DSM & Humboldt Silver Linings Overdrive

The Silver Linings Overdrive is the first collaboration between DSM & Humboldt outside the uber-popular amp-simulating Simplifier line (launched at our own NAMM 2019 Stompbox Booth), which brought the two Chilean companies to the forefront of the amp/cab modeler scene.

A very tweakable drive/preamp engine with an extra dual boost circuit, the Silver Linings is an original design created with the goal of giving guitarists a polychromatic overdrive with plenty of usable tones.

The pedal has three modes:

Normal: the pedal acts as a  transparent drive, with sparkly highs and solid low end.
Preamp: a mode that lets you plug directly into a power amp without losing the high end, and it’s able to push it as loud as you want
Mid Boost: boosts the 800hz range and tames the highs, delivering a warmer tone.

The Gain control features a “variable gain bandwidth” circuit, which keeps the tone tight and clear at any range, that interacts with the Pre Tone control to get the exact response you want from your pickups. A 3-way toggle switch allows you to choose three styles of clipping at this gain stage: Soft, Vintage and Hard.

A 3-knob EQ section does the rest of the sculpting.

The Boost circuit comes with a separate footswitch and allows you to take things a notch louder, featuring a dual boost function with pre and master boost levels. The former adds gain and compression, while the latter delivers higher output levels. The Master boost also works independently if the drive is bypassed, allowing you to boost your clean signal.

Have a listen to the sounds emanated by the DSM & Humboldt Silver Linings Overdrive in the video below.

[Wanna get this baby and be supportive? Buy it through our Sweetwater affiliate programs – at no extra cost.]

DSM & Humboldt Silver Linings Overdrive, Builder’s Notes

SILVER LININGS: The next generation Drive/Preamp Engine
We proudly present the SILVER LININGS drive/preamp pedal. In those grim days of isolation and fear, of division and hard times, we took the time to patiently and painstakingly design under lockdown a drive that will bring rays of joy and inspiration to musicians around the globe.

VARIABLE GAIN BANDWITH
The Gain control features our own “variable gain bandwidth” circuit, which keeps the tone tight and clear at any range, while keeping a controlled noise floor, and in combination with the Pre Tone control, you get an unprecedented versatility, since it does not only cut the low end, but it acts as a Tilt control to get the exact response you want from your pickups.

NOT ANOTHER CLONE
DESIGNED FROM SCRATCH, searching for the most versatile and useful drive, that adapts to your playing style and gear, and capable to produce from the sweetest clean jazzy whispers, to the gnarliest of high gain chugs. The range of tones rivals any digital modeler around, but with that immediate response and complex dynamics that only analog circuits can deliver.

ALL ABOUT THE MODE
The Mode Switch can’t be more useful. The NORMAL mode makes the Silver Lining work as a transparent drive, with sparkly highs and solid low end. The PREAMP mode is perfect to use the unit directly into a power amp without losing the high end, and has extra volume to drive the power amp as loud as you want. And the MID BOOST mode, which boosts the 800hz range and smoothes the highs for an extra warm and round tone.

ALL ABOUT THE BOOST.
The Silver Linings boasts a dual boost function, with pre and master boost levels. Use the Pre Boost for extra gain and compression, and the Master Boost for higher output levels. Using them together, you can place your solos in front of the mix with extra gain, like having a second channel. The Master boost also works independently if the drive is bypassed, allowing to use it to boost your clean signal.