Creation Audio Labs MK.4.23 Clean Boost

The MK.4.23 Clean Boost is a clean boost pedal from Creation Audio Labs that raises the level of your signal without changing its character. Its boost range runs from unity, meaning no level change at all, up to +24dB¹². Creation Audio Labs positions it as a volume tool rather than a drive tool: the maker calls it "the cleanest, quietest and most sonically transparent boost pedal out there"¹.

The circuit is based on the Redeemer buffer, Creation Audio Labs' own buffer design, and the maker describes the circuitry as pristine¹. A limited edition version, the MK.4.23 Black Label Clean Boost Pedal, has also been offered³.

What it does to your sound

The MK.4.23 is built to add volume while leaving the tone alone. Creation Audio Labs quotes a flat frequency and phase response from 20Hz to 20kHz, so nothing in the audible range is boosted or cut unevenly¹². The maker's published measurements for the pedal:

For a player, those numbers describe a boost that gets loud without adding audible distortion or hiss. THD+n of 0.0005% means the pedal's own distortion is far below what an amplifier or speaker contributes, and a noise floor below -115dBu keeps the quiet passages quiet¹.

Where it came from

Creation Audio Labs lists the MK.4.23 Clean Boost as a compact pedal with a 3.1" x 4.25" enclosure, running on a standard 9V DC center-negative 5.5 x 2.1mm barrel connector at 75mA¹². The maker's listed price is from $149.00¹.

Bypass and switching

The MK.4.23 ships with true bypass as standard, with a buffer bypass available as an option¹⁴. True bypass means the pedal's circuit is completely out of the signal path when it is off. The optional buffer bypass instead keeps the Redeemer-based buffer in the path at all times, which can help drive long cable runs on larger pedalboards. Players comparing boost and buffer options can read more on the buffer pedals page.

Effects loop and DI use

Two uses set the MK.4.23 apart from a basic front-of-amp boost:

• Effects loop boost: Creation Audio Labs says the power supply is stepped up for +28dB of headroom, and that the pedal has more than enough headroom to be used in the effects loop of any amplifier for power amp boost⁴. Effects loops carry hotter line-level signals than a guitar output, and many boost pedals clip there; the maker designed this one not to.
• DI use: The pedal can be used as a DI to plug directly into the line input of any sound system¹, which covers direct recording and running straight into a mixer.

Power and build

The MK.4.23 uses 9V DC at 75mA through a standard center-negative 5.5 x 2.1mm barrel connector¹², the same arrangement as most modern 9V pedals, so a typical pedalboard supply will run it. The enclosure is a brushed 16 gauge steel body, and the footprint is small at 3.1" x 4.25"¹.

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