Darkglass Anagram Multi FX Announced

[Cassian Hill]

Actually, I‘d like to hear everyone‘s take on the Anagram‘s envelope filtering capabilities. Can it get juicy and quacky? Good for funky tunes?

Also curious about this. I'm currently in the process of building my first pedal board, I'm considering getting the Anagram if its modulation is nice. I've been eyeing the 3Leaf Proton but with this new release I'm torn between individual pedals or just going all digital with the Anagram.

 

[Benko]

Actually, I‘d like to hear everyone‘s take on the Anagram‘s envelope filtering capabilities. Can it get juicy and quacky? Good for funky tunes?

For me it does not, I do also like a nice juicy and quacky and it just does not cut it, or I do it wrong...I'll be following people who have more chance or better skills to set it up. Let's hope for an upgrade fixing it

 

[Synh]

An element that I find super interesting with multis of this genre. I had this feeling every time at the updates of my hx stomp. The grunting pleasure of discovering new things, this emotional lift. I'm already super happy with the few effects in the machine,Anagram, it sounds really good. I compared the Gentle (Anagram) and the Regal Bass DI (HX stomp), the two simulations of the Noble.... The gentle is very very good. THE simple pitch of the stomp seems muddy to me now. I compared the two machines all weekend, hoping to send the anagram back and get my 1000 euros back... But it's not possible, it sounds better. I've always tried to add a pedal with a sushi box type tube, or Shift Line preamp to get rid of the synthetic side of the hx stomp... This will not be the case for the Anagram. I have the same feeling when I switched from the Zoom B3 to Helix or from the PS1 to the PS2

 

[pfschim]

I remain very interested in this (and other multiFX boxes) and I'm back to ask a few more questions about how to use the Anagram for live work, specifically focused on the 3 (!) footswitches.

When using my current small pedalboard on a typical 3hr/3set (or 3hr 2set) gig with 30ish songs, I will have a pretty consistent overall always-on tone/EQ/comp setting for lets say 90% of the material. For perhaps 50% of the songs I will switch on/off several different FX with filter, boost, distortion, octave, chorus, (in different combinations) being the most common. I may use one or two FX throughout a specific song, or I may kick in an effect (boost or distortion) for a chorus or a solo, then kick it off for verses (for example).

I'm used to my small pedalboard and the FX "dance" that having several pedals requires, but I'm having challenges understanding how I would replicate how I use my current multi pedal board with a single device (Anagram) that has just 3 footswitches for live work ?? I totally get how it could work for sessions, but live is another issue and a big part of my playing life.

I had been looking closely at the QC and it was clearer to me how I would map my multi pedal board use on to the QC with its 8 footswitches.

can any of you more experienced multi-FX users help me understand this better.

thanks!

 

[pfschim]

also wanted to ask if any of you are a little concerned that there appear to be things like bluetooth support that are planned for later updates but not avail now at release. Is that common for these complex digital boxes or does it feel like the Anagram is not quite baked yet ??

Serious question, not taking a shot here. I don't have any personal experience with multiFX devices at all.

 

[TaySte_2000]

also wanted to ask if any of you are a little concerned that there appear to be things like bluetooth support that are planned for later updates but not avail now at release. Is that common for these complex digital boxes or does it feel like the Anagram is not quite baked yet ??

Serious question, not taking a shot here. I don't have any personal experience with multiFX devices at all.

It’s really common in the software world and has trickled down to these computer in a pedal. The Quad Cortex was released with far less than it has now.

It’s not a concern but also don’t buy any of these units based on the promise of what’s coming. I’m confident Bluetooth and audio over usb c is just around the corner but additional fx like phaser and wah, if you need those wait till they are available before buying.

 

[gustobassman]

Has anyone done an a/b test regarding the "knob positions" on the DG blocks to see how they compare to the actual pedals themselves?

 

[TaySte_2000]

I remain very interested in this (and other multiFX boxes) and I'm back to ask a few more questions about how to use the Anagram for live work, specifically focused on the 3 (!) footswitches.

When using my current small pedalboard on a typical 3hr/3set (or 3hr 2set) gig with 30ish songs, I will have a pretty consistent overall always-on tone/EQ/comp setting for lets say 90% of the material. For perhaps 50% of the songs I will switch on/off several different FX with filter, boost, distortion, octave, chorus, (in different combinations) being the most common. I may use one or two FX throughout a specific song, or I may kick in an effect (boost or distortion) for a chorus or a solo, then kick it off for verses (for example).

I'm used to my small pedalboard and the FX "dance" that having several pedals requires, but I'm having challenges understanding how I would replicate how I use my current multi pedal board with a single device (Anagram) that has just 3 footswitches for live work ?? I totally get how it could work for sessions, but live is another issue and a big part of my playing life.

