Damnation Audio Fan/Appreciation Thread

[gregmon79]

I have been experimenting hard out with the 20db boost on my MBD2 in an effort to try to slow my Gas for a 3. I really am trying to slow my spending these days and I love my 2 so much. I currently use an Alpha Omicron for the heavy gain pedal stacked with the light drive on the MBD2. Sounds immense. The boost switch does as well, and if i had my way again, I would just get a MBD3 and be done but honestly I have decided to keep it with the 2 and AO. The AO has a few tricks extra as well that are cool which is another reason to keep it around.

I was worried when I got the Jad Freer Capo that it would replace the MBD2 but no way! Together is the best tone i have ever had though. FOMO is a really strong thing but I am gonna keep fighting the urge for now!

I get it. I still need to recoup the first ver of the A/O. That pedal is awesome imo. I wish I’d held onto mine. Hopefully one of these days I’ll snag another. It’s one of
The most versatile pedals DG makes. Like, OD/mid gain/hi gain dist. Not all around. It can do a lot is all I’m sayin.

 

[kleinenenten]

I love my MBD2, and really have no desire for the 3 - so far. The demos I've seen all seem too high gain for me. The 2 has just absolutely nailed what I want from that tone. Every time I turn that pedal on it never ceases to amaze. But I have been tempted by the Alpha Omicron recently... even if the B3K is my #2 behind the MBD2 for this tone.

 

[Andy westwood]

The dirt fixer is a properly good upgrade on the already good blooper

 

[metron]

Experimenting with both the 1 and 3. I have it set for the 3 doing low and high gain and the 1 somewhere in the middle.

Side by side like this the difference between clean and blend are obvious. Another observation is the drive on the 3 is a little lower in gain when cranked than the 1 gain dial cranked. Or to say it another way, if I want to match the gain cranked on the 1 with the 3, its somewhere on the boost dial.

This is fun!

 

[whoismarykelly]

Side by side like this the difference between clean and blend are obvious. Another observation is the drive on the 3 is a little lower in gain when cranked than the 1 gain dial cranked. Or to say it another way, if I want to match the gain cranked on the 1 with the 3, its somewhere on the boost dial.

The MBD-1 has an internal preamp gain trim that functions the same as the switchable boost on the MBD. So your MBD-1 is always boosted to some extent and the MBD allows you to run a lower gain 'main' sound if you like. The gain staging is all external which allows greater flexibility.

 

[metron]

The MBD-1 has an internal preamp gain trim that functions the same as the switchable boost on the MBD. So your MBD-1 is always boosted to some extent and the MBD allows you to run a lower gain 'main' sound if you like. The gain staging is all external which allows greater flexibility.

Great point I actually forgot about the trim pot.

I think I might just go with two MBDs on my board. My favorite filth sounds just got better!

 

[mouthmw]

I don't need the boost feature that MBD (3) has. Is there something else I'd miss by grabbing an MDB-2?

 

[Zbysek]

I don't need the boost feature that MBD (3) has. Is there something else I'd miss by grabbing an MDB-2?

The blend is "countoured" clean channel, not "low-passed" clean channel...

 

[odarellmc]

The blend is "countoured" clean channel, not "low-passed" clean channel...

Isn't "low passed" , "contoured"? I've heard many people talk about it, still yet to hear any sound examples of why it's better..

 

[Zbysek]

Isn't "low passed" , "contoured"? I've heard many people talk about it, still yet to hear any sound examples of why it's better..

My understanding is that it's different.

My knowledge is limited on this though...

 

[whoismarykelly]

We don't have both filters on the same pedal so its hard to do an easy comparison but the clean on MBD-2 is a stacked passive LPF that rolls off freqs above 1K Hz rather aggressively. The Damnation Contour on all our current products is an active circuit that boosts low end, slightly cuts muddy low mid freqs, and rolls off high end above 1K Hz in the clean/blend/dry/sound of what's going into the pedal signal. The MBD-2 circuit is an approximation of a studio parallel clean path. The Damnation Contour is a more accurate rendition of all the EQ that clean path would get in a typical recording scenario.

 

[odarellmc]

We don't have both filters on the same pedal so its hard to do an easy comparison but the clean on MBD-2 is a stacked passive LPF that rolls off freqs above 1K Hz rather aggressively. The Damnation Contour on all our current products is an active circuit that boosts low end, slightly cuts muddy low mid freqs, and rolls off high end above 1K Hz in the clean/blend/dry/sound of what's going into the pedal signal. The MBD-2 circuit is an approximation of a studio parallel clean path. The Damnation Contour is a more accurate rendition of all the EQ that clean path would get in a typical recording scenario.

Ok there's some of the confusion. "Approximation of a studio clean path" and contour.. "EQ that clean path in a typical recording session ".. means the same. Seeing that the MBD 2 is a filtered signal I'm not sure how it's approximating a clean path, as it's certainly not the full range signal. I'm sure it sounds great, but it doesn't sound much different on paper. I'm sure it's something you'll have to hear. I'm sure if I want to buy go through the trouble of hearing the same thing just to return it..

