Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
3Leaf Audio Club - Episode 2
- Thread starter fivestringgecko
- Start date
I thought it was fluorescent, not glow-in-the-dark? Isn't the "Gray" edition (May 2024) the only glow-in-the-dark ink?
Pretty sure the neon flourescent ones are glow in the dark as well. I don't have one, but do have the grey one which does glow, but for me I don't play in venues that have black light, so it's basically invisible writing in a live venue. I could charge it with a UV light and get some glow for 10-30 minutes (i haven't timed it). It's a cool feature, but isn't really practical at least if you don't play in venues that have black lights.
Still the Doom2 is a synth fuzz unlike any other, and worth a spot on the board if it fits into any of your songs.
The distinction I was drawing—or, rather, pointing out that Spencer has drawn—is that glow-in-the-dark (aka phosphorescent) and fluorescent are not the same thing. The former absorbs and emits any/all types of light while the latter reacts only to UV light.
In any case, while I don't own any of these editions, I agree with you on the practicality: the fluorescent inks strike me as more of a fun feature than something functional. After all, how many venues have black lights? I could see the Gray edition offering more functionality on a dark stage, but it has such low contrast with the steel enclosure in standard lighting that such benefits are canceled out.
In any case, while I don't own any of these editions, I agree with you on the practicality: the fluorescent inks strike me as more of a fun feature than something functional. After all, how many venues have black lights? I could see the Gray edition offering more functionality on a dark stage, but it has such low contrast with the steel enclosure in standard lighting that such benefits are canceled out.
It .... Glows in the dark. I turn the lights out and it glows. I didn't mention the mechanism. Is it phosphorescent? Is it fluorescent? Is it bioluminescence? Magic? Satanic sacrifice? I dunno. I didn't specify, all I mentioned is that I like that when I turn out the lights it glows.
Yet both actually "glow in the dark."
Now we can go back to discussing important issues, like the difference between Octabvre Mk 3 and Mk 3.33, and we can argue about what Mark 3.666 should be ...
I know you didn't mention the mechanism (Spencer did, as I documented in the image I embedded), and it was not my intention to suggest you did (this is why I phrased my reply to your post as a question). I'm sorry if I was unclear and you felt defensive. As I noted in my second reply, I don't own any of these editions so I'm just going by the official descriptions. If you say yours glows in the dark, I believe you. Clearly the official description for the "Tools" editions is inaccurate or at least incomplete.
It's all good my friend, I was trying to be funny in my response, I don't take that personally and I apologize to you if I came off being defensive or a dick - internet can be hard sometimes
. I appreciate your response tho as well, and hope we're all cool!It could also be that I am surrounded by black lights all the time. Could it be ... aliens?
Or maybe just New Orleans
Definitely aliensIt's all good my friend, I was trying to be funny in my response, I don't take that personally and I apologize to you if I came off being defensive or a dick - internet can be hard sometimes
It could also be that I am surrounded by black lights all the time. Could it be ... aliens?
Or maybe just New Orleans
All the things i need for a great tone
In a follow-up to my previous post about the differences in the iterations of the Doom 2, I compared the Octabvre MKs 2, 3, and 3.33. I said I would do this back in April. I'm sorry it took so long: double bass has consumed my life these past few months and I've barely played bass guitar or my pedals. Anyway, I hope this is still useful for many of you.
The MK3.33 is fairly different from the MK3 and MK2, especially on the CCW side of the tone potentiometer. As Spencer's description states, the CCW side produces a deeper character while the CW side has more of the low-midrange punch I am used to hearing from the MK2 and MK3: think surround-sound presence versus targeted punch. Around 2 o'clock was where I perceived the MK3.33's tone to be most similar to the previous iterations of the Octabvre. The other big change is the Tim voicing has been replaced with an "overload" feature, allowing users to augment their suboctave tone with harmonics (i.e., overdrive).
See the Soundcloud comments (tagged below the audio histogram) for settings throughout the audio sample. Doom 2 settings are as pictured above; only the gain is changed (detailed in the comments). The Octabvres are only demoed with the suboctave soloed.
