Down to the Tech 21 DP3X or the Darkglass Mx7?

[Zekt]

So I have spent literally months now going over threads and researching pedals to decide what the first major addition to my collection will be and I wanted to get some opinions from the lovely knowledgeable people here at TB.

About me and my playing, I suck. But I'm learning again after 20 years.

I play mostly metal/rock/prog but a bit of everything.

The things I felt I NEEDED to have in the first major pedal I got were:
1) A direct input
2) A good distortion/OD
3) A good preamp for both clean and dirty tones
Bonus would be a headphone jack as I play mainly through a tiny practice amp at my apartment.

I have narrowed it down to the X7 from Darkglass, and the DP-3X from Tech 21.
I had NO IDEA who dUg was until I learned of this pedal and still have heard very little of King's X but absolutely love his tone. Darkglass of course is like the go to these days for heavy bass tones and of all the pedal options they have I think the versatility of the X7 was what won out over the Darkglass Alpha/Omega.

I am just looking for opinions on which seems to be the best choice (i'm not taking price into account cause it will be a saved up for item anyway).

My main question though is to people with either.
If you have the DP3X:
1) Do you find the clean tone it gets to be comparable to the Sansamp BDDI or YYZ?
2) How effective is the built in compressor? Is it all you would need hypothetically or would a separate compression pedal be needed?

and if you own the X7.
1) DO you find the high and low pass filters essential? As in how often to you find yourself tweeking the levels?

Thank you all for taking the time to read and I look forward to your response and if you need to know anything additional to help with your answers please feel free to ask.

And thank you for your patience with this noob asking questions you have probably seen 100 times.

 

[Hypocrite]

So I have spent literally months now going over threads and researching pedals to decide what the first major addition to my collection will be and I wanted to get some opinions from the lovely knowledgeable people here at TB.

About me and my playing, I suck. But I'm learning again after 20 years.

I play mostly metal/rock/prog but a bit of everything.

The things I felt I NEEDED to have in the first major pedal I got were:
1) A direct input
2) A good distortion/OD
3) A good preamp for both clean and dirty tones
Bonus would be a headphone jack as I play mainly through a tiny practice amp at my apartment.

I have narrowed it down to the X7 from Darkglass, and the DP-3X from Tech 21.
I had NO IDEA who dUg was until I learned of this pedal and still have heard very little of King's X but absolutely love his tone. Darkglass of course is like the go to these days for heavy bass tones and of all the pedal options they have I think the versatility of the X7 was what won out over the Darkglass Alpha/Omega.

I am just looking for opinions on which seems to be the best choice (i'm not taking price into account cause it will be a saved up for item anyway).

My main question though is to people with either.
If you have the DP3X:
1) Do you find the clean tone it gets to be comparable to the Sansamp BDDI or YYZ?
2) How effective is the built in compressor? Is it all you would need hypothetically or would a separate compression pedal be needed?

and if you own the X7.
1) DO you find the high and low pass filters essential? As in how often to you find yourself tweeking the levels?

Thank you all for taking the time to read and I look forward to your response and if you need to know anything additional to help with your answers please feel free to ask.

And thank you for your patience with this noob asking questions you have probably seen 100 times.

The thing about the high/low pass filters on the X7 is that they're not typical h/lpfs like you would get with for example Broughton. They just let you decide above what frequency you want the distortion applied to, and how much sub frequency to send through the compressor (as i understand it)
So yes, they are absolutely essential, otherwise it wouldn't really be a crossover pedal

 

[tonymcbony]

So I have spent literally months now going over threads and researching pedals to decide what the first major addition to my collection will be and I wanted to get some opinions from the lovely knowledgeable people here at TB.

About me and my playing, I suck. But I'm learning again after 20 years.

I play mostly metal/rock/prog but a bit of everything.

The things I felt I NEEDED to have in the first major pedal I got were:
1) A direct input
2) A good distortion/OD
3) A good preamp for both clean and dirty tones
Bonus would be a headphone jack as I play mainly through a tiny practice amp at my apartment.

