Transformers in tone sweetener pedals?

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I've seen that pedal and I'm curious about it.

But it's interesting to me that even with the transformer in there to color the audio, they wiped the markings off that capacitor and IC to make copying the circuit more difficult.

Definitely a more elegant solution than "gooping" the circuit...but a clear indication that the transformer isn't the only major component in the tonal recipe.
That orange cap is probably unimportant, it's a bypass capacitor to the V+ supply pin, it's basically there because without it the opamp (may) oscillate.
The opamp itself, markings wiped off, but I bet it's not that hard to work out what kind of opamp it is.
 
This was precisely my point. People often make statements about these types of things being game changers that make a huge difference, but when you measure the actual difference, it is often times insignificant. The setup you've described has a number of elements that would add variables and detract from control, but it would provide some level of detail if anyone wanted to do the analysis via a simple null test as described.
When people use the word "game changer" I immediately have the following reaction:

- I want to punch them in the face;
- I am immediately put off the product in question.

There is a Latvian (or maybe Lithuanian, doesn't matter, still ungrateful former Soviet Baltic :p ) company called Gamechanger Audio whose name means I will *never* own anything by them. Also because their "Gamechangers" are not that special either.
 
When people use the word "game changer" I immediately have the following reaction:

- I want to punch them in the face;
- I am immediately put off the product in question.

There is a Latvian (or maybe Lithuanian, doesn't matter, still ungrateful former Soviet Baltic :p ) company called Gamechanger Audio whose name means I will *never* own anything by them. Also because their "Gamechangers" are not that special either.
That'll show 'em!
 
@el murdoque & @markjazzbassist I have Several of the Lightning Boy transformers; 2020, 2020s, 23Fe; each offer a subtle but tasty addition much like adding that hidden flavor to your favorite tone brew. I have stacked all three and tried the various combinations, there was something there but very difficult to quantify. To use an analogy it is like a secret ingredient that you might not know what it is but you know when it's missing, like for example when I forget to put a bay leaf or a pinch of MSG when I make a pot of beans. Or for @markjazzbassist like forgetting the file` in your gumbo :sorry:. Of course you have to smack those LBA transformers pretty hard to get the best result.
 
I think there are some Bogner pedals with a transformer, Harlow?
That is correct Bogner worked with Rupert Neve on the transformer and circuit designs, transformers are an integral part of nearly every Neve designed circuit.

 
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Broughton Studio Boost or the TalkBass-project „Trans-Boost“ have transformers.
I recently did a deep dive attempting to understand the application of audio transformers in pedals (and learn enough to cut through the hype / marketing speak surrounding them).

In case anyone else wants to go down that rabbit hole, a couple of resources that I found helpful were:
  • This thread on inexpensive DIY transformers has some interesting and useful bits. It features insightful contributions from @boomertech (FEA Labs) and @johnk_10 (... John K :) ); they get into some Transboost talk deeper into the thread.
  • This excerpt from the Handbook for Sound Engineers by Bill Whitlock. The content is more technical than the thread content and somewhat above my head, but a good read nonetheless. This section somewhat demystified the transformer "magic" for me, for example: "If dc current flows in a winding, the operating point will shift to a point on the loop away from the center. This causes the distortion of a superimposed ac signal to become non symmetrical. Non-symmetrical distortions produce even-order harmonics such as second and fourth. When a small dc current flows in a winding, under say 1% of the saturation value, the effect is to add even-order harmonics to the normal odd-order content of the hysteresis distortion, which affects mostly low-level signals."
 
yeah those trannies are tiny in those pedals (pedals are tiny too!). more windings equals more tonal change. that lightning boy stuff is just marketing BS. Look up the Michael Jackson Bass DI, it's a UTC LS-50x, which weigh 20 pounds (they're also used in tube amps, mic preamps, etc.). why the bass sound huge on thriller album? because the tranny was huge.
I have the Lightning Boy 23Fe, a deliberately "bad" transformer, the effect on tone of which is pretty obvious; it's the only thing in that device, and so it really has to to be what makes the difference. Whether it's detectable "in the mix" (whatever that means) is clearly debatable and entirely context-dependent. I have both the API LLX and CMP as well as a Hudson Broadcast and a Russian fuzz with a transformer (to isolate the input from upstream buffers), and while I like them all, I couldn't say whether my enjoyment of them has anything to do with the transformers therein.
 
@el murdoque & @markjazzbassist I have Several of the Lightning Boy transformers; 2020, 2020s, 23Fe; each offer a subtle but tasty addition much like adding that hidden flavor to your favorite tone brew. I have stacked all three and tried the various combinations, there was something there but very difficult to quantify. To use an analogy it is like a secret ingredient that you might not know what it is but you know when it's missing, like for example when I forget to put a bay leaf or a pinch of MSG when I make a pot of beans. Or for @markjazzbassist like forgetting the file` in your gumbo :sorry:. Of course you have to smack those LBA transformers pretty hard to get the best result.
Or like when you microdose psychedelic drugs, or forget to take our ADHD and antipsychotic meds...

Which I am sure we are all familiar with...
 
i have a bogner oxford that has a Neve transformer and i dig the pedal.
i had their wessex (also with a Neve transformer, but sold it favoring the oxford.
Bogner Oxford-01.jpg
 
Audio transformers are a very, very complex topic full of tradeoffs that are often at odds with the goals of the designs.

Much of my experience with transformers is centered around pro audio, where they are generally preferred to be transparent and to either provide impedance matching with a corresponding level shift, or for galvanic isolation in environments that may have high common mode voltages between the chassis (for example, transmitting analog audio across a large complex or campus). I have also worked on a number of tube amp power and output transformers recently, but there are additional safety parameters that influence these designs which can not be ignored.

Every single design choice affects every other performance parameter. For example, if you need a high z input and low z output, if the transform ratio becomes too high, the frequency response will suffer (especially high frequency) and so will the distortion and isolation. If you need isolation and the input level equals the output level, both the source and load impedance become more important because the source impedance can't be higher than the load impedance or there will be a large level drop (there will be a level drop anyway, unless the source z is much lower than the load z).

If you need very high isolation, especially at high frequencies, then an electrostatic shield between the two windings will be necessary, this too affects the frequency response and for extreme isolation, dual electrostatic shields that are isolated from each other might be required, one for the primary and one for the secondary.

With lower impedances and higher currents, different grades of core material might be necessary, and if the core size grows, the coils grow which increase the amount of copper (wire length) which increases DC resistance which might require larger wire to overcome, which again changes the geometry whit of course affects every other parameter.

A transformer development project that I worked on several decades ago resulted in a 1:1 isolation part with dual electrostatic shields that was 0.5dB from 20Hz - 20kHz and was 3dB down at 85kHz, and less than .25% THD from 20-20kHz at 0dBu but was still only 0.5%THD at +20dBu. IIRC, the common mode voltage rating from primary to secondary was over 500V. A LOT of design and manufacturing tradeoffs were massaged to make this part viable.

Now if you want a transformer to have "color", you need to manipulate these tradeoffs in a way that gets what you want without torpedoing all of the other performance parameters. It's harder than it looks, and usually it creates new and previously undiscovered flaws in the end product unless you quantify everything thoroughly.