The Audio Kitchen Small Trees DI is a Class A, all valve, clean gain boost, line driver and DI in pedal form1. It is the same pedal as the Audio Kitchen The Small Trees, but with what Audio Kitchen calls a "silky, Sowter powered DI output" added1. Where a standard boost pedal pushes your amp, the Small Trees DI also gives you a balanced, transformer isolated feed for a mixing desk or recording interface, which is why the maker says of it: "Suffice it to say, FoH will love you."1
The Small Trees DI is a variant of the Audio Kitchen Small Trees (TST), and the maker describes it as the same class A valve boost pedal, fitted with a DI output built around a Sowter transformer1. Its UK list price is £487.5 plus VAT, or £585 including VAT, with VAT applied only to UK sales1.
What it does and how it is controlled
The Small Trees DI keeps the control scheme minimal. There is a single Gain knob, and 12 o'clock on that knob is unity gain, meaning no added level1. Below unity it cuts, above unity it adds up to about 16dB of clean boost1. Audio Kitchen says the boost stage delivers less than 0.3% distortion with an input of 0dBm, so the aim is lift rather than grit1.
Audio Kitchen describes the effect on a signal as a lift that creates its own space in a mix, and suggests it for DI guitar in the studio, adding harmonics to a bass signal, or enlivening a soft synth or sampler2. Those uses come from the maker's own description of the pedal rather than independent testing.
Outputs and power
The DI version adds a second output to the original Small Trees design. Both outputs are specified by the maker1:
| Output | Details |
|---|---|
| Line Output | ~16dB of boost, single ECC82 valve stage, output impedance < 1.8KOhm, less than 0.3% distortion with an input of 0dBm1 |
| DI Output | Sowter transformer powered, output impedance < 13Ohm1 |
The low DI output impedance of under 13 ohms is what lets it drive long cable runs to a front of house desk without losing top end1.
The Small Trees DI needs 12V DC at 1000mA1. That rules out a standard 9V pedal supply and most single daisy chain outlets: it needs its own 12V adaptor rated for a full amp of current.
Where it came from
The Small Trees DI is a variant of the Audio Kitchen The Small Trees, which Audio Kitchen describes as the "Green" side of its Two Big Trees pedal, housed in a smaller enclosure and powered via a 12V adaptor2. The DI version takes that same circuit and adds the Sowter DI output1. All of Audio Kitchen's gear, including the Small Trees range, is hand built at the company's workshop in West London2.
The UK list price is £487.5 plus VAT, or £585 including VAT, with VAT applied only to UK sales; the standard price covers the BLUE tolex finish where applicable1.
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Questions
What valve does the Audio Kitchen Small Trees DI use?
The Small Trees DI is built around a single ECC82 valve, which handles both the clean boost stage and the valve line driver stage. Audio Kitchen describes the circuit as Class A and all valve, with no solid state gain stages in the signal path.
How much does the Small Trees DI weigh?
Audio Kitchen lists the weight as 482g, about one pound. It sits in a die-cast aluminium enclosure measuring approximately 116mm wide, 91mm deep and 55mm high, so it is a compact pedal by valve standards.
What power supply does the Small Trees DI need?
It requires a 12V DC supply rated at 1000mA. That is a higher current draw than most pedalboard power supplies deliver per outlet, so it needs its own supply or a high current output rather than a standard 9V pedal supply.
Who makes the transformer in the DI output?
The DI output transformer is made by Sowter, the British transformer manufacturer. Audio Kitchen describes the result as a silky DI output, and the DI output impedance is listed as under 13 ohms.
Sources (2)
- Audio Kitchen, musically inspiring amp design, Audio Kitchen
- Audio Kitchen, musically inspiring amp design, Audio Kitchen