I have narrowed it down to the X7 from Darkglass, and the DP-3X from Tech 21.
I had NO IDEA who dUg was until I learned of this pedal and still have heard very little of King's X but absolutely love his tone. Darkglass of course is like the go to these days for heavy bass tones and of all the pedal options they have I think the versatility of the X7 was what won out over the Darkglass Alpha/Omega.

I am just looking for opinions on which seems to be the best choice (i'm not taking price into account cause it will be a saved up for item anyway).

My main question though is to people with either.
If you have the DP3X:
1) Do you find the clean tone it gets to be comparable to the Sansamp BDDI or YYZ?
2) How effective is the built in compressor? Is it all you would need hypothetically or would a separate compression pedal be needed?

and if you own the X7.
1) DO you find the high and low pass filters essential? As in how often to you find yourself tweeking the levels?

Thank you all for taking the time to read and I look forward to your response and if you need to know anything additional to help with your answers please feel free to ask.

And thank you for your patience with this noob asking questions you have probably seen 100 times.

WELL.

Good news. I have been in the exact same position as you, had the same questions, and have had all the pedals you mention

Clean tone of DP3X - it’s a nice clean three band eq. Doesn’t have the character of the BDDI or YYZ because it’s completely clean, so no grit going on to give it something special. I’ll note that getting a clean tone that will work nicely with the dirty blended tone is practically impossible - you kind have to choose one or the other as the “main” tone.

Compressor on the DP3X - it’s effective, and actually quite nice. Like all the controls on the DP3X a little goes a long, long way. It brings in a lot of low end as you turn it up so you’ll want to balance the Lows knob with the compression. Hypothetically, I think it would be all you needed.


I had an X7 for a long time and after buying it twice, and also owning the DP3x and YYZ, I ended up springing for the X7 Ultra. It’s easier to set up as a clean/dirty pedal (although there are still compromises) and I love the Cab sim, aux in, headphones out options, as well as the ability to have the compression applied both on the clean and dirty tone.

You can get very, very close to the DP3X tones with the X7 and Ultra but you also have more flexibility with the X’s. The filters are essential to this and give you a wide range of possibility and you’ll play with them lots.

The caveats are that the Darkglass dirt sound is a bit more raw than the Tech21 dirt which is a bit more clanky. Also, whilst it works just like the DP3X, the compression on the X7 isn’t quite as nice. I am a compressor snob though so I run a Maxon CP9+ Pro in front of it because I like it more. Most people are really happy with the compression on the X7/ultra

I will also add the caveat that when I was going through all the pedals, I was searching for something that would make a stingray sound good in particular.

 

[Zekt]

WELL.

Good news. I have been in the exact same position as you, had the same questions, and have had all the pedals you mention

Clean tone of DP3X - it’s a nice clean three band eq. Doesn’t have the character of the BDDI or YYZ because it’s completely clean, so no grit going on to give it something special. I’ll note that getting a clean tone that will work nicely with the dirty blended tone is practically impossible - you kind have to choose one or the other as the “main” tone.

Compressor on the DP3X - it’s effective, and actually quite nice. Like all the controls on the DP3X a little goes a long, long way. It brings in a lot of low end as you turn it up so you’ll want to balance the Lows knob with the compression. Hypothetically, I think it would be all you needed.


I had an X7 for a long time and after buying it twice, and also owning the DP3x and YYZ, I ended up springing for the X7 Ultra. It’s easier to set up as a clean/dirty pedal (although there are still compromises) and I love the Cab sim, aux in, headphones out options, as well as the ability to have the compression applied both on the clean and dirty tone.

You can get very, very close to the DP3X tones with the X7 and Ultra but you also have more flexibility with the X’s. The filters are essential to this and give you a wide range of possibility and you’ll play with them lots.

