Pedal: compare Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz by articulation

Hold the performance still

Both examples use exactly the same original eight-second synthesized string-like phrase. It has a bright onset followed by decaying harmonics and a gap. It is not a recorded guitar, and no amplifier or cabinet is inserted after Pedal. Keeping that input unchanged makes the mode comparison about processing rather than a different performance.

Begin with Overdrive (the OD button), Gain 45%, Bass centred, Mid +20, Treble −15, Mid Freq set to Mid, Sub off and Dry/Wet 100%. Output starts at −6 dB to leave room for the processed sound. Listen to a full phrase before turning anything: locate the attack, the sustained body and the moment the note drops away.

Compare the modes with three listening questions

• Does the initial edge remain distinct from the body, or does the whole note become similarly dense?
• Can you follow pitch through the roughness, especially as the note fades?
• Is the new texture useful between attacks, or does it make the phrase feel crowded?

Switch the first example to Distortion (Distort), then Fuzz, without raising Gain. These are distinct processing models, not successive points along one amount control. Distortion and Fuzz need not become transparent at minimum Gain. If you need an undistorted reference, use Dry/Wet at 0% rather than assuming Gain at zero bypasses the device.

A second starting point, not a louder winner

The Fuzz example keeps the same Gain and tone values but begins with Output at −9 dB. This is a cautious starting trim, not a measured loudness match. Alternate playback between the examples and adjust Output until neither wins merely by being louder. Listen at a modest monitoring level; sustained high-frequency energy can make the more aggressive choice tiring.

Lower Fuzz Gain toward 20%, then raise it toward 65%. Decide where the extra density stops helping the phrase. If the tail becomes the main event and the start no longer speaks clearly, back off Gain or try a small dry blend. Blending is not the same as reducing the distortion inside the wet path: it lays the original transient beside an already processed sound.

Shape the chosen mode, not every mode at once

Bass, Mid and Treble are bipolar controls with a centred zero, displayed on a signed −100 to +100 scale rather than as calibrated EQ gain in dB. Try Mid at −20 and +30. Then change Mid Freq between Low, Mid and High to find which region carries the phrase. These three positions are not a continuously tunable frequency control. Keep the smallest change that makes the intended part clearer.

Compare Sub off and on with Bass centred. Listen for extra weight without losing the distinction between successive notes. If the bottom dominates, turn Sub off before cutting several other controls to compensate. Lower Treble if the edge masks the pitch, but reduce Gain if the whole envelope has become too dense. These are different remedies for different symptoms.

The implementation uses a separate learned model for each mode, conditioned by Gain, the three tone controls, Mid Freq and Sub. Output is a separate gain stage afterwards; increasing it does not add drive. Mode changes crossfade between processing slots. Pedal currently carries a beta limitation in its Distortion model; treat these as available TuttiDAW sounds, not exact reproductions of external pedals. Save the mode that serves the phrase even when another one sounds more dramatic in isolation.