Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion

The Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion is a digital distortion pedal that takes a different approach to gain. Instead of clipping the whole guitar signal at once, it divides the input into multiple frequency bands, distorts each band separately, and then recombines the signal¹. The point of doing it that way is clarity: where a conventional distortion pedal can turn a complex chord into mush, the Multiwave keeps the notes separated. Premier Guitar's reviewer put it to the test and reported "a distorted guitar tone with an incredible amount of clarity between the notes," managing a complex G7b13+9 chord "with unbelievable clarity"¹.

The pedal was part of Source Audio's first line of Soundblox pedals, announced in January 2008, and was described at the time as a completely new design rather than an evolution of the company's earlier Hot Hand products²³. It carried a US RRP of $149.99 when the Soundblox line launched³, and Premier Guitar's review lists it at an MSRP of $159.99¹.

Multiband distortion that keeps chords clear

Multiband processing is the idea the whole pedal is built on. The signal is split into multiple frequency bands, each band is distorted on its own, and the bands are recombined at the output¹. Because the intermodulation products that normally smear a chord never get a chance to interact across the full frequency range, each note keeps its own space. Source Audio's press material for the Pro version described the result as "a clear distortion with unprecedented" note articulation⁵.

This is a technique that only really exists in the digital domain, as Delicious Audio noted when covering the bass version: multiband distortion "would only be available in the digital domain"⁶. In the Soundblox Multiwave Distortion it runs on the SA601 56-bit digital signal processor with 24-bit A/D and D/A converters¹.

Premier Guitar's reviewer found the approach did exactly what it promises for chord work¹:

The same review noted the enclosure: a 4" x 7" footprint, a little larger than the average stompbox, in a turquoise finish with a modern design¹.

The controls and distortion banks

The front panel keeps things simple, with four controls: Sustain, Drive, Output and Effect Selection¹.

The Effect knob is where the pedal's range lives. The 21 effects are organized into two banks, Multi Band and Single Band, and each bank is divided into three groups: Normal, Foldback and Octave¹⁴. Premier Guitar described the spread at NAMM as ranging "from normal, for a somewhat traditional distortion curve, to extreme foldback and octave settings for more aggressive and synth-like tones"⁴. In other words, the Normal group covers conventional distortion territory, while Foldback and Octave push toward aggressive, synth-like sounds.

The 21 effects were positioned at launch as "truly unique and modern distortion effects" not found on typical distortion pedals², and the pedal was later joined by a Pro version, the Soundblox Pro Multiwave Distortion, which expanded the count to 23 effect types⁵. The line continued in the Soundblox 2 era with the Soundblox2 Multiwave Distortion, which Performer Mag described as offering "23 varieties of unique distortion algorithms" with "tons of distortion modes from tube drive, to an octave fuzz, and pretty much everything in between"⁸.

Power and connections

The Soundblox Multiwave Distortion runs its effect in the digital domain but its bypass in analog. Premier Guitar's review describes "an active analog bypass, which is fully routed around the DSP and guarantees no signal loss"¹. That is not the same as true bypass: the signal still passes through active circuitry when the pedal is off, though it never touches the converters. Later Soundblox 2 versions of the Multiwave design moved to what Source Audio calls Universal Bypass, a selectable buffered or true bypass system⁹.

The original Soundblox Multiwave Distortion runs on a 4"x7" footprint, a little larger than the average stompbox, in a cast-aluminum housing with a turquoise finish¹. Its rear panel is straightforward: a Guitar In 1/4" jack, a Guitar Out 1/4" jack, and a connection for the Hot Hands sensor⁷.

The bass versions

The multiband approach was adapted for bass almost immediately. The Soundblox Multiwave Bass Distortion uses the same multi-band process as the original guitar pedal, retuned to the bass frequency range, and Source Audio's material said it "alleviates the tendency for low-end reduction associated with most bass distortion units"⁴. It was offered alongside the programmable Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion, which added six memory presets, a seven-band graphic EQ, MIDI control over parameters, and a connection for the Hot Hands motion sensor⁷.

MusicPlayers.com's John Montalbano reviewed the bass version and found its multiband algorithm divided the input into ten frequency bands, distorted each separately, then recombined them, awarding it an overall rating of 3.6 and a WIHO Award⁷. The design carried into the Soundblox 2 Multiwave Bass Distortion, which Premier Guitar later described as "an excellent tool for adding grind and grit to your bass tone," noting that its multi-band modes are "just the ticket for keeping even the wildest distortions tight and crisp"⁹. Bass players today can also look at the later AfterShock Bass Distortion and Ultrawave lines from the same maker.

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