The caveats are that the Darkglass dirt sound is a bit more raw than the Tech21 dirt which is a bit more clanky. Also, whilst it works just like the DP3X, the compression on the X7 isn’t quite as nice. I am a compressor snob though so I run a Maxon CP9+ Pro in front of it because I like it more. Most people are really happy with the compression on the X7/ultra

I will also add the caveat that when I was going through all the pedals, I was searching for something that would make a stingray sound good in particular.

If I could like this post three times more I totally would! This did an excellent job of answering the questions I had.

With what you said about the clean tone with the DP3X you're saying to get that really gritty "dUg" like tone AND have a pleasant clean tone isn't exactly possible? So you kind of just have to use it as a distortion pedal then?

Could you in theory emulate the BDDI or YYZ to a decent enough degree with the mix engaged?

 

[tonymcbony]

If I could like this post three times more I totally would! This did an excellent job of answering the questions I had.

With what you said about the clean tone with the DP3X you're saying to get that really gritty "dUg" like tone AND have a pleasant clean tone isn't exactly possible? So you kind of just have to use it as a distortion pedal then?

Could you in theory emulate the BDDI or YYZ to a decent enough degree with the mix engaged?

Ha, no worries – feels nice to be able to actually talk with experience about something! To my ear, it was a matter of compromise. If I wanted a decent clean and a decent dirty I needed to sacrifice tone on both sides. To be specific, the amount of mids I wanted to dial in was quite high when the mix was engaged but the clean tone sounded extremely honky if I switched to it. I think if you were happy with a large amount of scooped mids you'd not have a problem. For me it meant I just it as being a magical grind machine. Another note is that with the compression and gain up, it can get really hissy – this may or may not be an issue based on the mix you're going into.

All that said, I think you could get in the ballpark of the YYZ, maybe into the BDDI – the DP3X is actually pretty versatile once you learn its quriks but IMHO I would just set it up to give me that awesome grind and be happy.

I used it as the one pedal in a live church setting – tuner is good, XLR is good, and it sounded nice to the FOH but sound guy complained about hiss when the gain went past 12 o'clock in my context. X7/ X Ultra has only had compliments

 

[FLV]

I've had both and I'd say they're actually quite different animals despite a similar technology and role.

First of all, the main difference - the drive. The DP-3X offers the classic tube-amp-pushed-into-overdrive feel, that is pretty clanky, growly and "organic", however it's not as agressive as the one implemented in the X7. Also, the HPF setting makes it sound even sharper than the typical Sansamp tone. The X7 has the BxK series drive which is definately more agressive and sounds more like very agressive overdrive/distortion than the 'classic' tube overdrive. This was the main difference to me, and to each his own I guess - for me the X7 had this extra edge which I sort of preferred at the time. Also, the compressor on the X7 seems much more transparent and much more subtle than the one applied in the DP-3x which felt almost as an aural enchancer, especially in the low end.

Secondly, the versatility - the mod knobs on the X7 offer a very wide range of tones, however I see most people actualy hovering close to the classic 250/350 setting on the LPF and the 700-1000 on the HPF, so it's somewhat close to the fixed crossover points of the DP-3X. Still, I found some basses to miss the extra high mids (around 700mHz) when using the 3X, although it was barely noticeable in the mix. Speaking of which, the DP-3x has additional voicing which is really well tailored to wrap itself around a heavy guitar/kick drum tone and easily adapt itself to most rock/metal mixes, both live and in the studio. Hence - the X7 is a little bit more difficult to set to achieve 'the tone', while the DP-3x sounds great out of the box. This and the additional features - the tuner and the clean channel.

And last but not least - the overall feel. To be honest I've found the DP-3X to be a more complete solution, which sounds really great on it's own without any need for an amp being plugged afterwards (apart from being used as a power amp, really). Furthermore, I think it's nature is that it completely takes over your tone, even when it's plugged in to the amp input. The X7 felt more as a compliment of the rest of my board, and it takes a little bit of the character of the amp when used in front of it. Again, it all depends on your needs, but I preferred the DP-3x when used as any other fly rig unit or amp simulator, while the X7 felt more like an actual pedal.

