it uses two 1N914 silicon diodes for the original clipping. The clipping switch also allows LED clipping, which Anasounds describes as giving more dynamics and less compression. The bonus component bag lets you experiment further.
Is there a schematic for the Anasounds Ego Driver?
Yes. Anasounds published the Ego Driver circuit schematic in May 2023 on its site, alongside a detailed technical analysis of the circuit's stages, test points and bill of materials. The company says its team analyzed more than a hundred OD808-inspired schematics in developing it.
Sources (14)
- assemble your ego driver kit, new black and grey version, Anasounds, 2023-05-10
- Ego Driver, Anasounds, 2023-02-15
- Ego Driver, Anasounds, 2026-06-19
- Ego Driver, Anasounds, 2026-06-19
- Ego Driver, Anasounds, 2026-06-20
- blues believer, Anasounds, 2025-01-27
- Ego Driver, Anasounds, 2023-02-22
- Ego Driver by Anasounds, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- assemble your ego driver, Anasounds, 2019-09-17
- Anasounds sandman user manual, Anasounds, 2023-05-23
- Ego Driver, Anasounds, 2025-12-29
- Ego Driver, Anasounds, 2023-10-13
- Ego Driver, Anasounds, 2024-06-09
- Schema-Ego-Driver, Anasounds, 2023-05-10
