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Weird, it totally does. I wonder if this has been on all versions. The original 900 didn't have one. I assumed it was just a lowered configuration of the original 900.
Well, monsterthompson helped me understand that the fx loop sends a different signal level than expected, so I suppose I'll hold off on trying that out. However I would love to just rant about my experience with these Darkglass pedals and see if anyone has any comments or advice.
The bass I'm using is a Dingwall ABZ5 (passive or active, doesn't seem to make a huge difference either way).
In short:
I used a B7k Ultra pedal for a while and it was cool, but I don't feel I've reached the potential I have with the gear I'm using. I tried to reduce the size of my pedal board, so I ditched the Markbass Little Mark III head and the B7k Ultra, and now I have that same circuit inside my amp head with the Microtubes 500 (which also has the Vintage Deluxe if you'd rather).
The B7k seems like such a drastic mid scoop to me. Works a little better when I detune a lot, when playing Periphery songs for fun and use a ton of gain.
For my party band playing, I'm realizing the Vintage circuit is better for me. Acts more like my sansamp but with more high mids. It gets clanky when I want it to and even then I'm not even at 50% on drive and tone and such.
The X I'm using is the smallest version without the EQ sliders. FYI, I'm using a spectracomp before it and that specific toneprint is squishing the low end really hard just like the other X pedal. The best sounds from that pedal so far have been
-lowish gain
-big mids boost
-almost all of the low frequencies present, and very little high end content being distorted. (Both knobs basically cranked clockwise)
I can get a lot of cool sounds in my bedroom but I'm learning that like all pedals, it sounds so incredibly different at high volume and in a live mix. Once I'm live and loud, everything goes awry. The X sounds sandy. Jacob Umansky gets such a bright, clanky, sparkly sound with it. I'm not sure what I'm missing. The B7k sounds super scooped and the presence gets lost...at times, even the pitch gets lost. I think I still need to play around with the Vintage Deluxe because it sounds like that's the one I like best but, idk.
I understand that the crossover idea makes sense. Nice clean lows and super gritty high end. However, doesn't that leave out all the meat in the mids? Sometimes this process makes it sound like a flubby bass and a gritty/sandy guitar running in parallel. I'm looking for one solid sound, not two parallel signals that are going simultaneously. In a live mix, that high end blends in with the other instruments and all that's left is that flubby low end, right? Does that kind of make sense?
I learned recently that I've spent all my life cutting mids, but it seems that in reality: loud live mix means more mids are necessary. This is why my favorite control on the other DG pedals is still the BLEND knob. I love the clean sound from my bass still, so it's cool to simply adjust how much of the wet signal you want to hear. I resented the blend knob on the sansamp. If you went full dry, there was no high end...just sludge. That's not a blend knob, Tech 21. My first DG pedal? Turned the BLEND all the way down and heard crystal clear dry signal. YES thank you.
Not really looking for an answer, (I know I never really even identified what sound I'm looking for) just wanted to speak out loud to people that get it
I think the problem with the standard X pedal is that “separate signals” thing- you mentioned you are using the Spectracomp to compress lows, but in doing so you are essentially de-emphasizing those mids you miss. The X7/Ultra puts the compression on the entire low-band, including those low/mid-midrange frequencies if you turn the crossover on the low-band up. I like mine with the low-band crossover turned down a bit to cut out some of the potentially nasal mids at the top range, and then turn down the high-crossover to find the right “edge” frequency. I also use my Ultra at low-gain only. For me the EQ of the Ultra is necessary for the brightness I like (the drive character of the X isn’t inherently bright IMO). I’m always curious in demos with active basses (most DG demos) how the onboard EQ is set. I only play passive basses, so that post-EQ is vital to me, but with an onboard preamp you could emphasize frequencies going into the drive/comp circuits in interesting ways.Well, monsterthompson helped me understand that the fx loop sends a different signal level than expected, so I suppose I'll hold off on trying that out. However I would love to just rant about my experience with these Darkglass pedals and see if anyone has any comments or advice.
The bass I'm using is a Dingwall ABZ5 (passive or active, doesn't seem to make a huge difference either way).
In short:
I used a B7k Ultra pedal for a while and it was cool, but I don't feel I've reached the potential I have with the gear I'm using. I tried to reduce the size of my pedal board, so I ditched the Markbass Little Mark III head and the B7k Ultra, and now I have that same circuit inside my amp head with the Microtubes 500 (which also has the Vintage Deluxe if you'd rather).
The B7k seems like such a drastic mid scoop to me. Works a little better when I detune a lot, when playing Periphery songs for fun and use a ton of gain.
For my party band playing, I'm realizing the Vintage circuit is better for me. Acts more like my sansamp but with more high mids. It gets clanky when I want it to and even then I'm not even at 50% on drive and tone and such.
