Blackstar Dept 10 Dual Drive

The Blackstar Dept 10 Dual Drive is a two-channel valve overdrive pedal that doubles as a recording preamp. It sits in Blackstar's Dept. 10 series, launched in October 2021 alongside the Dual Distortion and the Boost, and it is built around a single ECC83 (12AX7) preamp valve fed with more than 200 volts, ramped up internally from an ordinary 9V power supply¹. That high plate voltage is the range's central idea: the valve works the way it would in a full valve amp rather than at the starved voltages of most valve pedals²³.

Blackstar describes it as "The best valve drive pedal you will ever own and a world-class valve recording preamp"⁴. In practice that means two channels with two switchable voices each, a shared EQ with the patented ISF control, an effects loop, and XLR and USB outputs with Cab Rig speaker simulation, so it can sit on a pedalboard, drive a power amp, or record straight into a DAW⁴⁵.

A two-channel valve drive and recording preamp

The Dual Drive is laid out like a small two-channel amp in a pedal. Channel 1 offers a choice of Clean or Crunch via a toggle switch, and Channel 2 steps up to Crunch or Overdrive modes⁶. That gives four distinct boost-to-overdrive voices in total, plus a clean channel, so the pedal can be used much like an amplifier: clean on one channel, drive on the other, switching between them as on an amp¹².

The ECC83 triode valve drives the two voices per channel, for a total of three crunch/overdrive voices alongside the clean channel⁶. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted that the single ECC83/12AX7 preamp tube is fed with more than 200 volts, ramped up internally from a traditional 9V supply, which is what gives the pedal its amp-like response¹.

The Dual Drive is one of three pedals in the Dept. 10 range, all with valve-driven preamp sections⁹. Its sibling, the Dual Distortion, takes the same format into higher-gain distortion territory, while the Boost is a single-channel valve boost.

The controls: Gain, Level, shared EQ and ISF

Each channel has its own Gain and Level control, but the two channels share a single EQ stage¹. The full control panel runs:

The ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) control is the one knob that will be familiar to existing Blackstar amp owners. Guitar World's reviewer describes it as "a single knob that shifts between the extremes of a UK and American-style amp sound, directly affecting the frequency peak of the mid control"⁸. Fully counter-clockwise the tone is more American, with a tight bottom end and a more aggressive middle; fully clockwise it is more British, woodier and less aggressive, and the tone controls remain fully interactive either way⁶. MusicRadar frames the same control as offering a US-style EQ response at one extreme, British at the other, and a Transatlantic mix in between⁹.

Connections: XLR D.I., FX loop and USB

The Dual Drive's back panel is closer to an amp head's than a typical overdrive pedal's. Guitar.com's review lists the full set of connections⁵:

• Instrument input
• Effects send and return
• USB
• XLR line out
• Instrument output
• Cab Rig output

The in-built effects loop allows the Dual Drive to be integrated with the rest of a pedalboard, with time-based effects placed after the valve preamp stages where they would sit in a normal amp loop⁴. Used together with the XLR D.I. output, that makes the pedal usable as a backup amp: guitar in, pedals in the loop, Cab Rig speaker simulation out to the desk¹⁰.

The USB jack can be used for both editing and connecting to a DAW¹. With low-latency USB and XLR connectivity, the pedal can send its signal direct to a DAW or front-of-house desk with no amp in the room⁹. The Cab Rig output is a separate stereo 1/4-inch jack on the side of the pedal⁹.

Cab Rig speaker simulation

Cab Rig is Blackstar's DSP speaker simulator, which the company says reproduces the sound and feel of a miked-up guitar cabinet in detail¹¹. Both the Dual Drive and the Dual Distortion use the Cab Rig D.I. technology². Three presets are saved onto the pedal itself and selected with the small three-way toggle switch²¹. Those presets can be refined and uploaded to the pedal using Blackstar's Architect software over the USB connection⁸.

What reviewers said

The Dual Drive was well received by the press. Guitar World's review praised its "Superb DI sounds", "Authentic valve tones" and "Formidable flexibility, especially from the Dual Drive", concluding that "For usability, value and quality of tones, these are two of the best gear releases of recent years"⁸. MusicRadar called the Dual Drive a supremely versatile drive pedal with responsive, dynamic gain, an amp-like two-channel design, lots of EQ control and an easy-to-use Cab Rig feature, finding no reasons to avoid it at its price⁹.

The Dual Drive won Best Affordable Effects Pedal of 2021, with the reviewer noting it offers a level of functionality previously reserved for units with four-figure price tags¹². A UK review listed it at £249¹³.

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