I had been looking closely at the QC and it was clearer to me how I would map my multi pedal board use on to the QC with its 8 footswitches.

can any of you more experienced multi-FX users help me understand this better.

thanks!

I’m going to get the terminology wrong but essentially I would do this with a scene per song (or a bunch of songs).

Each scene would have the same core tone and the footswitches would activate the fx for part of the song. These individual fx can turn on multiple fx at once.

So song 1
Footswitch 1 - fuzz
Footswitch 2 - octave and filter
Footswitch 3 - boost and chorus

Song 2
Footswitch 1 - octaver
Footswitch 2 - filter and chorus
Footswitch 3 - boost

Might sound complex but over time you get a bunch of “songs” programmed in as scenes. They are reorderable/draggable on the screen.

Then you just patch up through the set. The benefit of this is it also gives you the set list on the pedal (with some prep).

Above is just a complex example. But applies to most multis these days.

What I find is I might use footswitch 3 always as a boost, footswitch 1 as say an Octaver and footswitch 2 as the song feature ie whatever combination of fx are specific to that song.

The benefits of multis is that with some planning you can avoid all tap dancing and turn multiple fx on and off with a single click.

If you need more footswitchs you can always add a midi controller like the M-vave chocolate or the darkglass intelligent midi controller.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

also wanted to ask if any of you are a little concerned that there appear to be things like bluetooth support that are planned for later updates but not avail now at release. Is that common for these complex digital boxes or does it feel like the Anagram is not quite baked yet ??

Serious question, not taking a shot here. I don't have any personal experience with multiFX devices at all.

Very common. If you wait for perfection, the hardware might be obsolete when you finally ship. That's why there is always a 1.1 and a 1.2 and a 1.3, etc etc.

 

[BrianVengeance]

also wanted to ask if any of you are a little concerned that there appear to be things like bluetooth support that are planned for later updates but not avail now at release. Is that common for these complex digital boxes or does it feel like the Anagram is not quite baked yet ??

Serious question, not taking a shot here. I don't have any personal experience with multiFX devices at all.

There's really two important things to stick the landing on right now. First is to make sure that the hardware is more than capable for the next few years and second is to absolutely not flub the launch. So far they're ticking the boxes on those two.

From the AMA earlier on Reddit with Marco, he mentioned that bluetooth is coming in patch 1.2 IIRC, and that they already had the interface part worked out, but pulled it last minute due to a bug popping up late. The latter is just what happens when working with software.

Without being a fanboy or an apologist (I've done plenty of go-lives with software), they've done a pretty bang-up job for releasing an entirely new set of software and hardware. No telling how long this was baking for beforehand, so it will be interesting to see the patch cadence moving forward.

 

[Cassian Hill]

The Split Octave preset in the first link is pretty neat. Never delved into DG gear, I assumed they're geared toward metal minus the Vintage Tubes, but I've been seeing some demos showing its versatility.

 

[BrianVengeance]

I’m going to get the terminology wrong but essentially I would do this with a scene per song (or a bunch of songs).

Each scene would have the same core tone and the footswitches would activate the fx for part of the song. These individual fx can turn on multiple fx at once.

So song 1
Footswitch 1 - fuzz
Footswitch 2 - octave and filter
Footswitch 3 - boost and chorus

Song 2
Footswitch 1 - octaver
Footswitch 2 - filter and chorus
Footswitch 3 - boost

Might sound complex but over time you get a bunch of “songs” programmed in as scenes. They are reorderable/draggable on the screen.

Then you just patch up through the set. The benefit of this is it also gives you the set list on the pedal (with some prep).

Above is just a complex example. But applies to most multis these days.

What I find is I might use footswitch 3 always as a boost, footswitch 1 as say an Octaver and footswitch 2 as the song feature ie whatever combination of fx are specific to that song.

The benefits of multis is that with some planning you can avoid all tap dancing and turn multiple fx on and off with a single click.

If you need more footswitchs you can always add a midi controller like the M-vave chocolate or the darkglass intelligent midi controller.

You could do this right now, with the caveat that you can use the effects that are currently available and you can limit yourself to 3 foot switches. MIDI support is forthcoming (as are other effects), but when it comes, they've promised standards compliance. Personally I've been looking towards something like a a MC6 pro as a companion for when it's ready, although it would be sick if they released something similar with the same form factor / screen / size of the Anagram that can handle set lists and all of those goodies.

 

[gtirard]

I remain very interested in this (and other multiFX boxes) and I'm back to ask a few more questions about how to use the Anagram for live work, specifically focused on the 3 (!) footswitches.

