Kurt’s Quad Boost is an amplifier module for the AE Modular format. It is tailored specificly for AE Modular, but it will work for every signal from 0-5V, and it runs on 5V. It consists of four transistor amplifier circuits, inspired by the old-school ‘LPB-1’ guitar pedal. Each amplifier circuit has its own dedicated ‘Boost’ knob that controls the input volume. The amplification has a distinct ‘transistor sound’. Due to the non-linear nature of this simple component, it is by no means a clean boost at all. Depending on the input volume, you will get everything in between crispy high end accents and deep low-end fatness.

It's ideal to boost up those precious triangle or sawtooth waves, but it also provides a certain color to your sound. When fed loud or complex signals, it can deliver very juicy distorted sounds.

There is a fun twist with this Quad Boost module: you can change just one specific resistor value in the circuit which really alters the sound in a cool way, giving it some dirtier clipping/overdrive sound. For example, for my own version I have two of the four transistor boost circuits with the ‘standard’ resistor value, and the two others with the ‘dirty’ version. If you order the module I will include some extra resistors, so you can make their own personal version of the circuit at home! Info on which resistors values you can swap are in the BOM.

I will also include four different transistors for the circuit, but these only alter the sound in some very subtle (or imaginary?) way, but it's fun to introduce some randomness. If you'd like to have four of the same transistors, or you have a 'favorite' one, please let me know!

The build is beginner-friendly, although the PCB is a bit more dense than the Dead Band module. All components are through hole, and some pads are a bit close together, but nothing extreme.

Do you have loads of components at home, or you would like to source them yourself? Well then you are in luck, you can also buy the PCB + Frontpanel for a discount, or even just the PCB if you like DIY-ing your own beautiful version as a frontpanel. Check out the BOM for which components you need. All resistors need to be 1/8W. You can do it with 1/4W, but its not pretty). Be sure to drop me a line if you have any questions!

You can find the build docs here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bptJs7czen2VLKWoa3aooa2VGwi9xz1I/view?usp=sharing