The Broadcast preamp pedal from UK builder Hudson Electronics has a stellar reputation and made several best-of lists when it came out a few years ago.
The AP version of it, recently updated to the dual version, named Broadcast AP-II, is an evolution of the original design engineered in collaboration with guitarist and singer-songwriter Ariel Posen and features a Silicon transistor, instead of the original Germanium one, in conjunction with an OEP transformer, for a “smoother, more powerful tone compared to the standard version.”
The AP-II doubles the channels, placing them in series with separate footswitches. They offer two slightly different voices:
- Channel one (gray knobs) is Silicon based and delivers the tone of the original Broadcast, smooth and slightly dark
- Channel two (red knobs) is transformerless and replaces the silicon with a germanium transistor, for a brighter and more aggressive tone.
Both circuits can produce extended saturation gain covering medium gain overdrive terrain, and beyond when cascading into each other.
An FX loop allows adding other pedals between the two channels.
Videos of the original Hudson Electronics Broadcast AP
I’ve been very excited to collaborate with Ariel Posen to produce the Broadcast-AP. It’s an evolution of the Broadcast, designed to integrate with Ariel’s unique sound. The Broadcast-AP will be available exclusively from Andertons.
At the heart of the Broadcast-AP – as the name may suggest – is the same circuitry as the Broadcast. A class-A discrete, transformer-coupled circuit, designed to saturate in a unique way reminiscent of certain recording and broadcast consoles.
We took the low-gain side of the standard Broadcast as the starting point. Together, Ariel and I exchanged the Germanium transistor for a Silicon and used an OEP transformer – the OEP transformer saturates and distorts less below 100Hz compared to the Triad transformer used in the standard Broadcast. These two changes together give the Broadcast-AP a darker, smoother, more powerful tone compared to the standard version. Greater weight in the lows, whilst retaining the open highs and upper-mids, giving the Broadcast a ‘3D’ effect.
The control layout features both LEVEL and GAIN TRIM potentiometers and a switchable high-pass / low-cut filter – 100Hz @ 6dB/oct. The GAIN TRIM control has 12dB more gain than the low-gain side of standard Broadcast, allowing the Broadcast-AP to cover ground from clean boost through to medium gain overdrive tones. In addition, the gain of the pedal can be increased via an internal trimmer and – when pushed to the max – the sound becomes overloaded, broken and fuzzy. The high-pass / low-cut filter can help keep the low end together, especially when driving amps at higher gain and volume levels.
