New Darkglass Compressor: The Hyper Luminal Hybrid Compressor

[Kenneth92]

Didn’t strymon came up with the whole analog signal path?

 

[bebass]

@Darkglass Doug, when do you expect this product to hit the US shelves?

I am not Doug, but can tell you that I was told by our Darkglass US Distributor to expect to receive these mid September. It could always be either before or after.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

interested!

 

[Matt Dean]

I am not Doug, but can tell you that I was told by our Darkglass US Distributor to expect to receive these mid September. It could always be either before or after.

Cool and thanks.

 

[Darkglass]

I am not Doug, but can tell you that I was told by our Darkglass US Distributor to expect to receive these mid September. It could always be either before or after.

Yeah I think it might be sooner. We started full production today.

It’s a new product with very new technology for us so we’ll be extra careful with assembly and QC, but if all goes well it could be sooner than that.

As usual I’ll keep you guys posted.

Kind regards,
Doug.

 

[monsterthompson]

That's the "input" control, which does control the overall dB reduction of the source signal.

Is that saying the threshold is fixed, and the control adjusts the internal gain of the signal, as opposed to the knob adjusting the threshold?

I'm assuming that it's similar to the input control on an 1176: I'm far from a tech guy, but turning up the input knob of an 1176 simultaneously makes the signal louder and also increases the total dB reduction.

Hi, the Compression knob is a Threshold (input gain), but adjusting that control always annoyed me because you'd have to inevitably readjust the Output to keep the volume consistent, so we implemented a makeup gain control to work simultaneously with it, which maintains the output level within a much more manageable range at different Threshold settings.

Well, it looks like an answer arrived

I've been very happy with my Duncan Studio Bass, but this box has my attention.

 

[Bassgeer]

Here in the UK, the Darkglass is £229 and the Cali is £269 or £179 if you want the 3 knob version.

Interesting, much closer in price then!

 

[ilansgroove]

an analog VCA controlled by a digital side-chain allowed us to capture and include the characters of some of the most legendary compressors in history while keeping the signal path completely analog.

So what does it mean exactly ? What part is analog and which is digital ?

Not that it matters , cause if it sounds good I don’t care if it’s analog or digital , but I’m trying to understand what’s special about it ...

That new pedal caught my attention too ... but I’m trying to understand what’s the difference with my beloved Cali76 CB ...

I like the sensor touch feature , but in the end , it’s just a bling bling gadget to catch our nerd pedal freak eyes (and it worked on me )

 

[Matt Dean]

So what does it mean exactly ? What part is analog and which is digital ?

Not that it matters , cause if it sounds good I don’t care if it’s analog or digital , but I’m trying to understand what’s special about it ...

That new pedal caught my attention too ... but I’m trying to understand what’s the difference with my beloved Cali76 CB ...

I like the sensor touch feature , but in the end , it’s just a bling bling gadget to catch our nerd pedal freak eyes (and it worked on me )

Worked on me too... you’re not alone.

 

[monsterthompson]

So what does it mean exactly ? What part is analog and which is digital ?

Not that it matters , cause if it sounds good I don’t care if it’s analog or digital , but I’m trying to understand what’s special about it ...

I asked earlier in the thread. My hunch, which someone else also stated, is that there is a signal split, and part of the signal is routed to a digital "brain" section which controls the parameters of an analog audio signal path.

 

[Jeff Moote]

Hi, the Compression knob is a Threshold (input gain), but adjusting that control always annoyed me because you'd have to inevitably readjust the Output to keep the volume consistent, so we implemented a makeup gain control to work simultaneously with it, which maintains the output level within a much more manageable range at different Threshold settings.

Great solution. I always had the same feeling about input controls to adjust compression, but it is manageable. You just made it that much easier.

 

[Jantelagen]

I almost preordered for fun ($229 at Sweetwater) but I realized the touch sensors concern me. While the pedal looks smart and DG builds are top notch, in my experience those touch sensors when accidently touched or bumped will switch. I know using your finger is grounded and activates them but devices like the Line 6 Helix touch capacitive sensors can respond to shoes and feet as well. Those being in close proximity to the footswitch I'm not sure about. DG have likely covered that but I'm gonna try to wait for a hands on in-depth review of the features first

 

[scubaduba]

This

 

[Darkglass]

So what does it mean exactly ? What part is analog and which is digital ?

