The Orion Effects Black and White is a two-in-one pedal that combines an overdrive circuit with a booster, announced by the German manufacturer in April 2020. Orion claims it can do both overdrive and treble boosting in one unit, and the company described the overdrive circuit as supposedly the best it has ever built1. It sits in the boutique sector of the pedal market, and the pedals are built by hand in Osnabrück, Germany1.
Two channels: black and white
The pedal is split into two channels, named by the color of their knobs. Each channel has its own set of controls1:
| Channel | Role | Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Black | Overdrive | Level, sound, distortion, saturation1 |
| White | Booster, convertible to treble booster | Filter, level1 |
The white channel's filter control is what turns it into a treble booster: it dampens the bass frequencies and makes the channel act as a traditional treble booster1.
The black channel has one more trick. With the appropriate settings, its controls can be driven into self-oscillation1, which takes the overdrive beyond its usual range as a drive pedal.
How the two circuits work together
Both circuits run parallel to each other, so to mute a channel you simply turn down the respective level control1. Because they run in parallel, the white channel does not feed into the black one: the boost does not stack into the overdrive's input the way it would if the circuits were wired in series. Each channel stands on its own, and the level knobs are what bring a channel in or out of the sound1.
That parallel arrangement is the main thing that sets the Black and White apart from a conventional overdrive-plus-boost pairing, where the boost normally feeds the drive1:
- Players who want the boost alongside the overdrive, or who want to use the two independently, get that flexibility here.
- Players who want boost-into-drive stacking would need to look elsewhere, since the white channel does not feed the black one1.
For context on the overdrive side of the pedal, see the site's overdrive pedals page.
Price and availability
At its April 2020 announcement, gearnews.com listed the Black and White at an RRP of EUR 2691.
The Black and White is a hand-built pedal from a small German maker, so availability is limited compared with mass-produced pedals1.
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Dennis Kayzer
Questions
Can the Orion Black and White be used as a treble booster?
Yes. The white channel can be turned into a treble booster using the filter control, which dampens the bass frequencies and makes the channel act as a traditional treble booster. That gives the pedal a second role beyond its standard boost function, covering the overdrive and treble booster sounds in one box.
Can both channels of the Black and White run at the same time?
Yes. The two circuits run parallel to each other, so the overdrive and the booster can be used together. Because the white channel does not feed into the black one, the boost sits alongside the overdrive rather than stacking into it, and each channel is switched in and out with its own level control.
How do you turn off one channel on the Orion Black and White?
Both circuits run parallel to each other, so to mute a channel you simply turn down its respective level control. There is no separate channel-switching footswitch arrangement described; the level knobs are what take a channel out of the picture.
Where is the Orion Effects Black and White made?
The pedals are built by hand in Osnabrück, Germany, by Orion Effects, a German manufacturer working in the boutique sector of the pedal market.
How much does the Orion Effects Black and White cost?
When the pedal was announced in April 2020, gearnews.com listed it at an RRP of EUR 269. That was the manufacturer's suggested price in euros at announcement; no US dollar figure was given.
Sources (1)
- Overdrive meets Treble Booster with the Orion Effects Black and White pedal, gearnews.com, 2020-04-03