3Leaf Audio Club - Episode 2

[stenomattia]

It's this. 100% this. There's no secret conspiracy here, folks, just supply catching up to demand.

300 units of the Doom 2 were released in 2023 and 677 units in 2024 (so far). From 2019 to 2022 there were 600 units made. So in the past 15 months the supply increased by 62.83% over the total available in the previous 4 years.* This is to Spencer's credit.


*it's slightly more complicated than this because the older and newer Doom 2s are somewhat different pedals so therefore some folks like myself will want to own both, but this is a relatively negligible detail compared to the production numbers.

100% this. It’s great to see that he has finally got to a point where he’s got an online shop with available products, at least Doom2 for now. I bet he’ll continue to produce batches of different colours (hence custom batches), and perhaps adjust their size, to not overstock overtime. Good for him. I hope that if he slows down production as he’s got stock, he might have time to think about and work on some new product altogether.

 

[Romain909]

Talking about pedal colors, I reaaaally dig the Gray DOOM2. I like my Ducati Red too, but I feel like I ll end up getting a second one sooner or later ahha

 

[Grassmaster]

Do the new Safety Orange and Hi Viz have a polished metal finish like the Rocket Red pedal. It's hard to tell from the photos on the website - they look darker to me. Thinking about getting one and fixing the aesthetics with a faceplate the finish matches the faceplate.

 

[Erithon]

Do the new Safety Orange and Hi Viz have a polished metal finish like the Rocket Red pedal.

Yes.

 

[OhulahanBass]

Alright, I spent a couple of hours with my new Doom 2. It took a while to dial in the volume, crossover, and bass knob. At first, I was disappointed and thought the pedal just didn't have the juice, but I put in the leg work, and I got the squeeze of synth juiciness. I can't say it is better than my Plasma Coil at the synth thing, but it is a fantastic new flavor. I compared it back and forth between my Plasma Coil, playing notes on my Moog Matriarch and the Doom 2. I put the pedals through the Octavius/00Funk filter and my Mutron IV during the tests, so obviously, the Moog had a steeper cutoff. That said, both pedals held their own against the Matriarch for single oscillator patches.

The Plasma Coil has a gated sputtery magic and a pillowy bass filter that the Doom 2 just doesn't. That said, for clean moogy saw leads, the Doom 2 delivers. It also has a slight edge with its octave up for leads. I wish I had control over the crossover point to get more bass without sounding like I am blending a rolled-off clean signal. I mostly don't care about blending with fuzz tone unless it is the rare occasion where I am simulating two instruments doubling. I find that bass and mids at 10:00 and treble at 2:00 with low gain (9:00) gives a lovely synth saw tone. The treble filter really brings this thing alive.

I like this Doom 2! The High-Vis looks WAY better in person; a craftsman put it together, feels solid and is totally beautiful! I wish every pedal was put together with this caliber of craftsmanship; seem strange to be so hyped on the construction of a box that is meant for stomping, but damn, he has his design, materials, and assembly dialed in. He should teach an industrial engineering course.

I wish Spence had a 4-pole version of the Proton, a 4-pole filter would round out my synth board arsenal perfectly.

TLDR: In tone summary, I think that Doom 2 is a smooth acid jazz machine (Jamiroquai) where the Plasma Coil is more in your face, versatile, and complex (Bootsy &/or Bernie).

 

[Erithon]

I wish every pedal was put together with this caliber of craftsmanship; seem strange to be so hyped on the construction of a box that is meant for stomping, but damn, he has his design, materials, and assembly dialed in. He should teach an industrial engineering course.

TLDR: In tone summary, I think that Doom 2 is a smooth acid jazz machine (Jamiroquai) where the Plasma Coil is more in your face, versatile, and complex (Bootsy &/or Bernie).

Both of these points are well said.

 

[OhulahanBass]

Holy Moly, this thing sounds good with an octave feeding it!

 

[projectapollo]

Holy Moly, this thing sounds good with an octave feeding it!

And a flanger after.

 

[Lowendtech]

Those things are GREAT for pesky nose hairs…*toink*…

Nope. Not doing this. It’s bad. M’kay.
You gots to trim them errant dust catchers. Toinking dem out is bad. M’kay.

Sheesh. Away for a bit and all same same hereabouts. Highlarious

 

[Charlie Tuna]

 

[shon]

Don't make me buy another octabvre, Spencer. I already have 2 versions...

 

[SteveBlair]

Don't make me buy another octabvre, Spencer. I already have 2 versions...

