One for tomorrow, one just for today
We're on no shortage of great musical duos. Across time, the power of two has always proved effective when getting across musical ideas. In a world where two's company and three's a crowd, you've got to give it up to the might of two musical minds in tandem. Ask Eric B. & Rakim, the White Stripes, or Daft Punk and they're sure to give you some kind of account to verify.
Not only is there a power in two, but an inspiration. With a musical world constantly pushing towards the maximalism of more, why not pare it back for a minute? Here's a challenge: grab two pedals and start playing. You don't have to count a tuner.
You're likely, before long, to find at least one example of a pedalboard online that makes your head spin – heck, you might even have one yourself right now. No shade against motherboard rigs, but with the pedal on the docket today, we're reminded of the effectiveness of slimming things down, consolidating, and working within the confines of two effects. We have a classic effect combo in the works today, won't you join us?
This is the Browne Amplification The Protein Dual Overdrive V4.
Shop the Browne The Protein V4
Two Of Us
Introducing the Browne Amplification The Protein V4
There's a little bit of history to The Protein V4. Obviously, we're dealing with the fourth iteration of this effect, so there's already been plenty of work put into it. In short, the Browne Amplification The Protein V4 comes as the product of an extended collaboration between David Brown and guitarist and producer Adam Sniegowski. The pair originally worked together to create a road-ready, stackable overdrive effect that would sound good no matter what it was plugged into. They of course accomplished this goal, but there was clearly more to The Protein than its V1 form.
Fast forward a couple years and a few more versions and we land at The Protein Dual Overdrive V4. Today's Protein sets out with a similar set of priorities to its previous versions: be stackable, be soulful, and rectify some of the quirks that can come with dual overdrives without losing out on the authenticity of them. If we could spoil a little bit here for a second, Browne has absolutely accomplished their goal, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still have a banquet of delectable overdrive tones to talk about.
Love Me Two Times
Browne Amplification The Protein V4 Controls and Tone
With The Protein V4, we have the same basic effect formula that's captivated overdrive fiends for all these years. Separate footswitches and dedicated Level, Drive, and Tone knobs all align on this pedal for an intuitive effect experience. With this pedal, two independent overdrive effects share one housing and are itching to get out. You know 'em, you love 'em, let's run 'em down.
The Protein V4 "Blue" Side
With this pedal, we're treated to two blissfully simple yet luscious and expressive overdrive circuits. The first, the left "Blue" side of The Protein V4, is our lower-gain overdrive. If you're familiar with similar, stackable, dual overdrives, you're likely to be familiar with this pick already, but for explanation's sake, let's lay out this "Blue" circuit.
The Protein's "Blue" side is based off a classic lower-gain drive favored by guitarists like John Mayer. This effortlessly "bluesy" overdrive can be heard on such records as Mayer's Continuum during his cleaner passages. While this drive acts as a wonderful foundation on which to build your overdriven palette, The Protein's "Blue" side has plenty of interesting character to stake its claim for tonal glory. If you're not totally familiar or if you aren't a Mayer fanatic, the "Blue" side punches in with a distinctly beefy yet clear tonal profile. Perfect for getting a transparent yet driven sonic character, The Protein V4's "Blue" circuit doesn't make a clean guitar cleaner, but certainly breathes some new, driven life into it without going overboard or losing what made it spark in the first place.
Where Browne came in at this juncture was to remedy some of the issues they saw with usual "blues" breakup overdrive circuits. For one, Browne adjusted the output of this circuit to boost it so it wouldn't drift into a stifling or muffling tonal voice. In short, the "Blue" circuit is crisp, clean, transparent, boosted, and seamless to click on and start tonally exploring. Though of course, it's absolutely no slouch when it comes to breaking up and getting some tonal muscle in the mix.
The Protein V4 "Green" Side
On the other side, we have The Protein's "Green" circuit. This side is inspired by classic "Nashville" overdrives – you know the type. Loud, bright, hot, crisp...it's not easy being green. Designed to be the brighter and punchier brother in this pair, The Protein's "Nashville" circuit cuts effectively for driving heavier amps and louder guitars without getting muddy.
Browne stepped in for this "Nashville" circuit to rectify a few things about the effect archetype. First things first, a lightened gain structure makes this "screaming" circuit more usable and less distorted for highlighting your guitar's characteristics. This lightened gain structure also enables a more varied and versatile tonal sweep as you roll the Gain knob from its minimum to its maximum. In addition, Browne went ahead to build a rebalanced mid character to fill out the drive's presence. This was done to make the overall effect fuller without getting too chunky or distorted – again, all in the name of stackability and clarity. Totally, The Protein's "Green" side punches in with a beefy, "screaming" drive that doesn't sacrifice clarity for tonal muscle.
Additional Switching
While it's no mystery navigating The Protein V4 through its Level, Drive, and Tone controls, there are a couple of extra switching options onboard that bring out even more tonal variety. The first involves a front-facing three-way hi-cut toggle switch. This switch is a quick addition to any tonal mixing as it enables players to shape the top end of their drives as they see fit. Easily swapping between the three hi-cut settings creates an interesting field of profiles to play through on either your "Blue" or "Green" sides. Three internal switches also appear within the pedal for adapting The Protein's "Green" side with options for cutting low end, adding heavier clipping, or switching to an asymmetrical clipping option. However you set up your drives, you have worlds to explore, so you better get to it!
The Protein V4 runs its green side into its blue side. What this means is that, though you have a single direction to flow, you absolutely get the best of both drive characters when stacked. Whether you're looking to make both effects shine together or make one the star and one the supporting role, you have the option to do so in every instance. Together, these effects shine in a classic fashion for blues, rock, indie – really any genre or style that could benefit from some breakup, heat, or tonal heavy lifting.
Browne Amplification The Protein Dual Overdrive V4 Final Thoughts
Browne's analog mastery is once again on full display with The Protein V4. This classic effect archetype, two overdrives in one, makes for yet again a wonderful opportunity for Browne to show off their skills in analog drive design. For any player, The Protein V4 is a reliable unit ready for anything. Existing fans of Browne and their Protein overdrives have plenty to be excited about for this latest version and new fans have a great point of entry to get into Browne's analog-minded effect worlds. There's so much to appreciate with The Protein V4 in the realms of expression, consolidation, and streamlining that makes it a prime candidate for a standalone drive unit. Essentially, no one would blame you for turning to this drive alone – it's a heavyweight champion.
Two's great company, after all.