Not that it matters , cause if it sounds good I don’t care if it’s analog or digital , but I’m trying to understand what’s special about it ...

That new pedal caught my attention too ... but I’m trying to understand what’s the difference with my beloved Cali76 CB ...

I like the sensor touch feature , but in the end , it’s just a bling bling gadget to catch our nerd pedal freak eyes (and it worked on me )

To put it very (very) crudely: if all a compressor did was automatically changing the signal’s volume depending on fluctuations of its dynamic behavior, the part doing the volume adjustment is the VCA (voltage controlled amplifier).

This VCA has to be controlled by something: depending on the topology compressors will use a portion of your audio (AC) signal, process it to rectify it, this converting it into DC voltage which controls the amplifier.

This last part is the side-chain.

What we noticed (and this is not a secret, anyone who’s measured and studied compressors probably has similar findings) is that a traditionally well designed compressor (such as an 1177 or SSL) won’t color at all while it’s behaving linearly (if you run a low amplitude sweep you’ll get a frequency response as flat as I’ve ever seen one).

So the premise is that whatever is responsible for two different high-grade compressors’ distinct characteristics was in the sidechain portion, not the VCA.

With this mind, we realized that we could use a very transparent VCA and control it with a digital model or a side-chain, and this got the Hyper Luminal ball rolling.

This approach, all though, rare, was not by any means invented by us.

Empirical Labs’ Distressor rightfully comes to mind as one of the most notorious examples.

I hope this helps!
Doug.

 

[monsterthompson]

Empirical Labs’ Distressor rightfully comes to mind as one of the most notorious examples.

I hope this helps!
Doug.

Doug, the Distressor, I’ve heard, is sought for its gritty clipping. Any chance your new pedal will do gritty compression?

 

[Darkglass]

I almost preordered for fun ($229 at Sweetwater), but I realized the touch sensors concern me. While the pedal looks smart and DG builds are top notch, in my experience, those touch sensors when accidentally touched or bumped will switch. I know using your finger is grounded and activates them, but devices like the Line 6 Helix touch capacitive sensors can respond to shoes and feet as well. Those being in close proximity to the footswitch I'm not sure about. DG have likely covered that, but I'm gonna try to wait for a hands-on in-depth review of the features first

I addressed some of this on a post in my personal Instagram:

Far beyond their cool factor, these sensors are a phenomenal feature for pedals.

They work by detecting capacitance fluctuations caused by microscopic variations in the chassis surface area when touched in specific points.

This system was developed for outdoors and anti-vandal purposes, so they are invulnerable to heat and humidity, and the chassis design also provides great stability and selectivity, so unlike knobs or mechanical switches, you don’t need to worry about your foot accidentally moving something.

They will also never break unless the chassis itself is severely damaged (as in drilled through or other catastrophic occurrences).

They also remain consistent over time because the intelligent system is self-calibrating, which makes these switches' lifetime indefinite.

We ran a lot of tests trying to make this not work, and even me standing and jumping on the actuator holding a bass (240-250lbs) did not cause any measurement errors on the sensors.

This is because the chassis is designed in a way that only a certain portion of the chassis is mechanically expanding with rightfully actuated and then the sensors are precisely calibrated to detect said areas.

Kind regards,
Doug.

 

[Darkglass]

Doug, the Distressor, I’ve heard, is sought for its gritty clipping. Any chance your new pedal will do gritty compression?

You can for sure get it to clip, I liked the Bus particularly for how aggressively it can distort (given that I’m the “bass distortion guy” it’s important to clarify that we are talking about very subtle saturation compared to a proper dirt box).

 

[monsterthompson]

You can for sure get it to clip, I liked the Bus particularly for how aggressively it can distort (given that I’m the “bass distortion guy” it’s important to clarify that we are talking about very subtle saturation compared to a proper dirt box).

If it’s in line with the Fairfield Accountant, I’ll be stoked. I’m looking forward to the demos and considering jumping in on a preorder.

 

[Calvin Marks]

Touch sensors? Whaaaaaaaat?

Dang it man!

Agreed. Not a fan.

 

[mmbongo]

Agreed. Not a fan.

Actually I was saying that it seems really awesome!