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3Leaf Audio Club - Episode 2
- Thread starter fivestringgecko
- Start date
I had a persistent hum from my Doom 2 at one point. Turns out I hadn’t pushed the power supply jack into the socket on the pedal fully. Doh!
If you want classic bass synth sounds the MXR bass synth is the way to go IMO.
3.33 is in and on the board. Initial thoughts (Jazz Bass -> Eden WT800 -> Bag End 410) after a few hours at rehearsal volumes:
New Tone Knob: the marketing speak was actually true; the new low end is DEEP. With the tone knob set around 2oclock, it’s got that OC2 THICCness, but with a different clarity/strength. If an OC2 sounds like you’re making whale sounds with your lips closed, the 3.33 sounds like you’re trying to sing.
Overload: It’s easier to hear it in-ears; it’s adding some kind of fizz separate from the octave. My filter loves, ODs kind of. If I’m playing without a dirt box, I’d probably keep Overload ON.
Compared to mk3: Side by side they are different in a complimentary way. I love the Mk3 blended just a shade to the MuTron side. Crunchy/buzzy/gnarled…whatever the word is. It’s great because the dry bass and the octave are distinct sounds.
The new “deep and clear” tone is equally distinct, but instead of the crunch/buzz/gnarl…it’s a BOOM.
TL;DR, the 3.33 is the kind of tone I think we all expected when we bought our first octave pedal and plugged it in…HOUSE techno overlord BOOM bombs (if we want) or just nice, low, felt and heard type octave.
I’m going to try it for a few weeks then throw the back on.
Hats off to 3LA….that guy simply doesn’t miss.
New Tone Knob: the marketing speak was actually true; the new low end is DEEP. With the tone knob set around 2oclock, it’s got that OC2 THICCness, but with a different clarity/strength. If an OC2 sounds like you’re making whale sounds with your lips closed, the 3.33 sounds like you’re trying to sing.
Overload: It’s easier to hear it in-ears; it’s adding some kind of fizz separate from the octave. My filter loves, ODs kind of. If I’m playing without a dirt box, I’d probably keep Overload ON.
Compared to mk3: Side by side they are different in a complimentary way. I love the Mk3 blended just a shade to the MuTron side. Crunchy/buzzy/gnarled…whatever the word is. It’s great because the dry bass and the octave are distinct sounds.
The new “deep and clear” tone is equally distinct, but instead of the crunch/buzz/gnarl…it’s a BOOM.
TL;DR, the 3.33 is the kind of tone I think we all expected when we bought our first octave pedal and plugged it in…HOUSE techno overlord BOOM bombs (if we want) or just nice, low, felt and heard type octave.
I’m going to try it for a few weeks then throw the back on.
Hats off to 3LA….that guy simply doesn’t miss.
We are down to negative two million dollars on the octave. Surprisingly the Proton is spotless. Is anyone else having these issues
Classic - I sat down to figure out where the buzz from my Doom 2 was coming from, pulled apart the mini board I had put together, ran the Doom 2 solo and then added each of the pedals back in one at a time...
zero noise from the Doom 2. No idea what caused it, but it was fun to explore the pedal without a high-pitched whine.
zero noise from the Doom 2. No idea what caused it, but it was fun to explore the pedal without a high-pitched whine.
Perhaps your current cable layout is superior to the previous cable layout? Maybe an audio cable with poor shielding was picking up some whine from a parallel power cable? Or maybe the power in the wall is just cleaner today lol
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Currently A/B'ing these bad boys and they are very different I am finding. I really like the 3.33
Darkglass is far from the first company to include digital emulations of another company's analog pedals in their multi effects unit. For example Source Audio included a clone of the Darkglass B3K in their Aftershock years ago, and Demonfx straight up rips off physical Darkglass pedals. Clearly, either of those Darklgass clones have affected the growth trajectory of Darkglass in the least.
I doubt that this will impact Spencer's sales in any significant way.
I think the main thing holding Spencer's business back is his decision to remain small batch, boutique materials, one to two person operation, etc. Not knocking that approach, it just comes down to his personal choices.
I also think the fact that he hasn't released a new product in YEARS (I'm not counting updated versions of existing pedals as new product) has also held him back from growing to reach wider audiences.
His pedals still sell out in minutes though. I think at the end of the day, he can be as successful as he CHOOSES to be. If he pumped out his circuits in standard enclosures with one or two standard appearances for each pedal, he would generate more revenue and be able to supply far more pedals.
I doubt that this will impact Spencer's sales in any significant way.
I think the main thing holding Spencer's business back is his decision to remain small batch, boutique materials, one to two person operation, etc. Not knocking that approach, it just comes down to his personal choices.
I also think the fact that he hasn't released a new product in YEARS (I'm not counting updated versions of existing pedals as new product) has also held him back from growing to reach wider audiences.
