The thicker, darker FatMetal distortion works into a clean channel or as a preamp into an effects return or power amp. Since its introduction, the TightMetal has been very popular, but as usual Amptweaker received many requests for a variation…..the new FatMetal is designed for players who wanted a warmer version that worked better with brighter guitars and amps, but also was less aimed at palm-muted metal, and worked better for tremolo-picking Black metal. All features are identical to the TightMetal, but the tone has been tweaked to extend the low range of the Tight and Tone controls, and an added Black Gain switch was added to boost the gain in an appropriate way to get the thicker, buzzier gain required for that genre. The Thrash switch converts the basic tone into a heavier, more mid-scooped tone for classic vintage metal tones. The Black Gain switch modifies the gain from a moderately heavy metal distortion to a very thick and extreme metal tone that. The TightMetal noise gate has also been retweaked to make it smoother, and to sound better with the reduced highs of the FatMetal to allow it to work better for solos. Another cool Amptweaker feature on this pedal is the SideTrak™ effects loop. Several consumer requests led to this extra effects loop that turns OFF when the pedal is ON. Since the FatMetal makes such a good ‘solo’ pedal, it’s the perfect pedal to include this unique idea. It can be used to add a compressor, chorus or chain of effects that only works when you play clean, or to switch to another distortion pedal like the TightMetal to use for the rhythm sound and the FatMetal for the solos all without having to hit more than one switch it’s like having a built-in A/B box. A green LED alternates with the normal red one to indicate that the loop is active when the pedal is bypassed.