Carl Martin DC Drive User Manual

Manual

What Vintage series would be complete without an ultra­versatile and simple to use drive pedal? Funny, that’s what Carl
said just before he introduced the DC Drive. Just like Carl, this
pedal has a few tricks up its sleeve. Besides the typical Level,
Tone and Drive knobs which obviously control the volume of the
signal, the tone (hmmm, which knob?) and the amount of
overdrive, Carl has smartly added a clean boost after the drive
section, and a Regular/Fat switch….not so typical. In Regular
mode, the drive is crisp and clear, suitable for anything that calls
for old-school drive….switch over to Fat and the drive gets
thicker with a lot more gain, much more modern. Anyone who
knows the Carl Martin line is familiar with his Clean Boost….a
bump-up in signal volume that can be used either with your
clean or overdriven sounds. The result is a multi-use pedal that
allows you to have a variety of rhythm and solo volumes at your
feet. Like the rest of the Vintage line, the DC drive comes in that
cool retro diecast housing with the equally cool chicken-head
knobs and CM graphics. The pedal can be powered by 9v
battery but we recommend a regulated power supply like the
Carl Martin ProPower

BOOST

The DC Drive is also a 2-in-1 pedal.
Along with the Drive settings we have
described, there is another switch and
knob on the left side of this pedal that will
add another dimension to your sound.
When you step on the Boost switch, the
green LED will light, and you will be able
to add from 0db – 15db of crystal clear
volume to your signal using the Boost
knob. Why is this important? Well, the
Boost switch operates independently
from the Drive section, so you can boost
your clean signal or you can boost the
Drive signal without colouring the sound.
Remember when we said to set the
Drive Level the same or just a bit higher
than your clean signal? So with the DC
Drive you have 4 sounds available to
you…. your clean signal from the
amp….the clean signal with the Boost,
the Drive or overdriven signal, and finally
the overdriven signal with the Boost!

BYPASS

DRIVE

TONE

LEVEL

The Bypass footswitch engages or bypasses
the pedal….turns it on or off. The red LED
will be on when the pedal is engaged.

When the red LED is on, the Drive knob
regulates the amount of gain (overdrive) you
want to use….from almost clean turned full
left, to high gain turned full right.

The Tone knob sets the voicing or colour of
the overdrive, from dark at full left turn to
crystal bright at full right turn.

The Level knob simply sets the overall level
or volume of the effect. When the red LED is
on, choose the amount of Drive you prefer,
colour it with the Tone knob and then set the
Level knob to equal your clean volume, or set
the Level slightly higher than your clean
signal. Check your settings by turning the
pedal on and off with the Bypass switch to
compare and fine tune.

BOOST

The boost knob simply set's the boost level
going from 0 to +15db

FAT

REG

The DC Drive also offers two pre-set voicings,
which can be selected via the toggle switch
located between the Tone and Level knobs.
The Regular (REG) setting is more neutral
and flat creating more of a generic overdrive,
and the Fat (FAT) setting is as it
suggests….fatter and beefier, giving your
overdrive that shot of steroids! Both of these
voicings share the Drive, Tone and Level
controls.