The MI Audio Tube Zone V1 is an overdrive pedal, built in a compact enclosure. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reviewing it in September 2025, described the circuit as "full-fat THT" construction, meaning through-hole components on the board rather than surface-mount parts1.
What it does
The Tube Zone has a voicing Karlsson described as "quite bright and articulate, and cutting," with a wide range across vintage and modern tones depending on where the Mids and Character controls are set1.
Its controls shape the sound as follows:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mids | Shapes the midrange, part of how the pedal moves between vintage and modern tones1 |
| Character | Sets the tonal character, working with the Mids control to spread across vintage and modern voicings1 |
| Bright | Feeds more treble into the gain stage as it is turned up1 |
One of its distinctive controls is the Bright knob, which Karlsson read as "some sort of inverse Low-Pass Filter - delivering increasingly more high frequencies into the circuit," so turning it up feeds more treble into the gain stage rather than cutting it after the fact1.
"quite bright and articulate, and cutting"
Versions
The Tube Zone exists in two formats:
| Version | Format |
|---|---|
| V1 | Compact enclosure, the version covered on this page1 |
| V2 | Larger pedal in 1590-BB enclosures1 |
Karlsson noted he had "particularly liked the smaller original V1 editions," which is the version covered here1.
This page covers the compact V1. The Tube Zone was also made in a larger V2 format in 1590-BB enclosures, and the two differ in size1.
What reviewers said
Comparing it against the MoVall Jumpspace, Karlsson found the Tube Zone's output profile "sounds and feels a little more 3D and more textured," and called it more lively, vibrant and tonally complex than the Jumpspace, while cautioning that it can be unruly at times1.
"sounds and feels a little more 3D and more textured"
That mix of depth and unpredictability is the main character note published reviewers have given it: a pedal with a lot of tonal range that rewards time spent on the controls1.
If you are looking at other MI Audio designs, the MI Audio Cross Over Drive is covered separately on this site.
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-09-09