And as a side note - the DP-3X (or the first version at least) tended to prefer and work better with a more 'standard' bass signal, meaning that it tended to distort (not in a nice way) when used with a very high output signal. The X7 didnt have such problems, but from what I've heard some units from the first batch had a problem with some distortion being audible in the LPF signal as well. These are corner cases mind you, and shouldnt be decisive.

 

[dannybuoy]

The clean tones on the DP3X are pretty worthless, as a clean preamp, it’s kinda meh. With the mix off, it’s just compression and EQ, none of the typical Sansamp flavour.

But its drive has way more character than the comparatively flat and fizzy drive from the X7. The hi pass filter on the dirt side of the DP3X is set pretty high though, if you want more low-mid midrange, you’ll appreciate the variable HPF of the Darkglass.

The DP3X compressor is set up with a slow attack that really enhances the initial pop of the lows. It’s more of an effect than a subtle compression, and I love it.

The X7 has a way more flexible EQ and would make a better clean preamp... But both pedals are not good for using as 2-channel devices, if you set the EQ one way dirty, you’ll more than likely want it set differently clean.

 

[Zooberwerx]

The clean tones on the DP3X are pretty worthless, as a clean preamp, it’s kinda meh. With the mix off, it’s just compression and EQ, none of the typical Sansamp flavour.

Even if & when you're able to dial-up a clean tone, it's difficult to kick back 'n forth to the OD channel and retain the desired character. There are some work-arounds but all fell flat for me. OTOH, the OD channel is very impressive once balanced to taste.

Riis

 

[Crystalman85]

As a darkglass fan, I would suggest the darkglass microtube x ultra. it will give you clean and distortion sounds with a flexible graphic eq control.

 

[Franz975]

If I could like this post three times more I totally would! This did an excellent job of answering the questions I had.

With what you said about the clean tone with the DP3X you're saying to get that really gritty "dUg" like tone AND have a pleasant clean tone isn't exactly possible? So you kind of just have to use it as a distortion pedal then?

Could you in theory emulate the BDDI or YYZ to a decent enough degree with the mix engaged?

I have a Tech21 DP3-x and a YYZ shape shifter. And sold a X ultra.
I clearly prefer the Tech21 the tone has more grain and grit. So,
No you can't really replicate a YYZ or BDDI with the dUg as the dUg will get the compression only on the Low End and the "distortion" only on the high end. The YYZ has a bit of that too, a clean channel with more lowend and a Drive channel (the EQ and other knobs work only on the drive channel, which is based on a SansAmp RPM which is the rack version of a ParaDriver)

As for a clean tone/dirty tone all in one, I never got what I wanted with the dUg or the X, I prefer to make one or the other to get the tone I want. For example on the X if I want a heavy tone I will scoop the mids, but on the clean side I prefer more mids so doesn't work for me.

The YYZ and dUg can get a good clean tone even on the drive side if you get a lower gain, as the gain work like a gain on a Tube Amp, i start to have grit on the YYZ at around 12o clock.

So in comparison. I don't like the drive of the X, it sounded too much clean and like floating in the air(?), In the way that it doesn't meld with the clean low end like the dUg imo, and i found the dUg just simple and compact and it has a tuner and cabsim (yes all SansAmp have a cabsim in them, and there is only few SansAmp where you can disable it) but you can still use your cab after it or another IR (that will work, but that doesn't work with the Darkglass because the cabsim they have a big caracter)

 

[DuluthDank]

I have a Tech21 DP3-x and a YYZ shape shifter. And sold a X ultra.
I clearly prefer the Tech21 the tone has more grain and grit. So,
No you can't really replicate a YYZ or BDDI with the dUg as the dUg will get the compression only on the Low End and the "distortion" only on the high end. The YYZ has a bit of that too, a clean channel with more lowend and a Drive channel (the EQ and other knobs work only on the drive channel, which is based on a SansAmp RPM which is the rack version of a ParaDriver)

As for a clean tone/dirty tone all in one, I never got what I wanted with the dUg or the X, I prefer to make one or the other to get the tone I want. For example on the X if I want a heavy tone I will scoop the mids, but on the clean side I prefer more mids so doesn't work for me.

