EarthQuaker Devices Gray Channel User manual

OPERATION MANUAL
©2018 EarthQuaker Devices LLC
<<< Power Requirements >>>
<<< Tech Specs >>>
• Current Draw: 45mA
• This device take a standard 9 volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel. We
always recommend pedal-specic, transformer-isolated wall-wart power supplies or multiple
isolated-output supplies. Pedals will make extra noise if there is ripple or unclean power.
Switching-type power supplies, daisy chains and non-pedal specic power supplies do not lter
dirty power as well and let through unwanted noise. DO NOT RUN AT HIGHER VOLTAGES!
• Input Impedance: 500K Ohm • Output Impedance: <1K Ohm
<<< Warranty >>>
This device has a limited lifetime warranty. If it breaks, we will x it. Should you encounter any
issues, please email [e-mail].
www.earthquakerdevices.com
<<< Switching >>>
This device is true bypass and uses electronic relay-based switching. Audio will not pass
without power.

<<< Controls >>>
Green Channel Controls
Gain: Adjusts the drive. Dirtier clockwise, cleaner counterclockwise.
Green: Sets the output level when the green LED is lit.
Toggle: Si- Silicon clipping, N- No clipping, Ge- Germanium Clipping
Red Channel Controls
Gain: Adjusts the drive. Dirtier clockwise, cleaner counterclockwise.
Red: Sets the output level when the red LED is lit.
Toggle: LED- LED clipping, N- No clipping, FET- Mosfet Clipping
Channel Switch: Selects between Red and Green channels.
Activate Switch: Turns the effect on and off.
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Welcome to your new dynamic dirt doubler! The Gray Channel™ is a real “twofer” of an overdrive.
It is based around a classic hard-clipping gray box overdrive (subtle hint, huh), one of my all-time
favorites. Coincidentally, this is the very same pedal that got me started building pedals and
launched EQD. It is two channels of a simple hard clipping overdrive that leaves the character
of the guitar and amp intact. The Gray Channel retains the classic warm overdrive sound and
expands upon it with several clipping options and bigger bass response.
Each channel has 3 clipping modes. The Green channel– Si (Silicon clipping diodes),
Ge (Germanium clipping diodes) and N (no clipping diodes). The Si mode will be bright/loud/
fuzzy and has a natural tube type break up. Ge mode is a little looser with more lows and warmth
and less output. N mode acts as a clean boost until you hit roughly 1 o’clock on the gain, at which
point it’ll start to saturate the opamp into a biting, loud distortion. Phew!
Still with me? Cool, onto the modes of the Red channel. Here, you’ve got LED (LED clipping
diodes), FET (Mosfet clipping diodes) and N (again, no clipping diodes). LED mode is the loudest,
cleanest and most touch sensitive/least compressed. FET mode is the most compressed with
a tighter crunch; the biggest hesher of the group. And nally, the Nmode is the same clean to
crazy loud opamp distortion setup as the Green channel. With a couple of switch clicks you
can go from your bypassed tone to warm break up to over-the-top gnarly grind and any/every
combination in between.
With more and more drive pedals moving onto already crowded pedal boards, having the Gray
Channel dual overdrive is like, totally crucial for sonic growth and sustain. Join the ght to stop
pedal board overcrowding, because before we can overdrive tomorrow, we must rst drive
today... or something. Each Gray Channel is built one at a time, part-by-gorgeous-part at a
former automotive paint factory by a bunch of smokestacks on a dead-end street in Akron, Ohio.
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