Explicit Wave Digital Model of the Fulltone OCD Pedal Based on Canonical Piecewise-Linear Functions

Riccardo Giampiccolo; Stefano Polimeno; Carlo Macrì; Alice Lenoci; Oliviero Massi; Alberto Bernardini
DAFx-2026 - Cambridge
Virtual Analog (VA) modeling aims at digitally emulating analog audio equipment while preserving its characteristic nonlinear behavior and musical expressiveness. In the context of guitar effects, overdrive pedals represent a cornerstone of many signal chains, as they strongly contribute to the perceived dynamics, articulation, and timbral identity of the instrument. Among these, the Fulltone OCD overdrive is considered a standard in both studio and live environments, being widely adopted across rock and metal genres. In this article, we present an explicit Wave Digital (WD) model of the Fulltone OCD (v2) pedal. By exploiting the circuit topology, the MOSFETs and the germanium diode composing the asymmetric clipping stage are grouped into a single equivalent nonlinear element, enabling an explicit WD realization that avoids costly iterative solvers. The resulting nonlinear characteristic is approximated by means of a Canonical Piecewise-Linear (CPWL) function, yielding a compact and efficient explicit model suitable for real-time implementation. The proposed model is validated against reference simulations and implemented both in MATLAB and as a real-time audio plug-in using the JUCE framework.
Download