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Is Darkglass Vintage Microtubes Noise Normal?

jdh3000

jdh3000

May 16, 2016
1,702
1,830
#1
I need some help please.

I just got the Darkglass Vintage Microtubes. When pushing the blend knob clockwise past noon I hear a swooshing, wind in a tunnel sound.
Only with blend all the way dry does it disappear completely.

This is also related to the level knob as well. The gain knob doesn't really get rid of it even all the way down.

I'm just wanting to know if this is how they normally sound or if I got a defective unit.

I'm running a passive bass into it, just bass amp and cable, haven't put in a chain yet.

I know some distortion pedals can get some noise, I just didn't figure this one would.

Thank you!
 
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#2
I don't own that particular DG pedal, but I have a B3K, B7K, AO Ultra, and a Photon. IME, there can be some noise with some settings. I also use an HX Stomp, and I generally set the gate on it so that I'm more or less oblivious to any noise from my DG pedals. Even without that, I don't find the background noise significant enough to be a deal breaker, and most settings I use are really quiet anyway.
 
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#3
jdh3000 said:
I need some help please.

I just got the Darkglass Vintage Microtubes. When pushing the blend knob clockwise past noon I hear a swooshing, wind in a tunnel sound.
Only with blend all the way dry does it disappear completely.

This is also related to the level knob as well. The gain knob doesn't really get rid of it even all the way down.

I'm just wanting to know if this is how they normally sound or if I got a defective unit.

I'm running a passive bass into it, just bass amp and cable, haven't put in a chain yet.

I know some distortion pedals can get some noise, I just didn't figure this one would.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

From my experience the regular VMT is barely noisy except for when you dime the gain. And even then, it's manageable.

It could be related to your power supply / the power at your place. Maybe the bass picking something up which the pedal amplifies?

Considering the VMT also kind of 'dampens' the highs, my bet is on noisy power supply or something else being picked up and amplified.

Is it possible for you to record and upload the sound it makes?
 
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#4
https://youtube.com/shorts/poHdxKyI0Po?feature=share

Here it is... It does it whether the bass is plugged in or not.

Thanks!

LowRenzo said:
From my experience the regular VMT is barely noisy except for when you dime the gain. And even then, it's manageable.

It could be related to your power supply / the power at your place. Maybe the bass picking something up which the pedal amplifies?

Considering the VMT also kind of 'dampens' the highs, my bet is on noisy power supply or something else being picked up and amplified.

Is it possible for you to record and upload the sound it makes?
Click to expand...
 
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#5
jdh3000 said:
https://youtube.com/shorts/poHdxKyI0Po?feature=share

Here it is... It does it whether the bass is plugged in or not.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Ah, that's not at all a sound I've personally ever heard come from a healthy (even dimed) VMT!

It sounds like a digital whine / interference to me?

Before I had a power supply with isolated outputs my chain produced this sound whenever I hooked up digital and analog pedals to the same daisychain. But as you've said you use it direct into amp, nothing else there.

It could also still be the power supply depending on what you're using?

The only thing I can say for sure is that you don't need to worry about the VMT 'just sounding like this'. It really doesn't.

Hopefully you can find the source of this noise. It really sounds to me like interference from something or somewhere.

Good luck!
 
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#6
LowRenzo said:
Ah, that's not at all a sound I've personally ever heard come from a healthy (even dimed) VMT!

It sounds like a digital whine / interference to me?

Before I had a power supply with isolated outputs my chain produced this sound whenever I hooked up digital and analog pedals to the same daisychain. But as you've said you use it direct into amp, nothing else there.

It could also still be the power supply depending on what you're using?

The only thing I can say for sure is that you don't need to worry about the VMT 'just sounding like this'. It really doesn't.

Hopefully you can find the source of this noise. It really sounds to me like interference from something or somewhere.

Good luck!
Click to expand...


I was using a pighog, which normally I don't have any trouble with.

I hooked it in my pedal chain on my board that is running off a One Spot and it wasn't as noisy. I had everything else off.

Thanks for recommending that!

On another note, the ERA knob doesn't make any changes no matter where I set it. Shouldn't there be an audible diffence as I turn it while hitting some notes?
 
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#7
jdh3000 said:
https://youtube.com/shorts/poHdxKyI0Po?feature=share

Here it is... It does it whether the bass is plugged in or not.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
For sure, that is some kind of interference. Maybe with the way you are powering it. I have a Sadowsky outboard preamp that is dead silent on battery, but with some power supplies it is so noisy I consider it unusable. Great (favorite) preamp, but picky about how I power it.
 
