RAVEN – High Gain by Tone Ink

The RAVEN is our high-gain distortion pedal, a tribute to the amplifiers that defined the sound of hard rock and metal: Peavey 5150, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, and Bogner Ecstasy.
A project built with versatility, aggression, and massive gain. Its active EQ and high cascading amplification provide flexible tone shaping and dynamic response.

It’s easily excitable and responsive to different pickups and amps, offering an organic and articulate sound.
Can be used as a preamp, connected directly to an amp return, a power amp, or a mixing console/audio interface, combined with a speaker simulator — either an IR loader or an analog cab sim like the CSS Preamp.

💡 Usage Tip: Prefer clean amps (Fender-type or similar).
The RAVEN delivers extremely high gain and was not designed to boost other drives or amps, but rather to act as your main distortion source.

🔘 COMP SWITCH

Not just a clipping toggle!
It’s a 2-in-1 switch with 3 Mid Cut + Clipping modes, emulating the compression texture and midrange shaping of 5150, Rectifier, and Bogner Ecstasy (Red Channel) amps.

Controls both the center frequency of the MID knob and the compression/saturation texture resulting from different clipping types.

💡 Tip: Start with the MID control at minimum to clearly hear each mode’s voicing.
These three modes resemble the EQ curves of those amps when their tone controls are set at noon:

• 515 (600 Hz)

• B. RED (700 Hz)

• RECT (400 Hz)

Each mode also has a unique clipping character:

• 515 (Silicon): more compressed, “crispy” attack.

• B. Red (LED): louder, punchier, more open sound.

• RECT (BAT + MOSFET): moderate compression, enhanced lows, smoother texture.

💡 Tip: Adjust volume to balance output differences between modes.

🎚️ FULL EQ SECTION

The bass and treble controls are active, based on the Baxandall topology, providing precise tone shaping.
The Mid Cut is inspired by the legendary Framus Cobra — the Holy Grail of high-gain amps — with Tone Ink modifications that shift the EQ center for a wider tonal range.

💡 Tip: Set the mids low to explore each mode’s tonal difference, then gradually fine-tune to taste.

⚙️ PUNCH SWITCH

The three Punch modes (Blue, Red, Dark) adjust gain and bass simultaneously in the distortion stage, shaping how much the pedal is pushed and how full the tone feels.

• RED: perfect for low tunings, tighter lows and better chord definition.

• DARK: ideal for solos or single coils that need more body.

• BLUE: emphasizes mids and highs for classic metal/hard rock tones with clarity at moderate gain.

💡 Tip: In Blue mode, highs become more pronounced — try Treble at 10h and Mid at 2h for balanced drive tones.

⚡ Technical Specifications

• Power: 9 to 18V DC (center negative, Boss standard)

• Current draw: ~30 mA

• Pedal dimensions: 6.7 × 6.1 × 12.7 cm (W×H×D) approx.

• Box dimensions: 18.5 × 12.5 × 8.5 cm (W×H×D) approx.

• Weight: ~490 g

• Warranty: 90 days