The Satellite is an overdrive and booster pedal from Magnetic Effects, a London based maker of hand built effects. Announced in February 2016, it sits in the low to medium gain territory that players use to push an amp or add a touch of dirt without burying the guitar's own voice. Writing in Guitar Interactive Magazine, Jonathan Graham described it as "a natural sounding and dynamic Overdrive/Booster" that "retains the tonal characteristics of your guitar and amp"1.
What it does
The Satellite covers two jobs in one box: it works as a low to medium gain overdrive and as a booster, and the maker's aim was for it to stay transparent, keeping the tonal characteristics of the guitar and amp feeding it1. That makes it the kind of pedal players put in front of a clean or lightly pushed amp to add drive and level, rather than a distortion that replaces the amp's sound. For more on where it sits, see Overdrive Pedals and Boost Pedals.
Controls
Alongside the usual Volume and Gain controls, the Satellite carries High and Low controls that shape the treble and bass response. As Guitar Interactive put it, "The High and Low controls can be configure for a even frequency response or used to smooth the top end and tighten up" the low end1. In practice that gives two ways to set the pedal: flat and even, or shaped to tame harsh highs and firm up the bottom.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the pedal's output level1 |
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive1 |
| High | Affects the treble response1 |
| Low | Affects the bass response1 |
Practical details
The Satellite runs on a 9VDC center negative adapter and uses true bypass switching, so it drops out of the signal chain entirely when off1. The jacks and DC socket are top mounted, which helps the pedal fit on crowded boards without wide gaps between pedals1.
Reception and what came after
ToneReport gave the original Satellite a glowing review, and gearnews noted that this gave the pedal a good reputation going forward2.
ToneReport gave the original Satellite a glowing review, and that reputation carried over to the revised version2. The Satellite is a dynamic, low to medium gain overdrive and booster that, in the maker's words, retains the tonal characteristics of your guitar and amp1.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
Eirik Stordrange
JJ Tanis
Sources (2)
- Magnetic Effects Introduce the Satellite Effects Pedal for Guitar, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2016-02-12
- Magnetic Effects' Sändare Overdrive V2: The Satellite revamped, gearnews.com, 2018-10-29
