The Burnt Audio Effects Smooth Driver is a light to medium overdrive pedal, described by Delicious Audio as a pedal that "can be easily dialed in for light grit, creamy leads, or anywhere in-between"1. Pedal of the Day notes it was the first offering from Burnt Audio Effects2. It is a compact three-knob design in the familiar overdrive mold, sitting alongside other low-to-medium-gain drives covered on the site's Overdrive Pedals page.
The controls
The Smooth Driver keeps to the standard three-knob overdrive layout. Delicious Audio lists the controls as follows1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Signal volume |
| Tone | Controls treble content |
| Gain | Amount of overdrive |
Pedal of the Day's reviewer observed that "Volume, Tone and Gain controls are the usual suspects as far as three-knob overdrive pedals are concerned," and that they form the pedal's core tonal structure2. Under the hood, the clipping arrangement is what sets the circuit apart: the reviewer describes "some asymmetrical double-sided clipping, with 2 Germanium diodes running one way and one Silicon running the other," a hybrid of the two diode types2.
Power and board fit
The pedal runs on either a 9V battery or a 9V negative tip adapter, so it works with a standard center-negative pedalboard supply or on battery power2. Delicious Audio states the pedal is true bypass, "ensur[ing] that your clean tone will stay fully intact" when off1, and Pedal of the Day highlights the top-mounted jacks "for sneaking onto any pedalboard"2. The maker's stated build aim is high quality parts "to ensure the best tone with the lowest noise floor"1.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's review is positive on the pedal's noise performance and gain structure: "it also has a low noise floor, which helps to produce its superior tone and gain structure"2.
"it also has a low noise floor, which helps to produce its superior tone and gain structure"
The Smooth Driver has a family history worth knowing. Pedal of the Day previously reviewed a version of the circuit under the Fuse Electronics name as the Smooth Drive, where reviewer Mike B called it "just a good old rock machine, great for nice, smooth solos and delicious rhythm sounds, and one that's able to boost your other pedals"3. That earlier pedal is covered on its own page, Fuse Electronics Smooth Drive. Players comparing drives in this gain range may also find the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison useful, or the LunaStone Smooth Drive 1, another drive carrying the Smooth Drive name.
Videos
Burnt Audio Effects
Burnt Audio Effects
Eirik Stordrange
Questions
Where is the Burnt Audio Effects Smooth Driver made?
Delicious Audio's product page states that the Smooth Driver is assembled and built in Moorhead, Minnesota. Pedal of the Day notes it was the first offering from Burnt Audio Effects, a small builder whose pedals have been covered on the site as boutique, hand-built gear.
Does the Smooth Driver take a 9V battery?
Yes. According to Pedal of the Day's review, the Smooth Driver uses either a 9V battery or a 9V negative tip adapter for its power sources, so it can run on a battery when no supply is handy or from a standard pedalboard power brick.
Is the Smooth Driver true bypass?
Yes. Delicious Audio's product page states the pedal is true bypass, and that true bypass ensures the clean tone stays fully intact when the pedal is switched off.
Does the Smooth Driver have top-mounted jacks?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review notes that the Smooth Driver has top-mounted jacks, which the reviewer says help with sneaking the pedal onto any pedalboard.
Sources (3)
- Burnt Audio Effects Smooth Driver, Delicious Audio, 2018-06-04
- Burnt Audio Effects Smooth Driver, Pedal of the Day, 2016-11-25
- Fuse Electronics Smooth Drive Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2015-07-15
