Dunwich Amplification General Discussion

[Corey Y]

Number 09 here. I'm fine without it. Though, given that I like the no-diode setting on the VT, I certainly wouldn't mind having it available. As for the middle setting on the low shelf, I'm not terribly missing anything or wishing for more.

@Corey Y - Do you mind describing your recording chain? I'm not set up to use a mic at home, but I can't quite get those tones going direct. I like the sound through my cab, but the direct & cab sim in Logic/Guitar Rig (15" vintage) isn't melting my butter.

I don't mind at all. I use pretty much the same setup for every single demo recording I make, with a few exceptions.

Bass (Carvin PB4, all stock, setup by the factory for BEAD tuning) > Pedalboard (Sonic Research ST-200 Turbo Tuner > whatever pedal with a 9v One Spot and daisy chain) > Gallien Krueger MB800 (usually on the B channel, with the Channel Volume and Master Volume at around 9 o'clock. Channel Volume was around 10-11 o'clock this time though. Contour all the way down, everything else at Noon) > DIY ported 1x10 (Duke's "coffee house cab" design) loaded with an Eminence Basslite 10" speaker > Electro-Voice RE20 mic, about an inch off the grill, about where the cone and cap meet > Focusrite Clarett 8Pre > Logic X.

I usually set my preamp level to peak at -10db. I balance out my digital drum track and the bass track (which has no plugins on it) and then shoot for around -5db peak on my Output track. On the master buss (output track) I put a Low Cut at 35Hz and a High Cut at 17kHz and then use the Adaptive Limiter (usually set at -.1dB max output and probably something like 8dB of gain or so, it varies based on how much I have going on in the recording).

That's it, I try to keep everything really simple, but I've put a lot of thought into all my setups, both playing and recording. I also have nice JBL monitors and some carefully place acoustic control panels around my room.

 

[Corey Y]

Where did that convo take place? I'd like to check it out.

I definitely agree with his assessment though. The diode bypass and LED settings are pretty similar. And I think it will be rare that I'll ever use the low cut on the other switch.

Like CoreyY, I've found myself preferring the LED clipping so far. The mosfet is cool as well, but it does need a bit more volume.

There's a closed FB group for Dunwich/Magic stuff. It's kind of an inner circle, updates, exclusives, beta testing, idea floating and feedback forum of sorts.

 

[Corey Y]

I will eventually make a more comprehensive demo (or sets of demos) for the Olde Dirty Bass, with its own thread. When I do that I will explore the MOSFET and Low Cut features more, they would be good for some very tight, aggressive pick playing stuff.

 

[bassboysam]

I don't mind at all. I use pretty much the same setup for every single demo recording I make, with a few exceptions.

Bass (Carvin PB4, all stock, setup by the factory for BEAD tuning) > Pedalboard (Sonic Research ST-200 Turbo Tuner > whatever pedal with a 9v One Spot and daisy chain) > Gallien Krueger MB800 (usually on the B channel, with the Channel Volume and Master Volume at around 9 o'clock. Channel Volume was around 10-11 o'clock this time though. Contour all the way down, everything else at Noon) > DIY ported 1x10 (Duke's "coffee house cab" design) loaded with an Eminence Basslite 10" speaker > Electro-Voice RE20 mic, about an inch off the grill, about where the cone and cap meet > Focusrite Clarett 8Pre > Logic X.

I usually set my preamp level to peak at -10db. I balance out my digital drum track and the bass track (which has no plugins on it) and then shoot for around -5db peak on my Output track. On the master buss (output track) I put a Low Cut at 35Hz and a High Cut at 17kHz and then use the Adaptive Limiter (usually set at -.1dB max output and probably something like 8dB of gain or so, it varies based on how much I have going on in the recording).

That's it, I try to keep everything really simple, but I've put a lot of thought into all my setups, both playing and recording. I also have nice JBL monitors and some carefully place acoustic control panels around my room.

just that simple eh

 

[Corey Y]

just that simple eh

Well, the setup is simple when you look at it. No one ever accused me of being terse.

 

[monsterthompson]

I don't mind at all. I use pretty much the same setup for every single demo recording I make, with a few exceptions.

Bass (Carvin PB4, all stock, setup by the factory for BEAD tuning) > Pedalboard (Sonic Research ST-200 Turbo Tuner > whatever pedal with a 9v One Spot and daisy chain) > Gallien Krueger MB800 (usually on the B channel, with the Channel Volume and Master Volume at around 9 o'clock. Channel Volume was around 10-11 o'clock this time though. Contour all the way down, everything else at Noon) > DIY ported 1x10 (Duke's "coffee house cab" design) loaded with an Eminence Basslite 10" speaker > Electro-Voice RE20 mic, about an inch off the grill, about where the cone and cap meet > Focusrite Clarett 8Pre > Logic X.