The X I'm using is the smallest version without the EQ sliders. FYI, I'm using a spectracomp before it and that specific toneprint is squishing the low end really hard just like the other X pedal. The best sounds from that pedal so far have been
-lowish gain
-big mids boost
-almost all of the low frequencies present, and very little high end content being distorted. (Both knobs basically cranked clockwise)
I can get a lot of cool sounds in my bedroom but I'm learning that like all pedals, it sounds so incredibly different at high volume and in a live mix. Once I'm live and loud, everything goes awry. The X sounds sandy. Jacob Umansky gets such a bright, clanky, sparkly sound with it. I'm not sure what I'm missing. The B7k sounds super scooped and the presence gets lost...at times, even the pitch gets lost. I think I still need to play around with the Vintage Deluxe because it sounds like that's the one I like best but, idk.
I understand that the crossover idea makes sense. Nice clean lows and super gritty high end. However, doesn't that leave out all the meat in the mids? Sometimes this process makes it sound like a flubby bass and a gritty/sandy guitar running in parallel. I'm looking for one solid sound, not two parallel signals that are going simultaneously. In a live mix, that high end blends in with the other instruments and all that's left is that flubby low end, right? Does that kind of make sense?
I learned recently that I've spent all my life cutting mids, but it seems that in reality: loud live mix means more mids are necessary. This is why my favorite control on the other DG pedals is still the BLEND knob. I love the clean sound from my bass still, so it's cool to simply adjust how much of the wet signal you want to hear. I resented the blend knob on the sansamp. If you went full dry, there was no high end...just sludge. That's not a blend knob, Tech 21. My first DG pedal? Turned the BLEND all the way down and heard crystal clear dry signal. YES thank you.
Not really looking for an answer, (I know I never really even identified what sound I'm looking for) just wanted to speak out loud to people that get it
I will look more closely into the Sansamp VT and I will explore the Vintage Deluxe on my head a bit more. But WOW thank you for reminding me about the DSM Subatomic! I learned about that pedal when Patrick Hunter reviewed it and forgot all about it. I never thought it could replace one of my DG drive pedals. Thank you so much, lots of research to do now
I so appreciate your feedback
I have a VMT, an Alpha-Omega and an X Ultra (and have had nearly all the DG pedals at some point) and I think the AO is probably the best of them as an on-off distortion pedal IMO. I use the VMT always-on for a tone-shaper and light drive/compression at the beginning of my chain, the AO in the middle and the X-Ultra at the end as a clean pre-amp/compressor/grindy boost (with the distortion engaged). The AO/Omicron/AOU all work incredibly in a band mix because of the present midrange and punch- the AO would probably be my only drive pedal if I used heavy distortion all the time and a tiny board.
This x1000. I too dig the Dingwall sound, but couldn't get my NG-2 or modern-sounding pedals to sit right in my rock covers band. Solution: Dingwall Super P* into VT Bass Deluxe. Like a P into an SVT, only more refined & a lot lighter.
* the 18 month build time was torturous but totes worth it!
No. The “Mix” recombines the split frequency signals, Lows remaining clean and Highs going through the Gain circuit. There is no full-range clean signal blended in. The Mix is a straight blend between the Lows on one side and Highs on the other side, but because of the possibility of huge Gain/output changes of the High signal dependent on Gain and Freq settings the Highs can easily overpower the Lows regardless of Mix settings (in other words, the High signal can be boosted before the Mix control, while the Low signal cannot).
Say, this'd address every single need I have, maybe except paying the bills:
I mean the good news is an LS-2 is cheap compared to most darkglass pedals.Thanks for the input, that sounds promising. I'm curious if the crossover of the X pedals changes anything here, as having those lows stay clean after multiple gain stages is key. My gut tells me VT + AO/B3K would be harder to get wrong.
I also faintly recall seeing someone post sound samples of some combination of X + VT, but damned if I can find it again buried in these threads.
Man... uncertainty and GAS is a dangerous combination. That path usually leads to an LS-2
VT DI
↕
LS-2 --> Q Strip --> Ears
↕
X7
. Very useful for a variety of applications as well.
Yeah I have same experience with B7k ultra it’s always on or off. Rarely bypass the distortion. It like I wish it sounded like the harmonic booster when the drive was bypassed and then you could kick in the drive.
My feeling is that the X7 into VTDI will give the best tonal results. Certainly the compressed Low band from the X7 could easily add enough signal going into the VT to overdrive it, but this just means experimenting with your levels and setting the Gain of the VT low enough to compensate. Most likely the additional little gain on the Lows could be a complementary feature rather than a negative in making the whole signal gel together. This is my experience using the X circuit to push a tube amp or another low-gain device.
