Analog Drive instead of AH for AR?

Has anyone tried this?
Someone told me the hardware has cosiderable overlaps.
Asking cause the AH is a bit beyond my budget :frowning:

Doesn’t seem like a useful alternative to me. You’d have to sum to mono if you wanted to run the mixed / compressor output from the AR. Obv losing panning and stereo effect.

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The env follower is a big part of the appeal of heat IMO. Won’t be the same without it.

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That. Many times.

Also there’s no dry/wet on the Drive, so you’re all or nothing. Not so great for a master bus.

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Perhaps, then, take a look at Strymon Deco, which can be set up for stereo in/out.

“If the input is stereo, it is summed to mono. The input is then sent to the left output channel through the Reference Deck, and to the right output channel via the delayed Lag Deck to create an adjustable stereo spread.”

Keep it context though.

Wide Stereo Mode– ON
If the input is stereo, it is summed to mono. The input is then sent to the left output channel through the Reference Deck, and to the right output channel via the delayed Lag Deck to create an adjustable stereo spread.”

However, with Wide Stereo Mode- OFF

“This is the standard configuration from the factory. You get a true stereo dual-deck configuration.”

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My bad, thanks for the correction.

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Ok, but how many distortion flavours is available on the strymon? If there’s just one, I’m not really sure the price is that much better either, although I bet it’s also a great delay pedal…

Offered as nothing more than another stereo saturation option for the budget-minded.

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The Riverside is also nice for this kind of thing

But mono. Sorry, my bad.

Two stereo dirt pedals I’ve looked at as alternatives to the AH (also because of the size of the AH):

Electroharmonix Overlord stereo saturation pedal.

Source Audio Aftershock bass distortion.

I mention these because they are both stereo and both are full range distortions (shouldn’t attenuate the bass frequencies).

Edit: Also both a fair amount cheaper than a Strymon pedal.

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my work around is to split my synth output and send a dry channel to the mixer and a distorted channel as well. then I blend the two. I know it is not perfect but I am happy with the results.

I suggest cheap mixer with ‘bad’ preamps. You’ll get great results and many flavors with Soundcraft epm8 by piping multiple outs through it…

I am using Koma feildkit fx. That definitely has a cheap mixer in it.
Works great for mixing modular signals.

This is a pretty old thread but I’ll bring up the Aira Torcido like I always do because despite being digital it’s a really good-sounding affordable stereo distortion unit. Wide range of timbres, wet/dry mix, reprogrammable, eurorack compatible, can be used as an audio interface, etc. etc.