When using my current small pedalboard on a typical 3hr/3set (or 3hr 2set) gig with 30ish songs, I will have a pretty consistent overall always-on tone/EQ/comp setting for lets say 90% of the material. For perhaps 50% of the songs I will switch on/off several different FX with filter, boost, distortion, octave, chorus, (in different combinations) being the most common. I may use one or two FX throughout a specific song, or I may kick in an effect (boost or distortion) for a chorus or a solo, then kick it off for verses (for example).

I'm used to my small pedalboard and the FX "dance" that having several pedals requires, but I'm having challenges understanding how I would replicate how I use my current multi pedal board with a single device (Anagram) that has just 3 footswitches for live work ?? I totally get how it could work for sessions, but live is another issue and a big part of my playing life.

I had been looking closely at the QC and it was clearer to me how I would map my multi pedal board use on to the QC with its 8 footswitches.

can any of you more experienced multi-FX users help me understand this better.

thanks!

ì don't have the Anagram, but from my experience with the HX Stomp and by reading Anagram's doc, I think it take a little time to get used to 3 switches, but you should be able to meet your goals:

• Each preset is the equivalent of a full pedalboard, where you can select the pedals (blocks) you want to use, but in practice, you would use each preset for one song or for a few songs. You mustn't change preset in the middle of a song (bacause changing preset cause a short silence, as the pedal needs time to load blocks in its memory). So let's say that preset 1 is for your songs 1, 2, 7 and 9 or your set lits, preset 2 is for songs 3 and 5, etc.
• In Stomp mode, each switch lets you turn on and off pedals, so it's very close to the experience of a standard pedalboard, but you can assign several pedals to each switch, so you can control more pedals at the same time, reducing the "FX dance". For example, switch 1 turns on/off the octaver and distortion, switch 2 turns on/off the chorus and delay, etc.
  • When you are un Stomp mode, you can still change preset by pressing switches 1+2 (previous preset) and 2+3 (next preset). So you don't have to bend over to the anagram to touch the screen between songs. But you have to organise the order of the presets in a way that is convenient for your set list, in order to avoid pressing multiple time the footswitches between each song to get to the right preset.
• In Scene mode, it's a little bit more powerful than Stomp mode: you have 3 scenss, one for each footswitch. Think the scens as "verse", "chorus" and "bridge". In each scene, you not only decide witch pedal (block) you turn on and off, but you can also change all the parameters. For example, a light gain on the overdrive for the verse, and a higher gain for the chorus.
  • In Scene mode, you can also change preset by pressing switches 1+2 and 2+3 the same way
• In theory, you can alternate between Stomp mode and Scene mode depending on the songs and presets, but it's easier to use the same mode during all the gig in my experience.

It's possible to re-order the preset on the pedal before each gig, to match the set list, but in practice, this operation is faster and easier to do with a external editor (Mac or PC computer, phone or tablet). It's OK because you do this before the gig, at home, when you know the set list. There's no external editor for the Anagram yet, it should be offered in a next update, but it's always possible to re-order presets on the pedal directly in the meantime.

 

[BrianVengeance]

ì don't have the Anagram, but from my experience with the HX Stomp and by reading Anagram's doc, I think it take a little time to get used to 3 switches, but you should be able to meet your goals:

• Each preset is the equivalent of a full pedalboard, where you can select the pedals (blocks) you want to use, but in practice, you would use each preset for one song or for a few songs. You mustn't change preset in the middle of a song (bacause changing preset cause a short silence, as the pedal needs time to load blocks in its memory). So let's say that preset 1 is for your songs 1, 2, 7 and 9 or your set lits, preset 2 is for songs 3 and 5, etc.
• In Stomp mode, each switch lets you turn on and off pedals, so it's very close to the experience of a standard pedalboard, but you can assign several pedals to each switch, so you can control more pedals at the same time, reducing the "FX dance". For example, switch 1 turns on/off the octaver and distortion, switch 2 turns on/off the chorus and delay, etc.
  • When you are un Stomp mode, you can still change preset by pressing switches 1+2 (previous preset) and 2+3 (next preset). So you don't have to bend over to the anagram to touch the screen between songs. But you have to organise the order of the presets in a way that is convenient for your set list, in order to avoid pressing multiple time the footswitches between each song to get to the right preset.
• In Scene mode, it's a little bit more powerful than Stomp mode: you have 3 scenss, one for each footswitch. Think the scens as "verse", "chorus" and "bridge". In each scene, you not only decide witch pedal (block) you turn on and off, but you can also change all the parameters. For example, a light gain on the overdrive for the verse, and a higher gain for the chorus.
  • In Scene mode, you can also change preset by pressing switches 1+2 and 2+3 the same way
• In theory, you can alternate between Stomp mode and Scene mode depending on the songs and presets, but it's easier to use the same mode during all the gig in my experience.