The YYZ and dUg can get a good clean tone even on the drive side if you get a lower gain, as the gain work like a gain on a Tube Amp, i start to have grit on the YYZ at around 12o clock.

So in comparison. I don't like the drive of the X, it sounded too much clean and like floating in the air(?), In the way that it doesn't meld with the clean low end like the dUg imo, and i found the dUg just simple and compact and it has a tuner and cabsim (yes all SansAmp have a cabsim in them, and there is only few SansAmp where you can disable it) but you can still use your cab after it or another IR (that will work, but that doesn't work with the Darkglass because the cabsim they have a big caracter)

Does the boost on the shape shifter work in a band setting? I'd like to have the pedal always on at a subtle breakup setting, but I'm wondering of the boost works well using on the fly for more aggressive songs. If you have to bend down and change the settings after using the boost to get a good sound in the mix it defeats the purpose to me. So hopefully the bass doesn't fall out or the volume doesn't change too much, etc.

 

[Franz975]

Does the boost on the shape shifter work in a band setting? I'd like to have the pedal always on at a subtle breakup setting, but I'm wondering of the boost works well using on the fly for more aggressive songs. If you have to bend down and change the settings after using the boost to get a good sound in the mix it defeats the purpose to me. So hopefully the bass doesn't fall out or the volume doesn't change too much, etc.

The boost on this one is not a volume or gain boost but a Presence boost (12dB is a lot, 10dB is twice the volume for human ear). But I can use the same settings with or without it, compare to the dUg (DP3-X) where I don't like using the clean and the mix at the same time due to volume drop, etc...
But to be honest, if I use the boost on the MP40/ shape shifter I will go for a Darker tone on the normal channel and use the Boost to add that presence, agressivity (or definition if you have lower gain). The shape shifter knob work only when the boost is on, and it boost the mids between approximately 600Hz and 1kHz () look at that video will be helpfull !

Also it is good to know that the Deep (clean) can't be affected or change, the 3 bands EQ, drive, Boost etc work only on the Drive side, which is good or not depending on if you like or not the Deep Channel (a clean with more lowend basically).

As for a band mix, I don't play in a band and don't record or make cover so I can't tell, but in his band (Rush so) Geddy is clearly audible, and the Shape Shifter and boost make the tone even more clean or grindy (I really like the Shape shifter knob, it add really cool mids to the drive, if i use it, i lower the gain but you can also go high gain without the shape shifter and get a cleaner mids but more agressive high end)

 

[Thir13teen]

WELL.

Good news. I have been in the exact same position as you, had the same questions, and have had all the pedals you mention

Clean tone of DP3X - it’s a nice clean three band eq. Doesn’t have the character of the BDDI or YYZ because it’s completely clean, so no grit going on to give it something special. I’ll note that getting a clean tone that will work nicely with the dirty blended tone is practically impossible - you kind have to choose one or the other as the “main” tone.

Compressor on the DP3X - it’s effective, and actually quite nice. Like all the controls on the DP3X a little goes a long, long way. It brings in a lot of low end as you turn it up so you’ll want to balance the Lows knob with the compression. Hypothetically, I think it would be all you needed.


I had an X7 for a long time and after buying it twice, and also owning the DP3x and YYZ, I ended up springing for the X7 Ultra. It’s easier to set up as a clean/dirty pedal (although there are still compromises) and I love the Cab sim, aux in, headphones out options, as well as the ability to have the compression applied both on the clean and dirty tone.

You can get very, very close to the DP3X tones with the X7 and Ultra but you also have more flexibility with the X’s. The filters are essential to this and give you a wide range of possibility and you’ll play with them lots.