 

[whoismarykelly]

Ok there's some of the confusion. "Approximation of a studio clean path" and contour.. "EQ that clean path in a typical recording session ".. means the same. Seeing that the MBD 2 is a filtered signal I'm not sure how it's approximating a clean path, as it's certainly not the full range signal. I'm sure it sounds great, but it doesn't sound much different on paper. I'm sure it's something you'll have to hear. I'm sure if I want to buy go through the trouble of hearing the same thing just to return it..

Perhaps I could have been clearer. The low pass filter in MBD-2's low passed clean blend is one piece of the puzzle for how a DI track is typically used in a studio setting. It rolls off the high end so there is no clank cutting through the drive. The Damnation Contour's active filter circuit does that and two more things which are the other pieces of the puzzle.

The entire point of the clean blend on a Damnation pedal is that it is not full range because a full range blend does nothing to retain low end as is so often claimed. When you take a clean DI in a studio session that track never makes it to the mix without having a ton of treble content rolled off, and perhaps low end boosted. And then depending on the rest of the mix you might alter the midrange. We built that set of tweaks into the Damnation Contour and we like it more than the old low pass filter so that's what we use now. MBD-2 is still a great pedal and works for tons of folks. MBD and the Damnation Contour are just the result of us never being satisfied and relentlessly pursuing the ideal bass tone in our heads.

 

[Grahams Groove]

Isn't "low passed" , "contoured"? I've heard many people talk about it, still yet to hear any sound examples of why it's better..

It's subjective based on what you want. I have a Bloop (low-passed blend) on my board for my Rusty Box, as well as the MBD-3 (contoured blend) for OD/Distortion. The blend 'shapes' have a different sound and feel that is apparent when you hear them side-by-side, but it's just dependent on what you prefer between the two. The summary of the differences in the blends from my MBD-3 review post is below. The MBD-1, MBD-2, and Bloop have the same/very similar low-passed blends. The Dirt Fixer and MBD-3 have the new contoured blend.

Final thing, since this is the DA thread. I was a bit skeptical about the change from the low-passed blend to the contoured blend. Not from a design standpoint - we all know Jeff & Dave can execute their vision and make asininely great bass pedals. It's more that my preference for my Rusty Box was sticking with the Bloop after trying the Dirt Fixer. Luckily, that's just a context thing with that particular drive. The low-passed blend of old is less powerful in the lows and doesn't go as deep as the contoured blend, but the contoured blend doesn't add as much mid-punch as the low-passed blend. Not surprising when you read Jeff's description on how the contoured blend is designed and shaped. Point being, I love the Bloop for my RB and assumed that I just preferred the old blend, but a few rehearsals with the MBD3 gave me more appreciation for the contoured blend in a band setting.

TLDR - MBD3 is killer. It's not a given that an on-board boost knob/footswitch will actually be well integrated & useful, but this one absolutely is. Contoured blend is deeper, and adds more low-end slam/punch than the old low passed blend. Low passed blend is more low-mid prominent, but does not thicken the lows like the contoured blend. If you liberally add in the blended side of your MBD, the 1 & 2 will be a touch more low-mid/mid forward and focused, while the 3 will offer more low-end slam without sounding scooped or lacking in mids. YMMV. IMO. ETC.

I'm sure it sounds great, but it doesn't sound much different on paper. I'm sure it's something you'll have to hear. I'm sure if I want to buy go through the trouble of hearing the same thing just to return it..

If the descriptions in this thread from users/builders don't seem to describe the difference, it sound like your only choices are live without it or give it a go. You're not obligated to go through any trouble of buying/trying if you don't see much difference in the descriptions, but there is absolutely a different in the sound/feel they deliver.

 

[odarellmc]

Perhaps I could have been clearer. The low pass filter in MBD-2's low passed clean blend is one piece of the puzzle for how a DI track is typically used in a studio setting. It rolls off the high end so there is no clank cutting through the drive. The Damnation Contour's active filter circuit does that and two more things which are the other pieces of the puzzle.

The entire point of the clean blend on a Damnation pedal is that it is not full range because a full range blend does nothing to retain low end as is so often claimed. When you take a clean DI in a studio session that track never makes it to the mix without having a ton of treble content rolled off, and perhaps low end boosted. And then depending on the rest of the mix you might alter the midrange. We built that set of tweaks into the Damnation Contour and we like it more than the old low pass filter so that's what we use now. MBD-2 is still a great pedal and works for tons of folks. MBD and the Damnation Contour are just the result of us never being satisfied and relentlessly pursuing the ideal bass tone in our heads.

