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.
Darkglass Anagram Multi FX Announced
- Thread starter Elmstreet
- Start date
dude, I totally feel your pain. I am actually pretty tech adept and I was challenged to figure out several things while trying to set it up for live work. I more-or-less worked out stomp mode and preset mode, but Scenes still are a mystery to me.
It took me 3 weeks of steady focus on the Anagram to get it to a point where I could use it on a gig without too much concern, which I did tonight without any serious issues.
Honestly though, I would at least give it a few weeks to see if you can at least set it up to match your current live tone and FX needs.
My advice is: ask questions here, on the Darkglass Anagram website, and on Anagram Answers. Watch some of the videos that have been produced by TB's own @IvanBassist and seek out @AnthonyBe ... both guys are super helpful.
If after 2 or 3 weeks, you just can't get your head around all of what the Anagram can do, no shame in just returning it. Not all tech is a fit for everyones needs.
good luck!
I’m with @BrianVengeance on this one. Let’s see what’s going on and the community can definitely help resolve this type of issue.
It shouldn't be an issue of maxing out the volume for any block in the preset. I can run an empty preset (not that I would) and still hear my DI loud and clear in my headphones.
Maybe double check the global EQ. Also try unlinking the headphone volume from the master volume in the mixer to simplify things.
What kind of headphones are you using? I wonder if it's just an impedance issue.
IvanBassist
Commercial User
- Jun 8, 2008
- 3,743
- 11,118
- Disclosures
- Content Manager at Darkglass Electronics, Dingwall Guitars Artist
A question just out of pure curiosity for those of you adding like +20db of gain to the to your presets:
How do you set up your interfaces in terms of gain and/or what are you using to monitor your sound?
How do you set up your interfaces in terms of gain and/or what are you using to monitor your sound?
No but I will. I’ve seen a lot of guys place tge gain block at the beginning of the chain.
Just to make sure I’m understanding, better to increase gain in the anagram vs channel preamp it’s going into because digital processing has essentially no noise floor.
When running it into my Scarlett, or Qu6 board, I need double the input gain compared to every other DI I have without adding a gain block at the end.
When running it into my Scarlett, or Qu6 board, I need double the input gain compared to every other DI I have without adding a gain block at the end.
Close - the higher bit rate essentially creates infinite headroom. You can crank the gain without fear of distortion or other artifact generation. Noise floors are inherent to all electronics and will vary by device.
The Anagram also likely has a lot more control on tap available for gain staging. So long as you are getting the results you like, it’s all good!
I’ve been pretty vocal about this and Anagram’s lack of a global/system input gain control. My Dingwall, which is what my Anagram sees like 95% of the time, only drives the input gain meter to about 30% of its total range under normal playing conditions. As such, things like envelope filters barely open, distortions have to be cranked to sound as expected, etc. In my case, I add a +12db gain block as the second block in my signal, right after a noise suppressor. That’s how every one of my presets starts. With that in an empty preset, the output gain sits around 66-75%, and at that point envelope filters and distortions behave normally. Our sound crew is happy with the level at that point, and my IEM mix controls behave as expected. My input to a DAW, either using Anagram as the interface, or connecting it to one of my mic pres all behave as expected at that point as well.
Interesting. I wonder if this is why my NAM captures sound perfect on the tone 3000 website but in the Angagram I have to max out the input in the block settings to match.
@IvanBassist I wonder if it makes sense to create a best practice guide / video on end to end gain staging for best results with the Anagram.
Thinking something along the lines of…
- the level meters and what different measurements may mean (e.g., aim for -12dB or similar advice)
- using gain blocks to get to a good input level
- building out your chain and gain staging align the way
- target output level before routing
- using the global mixer
And so on…
Thinking something along the lines of…
- the level meters and what different measurements may mean (e.g., aim for -12dB or similar advice)
- using gain blocks to get to a good input level
- building out your chain and gain staging align the way
- target output level before routing
- using the global mixer
And so on…
I think it’s such a personal thing, I’m reading all this and I’m like I don’t have to do any of this. I’m playing a passive ric with flats and the drives all work as expected, so do the filters etc etc.
I have the headphones on the +10db setting but then have it dialed down in the mixer for home use, just live I need to be able to turn it up more for the stage volume when I’m the only one using iems.
But I’m not adding any huge jumps in db in gain blocks, I’ve got a bit of volume push on the compressor as the chain sounded better with it and then maybe 2-3db on the main nam I use (one of my own).
For anyone struggling with this I’d suggest starting with a blank chain, if it’s really quiet I’d assume you’ve got a setting wrong somewhere in the unit.
Once you’ve eliminated any global settings you might have accidentally adjusted early in your ownership you can move on to if it’s a specific block.
So after that, add an amp sim to your blank chain and use it at its default settings.
Left and right monitors should be hitting the midway point (at least).
I could go on but I expect this modest troubleshooting will solve most issues. I’ve not heavily explored my unit, it was really plug and play for me, but I’m certain there are a 100 ways to get it to sound bad inadvertently.
I'm seeing this as well, the input meter is just fluttering around 30-40%. I'm using a Roscoe Beck IV (which generally has pretty hot output from the Bill Lawrence puts) and a Lull M4V in passive mode. I have been messing around the gain blocks in front of my 4 working presets. I get pretty wimpy responses from the Envelope filters unless I push the input level like that.
I think to both of our points, this is the tone and tenor of what I was trying to describe. Not something formulaic… just a bunch of good ideas, “this is what works for me”, stuff to maybe look out for.
Okatpy guys, I started all over again and produced two chains. One what would consider my normal chain and the other is punchy deep chain.
I’ll be using the normal chain 90% of the time. Abd it has an Envelope Filter, Octave and a Flanger.
I would like to switch those 3 pedals on and off individually when I need them. Can I leave them in the chain and assign the 3 foot switches to them, or should I route them to another line (perhaps an FX loop) then route them back to the normal chain?
I’ll be using the normal chain 90% of the time. Abd it has an Envelope Filter, Octave and a Flanger.
I would like to switch those 3 pedals on and off individually when I need them. Can I leave them in the chain and assign the 3 foot switches to them, or should I route them to another line (perhaps an FX loop) then route them back to the normal chain?
