Silverwulf
Well-known member
So by now, I think everyone and their brother has started using OD pedals on occasion to boost the front end of their Rectos. It's a great way to tighten up the amp on the heavy channel and "modernize" the sound a little. However, some people don't like how the OD pedals color the tone, or the mid hump, or they don't have switching systems and don't like tap dancing the OD on and off along with switching channels on the amp. So, I give you the OD alternative...the Xotic RC Booster.
The RC Booster is basically a clean boost that's extremely transparent. You can boost up to 20db and have active treble/bass controls for boosting or cutting by 15db each. Unlike most OD pedals, there is no associated mid boost or (much) coloration of the tone, leaving the core tone of your amp as it is. Unlike most OD pedals, the RC Booster (or "real clean") is just that...it's really clean, meaning there's virtually no gain in the pedal. If the gain knob is cranked, you can get a little grit, but it's not the true purpose of the pedal. If an OD pedal isn't quite your thing, but you still wish to juice the front end of your amp and tighten it up, this just may be the pedal for you.
For the Recto, the RC Booster works extremely well (and I find it's exceptional with 2 channel Rectos). To tighten up your amp and slam the front end harder, try settings similar to:
Volume - Max
Gain - 9 o'clock (no "real" gain, just opens up the pedal a little).
Treble - Dial in to taste (I'm usually around 1 o'clock for a slight boost).
Bass - Off to around 9 o'clock (varies depending on how much low end you like).
The interesting thing is that you're EQ'ing before you hit the preamp stage in the Recto, so it allows you to dial in your amp a little different and use settings that may look a little odd with a Recto. Because you're cutting off so much of the bass going into the amp, you can dial the bass up a little more on the Recto itself. The lack of sub-lows also makes it possible to add gain on the amp without it flubbing out. With an OD pedal in front, I usually run the gain on the Recto around 12 Noon. You don't want to use too much so the amp stays tight. with the RC Booster, so much of the lows have been stripped away up front that you can dial in more gain on the amp without it flubbing out. I've ran my gain as high as 3 o'clock with the RC Booster in front and the signal stayed tight and punchy. Some amp adjustments you may have to make:
Treble/Presence - If you boost on the RC, you will need to cut here accordingly on the amp.
Mids - If you're used to using an OD with a mid hump, you'll want to boost your mids accordingly on the Recto to compensate.
Gain - Can be cranked higher without flub. Try it around 3 o'clock and notice the signal still stays tight and articulate.
Dialed in appropriately, you can get the Recto sounding eerily similar with an OD or the RC Booster, though you'll have to use different amp settings to do so. One of the other advantages of using a pedal like the RC Booster is that it works just as well on the clean channel! for those complaining that the Recto clean doesn't have enough power, isn't bright enough, etc...this will add a lot of power and chime to your clean channel, and because you're using it on both, it means you'll no longer be tap dancing because you'd never have to turn it off! You could leave it on 100% of the time.
Why the RC Booster instead of some of Xotic's higher gain offerings like the AC Booster and BB Preamp? Simple, because it's clean, transparent, and it keeps the raw sound of your amp with minimal alternation. I feel the others are great pedals, but they start introducing some added compression and grit, and I was wanting to offer up an alternative to an OD, not another pedal that was similar to an OD.
I'm not advocating everyone dump their OD's and go buy RC Boosters, haha... :lol: I'm just putting an alternative out there in case you're looking for something different or don't like using OD pedals. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised with the RC Booster and the tonal possibilities it gives your Recto.
The RC Booster is basically a clean boost that's extremely transparent. You can boost up to 20db and have active treble/bass controls for boosting or cutting by 15db each. Unlike most OD pedals, there is no associated mid boost or (much) coloration of the tone, leaving the core tone of your amp as it is. Unlike most OD pedals, the RC Booster (or "real clean") is just that...it's really clean, meaning there's virtually no gain in the pedal. If the gain knob is cranked, you can get a little grit, but it's not the true purpose of the pedal. If an OD pedal isn't quite your thing, but you still wish to juice the front end of your amp and tighten it up, this just may be the pedal for you.
For the Recto, the RC Booster works extremely well (and I find it's exceptional with 2 channel Rectos). To tighten up your amp and slam the front end harder, try settings similar to:
Volume - Max
Gain - 9 o'clock (no "real" gain, just opens up the pedal a little).
Treble - Dial in to taste (I'm usually around 1 o'clock for a slight boost).
Bass - Off to around 9 o'clock (varies depending on how much low end you like).
The interesting thing is that you're EQ'ing before you hit the preamp stage in the Recto, so it allows you to dial in your amp a little different and use settings that may look a little odd with a Recto. Because you're cutting off so much of the bass going into the amp, you can dial the bass up a little more on the Recto itself. The lack of sub-lows also makes it possible to add gain on the amp without it flubbing out. With an OD pedal in front, I usually run the gain on the Recto around 12 Noon. You don't want to use too much so the amp stays tight. with the RC Booster, so much of the lows have been stripped away up front that you can dial in more gain on the amp without it flubbing out. I've ran my gain as high as 3 o'clock with the RC Booster in front and the signal stayed tight and punchy. Some amp adjustments you may have to make:
Treble/Presence - If you boost on the RC, you will need to cut here accordingly on the amp.
Mids - If you're used to using an OD with a mid hump, you'll want to boost your mids accordingly on the Recto to compensate.
Gain - Can be cranked higher without flub. Try it around 3 o'clock and notice the signal still stays tight and articulate.
Dialed in appropriately, you can get the Recto sounding eerily similar with an OD or the RC Booster, though you'll have to use different amp settings to do so. One of the other advantages of using a pedal like the RC Booster is that it works just as well on the clean channel! for those complaining that the Recto clean doesn't have enough power, isn't bright enough, etc...this will add a lot of power and chime to your clean channel, and because you're using it on both, it means you'll no longer be tap dancing because you'd never have to turn it off! You could leave it on 100% of the time.
Why the RC Booster instead of some of Xotic's higher gain offerings like the AC Booster and BB Preamp? Simple, because it's clean, transparent, and it keeps the raw sound of your amp with minimal alternation. I feel the others are great pedals, but they start introducing some added compression and grit, and I was wanting to offer up an alternative to an OD, not another pedal that was similar to an OD.
I'm not advocating everyone dump their OD's and go buy RC Boosters, haha... :lol: I'm just putting an alternative out there in case you're looking for something different or don't like using OD pedals. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised with the RC Booster and the tonal possibilities it gives your Recto.
