Isolate Audio RATATATAT

The RATATATAT is a distortion pedal from Isolate Audio, a maker based in Australia. Delicious Audio describes it as "a modern take on a classic distortion circuit with a similar name but fewer "A"s and "T"s", meaning the classic Rat, with "some intriguing new features" added on top¹.

What it does

At its core, the RATATATAT follows the Rat formula, the distortion circuit that has inspired a long line of clones and variants. Isolate Audio's version departs from the original in a few ways that change how the pedal can be used¹.

The most visible additions are two controls the classic Rat never had: a Bass knob and a low-pass Cut knob. Delicious Audio notes the Cut knob is "vaguely reminiscent of the Pult" style of low-pass filtering, giving players a way to shape the top end of the distortion in a way the original circuit does not allow¹.

Beyond the tone controls, the pedal offers "a range of clipping options, including Turbo and Asymmetrical modes", which opens up different distortion characters from the same box¹.

Headroom and gain

The preamp circuit runs at a boosted +18VDC internally, which the maker says ensures "maximum headroom and dynamic range". The pedal allows +26dB of gain, enough, per Delicious Audio, for "both crystal-clear clean boosts and harmonically rich overdrive", so it can double as a boost or overdrive at lower gain settings¹.

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