Source Audio Multiwave Distortion

The Source Audio Multiwave Distortion is a distortion pedal from Source Audio built around one central idea: instead of distorting the whole guitar signal at once, it divides the input into multiple frequency bands, distorts each band separately, and then recombines the signal¹. The payoff is clarity. Premier Guitar's reviewer found the result to be "a distorted guitar tone with an incredible amount of clarity between the notes," and reported pulling off a complex G7b13+9 chord through distortion with clarity that single-band pedals typically turn to mush¹.

The pedal arrived in 2008 as part of Source Audio's Soundblox line, giving guitarists what the company's press release called "21 truly unique and modern distortion effects"². It was later expanded into a Pro version with MIDI and a bass version, and the Soundblox 2 line went on to repackage the Multiwave Distortion in guitar and bass models³⁴.

What the Multiwave Distortion does

Multiband processing is the whole point of this pedal. The technique divides a signal into multiple bands and then distorts them individually, which gives musicians more clarity and articulation than distorting everything together⁵. In the original pedal's Multi-Band mode, the input signal is split into several frequency bands, distorted separately, and then recombined³.

The bass version takes the same approach further, dividing the input into ten frequency bands, distorting each one, and recombining them⁸. Premier Guitar's Rebecca Dirks described the range of distortion types as running "from normal, for a somewhat traditional distortion curve, to extreme foldback and octave settings for more aggressive and synth-like tones"³.

Because the bands are processed separately, the pedal addresses a problem familiar to any player who has pushed a conventional distortion pedal hard: complex chords collapsing into mush. Premier Guitar's reviewer put it directly¹³⁸:

Delicious Audio's reviewers noted that this multiband approach is a technique "that would only be available in the digital domain," which is why the Multiwave line is a DSP pedal rather than an analog circuit⁹.

The versions: Soundblox, Pro, and Soundblox 2

The Multiwave Distortion appeared in several forms over its life, and the differences matter if you are comparing used units or older listings¹⁰⁴¹¹.

The Pro versions add the programming layer. A MIDI input allows external access to presets and parameters, and the Soundblox Pro Multiwave Distortion is described as a MIDI-enabled distortion pedal⁵. The standard Soundblox Multiwave Bass Distortion is the same pedal without the programming abilities¹¹.

The Soundblox 2 version: tone shaping, presets and MIDI

The Soundblox 2 Multiwave Distortion keeps the front panel simple. Performer Mag's Chris Devine described the controls as "Drive, Voice, Tone, and Output," backed by a 3-band tone control⁷. Each of the 23 distortion algorithms is further customizable via the drive control³.

Two features set it apart from a basic multiband pedal:

• Tone Shape: a button that "allows more customization of the tones at the touch of button," in Devine's description⁷.
• Morphing with an expression pedal: the player can pan between two different modes of their choosing to get a unique blend of the two at the same time⁶.

The pedal is also MIDI capable, with Performer Mag describing it as "MIDI Capable State-of-the-art DSP"⁷. For players building a rig around MIDI pedals, that puts preset switching and parameter control within reach of a larger board setup.

On the bass side, Premier Guitar's reviewer found the Soundblox 2 Multiwave Bass Distortion to be "an excellent tool for adding grind and grit to your bass tone, with more than enough sonic options to carve a place in a rock or metal band's mix," listing "tons of range, great response" among its strengths and noting that "multi-band modes are just the ticket for keeping even the wildest distortions tight and crisp"⁴. The same reviewer found the multi-band modes "possessed wider, more 3-D qualities that greatly helped the overdriven tones' low end and midrange even after piling on large amounts of gain"⁴.

Guitar versus bass versions

The guitar and bass pedals share the same multi-band process, but the bass version is adapted to the bass guitar's frequency range³. That adaptation matters, because low-end reduction is a known weakness of most bass distortion units, and the bass pedal's sound control is designed to alleviate it³.

The bass version also adds the ability to mix the direct bass signal in parallel with the distorted signal⁸, a feature MusicPlayers.com's John Montalbano highlighted in his review. He described the pedal as "a well-built stomp box with plenty of dirty distortions, subtle overdrives, and edgy synth-like tones," though he also noted a limitation: "We would have liked to have more control over the presets in order to experiment more with creative bass distortion sounds"⁸.

What reviewers said

Published reviews of the line were largely positive, with the clarity of the multiband approach as the recurring theme¹⁴:

• Premier Guitar: complex chords stay clear under high distortion; the pedal solves the mush problem¹.
• Performer Mag: "PROS: Good selection of distortions, flexible controls," and Source Audio "has brought all the plusses of programmable distortion with the simplicity of a stompbox"⁷.
• Premier Guitar on the Soundblox 2 bass version: excellent for grind and grit, with multi-band modes keeping wild distortions tight⁴.
• MusicPlayers.com: well built with a wide tonal range, but preset editing could go deeper⁸.

The Multiwave line's ideas carried forward in Source Audio's later pedals, including the Soundblox 2 OFD and the Ultrawave multiband processors, and the AfterShock Bass Distortion for bass players.

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