Transparent overdrive/effect, what is it?

[raulduke]

I think the term Organic is sometimes used in lieu of 'analogue' sounding.

I can agree with someting sounding 'analogue'. Eg. an analogue overdrive pedal sounds miles different to a digital approximation (to my ears anyhow).

I don't understand the transparent term for overdrives either. A buffer could (and should if its doing its job) be described as transparent.

An overdrive? It's distorting the sh*t out of your nice and clean waveform dude. Its about as far from 'transparent' as you can get 

[juansolo]

Ok, so does it even exist such a thing?
I mean, what is the "transparency"? For some is like having a "clean signal" blending with the ouput. FOr others is like a pedal that pushes "more" of your amps natural sound.

what do you think?

LIES that's what 'transparent' is.

It's also one of my little pet hates.

I feel a rant brewing...

Transparent overdrive my arse... (it's what they're always described as lately) When it's cutting frequencies and creating a mid humps, it's not bloody transparent. When it's clipping the signal it's not bloody transparent. I dislike this term immensely.

Wooosahhh...

[juansolo]

I can agree with someting sounding 'analogue'. Eg. an analogue overdrive pedal sounds miles different to a digital approximation (to my ears anyhow).

Yeah you're talking about the technology behind it and the result rather than the sound. Same goes for delays.

Analogue is sometimes used in lieu of smooth vs digital being harsh (a throwback to when CD was new), noisy vs clean, old vs new. Clarkson and the like like to describe cars with manual boxes and no driver aids as analogue, vs ones with flappy paddle gearboxes as digital. Though there have been computers in cars for at least 20 years.

[GrindCustoms]

For me, "transparent" is basically a clean boost (when it comes to "drive" circuits). I don't know how it could mean anything else and stay within the realm of reality.

Funny that boutique builders define the tonal properties or characteristics of their product refering to a term brought by a company selling 40$ pedals...

To be fair, the Timmy was never marketed* as "transparent". The fans of the pedal started to describe it as such, ant the term sort of took on a life of its own.

* Really, the Tim/Timmy were never really marketed at all. 100% of the "marketing" I've seen for those products has been customer testimonials.

Agreed with you all the way, my reference to hype created around the term transparent was related to Dano Transparent OD wich as served to popularise that term in the gear jargon.