I hope its a subtle hint that the mk2 style is coming back!

 

[SFOB]

I hope its a subtle hint that the mk2 style is coming back!

Octabvre mk2 has been my favorite pedal for what feels like a decade now. To me it feels and sounds better than mk3 and is easier to use with the wider footprint. I'd love to see it come back, but I have a feeling this next circuit will be a step forward, not a step back.

 

[mouthmw]

I doubt he'll change the current enclosure size of the Octabvre. Mk III sounds great IMO, and tracks great, but two switches on that enclosure size didn't quite jive with me for live use.

 

[SteveBlair]

I doubt he'll change the current enclosure size of the Octabvre. Mk III sounds great IMO, and tracks great, but two switches on that enclosure size didn't quite jive with me for live use.

I find it hard as well and I'm a narrow size 9.5. I have to prep it to hit both switches at the same time. If I want sub only both are off in preparation. If I want a wet/dry blend, I have to already have the sub switch engaged so that it will turn off when I press both. Im sure some of you know what I mean.

 

[sloppy_phil]

Tallboy Barefoot button on the bypass switch, and a small topper (or none) on the sub switch can go a long way. I do something similar on my Xerograph Deluxe (same footswtich layout as Octabvre), and it makes clean stomping during live performance much easier. Still have to be deliberate about the stomp, but at least now I'm much less likely to accidentally hit the second switch.

 

[fourstringdrums]

I've searched but can't find the answer to this. I have a Doom 2 version with the x-over. Is this the same as the old bass/clean switch? I'm assuming up is clean blend (bass is vol) and x-over only attacks the high frequencies and switches the bass knob to roll in low end?

 

[Erithon]

I've searched but can't find the answer to this. I have a Doom 2 version with the x-over. Is this the same as the old bass/clean switch? I'm assuming up is clean blend (bass is vol) and x-over only attacks the high frequencies and switches the bass knob to roll in low end?

Yes, the function of both toggle switches is the same. But do note that the revoiced Doom 2s have a higher crossover frequency than the original version.

No, you've got it backward The up position is a low-passed clean blend that also filters out high frequencies above the crossover filter and the down position is a full-spectrum clean blend. In both positions the "bass" pot functions as a clean volume control, but the "x-over" toggle switch determines whether that clean volume is low-passed or full spectrum; think of it as "up" means the crossover is engaged and "down" means the crossover is disengaged.

The newer (more laconic) labeling is a somewhat nebulous because it can easily be read as "up" is no effect and "down" is "x-over." This propensity toward ambiguity also extends to the nomenclature of the EQ: it's not hard to use in practice, but it is a curious architecture and its labels are misleading—or, to be more generous, counterintuitive—because they suggest a 3-band EQ when in fact the "bass" is a clean blend, the "mid" is a midrange boost/cut control as you'd expect (and therefore even more confusing given its functionality is not paralleled by the "bass" and "treble" pots), and the "treble" is a 2-pole resonant LPF. My best guess for why the treble pot is an LPF is Spencer was inspired by gated fuzz pedals which have often been used for bass synth (the Iron Ether Oxide is an example of this sort of design and function).

 

[fourstringdrums]

Yes, the function of both toggle switches is the same. But do note that the revoiced Doom 2s have a higher crossover frequency than the original version.

No, you've got it backward The up position is a low-passed clean blend that also filters out high frequencies above the crossover filter and the down position is a full-spectrum clean blend. In both positions the "bass" pot functions as a clean volume control, but the "x-over" toggle switch determines whether that clean volume is low-passed or full spectrum; think of it as "up" means the crossover is engaged and "down" means the crossover is disengaged.

The newer (more laconic) labeling is a somewhat nebulous because it can easily be read as "up" is no effect and "down" is "x-over." This propensity toward ambiguity also extends to the nomenclature of the EQ: it's not hard to use in practice, but it is a curious architecture and its labels are misleading—or, to be more generous, counterintuitive—because they suggest a 3-band EQ when in fact the "bass" is a clean blend, the "mid" is a midrange boost/cut control as you'd expect (and therefore even more confusing given its functionality is not paralleled by the "bass" and "treble" pots), and the "treble" is a 2-pole resonant LPF. My best guess for why the treble pot is an LPF is Spencer was inspired by gated fuzz pedals which have often been used for bass synth (the Iron Ether Oxide is an example of this sort of design and function).

Oh OK, so the x-over label is just a label of the switch, not the position?

 

[Erithon]

Oh OK, so the x-over label is just a label of the switch, not the position?

Yes.