I don't particularly care for the new (extended) tonal range—although it's pleasant and usable (details in the subsequent paragraph), it's not the sound for which I'm looking—but I love the "overload" toggle switch. It adds a delightful amount of grit to the suboctave, letting the Octabvre MK3.33 approach emulation of low-gain synth without feeding a fuzz pedal; this effect, however, is subtle and is no replacement for the Doom 2 (or some other fuzz). Think of it more as a grittier suboctave, not unlike the COG Effects suboctave pedals (though more stable/less quirky). It's also too subtle to stack into the Doom 2: when I fed the MK3.33 into the Doom 2, I couldn't hear a difference by engaging and disengaging the "overload." Given the particular voicing of the MK3.33, I did not find myself missing the Tim voicing—and I love that voicing. It's an always-on setting for me. But the MK3.33 has different tonal goals and "overload" dovetails with those better than the Tim voicing. It's also worth pointing out that "overload" is not simply a reintroduction of the CW side of the previous Octabvres' tone pot. Both offer a grittier suboctave, but "overload" is more of an overdrive while the CW side of the earlier Octabvres is more Mu-Tron.
Overall, the MK3.33 provides more of a low-frequency pillow than its predecessors, a fat cushion of bass that is more felt than heard. The "overload" helps translate its robust bass frequencies from indefinite vapor to solid-bodied droplets. The MK2 and MK3, in contrast, are more hollow sounding: they favor low midrange over extreme low frequences (though the MK2 offers more low end than the MK3) and, to my ears, are more synth-like. If you are really into suboctave pedals, I could easily see wanting to own both the MK3 and MK3.33. The MK2 remains my favorite, and by a long shot. The differences aren't night and day, but they are noticeable both aurally and in regard to feel—that enigmatic category endemic to effects like suboctave, compression, and tube responsiveness.
Because the MK3.33 has such a different voicing than its predecessors, it interacts with the Doom 2 (both voicings) differently than the M2 and M3. I documented those in my previous post so I focused purely on the MK3.33 in the following demo:
As with 2023 audio samples, nothing is EQed or post-processed. Signal chain is: bass --> looper (same track as in 2023 to facilitate comparison) --> 3 Leaf pedals --> Demeter VTBP-M-800D with Jensen DI.
P.S. Has anyone else noticed that Spencer changed his nomenclature? It used to be MII and MKIII, but now the website says MK2 and MK3. That fits with the MK3.33 (MKIII.33 would be a silly mixture of Roman and Indo-Arabic numerals), but the Octabvre MK2 pedal still has "MKII" printed on it... Anyway, I've switched my nomenclature to follow Spencer's.
The MK3.33 is fairly different from the MK3 and MK2, especially on the CCW side of the tone potentiometer. As Spencer's description states, the CCW side produces a deeper character while the CW side has more of the low-midrange punch I am used to hearing from the MK2 and MK3: think surround-sound presence versus targeted punch. Around 2 o'clock was where I perceived the MK3.33's tone to be most similar to the previous iterations of the Octabvre. The other big change is the Tim voicing has been replaced with an "overload" feature, allowing users to augment their suboctave tone with harmonics (i.e., overdrive).
See the Soundcloud comments (tagged below the audio histogram) for settings throughout the audio sample. Doom 2 settings are as pictured above; only the gain is changed (detailed in the comments). The Octabvres are only demoed with the suboctave soloed.
I don't particularly care for the new (extended) tonal range—although it's pleasant and usable (details in the subsequent paragraph), it's not the sound for which I'm looking—but I love the "overload" toggle switch. It adds a delightful amount of grit to the suboctave, letting the Octabvre MK3.33 approach emulation of low-gain synth without feeding a fuzz pedal; this effect, however, is subtle and is no replacement for the Doom 2 (or some other fuzz). Think of it more as a grittier suboctave, not unlike the COG Effects suboctave pedals (though more stable/less quirky). It's also too subtle to stack into the Doom 2: when I fed the MK3.33 into the Doom 2, I couldn't hear a difference by engaging and disengaging the "overload." Given the particular voicing of the MK3.33, I did not find myself missing the Tim voicing—and I love that voicing. It's an always-on setting for me. But the MK3.33 has different tonal goals and "overload" dovetails with those better than the Tim voicing. It's also worth pointing out that "overload" is not simply a reintroduction of the CW side of the previous Octabvres' tone pot. Both offer a grittier suboctave, but "overload" is more of an overdrive while the CW side of the earlier Octabvres is more Mu-Tron.