I follow you. Good stuff, but if you had to describe the difference in sound ( I know it's subjective) what would it be? A Tighter low end? Different frequency? Low gain drive better? I definitely understand from a design point view it's different, but if you had to sell it how would you? I'm not asking you to dance, I have a MBD 2 and love it, I'm very interested in the new pedal, but no one can really tell me how it sounds in comparison... just "you have to hear it" , which means you have to buy it. I heard plenty of sound examples of the MBD 2 before I bought it, that's with any piece of gear I buy...

 

[Grahams Groove]

I have a MBD 2 and love it, I'm very interested in the new pedal, but no one can really tell me how it sounds in comparison... just "you have to hear it" , which means you have to buy it. I heard plenty of sound examples of the MBD 2 before I bought it, that's with any piece of gear I buy...

I literally re-posted a brief comparison of the differences in response to your previous post. It’s in the context of the DF vs Bloop, but it’s the same contoured vs low passed blend discussion.

To recap…
Contoured blend - deeper, fatter lows that feels like it extends into the sub-lows. Sounds a bit more ‘open’ to my ears since some of the potentially mud-creating mids are dialed out. I actually think the contoured blend is a bit more subtle until you start boosting beyond unity, and then you feel those deep lows start to slam. Does not feel scooped when you start dialing in the dirty signal, but is not particularly middy.

Low pass blend - In comparison it feels tighter (not lacking) in the lows, since they don’t seem to be boosted the way they are on the contoured blend. The low mids and mids feel punchier and sound more present (almost accentuated a touch), likely because they are not scooped and the lows aren’t boosted. When soloed compared to the contoured blend, the low passed blend sounds more present and full range. You can hear that the low mids on the contoured blend are scooped and that the bass is prominent.

 

[odarellmc]

I literally re-posted a brief comparison of the differences in response to your previous post. It’s in the context of the DF vs Bloop, but it’s the same contoured vs low passed blend discussion.

To recap…
Contoured blend - deeper, fatter lows that feels like it extends into the sub-lows. Sounds a bit more ‘open’ to my ears since some of the potentially mud-creating mids are dialed out. I actually think the contoured blend is a bit more subtle until you start boosting beyond unity, and then you feel those deep lows start to slam. Does not feel scooped when you start dialing in the dirty signal, but is not particularly middy.

Low pass blend - In comparison it feels tighter (not lacking) in the lows, since they don’t seem to be boosted the way they are on the contoured blend. The low mids and mids feel punchier and sound more present (almost accentuated a touch), likely because they are not scooped and the lows aren’t boosted. When soloed compared to the contoured blend, the low passed blend sounds more present and full range. You can hear that the low mids on the contoured blend are scooped and that the bass is prominent.

If I missed this I apologize. This is exactly what I'm looking for! Thank you sir for the information. This gives me a much clearer picture of how it sounds.

 

[Grahams Groove]

If I missed this I apologize. This is exactly what I'm looking for! Thank you sir for the information. This gives me a much clearer picture of how it sounds.

All good man. Hope it helps one way or the other - can’t really go wrong!

 

[whoismarykelly]

I follow you. Good stuff, but if you had to describe the difference in sound ( I know it's subjective) what would it be? A Tighter low end? Different frequency? Low gain drive better? I definitely understand from a design point view it's different, but if you had to sell it how would you? I'm not asking you to dance, I have a MBD 2 and love it, I'm very interested in the new pedal, but no one can really tell me how it sounds in comparison... just "you have to hear it" , which means you have to buy it. I heard plenty of sound examples of the MBD 2 before I bought it, that's with any piece of gear I buy...

We have a demo coming from someone who has better demo production skills than either Jeff or I. Honestly we have been cranking away on just building batches as fast as we can to fill orders that we have not had time to make any sort of substantial demo.

The main difference between the two blends is MBD-2's low pass still sounds like you are blending clean in with your dirty tone. Its just the clean stuff you want without the clank. When added in below the drive tone the Damnation Contour fills in frequency range not served by the drive without sounding like a separate tone layered on top. To some extent it is an effect that you must hear in person and a compressed youtube demo is unlikely to have the same effect as standing in front of an 8x10 and feeling the air move. That's why we have dealers!

 

[kleinenenten]

Low pass blend - In comparison it feels tighter (not lacking) in the lows, since they don’t seem to be boosted the way they are on the contoured blend. The low mids and mids feel punchier and sound more present (almost accentuated a touch), likely because they are not scooped and the lows aren’t boosted. When soloed compared to the contoured blend, the low passed blend sounds more present and full range. You can hear that the low mids on the contoured blend are scooped and that the bass is prominent.

This right here just shows me that I'm completely happy with my MBD2! I've been hesitant to try the 3, but LOVE my 2 (as well as trying to be more fiscally responsible in general...), but the thing I LOVE about my 2 is that full range tone. It sounds like my base tone, but distorted just right. I want presence and full range, so I think I'm happy with my 2!