# Boss HM-2 : more than a Myth, the story of the Swedish Sound



## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

An interessing history of the HM-2 in the swedish death metal history!
Enjoy!

http://guitariste-metal.fr/boss-hm-2-pedal/


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

My nephew gave me one. Not really MY sound, but it is helpful to have one in order to learn.

The distinctive aspect of the HM-2 is that it clips *three* different ways. Looking below, D3/D4/D5 provide asymmetrical clipping as in the SD-1. D8 and D9 provide the more traditional clipping as in the MXR Distortion+, the Rat, and the DOD250. Both of those sets of diodes clip the peaks. The unusual element that the HM-2 employs is D6/D7. These are in series with the signal, and provide what is described as "crossover distortion". In more practical terms, they don't clip the peaks, but clip the sides of the waveform. Those diodes are germanium, which means they conduct at a lower voltage. But since they are in the signal path, that means the signal does not pass unless it is at or above that voltage. When it reaches that voltage there is a sudden instant rise as the diode "turns on", and an equally sudden drop as the diode turns off when the signal drops. The result is that the signal is kind of squared off at the top but also kind of squared off at the side - a near perfect square wave!

The use of both types of clipping is important for "musicality" in this application. Using only side-clipping/crossover distortion still leaves the peaks uncompressed, so you retain the dynamics. But if you've ever heard the ZVex Machine, mapping those dynamics onto crossover distortion gets ugly sounds. If that's what you're looking for, great, but most players will want something a little more capable of being melodic. The Machine includes a "Limit" control, which is simply a pot in series with the functional equivalent of D8/D9 in the HM-2. Limiting drops the level, but restricting the dynamics helps tomake it a little more useful for riff playing.


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## KoskineN (Apr 19, 2007)

It was my first pedal when I was 12! My cousin has it now, but I'm trying to convince him to give it back to me. Can't recall if it was MIJ or MIT though.


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## garrettdavis275 (May 30, 2014)

Very cool! I used an HM2 way back in the day. I always liked the sound of that one, i used to swear I got shades of Black Sabbath with it. Now when I hear the demos I think I must've been hitting the bong too hard but it still has a good sound, if not especially Iommi-esque.

Very cool info, Ti-Ron.


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2016)

Ti-Ron said:


> An interessing history of the HM-2 in the swedish death metal history!
> Enjoy!
> 
> http://guitariste-metal.fr/boss-hm-2-pedal/


Out of the 100 famous bands mentioned, I have never heard a single one. Where have I been?


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

If you're not a fan of black metal, all those bands never pass on your radar.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

What about these?

http://www.amnesiarockfest.com/en/lineup2016/


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## tomsy49 (Apr 2, 2015)

Thats a pretty solid lineup. A bit of everything in there


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## Were We Brave? (Oct 29, 2009)

So glad for this thread, I've been waiting for a tweaked PCB to build one, and the thread prompted a casual search on Kijiji to see if I could pick up a stock one in the meantime. Scored an MIJ for 45$! Pretty beat up, but it sounds gloriously mean. That "all-knobs-on-10" grunt is unmistakable.

I'm still going to build one, see if the added flexibility is worth it. Might not be. Still, I'm looking forward to etching an enclosure for it. I just wish mine came out half as awesome as Arcane Analog's!


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

To my ears the Behringer copy does the job pretty good, it's not the same sound exactly but except for the plastic case it's not bad at all.


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## Spinedriver (Mar 19, 2016)

KoskineN said:


> It was my first pedal when I was 12! My cousin has it now, but I'm trying to convince him to give it back to me. Can't recall if it was MIJ or MIT though.


It was the 1st distortion pedal I ever bought as well and mainly for 2 reasons :

1. obviously because it said "Heavy Metal" on it... ; ) 
2. Aside from a few of the DOD pedals, there weren't many other options around these parts. It wasn't until 4 or 5 years later that Boss put out the MT-2 Metal Zone that seriously upped the ante in the "high gain" pedal market.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I've tired a variety of distortion/fuzz/OD pedals--the HM pedals didn't suit my playing--and the MT-2 even less.
Yet I've jammed with guys that use them very well.
I'm one of the rare breed that likes the unmodded DS-1, although I also use a DOD FX-53 (Another maligned distortion pedal.)
But the Empress Distortion is even better.

It suits me.

But hey--pedal history & stories can be cool--and I like to try them for myself--some pedals sound real cool when one person uses them, but they sound horrible when I use them--and the other way around.


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## Spinedriver (Mar 19, 2016)

zontar said:


> I've tired a variety of distortion/fuzz/OD pedals--the HM pedals didn't suit my playing--and the MT-2 even less.
> Yet I've jammed with guys that use them very well.
> I'm one of the rare breed that likes the unmodded DS-1, although I also use a DOD FX-53 (Another maligned distortion pedal.)


Not a thing wrong with that, sir. There was a guy in a local band that used nothing but a Fender Bassman head and a Boss DS-1 for 13+ years. I don't think he even bothered to try anything else because he was 100% happy with that one.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

zontar said:


> --some pedals sound real cool when one person uses them, but they sound horrible when I use them--and the other way around.


I feel the same way...


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## k tone (Oct 7, 2008)

I have 3 . I have my original MIT that I have had for over 25 years. I thought it was going to die so I bought a minty MIJ for $60. The original is still going (Boss for ya). One came up locally for $35...so I bought it (still don't know why). The rock and roll magic of the HM-2 is with the Dist knob at or below 1/4 turn. I have never done the Swedish thing with it. I likes me an unmodded DS-1 as well.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

The sound of Black Metal. Oh yeah, and the second solo album from some guy Gilmour. Played in a pretty big band. Yellow Fred or something?


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