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Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine Review – Hard to say what it is, but it sounds amazing!
Introduction
We have a fantastic pedal from the amazing team at Soundlad Liverpool! In this article, we are looking at the Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine pedal – a versatile unit that can be used for anything ranging from a boost, breakup, EQ, or even just to add a bit of extra sauce to your sound! The Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine will do almost whatever you need it to! You can think of it as a pedal that sits somewhere between a boost pedal and an overdrive pedal. However, that’s putting it very simply, as this pedal can do a lot for a unit with just four knobs. There’s a lot going on, as you’ll soon find out!
As with all our reviews, we’ll be going through the pedal, the features, then exploring the sounds, and finally sharing our thoughts! Believe me, there’s a fair bit happening inside this pedal. It may look like a simple unit, but behind the scenes, there’s a lot going on. So why don’t we dive straight into the Clean Machine and talk about what’s happening – and what features this pedal has!
Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine Pedal
Soundlad Liverpool are a UK-based company making some really interesting and innovative pedals. The Clean Machine is their take on a Treble Boost / Overdrive / Fuzz / EQ pedal. It’s not a pedal that does just one thing – it does many things, and it does them well. To put it simply, it’s a flexible two-band discrete EQ that can be used as an always-on or colour pedal. Soundlad Liverpool didn’t use any chips in this build. You could say that the Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine is an always-on preamp pedal, designed to give you tones reminiscent of a mixing desk or transformer-style distortion. It’s a toolbox – a pedal that can lend a helping hand to any job you need it to do.
In the box, you’ll receive the Clean Machine pedal, a lovely branded pouch bag, and a Soundlad Liverpool sticker. This all comes housed in a branded box! Taking the pedal out of the box, you’ll see the black enclosure with the vibrant and colourful design of Truck being cleaned on the front. The sides and back of the pedal are left blank, except for the serial number on the rear.
Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine Controls
Control-wise, this pedal is very simple – yet very complex! What do we mean by this? Well, it only has four knobs, but they all interact and behave in unique ways. So we’ll run through the controls and then explain how they work together. So, what controls does this pedal have?
- Base: This is a bass cut (2.6KHz), allowing you to cut or boost the bass frequencies. Boosting can push the signal into overdrive and even fuzz territory, giving you a fuzz-like tone.
- Buff: A gain control that works in tandem with the Base control to shape the overdrive and low-end character of the pedal.
- Sheen: A treble filter with a frequency range around Tube Screamer territory, but with the clean signal blended in. Interestingly, the two signals are slightly out of phase, so turning this control up introduces a pleasant phase distortion.
- Cut: A hybrid volume and treble cut. Increasing this will raise the overall volume while also shaping the treble content. It works alongside the Sheen control to manage your high-end frequencies.
More on the Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine
All the controls on the Clean Machine affect each other, which makes it a pedal with a huge range of uses. For example, you can turn the Base control down and the Buff up to overdrive the mids and highs – achieving a kind of treble booster effect.
On the top of the Clean Machine, you’ll find the input, the output, and the 9V power supply jack. On the back is the serial number. You can buy the Clean Machine direct from Soundlad Liverpool for £129. It comes with a “so long as we are in business, we will sort you out” guarantee!
We know what you all want – to hear what it sounds like! So let’s dive into some tones!
The Sounds
For sounds, we do our usual – jam over some backing tracks! This demo features two jam tracks with two very different tones. For both tracks, we’re using the RD Custom Amp with the Clean Machine running into the front end of the amp. We added some delay in post (thanks to Gnome from Two Notes).
After that, we run through a range of sounds you can get and take a closer look at the controls. Again, for this demo, we’re using the RD Custom with the Clean Machine. The reverb you hear is from the amp’s onboard spring reverb. We explore two types of tones – from clean to medium/high gain.
What do you think of the tones? Do you like the sounds the Clean Machine creates? Are you enjoying our more improvised demo tracks, or do you prefer the highly produced recordings? Let us know over on the YouTube video!
What are my thoughts?
The Design
I have to say, the design and quality are amazing! I love the graphics and the colour choice for this pedal. You can tell that everything about this unit was well thought out, and a lot of hard work has gone into the R&D of this pedal. The quality of the power input alone shows that Soundlad Liverpool aimed to create a high-end pedal – and they’ve succeeded. However, details like the handwritten serial number on the back also show that they’re a small company, producing each Clean Machine by hand.