Overall, the MK3.33 provides more of a low-frequency pillow than its predecessors, a fat cushion of bass that is more felt than heard. The "overload" helps translate its robust bass frequencies from indefinite vapor to solid-bodied droplets. The MK2 and MK3, in contrast, are more hollow sounding: they favor low midrange over extreme low frequences (though the MK2 offers more low end than the MK3) and, to my ears, are more synth-like. If you are really into suboctave pedals, I could easily see wanting to own both the MK3 and MK3.33. The MK2 remains my favorite, and by a long shot. The differences aren't night and day, but they are noticeable both aurally and in regard to feel—that enigmatic category endemic to effects like suboctave, compression, and tube responsiveness.
Because the MK3.33 has such a different voicing than its predecessors, it interacts with the Doom 2 (both voicings) differently than the M2 and M3. I documented those in my previous post so I focused purely on the MK3.33 in the following demo:
As with 2023 audio samples, nothing is EQed or post-processed. Signal chain is: bass --> looper (same track as in 2023 to facilitate comparison) --> 3 Leaf pedals --> Demeter VTBP-M-800D with Jensen DI.
P.S. Has anyone else noticed that Spencer changed his nomenclature? It used to be MII and MKIII, but now the website says MK2 and MK3. That fits with the MK3.33 (MKIII.33 would be a silly mixture of Roman and Indo-Arabic numerals), but the Octabvre MK2 pedal still has "MKII" printed on it... Anyway, I've switched my nomenclature to follow Spencer's.
Last edited:
Yep. They're in all my audio samples 
I've just accepted them because I use a cheap looper ($40) I randomly received as part of a larger TalkBass transactions years ago. Though I think it actually might be the audio interface that introduces them since I don't hear clicks when the looper goes through my amp/cabinet. I'm open to suggestions on how to record better. No one pays me to do it and I definitely don't enjoy it (I just do it because I sure wish someone had provided me with sound samples of the hard-to-find Broughton, 3 Leaf, etc. pedals) so I've never bothered looking up how to remove them. I mean, obviously I could have AI do it, but if you know what I'm doing wrong I'd welcome edification over the AI route.
I've just accepted them because I use a cheap looper ($40) I randomly received as part of a larger TalkBass transactions years ago. Though I think it actually might be the audio interface that introduces them since I don't hear clicks when the looper goes through my amp/cabinet. I'm open to suggestions on how to record better. No one pays me to do it and I definitely don't enjoy it (I just do it because I sure wish someone had provided me with sound samples of the hard-to-find Broughton, 3 Leaf, etc. pedals) so I've never bothered looking up how to remove them. I mean, obviously I could have AI do it, but if you know what I'm doing wrong I'd welcome edification over the AI route.
Hmmm, do they occur when you activate pedals? That happens with a couple of mine (only audible when tracking) so I don’t step on them when recording.
Thanks @Erithon for this! I second that these clicks could come from the A/D conversion in your sound interface, like a defective or badly configured wordclock. Have you fiddled with the recording sampling rate? Other than that, trying another sound interface in your setup could help troubleshooting.
Last edited:
I don't think so. I only engage/disengage pedals at the end of the phrase, and the clicks are more frequent than that.
I have no idea what wordclock is haha. I'll look that up before my next demo! I haven't explored the recording sample rate (I do know what that is!).
Last edited:
@Erithon the clicks sound like what I get in my DAW if I set a buffer too low for my audio interface, for example at 32 samples. If I increase it to something like 128 samples, the crackles go.
YMMV on the exact numbers but my main point remains, maybe you have the buffer size set too short.
YMMV on the exact numbers but my main point remains, maybe you have the buffer size set too short.
I finally done did the damn thing. I wish I could remember when I got my first 3LA pedal. I fairly recently moved along my OG You're Doom and I had an OG Groove Regulator for some time a loooooong time ago. But, the stars just happened to align three times when I didn't need any more pedals, so here we are:
Aaaaaaand, Safety Orange does not glow in the dark but loves some UV:
Aaaaaaand, Safety Orange does not glow in the dark but loves some UV:
Drop today at 9 a.m. PDT of Doom 2, 111 pedals, and then it sounds like none until fall. Tempted to attempt to snag one.