I usually set my preamp level to peak at -10db. I balance out my digital drum track and the bass track (which has no plugins on it) and then shoot for around -5db peak on my Output track. On the master buss (output track) I put a Low Cut at 35Hz and a High Cut at 17kHz and then use the Adaptive Limiter (usually set at -.1dB max output and probably something like 8dB of gain or so, it varies based on how much I have going on in the recording).

That's it, I try to keep everything really simple, but I've put a lot of thought into all my setups, both playing and recording. I also have nice JBL monitors and some carefully place acoustic control panels around my room.

Love this reply.

Interesting choice in the LPF and HPF settings. Since low B is at 31Hz, I could see that being a point. I'm not sure where that cab rolls off, but clearly a mic can pick up other sound and a clean signal is a clean signal. Obviously drum sound will play into the choice. 17kHz seems higher than I'd expect. When I go DI, I start to roll off around 4k with a clean-ish signal, if I'm after warmth but not zing. I'll play with things this week. I should just work on getting a mic setup in my living room recording studio.

 

[Corey Y]

The high and low pass settings are purely utilitarian, to make "mastering" (which it barely is here, really) easier. Having recorded and mixed for over a decade and been very dedicated to a lot of experimentation, I can tell you that there's really nothing of consequence (to ME) going on outside that range. You can read specs on mics and speakers, but honestly very little below oh say 80 Hz is of much use to electric bass in a mix (usually, there's always exceptions and varying artistic interpretation). I usually LP everything around 35 Hz in a mix usually LP my bass tracks around 65 Hz or higher, depending on what's going on with the kick. Though in a "real" mix, with a full band I'm usually ducking the very low end on the bass tracks, sidechained to the kick.

I tend to cut out everything I'm not getting use of in a mix, if I can. I'll dial the HPF or LPF in until I start to hear a difference, then back it off. Sometimes I go farther because I WANT to hear a difference. I'll do that with each individual drum track (sometimes duplicated, with different settings, if I'm getting a lot of cymbal bleed), guitars, vocals, on my reverbs and room tracks. Guitars, I cut anything below 90-120 Hz and everything above 10-12 kHz usually. All those mostly inaudible frequencies just eat up bandwidth and make it harder to get a loud master without a lot of compression. It's just a utilitarian signal flow issue really.

 

[monsterthompson]

The high and low pass settings are purely utilitarian, to make "mastering" (which it barely is here, really) easier. Having recorded and mixed for over a decade and been very dedicated to a lot of experimentation, I can tell you that there's really nothing of consequence (to ME) going on outside that range. You can read specs on mics and speakers, but honestly very little below oh say 80 Hz is of much use to electric bass in a mix (usually, there's always exceptions and varying artistic interpretation). I usually LP everything around 35 Hz in a mix usually LP my bass tracks around 65 Hz or higher, depending on what's going on with the kick. Though in a "real" mix, with a full band I'm usually ducking the very low end on the bass tracks, sidechained to the kick.

I tend to cut out everything I'm not getting use of in a mix, if I can. I'll dial the HPF or LPF in until I start to hear a difference, then back it off. Sometimes I go farther because I WANT to hear a difference. I'll do that with each individual drum track (sometimes duplicated, with different settings, if I'm getting a lot of cymbal bleed), guitars, vocals, on my reverbs and room tracks. Guitars, I cut anything below 90-120 Hz and everything above 10-12 kHz usually. All those mostly inaudible frequencies just eat up bandwidth and make it harder to get a loud master without a lot of compression. It's just a utilitarian signal flow issue really.

I get you. I recently started working on mixing a track from soup to nuts, for the first time, and I learned a lot about the various frequency band issues, and the complexities of trying to get a loud final mix when you have a gang of guitar and bass tracks going on, along with synth and programmed drums. I was shocked at what I could cut from guitar and bass that had minimal impact on the final sound, even if it sounded icky when a track was isolated. Not to get too deep in a mixing discussion, but I do like what you've got going on and I appreciate the insight.

 

[emjazz]

Went to the site to order an ODB.....sold out. Drag.

 

[Dave W]

Only 25 around on this run. I've been waiting for over a year for them to release the next run...

 

[bassboysam]

Went to the site to order an ODB.....sold out. Drag.

yeah most Dunwich runs sell out pretty quickly, but the ODB seems to have gone faster that usual. Many have been waiting for a while for this one. Hopefully they do another run sooner than later.

 

[Corey Y]

I get you. I recently started working on mixing a track from soup to nuts, for the first time, and I learned a lot about the various frequency band issues, and the complexities of trying to get a loud final mix when you have a gang of guitar and bass tracks going on, along with synth and programmed drums. I was shocked at what I could cut from guitar and bass that had minimal impact on the final sound, even if it sounded icky when a track was isolated. Not to get too deep in a mixing discussion, but I do like what you've got going on and I appreciate the insight.