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#8
jdh3000 said:
I was using a pighog, which normally I don't have any trouble with.

I hooked it in my pedal chain on my board that is running off a One Spot and it wasn't as noisy. I had everything else off.

Thanks for recommending that!

On another note, the ERA knob doesn't make any changes no matter where I set it. Shouldn't there be an audible diffence as I turn it while hitting some notes?
Click to expand...

If you have the blend fully clockwise, the ERA knob should be very easy to hear as you turn it. The more clockwise you turn, the clankier/harsher it gets. Counterclockwise, the darker/smoother it gets.
 
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#9
mmbongo said:
If you have the blend fully clockwise, the ERA knob should be very easy to hear as you turn it. The more clockwise you turn, the clankier/harsher it gets. Counterclockwise, the darker/smoother it gets.
Click to expand...


There must be something wrong with the ERA knob them, I cannot discern change.

I try again tomorrow but I may have to exchange it for another one.

Thank you!
 
#12
johnk_10 said:
the era knob definitely changes the tone from dark to much brighter on mine. and mine's definitely not very noisy.
was your phone close to your pedal in that clip?
Click to expand...

No, in fact my phone wasn't in the room when I first noticed it. I think it was more noisy using a pighog adapter, which usually doesn't give me any probles, but I switched it to a one spot and reduced the noise.

The era knob definitely isn't working on this one then...

Thank you!
 
#14
OP, you mentioned you had a passive bass. AFAIK, they'll often benefit from a buffer amp placed first in your signal chain. (IOW, bass into buffer, then onto whatever other processors you're running.) Broughton Audio makes one.

And an isolated power supply avoids noise problems you might get with a daisy chain. I experienced that.
 
#16
i use the darkglass vmt as a always on pedal. your sound clip sounds like external interference. it could be a defective pedal though if you are not hearing any change when turning the era knob. the era knob all the way counter clockwise adds a lot of mids and losing the treble and bass (vintage sound). all the way clockwise starts to give a mid scoop.
vmt has been my fav pedal for about 5 years now.
 
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#18
jdh3000 said:
No, in fact my phone wasn't in the room when I first noticed it. I think it was more noisy using a pighog adapter, which usually doesn't give me any probles, but I switched it to a one spot and reduced the noise.

The era knob definitely isn't working on this one then...
Click to expand...
Are you saying that the ERA knob doesn't affect the noise - which would be an interesting troubleshooting data point - or that it doesn't affect the tone when you're running a signal through it and turning on the distortion? If the later, yeah, it's a broken pedal. The effect is a little subtle but anyone with the slightest ear for tone can hear a difference sweeping the knob across the full range.
 
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#19
jdh3000 said:
https://youtube.com/shorts/poHdxKyI0Po?feature=share

Here it is... It does it whether the bass is plugged in or not.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Ew. That's got a definite pitch to it, the sort of thing you get when two high frequency (as in radio/computer frequency) signals that are *almost* in sync beat against one another. Never heard anything like it from a pedal. When you say it happens whether or not the bass is plugged in, do you mean plugged in at the bass end, or at the pedal end? A lot of pedals shut down at least partly if there's no cable in the input jack, and it would be interesting to know if that changes anything on your VMT noise. I've been using one for years and never heard anything remotely like that. Never opened it up, but had always assumed it was a fully analog device that wouldn't be capable of generating that kind of noise on its own. Maybe they have some damned microcontroller chip on there to run the switches and LEDs. If it was me, being a digital engineer and occasional amateur analog tech, I'd open the box and check to make sure that there are no internal wire routes or connections that look funky. I can't find a picture of the guts of the basic VMT, but on the Deluxe I can see that there are ribbon cables connecting the main PCB to the switches and jacks. Some look like they're soldered into place, while others look like they're using pluggable connectors. Before sending it back, I'd make sure that anything pluggable is properly seated, that cables aren't being twisted or stressed or pushed against the PCB, and blast some compressed air to dislodge any debris that could be conducting noise. Sometimes this sort of "laying on of hands" saves me from the hassle of a return.
 
#20
Sid Fang said:
Are you saying that the ERA knob doesn't affect the noise - which would be an interesting troubleshooting data point - or that it doesn't affect the tone when you're running a signal through it and turning on the distortion? If the later, yeah, it's a broken pedal. The effect is a little subtle but anyone with the slightest ear for tone can hear a difference sweeping the knob across the full range.
Click to expand...


Not the noise, which turned out to be a power supply... No, it is the tone of the instrument. There is absolutely no change whatsoever. It's defective...
 

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