It's possible to re-order the preset on the pedal before each gig, to match the set list, but in practice, this operation is faster and easier to do with a external editor (Mac or PC computer, phone or tablet). It's OK because you do this before the gig, at home, when you know the set list. There's no external editor for the Anagram yet, it should be offered in a next update, but it's always possible to re-order presets on the pedal directly in the meantime.

Close, but it's a little different on the Anagram. Presets represent the overall signal chain, same as the Helix.

The switch bindings in stomp mode are a bit different - on the Helix, this is a simple on / off for the pedal itself. On the Anagram, you can select a block and then a parameter and set on / off values. This works for all blocks, so it could work with routing or going from a lower gain to a higher gain setting on a single boost / OD / distortion block. Could also tweak blend levels, etc... but for a single block.

Scenes work more like the Helix's snapshots - select on / off state for one or more pedals and adjust parameters. Adjustment can be done for a single scene or can be applied to every snapshot.

 

[gtirard]

Close, but it's a little different on the Anagram. Presets represent the overall signal chain, same as the Helix.

The switch bindings in stomp mode are a bit different - on the Helix, this is a simple on / off for the pedal itself. On the Anagram, you can select a block and then a parameter and set on / off values. This works for all blocks, so it could work with routing or going from a lower gain to a higher gain setting on a single boost / OD / distortion block. Could also tweak blend levels, etc... but for a single block.

Scenes work more like the Helix's snapshots - select on / off state for one or more pedals and adjust parameters. Adjustment can be done for a single scene or can be applied to every snapshot.

Thank you for clarifying.

Let me re-phrase to make sure I understood (this time):
- Scene mode on Anagram = Snapshots on HX Stomp = each scene store on-off states and parameters of all the blocks in the current preset
- Stomp mode on Anagram differs from Stomp mode on HX Stomp in that you can control any parameter of a block the Anagram (vs only on-off state on the HX Stomp), but on the Anagram it's only for one block wehereas on the HX Stomp you cana switch on-off multiple blocks at once?

 

[Chrishi87]

Thank you for clarifying.

Let me re-phrase to make sure I understood (this time):
- Scene mode on Anagram = Snapshots on HX Stomp = each scene store on-off states and parameters of all the blocks in the current preset
- Stomp mode on Anagram differs from Stomp mode on HX Stomp in that you can control any parameter of a block the Anagram (vs only on-off state on the HX Stomp), but on the Anagram it's only for one block wehereas on the HX Stomp you cana switch on-off multiple blocks at once?

Scene - Yep
Stomp Mode - The same like Stomp Helix
Binding Mode - What you explained in your Stomp Mode. (but Stomp Mode on Helix is also just one block on / off, I believe ?)

 

[BrianVengeance]

Stomp mode Helix == 1 pedal per switch on or off.
Stomp mode Anagram == 1 pedal parameter per switch with on / off values. This could be the block itself on or off, or say, the level of a gain block at the switch’s on or off state.

Will need to dig back into binding mode, but IIRC it works like a macro for parameters across multiple blocks per switch.

 

[DeadbeatLine]

Can any Anagram owners confirm that changing scene via MIDI is not possible at the moment? The Darkglass website seems to confirm that only presets can be changed using MIDI currently.

 

[pfschim]

Thanks for the reassurance on this box.

Sounds like the Anagram (or other multi-FX boxes) will work for me and my live work. I guess I just have to trust that's true and get one, start setting it up and get familiar with the device.

Side question; multi-FX boxes like the Anagram have FX loops, so if the device does not have a specific effect you want, you can use the FX loop as a way to include it in your signal chain. Right?

I've been thinking hard about a pedalboard with a multi-FX box like the Anagram with an Eventide H90 somewhere in the chain and finished with the Noble. Between what the Anagram can do natively, and the great FX of the H90, all going through my Noble before hitting FOH, that would be a pretty nice pedal board !

 

[gtirard]

Thanks for the reassurance on this box.

Sounds like the Anagram (or other multi-FX boxes) will work for me and my live work. I guess I just have to trust that's true and get one, start setting it up and get familiar with the device.

Side question; multi-FX boxes like the Anagram have FX loops, so if the device does not have a specific effect you want, you can use the FX loop as a way to include it in your signal chain. Right?

I've been thinking hard about a pedalboard with a multi-FX box like the Anagram with an Eventide H90 somewhere in the chain and finished with the Noble. Between what the Anagram can do natively, and the great FX of the H90, all going through my Noble before hitting FOH, that would be a pretty nice pedal board !

Right