My pleasure, I like discussing recording and mixing. It's a skill and a craft, like anything else, the most useful aspects are typically invisible (or inaudible in this case). The more you do, the more you learn.

Went to the site to order an ODB.....sold out. Drag.

Only 25 around on this run. I've been waiting for over a year for them to release the next run...

yeah most Dunwich runs sell out pretty quickly, but the ODB seems to have gone faster that usual. Many have been waiting for a while for this one. Hopefully they do another run sooner than later.

They did a short initial run to get some out, because there's been a long delay on these due to issues outside of Nick and/or Magic's control. I believe there's going to be another run immediately though, so just keep a watch on the FB pages and/or the Big Cartel page and they should pop up again within a month or so probably. Don't hold me to that, but it should be relatively soon.

 

[nshuman]

My pleasure, I like discussing recording and mixing. It's a skill and a craft, like anything else, the most useful aspects are typically invisible (or inaudible in this case). The more you do, the more you learn.








They did a short initial run to get some out, because there's been a long delay on these due to issues outside of Nick and/or Magic's control. I believe there's going to be another run immediately though, so just keep a watch on the FB pages and/or the Big Cartel page and they should pop up again within a month or so probably. Don't hold me to that, but it should be relatively soon.

Yup, the FB postings seem to all imply this was just the very first part of this run. I ordered one. I really have never bonded with anything related to the OCD, but Dunwich stuff is always amazing.

 

[monsterthompson]

I really have never bonded with anything related to the OCD, but Dunwich stuff is always amazing.

I wasn't looking to buy another box after getting the Volt Thrower, but I kept thinking how awesome the VT is and that it'd be worth the risk to see what the ODB was about. I'm glad I did.

 

[nshuman]

I wasn't looking to buy another box after getting the Volt Thrower, but I kept thinking how awesome the VT is and that it'd be worth the risk to see what the ODB was about. I'm glad I did.

I LOVE the Volt Thrower and stalked the Dunwich bigcartel and social media sites for over a year until I was able to order one. I have high hopes for this one. I also sold a big chunk of my OD collection this year and kind of wanted something that could do super grindy again. I am sure this will be great.

 

[dunwichamps]

So much to catch up on, well yea there was a small mix up with the switches resulting in some being 3 way some being 2 way. If anyone wants to convert a 2 way to 3 way switch just contact magic or myself via email and we can set it up. Sorry for any inconvenience.

We will be working on re-upping the main stock of pedals. not looking to drop anything new via Magic for a while so its all re-build and re-supply kind of stuff.

The clipping toggle is LED/NONE/FET and the shelf off the top of my head should have the thinnest setting in the middle position, if yours have it.

That incarnation of the ODB was sort of a direction that was taken based on a recommendation from Kurt Ballou. I was demoing my pedals in his studio a few years ago and he was playing the tourbox ODB (more of a guitar version, only +9V operation ect) and he said it would make sense to make the ODB a sister pedal to the VT. So given that I converted the ODB to have the same kind of supply setup and the same Bass and Treble EQ. I added small adjustments to separate them such as the mid control and the 2 toggles. I guess the only thing worth adding would be blend to either pedal to sort of round out the bass weapon status. thanks for all the love and feedback.

 

[monsterthompson]

Spent some time with ODB and my Spector Euro5LX AW. That bass is a beast and not terribly vintage sounding in any way (EMG pre and humbuckers), yet the ODB was able to get me some warm old-school vibe going on. It was pretty impressive. In fact, I had a hard time making it sound like a modern metal machine. ODB probably isn't the best djent pedal, but I didn't get it for that

 

[smo]

Are we due for some more Volt Throwers soon?

 

[socialleper]

Spent some time with ODB and my Spector Euro5LX AW. That bass is a beast and not terribly vintage sounding in any way (EMG pre and humbuckers), yet the ODB was able to get me some warm old-school vibe going on. It was pretty impressive. In fact, I had a hard time making it sound like a modern metal machine. ODB probably isn't the best djent pedal, but I didn't get it for that

If you put it on a clean P or J style bass and play with a pick it's pretty rocking; along the lines of Ghost or O'Brother. Kinda punk too. Because it is deep and low to medium gain, its good for adding meat or bite to your tone, depending how you set it up. It isn't super grindy. That's more of what the VT or HM-2 clones are for. They built a custom pedal that was a combo of a DoD 250 and DS-1 circuit to cop Al Cisneros tone. That would be a real metal machine.

 

[monsterthompson]

If you put it on a clean P or J style bass and play with a pick it's pretty rocking; along the lines of Ghost or O'Brother. Kinda punk too. Because it is deep and low to medium gain, its good for adding meat or bite to your tone, depending how you set it up. It isn't super grindy. That's more of what the VT or HM-2 clones are for. They built a custom pedal that was a combo of a DoD 250 and DS-1 circuit to cop Al Cisneros tone. That would be a real metal machine.

Oh yeah. My Nash P into it sounds great.