Source Audio Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion

The Source Audio Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion is a programmable bass distortion pedal that Source Audio introduced at the NAMM show in January 2010. What sets it apart from most bass distortion boxes is multiband processing: instead of pushing the whole signal through one clipping stage, it divides the signal into multiple frequency bands and distorts each band individually, an approach Source Audio adapted to the bass guitar's frequency range¹. The company pitched it as delivering "the advantages of multiband processing to bass players"¹.

The point of that design is clarity and low end. Multiband processing offers a clear distortion with note articulation¹, and the pedal's separate mix knobs for clean and dirty signals let you keep your low end, which No Treble noted is unlike many distortion boxes². It shipped with an MSRP of $299 and a street price of $219 as of January 2010¹.

How multiband distortion works on bass

Most distortion pedals clip the entire signal at once, which on bass tends to thin out the bottom end. The Multiwave approach is different: multiband processing breaks the signal into multiple bands and distorts them individually for more clarity and articulation². The tones are based on new proprietary algorithms, and they range from basic overdrive to aggressive synth-like, octave-heavy and extreme foldback settings¹. Premier Guitar described the range as running "from normal, for a somewhat traditional distortion curve, to extreme foldback and octave settings for more aggressive and synth-like tones"³.

On top of the band splitting, the pedal lets you mix your direct bass signal in parallel with the distorted signal, as reviewed at MusicPlayers.com⁴. That parallel clean blend is the other half of keeping a bass sounding like a bass under gain: the distorted bands supply the grind while your untouched low end supplies the weight.

Delicious Audio's reviewers made the underlying point directly: this is technology "that would only be available in the digital domain"⁵. Splitting a signal into bands, clipping each one separately and recombining them is not something an analog distortion circuit does, which is why the pedal is built around a 56-bit digital signal processor with 24-bit converters¹⁴.

Presets, MIDI and the seven-band EQ

The Pro model is the programmable version of the pedal. It gives you access to 23 modern and distinctive presets plus an additional clean boost/EQ mode¹, and you can save six of your own sounds as user presets, recalled quickly through its three footswitches². Each preset is then customizable using the 7-band graphic EQ, the drive control and the separate mix knobs for clean and distorted signals².

The MIDI input allows external access to presets and parameters¹, which puts the pedal in the company of other MIDI-enabled distortion pedals like the TC Electronic Nova Drive, as a Molten Voltage technical analysis noted⁶. The expression pedal input is the performance-friendly counterpart: rather than switching between sounds, you can morph continuously between two user presets with your foot¹.

The Soundblox line: Pro, standard and Soundblox 2 versions

The pedal comes in two versions at launch. The Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion is the full programmable unit; it is also available in a scaled down, non-programmable version called the Soundblox Multiwave Bass Distortion¹. Both the Pro and the standard version feature the same 56-bit digital signal processing with 24-bit converters¹, so the difference is the programming, the EQ, the presets and the MIDI, not the core sound engine.

The standard version still carries plenty of sounds: MusicPlayers.com found its presets are selected by rotary dial, grouped into Multi band mode and Single band mode⁴. Reviewer John Montalbano gave it an overall rating of 3.6, which earned it a WIHO Award⁴.

In 2012 Source Audio carried the concept into its Soundblox 2 line, repackaging the Multiwave Bass Distortion into a smaller and more affordable unit, the Soundblox 2 Multiwave Bass Distortion⁷. That version trims the feature set considerably, with fewer programmable presets and 3-band tone shaping instead of the Pro's 7-band graphic EQ⁸¹. Its multi-band modes split the signal into ten frequencies and distort them individually, and it adds an adjustable multi-level noise gate⁸.

Premier Guitar's review of the Soundblox 2 version found that its multi-band modes are "just the ticket for keeping even the wildest distortions tight and crisp," and called the pedal "an excellent tool for adding grind and grit to your bass tone, a" with more than enough sonic options to carve a place in a rock or metal band's mix⁸.

The multiband idea has since run through Source Audio's bass line, from the Soundblox Pro Bass Envelope Filter to later pedals like the Aftershock and the Ultrawave Multiband Bass Processor, but the Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion is where the company first brought that processing to bass players¹.

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