Obviously how the drive and distortion sound will be affected by the Cab or IR (impulse response). There’s also a built-in 20dB Boost that can be triggered with a foot switch – even when turned down to its lowest level (controlled at the back) it is very noticeable and seemingly loud enough. Similar to the delay/reverb, you can route the drive and distortion in three different ways: distortion into drive produces a darker and fatter tone, running the distortion and drive parallel (so neither affects the other) produces a clearer quality, and drive into distortion (likely the most common setup) produces a result somewhere between the other two. However, if you want to retain that grittiness, then keeping the distortion down (12-noon or even lower) while pumping some drive into it is the answer.

As you crank up the distortion past 1-o’clock the sound becomes increasingly saturated, which is fine and if you like that quality (up full and its super heavy sounding, ideal for Doom Metal and that thick fuzzy Psychedelic Rock quality). Turned up low and it makes for good crunch rhythm, and when turned up high rolls off nicely via a guitar’s volume knob. It has an excellent grain to it, sounds full and thick, and definitely analog. The distortion is based on NUX’s Brown Anger (which has a British flavor), which seems to impress many who have reviewed the Cerberus.

The drive is based on a Blues Breaker circuit, which is modest in gain, but it adds a nice amount of fullness and dirt to a clean signal – ideal when playing clean or when wanting a slight edge to some rhythm playing. The uni-vibe is very unique as it combines elements of tremolo, chorus, rotary and phaser, with each aspect seemingly standing out and depending on the depth, rate and level/mix. The phaser is impressive, ranging from the subtle to very broad and sweeping, to the point of sounding as much flange as it does phase. The Modern Chorus sounds fantastic when added to lead.

There are three chorus selections (from vintage to modern), and all have a good range in sound, without being dissonant or crass when turned up (the notes sound thicker and blend well within the tone).

Nux cerberus bass