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FrançaisMARRAKESH CONSOLE MK3
CONSOLE PREAMP · STUDIO EQ · HYBRID OVERDRIVES · FUZZ
FULLY ANALOG. ORIGINAL DESIGN. BUILT AND PAINTED BY HAND IN FRANCE.
MARRAKESH CONSOLE MK3
CONSOLE PREAMP · STUDIO EQ · HYBRID OVERDRIVES · FUZZ
FULLY ANALOG. ORIGINAL DESIGN. BUILT AND PAINTED BY HAND IN FRANCE.
€340
A 1970s CONSOLE PREAMP, DRIVEN FROM INSIDE.
Inspired by the mixing consoles of the 1970s, the Marrakesh Drive Console captures organic, saturated and punchy studio tones: the sound those desks gave you when they were working hard.
That colour is on most of the records you grew up on, and it was never an effect. Every track had to pass through a preamp like this on the way to tape. It lived in a studio, not on a pedalboard.
Two musical soft-clipping overdrives are integrated into the console circuit, from a delicate colouring to a thick, driven console voice. Or neither: the pure console preamp on its own.
And this is the hybrid: one instrument, not a chain of blocks. Pushed hard, a console preamp clips the way desks always did: hard and square. The two overdrives work inside that same circuit and clip softly instead, bringing musical saturation, extra compression and tube-like harmonics into the range where the preamp would otherwise simply square off. Not a drive pedal into a preamp. A preamp driven from inside.
Built around DOA-990 discrete studio op-amps, the same topology high-end studio preamps are made of, with a custom Baxandall EQ and a real 28-volt rail inside. And it stays quiet where circuits like this usually don’t: gain all the way up, guitar volume all the way up, and the pedal still adds almost nothing of its own.
Guitar, bass and line-level signals. Equally at home on a pedalboard as it is in the studio for tracking and processing.
There is no bad setting on it. Wherever you land, it sounds finished.
TWO INTEGRATED OVERDRIVES
The Saturation switch decides how the circuit clips. The two overdrives shape everything from clean to distortion. The fuzz comes from the console itself.
— Dense Asymmetrical OD —
Asymmetrical, tube-like clipping with a lower threshold: it breaks up earlier, with more odd-order harmonics. You hear it as compression. Notes thicken and hold, chords pull together.
— Open Symmetrical OD —
Symmetrical clipping with a higher threshold: even peak cuts, a later and softer break-up. More transparent and open, with your dynamics left intact.
— Pure Console Preamp —
No active saturation, just the discrete op-amp circuit on its own: open, punchy, with the organic warmth and gentle compression of a vintage desk. Push the gain here and the console overloads by itself. This is where the fuzz lives.
WIDE RANGE OF APPLICATIONS
The Marrakesh Drive Console delivers outstanding flexibility for both studio and stage applications. It integrates perfectly into professional pedalboards, performing equally well as a standalone overdrive, authentic console preamp, or when combined with other effects.
Players can seamlessly transition between clean vintage preamp tone, harmonically rich overdrive tones, and powerful console-type fuzz saturation. In studio environments, the pedal excels when tracking guitars, bass or keys into a DI or an interface, adding that sought-after analog console warmth to recordings.
This versatility makes the Marrakesh Drive an indispensable tool for musicians who value both authentic analog sound and how well it combines with other gear in any working conditions.
MORE FEATURES & INTEGRATIONS
— The Headroom Switch —
Powered by a standard 9V supply, the switch lets you choose between 9V and 28V internally. Delivers increased harmonic distortion and compression at 9 volts, while ultra-stable operation at 28V ensures superior headroom for studio applications with a more powerful and clean signal.
— Custom Baxandall EQ —
Provides high-quality tone control for various instruments and signal chains, allowing you to adjust Highs & Lows by boosting or cutting them up to ±15 dB, with the midrange left flat. This is not a basic EQ; it’s a custom-tuned circuit that invites active tweaking, not just center detent settings.
The Marrakesh Drive offers multiple saturation modes ranging from subtle enhancement and coloration to unique overdrive and aggressive fuzz, easily adapting to any musical genre or playing style.
“1970s studio preamp tones in an eye-catching stompbox”
“A versatile pedal offering quality textures in a wide variety of contexts”
“The overall character is warm and organic with the vibe of a vintage studio desk”
“Marrakesh can play a wide number of roles from EQ, booster, buffer and preamp to saturator, overdrive and even console-style fuzz”
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