The caveats are that the Darkglass dirt sound is a bit more raw than the Tech21 dirt which is a bit more clanky. Also, whilst it works just like the DP3X, the compression on the X7 isn’t quite as nice. I am a compressor snob though so I run a Maxon CP9+ Pro in front of it because I like it more. Most people are really happy with the compression on the X7/ultra

I will also add the caveat that when I was going through all the pedals, I was searching for something that would make a stingray sound good in particular.

Very interesting. I have the SansAmp VT Bass pedal (Character Series with speaker sim) and it sounded awesome with a Carvin 1x10 combo. But now I have an SWR SM400S amp and SWR 2x12 and the clean sounds awesome but the "grind" doesn't really grind and the "clank" doesn't really clank anymore. So I bought the Darkglass Microtubes B3 pedal thinking I'd get my tone back but I didn't get it. I ended up selling it on eBay. Obviously it makes a different with what head you are running the pedal into. I'm not sure if I should give the DP-3X a whirl with my SWR amp or if I should ditch the SWR and get something different before I buy a new pedal. The one knob my SansAmp doesn't come with is a "blend" knob.

Also, to throw a wrench into everything is I see that Frank Bello (Antrhax) has a SansAmp pedal coming out but it might not even become available until 2024 (although I wish it was available now).

 

[Thir13teen]

I have a Tech21 DP3-x and a YYZ shape shifter. And sold a X ultra.
I clearly prefer the Tech21 the tone has more grain and grit. So,
No you can't really replicate a YYZ or BDDI with the dUg as the dUg will get the compression only on the Low End and the "distortion" only on the high end. The YYZ has a bit of that too, a clean channel with more lowend and a Drive channel (the EQ and other knobs work only on the drive channel, which is based on a SansAmp RPM which is the rack version of a ParaDriver)

As for a clean tone/dirty tone all in one, I never got what I wanted with the dUg or the X, I prefer to make one or the other to get the tone I want. For example on the X if I want a heavy tone I will scoop the mids, but on the clean side I prefer more mids so doesn't work for me.

The YYZ and dUg can get a good clean tone even on the drive side if you get a lower gain, as the gain work like a gain on a Tube Amp, i start to have grit on the YYZ at around 12o clock.

So in comparison. I don't like the drive of the X, it sounded too much clean and like floating in the air(?), In the way that it doesn't meld with the clean low end like the dUg imo, and i found the dUg just simple and compact and it has a tuner and cabsim (yes all SansAmp have a cabsim in them, and there is only few SansAmp where you can disable it) but you can still use your cab after it or another IR (that will work, but that doesn't work with the Darkglass because the cabsim they have a big caracter)

Very interesting. I have a SansAmp Character Series pedal (v2 with the cab sim). I wish I had a blend knob but since my pedal doesn't have one I wanted to get either a DP-3X or a Bass Driver DI v2. I don't think there are any videos that compare these exact two pedals. I couldn't wait to get a Darkglass B3K but when I got it and plugged it in, it fell flat. Perhaps because it was running into an SWR SM400S? I am highly intrigued as there is a SansAmp Frank Bello pedal on the way. I don't think it will be out until 2024 but you can see/hear Frank playing through a prototype at Tech21's headquarters (and he also mentions it in an interview). So if it was available today - I'd be interested in hearing it with my rig as well as the Bass Driver DI v2 and the DP-3X.

 

[Franz975]

Very interesting. I have a SansAmp Character Series pedal (v2 with the cab sim). I wish I had a blend knob but since my pedal doesn't have one I wanted to get either a DP-3X or a Bass Driver DI v2. I don't think there are any videos that compare these exact two pedals. I couldn't wait to get a Darkglass B3K but when I got it and plugged it in, it fell flat. Perhaps because it was running into an SWR SM400S? I am highly intrigued as there is a SansAmp Frank Bello pedal on the way. I don't think it will be out until 2024 but you can see/hear Frank playing through a prototype at Tech21's headquarters (and he also mentions it in an interview). So if it was available today - I'd be interested in hearing it with my rig as well as the Bass Driver DI v2 and the DP-3X.