The box is nicely printed, with the name of the pedal, model, and serial number on the side. Opening the box, you’ll find a sticker (always appreciated!) and the pedal wrapped in a lovely Soundlad Liverpool bag – a really nice touch that we always appreciate!
The controls are very responsive, and you get immediate feedback on what’s happening. That said, it’s worth taking the time to really learn what each control does. This way, when you want to alter your tone or recreate a sound you hear in your head, you’ll know exactly what to tweak.
"Not only is this a fantastic clean boost, but it’s also a surprisingly wild fuzz pedal when dialled in just right!"
The Sounds
Speaking of tones, how does the Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine sound? Well, that’s a tough one – because this pedal can do so much! There are a huge number of tones and applications packed into this one unit. So how have I found myself using it? I’ve been using it as an always-on pedal to clean up, shape, and EQ my signal. With the various knobs, you can really sculpt your tone. Add sparkle, tame low-end mud – it’s all there.
Pushing the “Base” control past 2 o’clock gives you more gain, and you start to enter fuzz territory – and it sounds glorious. Since the Base control only affects bass frequencies, you get a thick low-end fuzz while the highs stay fairly clear. You can then use the “Buff” control to add even more gain and push everything harder. Not only is this a fantastic clean boost, but it’s also a surprisingly wild fuzz pedal when dialled in just right!
One fantastic use for the Clean Machine is to push other overdrive pedals. Sometimes when you slam a drive pedal, the bass gets flabby and the highs get scratchy. The Clean Machine is perfect for tidying that up – add some boost, roll off the bass, push the highs – and you’ve got a super-tight, usable drive tone.
Do you use digital amp modellers? This pedal plays very nicely with them. Run the Clean Machine into the front of your modeller as an always-on EQ/tone shaper, and it sounds incredible! It’s a great way to inject some “old school” analogue feel into your digital rig – letting you fine-tune your input signal and add some analogue magic.
The Drawbacks
There’s not a huge amount to criticise here. As mentioned earlier, it really does help to understand the controls and the signal flow through the pedal. This is a very clever circuit, and Soundlad Liverpool have done an amazing job – but it does reward users who take the time to learn how each element interacts. Once you do, you’ll be able to create almost any gain or EQ-based tone you want.
When we first unboxed the pedal, we thought we might struggle to read the control labels – blue writing on a multicoloured background. Yet, surprisingly, they’re perfectly legible – even when standing a few feet away. So, no complaints there!
And honestly, we can’t even complain about the price. At £129 for a UK-built pedal from a boutique builder, it’s an absolute steal. Considering its versatility and build quality, we might even say it’s too cheap. If you’ve been hunting for an overdrive or tone-shaping pedal but haven’t found the right one, you definitely need to check out the Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine.
Final Thoughts
If you’re bored of your standard overdrive and boost pedals, this is definitely something worth checking out. It’s so refreshing to see something new and exciting hit the market. There are countless ways to use it, and in this article, we’ve only scratched the surface. Everyone will find their own use and their own ideal settings. If you’re struggling to get a tone you love from your current drive pedal, we highly recommend giving the Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine a try. It’s incredibly adjustable and genuinely useful.
Having looked into Soundlad Liverpool’s other pedals, it’s clear they know their stuff – take their Tremolo pedal, for example! If you haven’t seen it yet, head to their link below and check it out. We’re super excited to see what they release next. A fresh, creative pedal company with tons of character – we love it and hope to work with them again to review more of their incredible gear!
Conclusion
Hope you enjoyed our review of the Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine! It’s such a killer pedal, and we’re incredibly thankful to Soundlad Liverpool for sending it to us for this review – it will definitely be missed! As we mentioned above, we’re keen to check out more of their lineup and can’t wait to see what else they come up with. This is a brand full of fresh, innovative ideas and standout designs!
If you want to explore the Clean Machine further, be sure to visit the links below to Soundlad Liverpool’s website and Instagram. Check out the pedal and grab one for yourself – you won’t be disappointed!
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Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine Links:
- Soundlad Liverpool Clean Machine Website
- Soundlad Liverpool Instagram
- Andertons Affiliate Link
- Thomann Affiliate Link
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