His pedals still sell out in minutes though. I think at the end of the day, he can be as successful as he CHOOSES to be. If he pumped out his circuits in standard enclosures with one or two standard appearances for each pedal, he would generate more revenue and be able to supply far more pedals.
I'll add that at the end of the day all of these devices are simply tools, and his assertion that using a digital device makes you a cheap musician sounds like something a 70 year old neo-luddite would say.
Maybe this will inspire him to bring back Pike Amplification and his pseudo-Darkglass drives
Maybe this will inspire him to bring back Pike Amplification and his pseudo-Darkglass drives
Guy seriously needs to look into hiring a PR firm
Interesting, I was under the impression it was a mid-forward sounding pedal. Your description makes it a lot more appealing to me.
He really need to revisit the big box filter, the PWNZOR and some form of pre-amp pedal. It would double the lineup, and for the most part he'd just be iterating on old concepts, instead of having to create a new idea entirely.
But ultimately, unless he expands beyond the 1 man operation, it seems he will never be able to physically meet the demand. They sell faster than he can make them as is. And with that in mind, I doubt he has much time to tinker on new things.
Weird question... people with Octabvre MKIIs, is your finish glossy or more matte? I have one that's fairly matte, but most of the ones I see online seem to be high gloss as far as I can tell.
I got mine second hand, but it seems legit, lol the PCB certainly is at least.
I got mine second hand, but it seems legit, lol the PCB certainly is at least.
I like supporting boutique gear makers. I’ve been a 3Leaf customer for 15 years. The quality is a step above most corporate gear and I prefer analog pedals. If 3Leaf Audio is ever bought out my money will go elsewhere.
And rightly so. Though this is not exactly the most professional or mature way of communicating that. AgainSeems like Spencer is a bit pissed by the Darkglass Anagram update that contained the Doom2
Just because it's common practice doesn't make it okay. Any more than the past drama between Darkglass and Pike Amplification makes this okay. Two wrongs don't make a right.
I don't think he's suggesting that his business is being held back; I think he's upset he's constantly criticized for choosing to remain boutique. He rejects the "capitalizing, scaling up, money grindset" and, as you say, that's his personal choice. I think it's great he knows what he wants, what he believes in, and what makes him happy. As I understand it, he's not looking to be successful according to that definition. He's not looking to reach wider audiences or generate more revenue. To Spencer, success is in the circuit, the build, and the materials.
Agreed. I generally think analog sounds better (exception for time-based effects), but digital has real advantages in terms of portability and flexibility for the working musician (who is limited by small stages or cargo space). Also not everyone can afford to spent $333 or more on one pedal. No one should be shamed for that.
I understand Spencer is coming at this from a craftsman's perspective, and in that vein he's not wrong about imitation or how the culture of modern manufacturing (in its prioritizing of low-quality, single-use goods) has negatively impacted the culture, but extending this to the musicians themselves is narrow-minded. I mean, I mostly play double bass. I don't go around saying all bass guitarists are cheap imitators.
Mine is matte.
And rightly so. Though this is not exactly the most professional or mature way of communicating that. Again
Just because it's common practice doesn't make it okay. Any more than the past drama between Darkglass and Pike Amplification makes this okay. Two wrongs don't make a right.
I don't think he's suggesting that his business is being held back; I think he's upset he's constantly criticized for choosing to remain boutique. He rejects the "capitalizing, scaling up, money grindset" and, as you say, that's his personal choice. I think it's great he knows what he wants, what he believes in, and what makes him happy. As I understand it, he's not looking to be successful according to that definition. He's not looking to reach wider audiences or generate more revenue. To Spencer, success is in the circuit, the build, and the materials.
Agreed. I generally think analog sounds better (exception for time-based effects), but digital has real advantages in terms of portability and flexibility for the working musician (who is limited by small stages or cargo space). Also not everyone can afford to spent $333 or more on one pedal. No one should be shamed for that.
I understand Spencer is coming at this from a craftsman's perspective, and in that vein he's not wrong about imitation or how the culture of modern manufacturing (in its prioritizing of low-quality, single-use goods) has negatively impacted the culture, but extending this to the musicians themselves is narrow-minded. I mean, I mostly play double bass. I don't go around saying all bass guitarists are cheap imitators.
Mine is matte.
All good points. I wasn't suggesting that the commonality of the practice, or the history between Darkglass / Pike Amplification makes this either ok, or not ok for that matter. Just observing the irony of both the situation, and Spencer getting on his high horse about clones, specifically against Darkglass, when he has previously been accused of similar behavior.
Given the popularity, and degree of unobtainability of 3Leaf pedals, I am genuinely surprised that Behringer or DemonFX have not already released analog clones of all 3Leaf pedals. THAT would be a much more direct threat to his business model. I don't think there will be a significant amount of overlap between people buying Anagrams and people buying analog 3Leaf pedals.