I didn't see the video where Frank play, interesting
I don't use a lot my pedal since I got the Bergantino SPre but they are nice

 

[Thir13teen]

I didn't see the video where Frank play, interesting
I don't use a lot my pedal since I got the Bergantino SPre but they are nice

 

[_Some Dude]

For reference, I use a BDDI and SVT in parallel... BDDI to FOH and SVT as an onstage monitor.

Since it sounds like you want both a clean and dirty sound, what I do is run a BDDI as always on preamp and use an A/O as a distortion pedal into the BDDI.

Doing it this way produces some consistency of sound because the BDDI is always feeding FOH, but it lets me shape my distortion sound on the A/O to where I want it without sounding like I've turned on an entirely different sounding rig. If I had an X I'd use the same approach.

I like the dUg, but it's not a sound I can commit to 100% of the time. Preamp + distortion pedal has been a better approach for me.

 

[BEADist]

For reference, I use a BDDI and SVT in parallel... BDDI to FOH and SVT as an onstage monitor.

Since it sounds like you want both a clean and dirty sound, what I do is run a BDDI as always on preamp and use an A/O as a distortion pedal into the BDDI.

Doing it this way produces some consistency of sound because the BDDI is always feeding FOH, but it lets me shape my distortion sound on the A/O to where I want it without sounding like I've turned on an entirely different sounding rig. If I had an X I'd use the same approach.

I like the dUg, but it's not a sound I can commit to 100% of the time. Preamp + distortion pedal has been a better approach for me.

I use the same approach (because of the consistancy) : X7 into (always on)Tech21 PDDI. Stacking works for me as well .

 

[Franz975]

WELL.

Good news. I have been in the exact same position as you, had the same questions, and have had all the pedals you mention

Clean tone of DP3X - it’s a nice clean three band eq. Doesn’t have the character of the BDDI or YYZ because it’s completely clean, so no grit going on to give it something special. I’ll note that getting a clean tone that will work nicely with the dirty blended tone is practically impossible - you kind have to choose one or the other as the “main” tone.

Compressor on the DP3X - it’s effective, and actually quite nice. Like all the controls on the DP3X a little goes a long, long way. It brings in a lot of low end as you turn it up so you’ll want to balance the Lows knob with the compression. Hypothetically, I think it would be all you needed.


I had an X7 for a long time and after buying it twice, and also owning the DP3x and YYZ, I ended up springing for the X7 Ultra. It’s easier to set up as a clean/dirty pedal (although there are still compromises) and I love the Cab sim, aux in, headphones out options, as well as the ability to have the compression applied both on the clean and dirty tone.

You can get very, very close to the DP3X tones with the X7 and Ultra but you also have more flexibility with the X’s. The filters are essential to this and give you a wide range of possibility and you’ll play with them lots.

The caveats are that the Darkglass dirt sound is a bit more raw than the Tech21 dirt which is a bit more clanky. Also, whilst it works just like the DP3X, the compression on the X7 isn’t quite as nice. I am a compressor snob though so I run a Maxon CP9+ Pro in front of it because I like it more. Most people are really happy with the compression on the X7/ultra

I will also add the caveat that when I was going through all the pedals, I was searching for something that would make a stingray sound good in particular.

I find the compressor on the X7 better, sound clearer and doesn't overcompress like the dUg pedal to me. And has a wider "dynamic" range

 

[boristhespider7]

Asking myself the same question at the moment: DG x7 ultra or dp3x?
I like the Dug sound and always use an amp so not too bothered by the ampless option. Also fairly happy with my clean tone so not bothered by a clean preamp.
After a grindy d tuned tone similar to Alice in chains, kings x etc

Wandering if X ultra gets a near enough tone to the dp, plus is more versatile so thinking it might be the better option.

May end up buying both to test