OTO Machines Boum

The OTO Machines Boum is a full analog stereo warming unit that combines an easy-to-use compressor, a versatile distortion generator and a signal shaper in one box. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as "the perfect tool when you need to add warmth, thickness, and character to your sounds, but also apply severe distortion and extreme compression treatments"¹. It is built on what the maker calls an original and unique circuit, arranged as a chain of stages: input gain, compressor, lo cut filter, distortion generator, hi cut filter and noise gate².

What it does to a signal

The Boum's circuit runs the signal through six stages in order, and each one shapes a different part of the sound²:

1. Input gain: boosts the signal up to +18 dB to adapt the Boum to various signal levels, and also improves the distortion content and compression sensitivity²
2. Compressor: a single knob controls the three essential parameters of a compressor, threshold, ratio and makeup gain together, "without thinking," as the maker puts it²
3. Lo cut filter: trims low frequencies before the distortion stage²
4. Distortion generator: adds distortion content, fed by the input gain stage²
5. Hi cut filter: tames high frequencies after the distortion stage²
6. Noise gate: silences the tail when the signal stops²

The compressor section goes further than a conventional one-knob design usually does. Its ratio ranges from 1:1, meaning no compression, to infinity to 1, meaning limiter territory, but it also offers negative compression up to 1:-1, a form of extreme compression treatment that pushes the maker's "severe distortion and extreme compression" description²¹.

Where it sits among effect types

Because the Boum bundles several functions, it does not sit neatly in one category. RockBoard's PedalPedia classifies it as a distortion, compressor, equalizer, booster and fuzz¹. For a player, that means it overlaps with several familiar pedal types: the compressor and input gain stages relate to Compressor Pedals and Boost Pedals, the distortion generator to Distortion Pedals and Fuzz Pedals, the filters to Equalization Pedals, and the gate to Noise Gate Pedals.

MIDI and presets

The Boum carries a MIDI input and responds to CCs, Program Change and Note messages, which lets it be controlled from a MIDI controller or a switching system alongside other MIDI-equipped gear². It stores 36 user presets, so different settings can be saved and recalled rather than dialled in by hand each time².

Power and build

The Boum runs on 15V DC, center negative, and draws 1000mA¹. That is a demanding figure compared with typical compact pedals, so it needs a supply output rated for it rather than a shared daisy chain. The unit is housed in a rugged steel enclosure².

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