The DirtBox is a phantom powered distortion effect box for microphone level signals! Just plug any microphone into the DirtBox to get amazing analog distortion tones. Building on the success of the DirtMic-01, DrAlienSmith have taken that very same circuit and put it in its own enclosure. Now any microphone that's plugged into the DirtBox becomes a distorted beast.
Real analog distortion
The circuit has been designed to run off 48v phantom power so no batteries or power supplies are needed. The two DirtBox transformers match your Low Z mic to the distortion effect and then back again to the mic preamp so it's a simple solution that packs a lot of punch. Simply plug a mic into the input, then plug the DirtBox output into any mic preamp and turn the phantom power on. The top panel LED will light up with the presence of phantom power. The amount of distortion on the DirtBox is controlled by the ‘pre-gain’ volume pot. Turn the gain right up to 10 to capture unique, dirty flavors from any sound source or try lower gain settings for more subtle tones.
1 XLR Y-cable for 2 possibilities
A Balanced Y cable comes standard with the DirtBox and it unlocks two extra features, the first is the ability to capture a clean and a distorted signal from the one source. By using the Y Cable you can split the signal into 2 and use one split for a clean sound and the other split for the DirtBox and a distorted signal. The two signals will be in phase and can be mixed together to your taste. The second feature unlocked by a Y Cable is the ability to use a condenser mic with the DirtBox. By turning on phantom power for both the clean and distorted preamp inputs, the DirtBox and the condenser mic will both be powered.
A product designed in the studio, but also formidable live
The DirtBox has been primarily designed to be a recording studio tool but there is potential to use it for live performance too. Feedback is always an issue with onstage distortion but if you keep stage volumes low and take advantage of the clean and dirty splits from the mic then you will have a good chance of success.
