Blackstar Department 10 Dual Drive 2-Channel Tube Overdrive Pedal with Cab Rig
The Department 10 Dual Drive puts a real ECC83 preamp valve inside an overdrive pedal, so the harmonic content and the compression come from a valve rather than a clipping network imitating one. It runs into whatever amplifier you own, and when there is no amp around, the built-in Cab Rig simulator and USB audio interface take you straight to a desk or a DAW instead.
- Real ECC83 preamp valve driving the overdrive circuit
- Two switchable channels for two distinct drive settings
- Blackstar ISF tone shaping for moving between American and British character
- 3-band EQ for detailed shaping in front of the amp
- Built-in Cab Rig speaker simulation for the sound of a miked-up cabinet, direct
- USB audio interface on board for recording straight into a DAW
- Feeds an amplifier, a recording interface or a mixing board
Most overdrive pedals shape a solid-state clipping stage. The Blackstar Dept. 10 Dual Drive takes a different route and puts a genuine ECC83 preamp valve in the box, which is why it behaves like a preamp rather than a tone filter.
Valve drive into any amp
With the ECC83 doing the work, the pedal breathes rich harmonic content into whatever amplifier you plug into. Two switchable channels give you two separate drive characters on tap, so a rhythm setting and a lead setting can live side by side without reaching for a knob mid-song.
Tone shaping
A 3-band EQ handles the broad strokes, and Blackstar's acclaimed ISF circuit sits on top of it. ISF is the control that moves the voicing between an American flavour and a British one, and having it on a pedal means you can push a neutral amp in either direction rather than being stuck with the amp's own character.
Skip the amp entirely
Cab Rig speaker simulation is built in, so the Dual Drive can go direct to a recording interface or a mixing board and still sound like a miked-up speaker cabinet. There is also a USB audio interface on board, which means direct recording into a DAW with nothing else in the chain. Between the valve front end, the two channels, ISF and the direct output, it covers a lot of ground for one enclosure.