MI Audio: Tube Zone

One of the unsung heroes in my pedal collection (which are mostly tucked away because nothing beats an amp + guitar set-up) is MI Audio's Tube Zone. As the name suggests, it includes a convincing tube-like nuance in the output so the tone elitist would be rewarded with tube-like warmth without having to employ tube-equipped pedals which are rather fragile & require a PSU to operate.
Unlike the Ibanez Tubescreamer, the TZ has a generous drive serving but it's versatile enough to act as a booster pedal; simply reduce the drive level. One of the better features of the TZ are its numerous (ok, there're only 6...) controls which allow the user to manifest a palette of tones. Being the drive nut that I am, I always set its drive to 70% & use my ever-trusting TS7 to further its drive capacity. The TZ becomes more menacing but remains sweet in its drive voicing.

There are players out there who proposed that the TZ's drive intensity could match the dynamics of a MESA amp which is quite believeable but it's not a sure substitute. What draws players to opine as such is the TZ's capacity to propel impressive high gain saturation with lots of tube vibes in the mix, which is what it is tasked to do otherwise it's not worthy of its 'tube' label.

PS: Thanks Beez for inviting me to try this pedal (when he was still working @ G77)!