The RED TEXT MBD is a bass overdrive and distortion pedal from Damnation Audio, and the maker describes it as the follow-up to its original MBD-1 and MBD2 bass overdrive and distortion pedals1. It runs a distorted channel in parallel with a contoured clean channel, so your clean low end stays underneath the distortion rather than being clipped along with it. On top of that it carries a footswitchable boost with its own control, providing over 30dB of additional gain1.
The controls
The MBD's layout separates the distorted and clean sides of the pedal, then adds the boost on top. Each control does one job:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Controls the output level of the distortion channel1 |
| Tone | Tilt-style tone control for the distortion channel, centered around 600Hz1 |
| Clean (Blend) | Controls the output level of the parallel contoured clean channel, described by the maker as your clean tone with an emphasis on low end and a de-emphasis on disruptive mids and highs1 |
| Boost | Adds additional boosted signal into the gain stages; does not affect the clean blend circuitry1 |
The tilt-style Tone is worth a word for players new to the term: rather than a conventional treble cut, a tilt control pivots the response around a fixed point, here 600Hz, so turning it one way favors highs and the other favors lows1. The clean channel's contouring is the other half of the design: because the clean side already emphasizes low end and trims the mids and highs that clash with distortion, blending it back in keeps the fundamental audible under heavy gain1.
The Boost knob has a wide reach. Damnation Audio says it takes the MBD from distortion to close to fuzz territory, with the help of the depth control1. If you want to hear where that sits on the spectrum, the site's pages on distortion pedals, overdrive pedals and fuzz pedals cover the differences between the three.
Power
The RED TEXT MBD runs on 9VDC through a 2.1mm center negative, boss-style connector, the standard plug on most pedalboard power supplies1.
Damnation Audio pedals do not accept 9V batteries, so the RED TEXT MBD needs an external power supply. The maker warns that going above 9VDC may damage the pedal and void any warranties1.
The follow-up to the MBD-1 and MBD2
The RED TEXT MBD is the third in a line. The original MBD-1 MOSFET Bass Distortion is long discontinued; Damnation Audio keeps its product page posted for posterity and lists it under its retired category, and it is sold out2. The MBD2 MOSFET Bass Distortion 2 was the maker's follow-up to that original, and it brought a smaller enclosure with top jacks, silent bypass switching, a new look, and an external switch adding a 20dB boost on the front end of the distortion channel3. Its Depth knob controls the amount of low end injected into the distortion channel: settings below 12:00 tighten the distortion to retain clarity with drop-tuned basses, while higher settings thicken up bright basses and add mass to standard-tuned instruments3.
Against that background, the RED TEXT MBD's boost is the clearest step forward: over 30dB of additional gain under a footswitch, compared with the MBD2's fixed 20dB switch13. The maker's own summary of the line is blunt: "SOUNDS MASSIVE"3, and on the RED TEXT MBD page the company says the development of the MBD "leads us to confidently state that the MBD is one of the best bass overdrive and distortion pedals on the market"1. That is the maker speaking, not an independent reviewer, so read it as the company's own assessment.
As of October 2026 the RED TEXT MBD is listed as sold out on Damnation Audio's site1. The MBD-1 is sold out as well and is described by the maker as long discontinued2.
Damnation Audio provides manuals for the MBD pedals as downloads from its site1.
Questions
What power supply does the RED TEXT MBD need?
Damnation Audio specifies a 9VDC adapter with a 2.1mm center negative connector, the same boss-style plug most pedalboard power supplies use. The pedal does not accept a 9V battery, so it needs an external supply. Going above 9VDC may damage the pedal and void any warranties.
How much extra gain does the boost footswitch add?
The boost footswitch provides over 30dB of additional gain, and its own Boost knob sets how much of that boosted signal is fed into the gain stages. That is a step up from the MBD2, whose external switch added a fixed 20dB boost on the front end of the distortion channel.
Does the Boost knob change the clean blend?
No. Damnation Audio states that the Boost control adds additional boosted signal into the gain stages and does not affect the clean blend circuitry. The clean channel keeps its own level control, so your clean low-end stays put while the distorted side gets pushed harder.
Is the Damnation Audio RED TEXT MBD still available?
The pedal is listed as sold out on Damnation Audio's product page as of October 2026. The earlier MBD-1 is also sold out and is described by the maker as long discontinued, with its page kept for posterity.
Sources (3)
- RED TEXT MBD, Damnation Audio
- MBD-1 MOSFET Bass Distortion, Damnation Audio
- MBD2 MOSFET Bass Distortion 2, Damnation Audio
