Drum Overload

Drum Overload is a stereo, zero-latency distortion processor voiced for synthesized drums. A linked transient detector controls density and punch before a two-times nonlinear core; low-band preservation, tone, wet/dry mix, and output trim complete the path.

Workflow

Insert s3g Drum Overload after a drum instrument or stereo drum bus.
Route the processed track to the main stereo output or a headphone monitor.
Choose a CIRCUIT, raise OVR, and use INPUT to set how strongly the drum reaches the nonlinear core.
Balance DENS and bipolar PUNCH while listening to both the body and first transient.
Restore low weight, set breakup and tone, then compare with MIX, OUT, and BYP.

Signal Flow

The stereo input enters linked fast and slow envelope followers. LINK blends independent and shared detection without passing audio between channels.
DENS pushes sustained body toward the circuit threshold. Positive PUNCH emphasizes detected attacks; negative values crush them.
WEIGHT removes a clean portion of the sub-210 Hz input before overload and returns it afterward.
The remaining signal enters the selected two-times oversampled circuit, followed by tone shaping and DC removal.
MIX blends clean and processed audio before OUT. BYP returns the input directly.

Circuits

Circuit	Character
Console	Broad controlled saturation for complete drum buses.
Valve	Asymmetric even-harmonic weight for kicks and bodies.
Clip	Hard/soft attack clipping for electronic drums.
Rupture	Folded overload for deliberately broken percussion.
Tape	Magnetic memory and softened bandwidth for ringing shells.
Transformer	Low-frequency core emphasis for floor and rack toms.
Diode	Asymmetric attack clipping for snares, rims, and sticks.
Speaker	Level-dependent cone sag and bandwidth loss.

Controls

Panel	Controls	Role
Drive	Circuit / Input / Ovr / Dens / Punch	Selects the transfer model, drive level, overload depth, body density, and transient treatment.
Color	Bias / Break / Weight / Tone / Link	Sets asymmetry, breakup, preserved low band, spectral tilt, and detector linking.
Output	Out / Mix / Byp	Sets final trim, clean/wet balance, and bypass.
Readout	PK / GR / Core	Shows output peak, detector gain reduction, and nonlinear-core activity.

Stereo and Low-End Behavior

The audio lanes remain separate throughout the processor. LINK only shares detector behavior: higher settings make left and right density changes agree more closely without narrowing the image. WEIGHT preserves part of the clean sub-210 Hz band, allowing kick and tom fundamentals to remain stable while upper shells, wires, rims, and cymbal energy drive the selected circuit.

Presets and State

The title starts at INIT. LOAD and SAVE exchange complete user preset states; the effect does not provide a factory bank or a random button. All thirteen controls are automatable and saved in CLAP state.

Limits

Drum Overload requires a two-channel input and output. It does not synthesize audio, accept MIDI, or introduce reported host latency. Its internal two-times nonlinear core is anti-aliased with causal filters, so “zero latency” means no additional host-compensated delay rather than a mathematically phase-neutral process.