• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

NPD DSM Noisemaker Drive Maker

#81
Fuzzbass said:
...and it came in yesterday as expected. I got to noodle around with it for awhile through my little combo amp.

First impression was not good: "hey, even on low gain it sounds sputtery and uneven". USER ERROR: one of the octave settings was switched in (I blame the blue laser LED)! I switched octave off and got a warm, transparent OD tone. I had to leave for my music lesson in an hour so my next step was to go through the sample settings in the manual. The Motown tone was warm and phat. The higher gain settings I tried such as Schism, Sheehan, and Driven Tube Amp were great, too! I will add that the upper octave effects are a nice effect at higher distortion levels.

I'm going to gig it this Saturday. I'll be doing classic rock/Motown so I'll stick with the lower gain settings. At my rock gig a week from Friday I can (and will!) try out the heavier tones.

Part of me wondered why I pulled the trigger -- did I really need another distortion pedal? But this even though I've only had the Drive Maker for one evening, I love it. Same as the OmniCabSim, it's versatile, useful, musical. The excellent feature set was easy to use once I become familiar with the switches and dials (always important). The Drive Maker sounds great at a wide range of gain levels, and I can use it with any band, any style of music.
Click to expand...
That´s an awesome review!!
it is true that the blue led ended up much brighter that i wanted..sometimes i have to put my finger over it while changing settings. i will dim it a lot for the next batch..
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fuzzbass and loopee
#82
Belated gig report: this one wound up being an A/B/C. I set all three pedals for low-ish gain. With the B7KU I dialed in my usual sizzly tone that works so well through my sealed/tweeterless Bergantino NV610 cab. The Drive Maker was set for extra low end -- and I love the mid scoop setting: it's so musical, and not severe as, say, the BDDI tone can be at full blend. The MBD-1 had fairly neutral settings as well. In short, loved 'em all... they play well together, and for heavier songs I kicked in all three at once and was thrilled.

I'm going to try the DM at heavier settings next rock gig, and also look forward to dialing in vintage warmth at my next classic rock/Motown gig. The DM is possibly the most versatile OD pedal I own, and it'll be a permanent part of my OD palette.

img_20170428_221821-jpg.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: gscroggin, gregmon79, DarkArchitect and 3 others
#84
Very interested on this pedal, seems particularly original and so versatile! I was about to pull the trigger on a Darkglass Alpha Omega but I found this and it made me think...

My only concern is the low gain side of the pedal (the Darkglass apparently shines there). But on the other side, the high gain tones have a kind of GREASE I've never heard before (that's the first word that came to mind when I listened to it! Lol)

BTW Daniel, I live in Uruguay and I was shocked when I saw you are from Chile and build this awesome jewel there! I don't know how can I buy one here, the max amount is 200 dollars for foreign buys here, beyond that you have to pay HUGE taxes. It would be nice if you PM me and send me the phone number so we can talk about it...

Cheers!
 
#87
gregmon79 said:
I just got an MBD1 but damn, I may need to grab one of these.....then all I'd need on my board is this, the MBD1 and a fuzz.....maybe?? haha Can this bad boy get into Rat country?
Click to expand...
yes, i have compared it side by side with a RAT..you can get it to sound just like it, or much better...:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: gregmon79
#90
gregmon79 said:
Duuuuuuudddddeeeeee......I think I needs this...did you actually put an LM308 chip in it just out of curiosity?
Click to expand...
haha no..it´s much more complex than the RAT. It combines opamp+diodes+CMOS clipping, plus a clever gain control that varies the input bandwitdh.
They are available direct, also at rouge guitar shop and musictoyz for USA
i have a 20% discount for talkbass users and omnicabsim owners, too, here:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
the pwd is "ilovedsm"
 
  • Like
Reactions: gscroggin and gregmon79
#91
Dsmnoisemaker said:
haha no..it´s much more complex than the RAT. It combines opamp+diodes+CMOS clipping, plus a clever gain control that varies the input bandwitdh.
They are available direct, also at rouge guitar shop and musictoyz for USA
i have a 20% discount for talkbass users and omnicabsim owners, too, here:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
the pwd is "ilovedsm"
Click to expand...

Oh nice! Thank you much. I was actually just curious if you actually used an LM308 in there at all to get that Rat sound. I'm sure there is a TON more to the circuit. I still can't believe you fit all that into one little box!!! It's been added to my GAS list ;)

will that code work for a while?
 
#92
gregmon79 said:
Oh nice! Thank you much. I was actually just curious if you actually used an LM308 in there at all to get that Rat sound. I'm sure there is a TON more to the circuit. I still can't believe you fit all that into one little box!!! It's been added to my GAS list ;)

will that code work for a while?
Click to expand...
yes, that code will be there for a while..
about the lm308..the "magic" on that chip is the slew rate, which is pretty bad for "opamps" standards..so as you crank the gain on it, it narrows the bandwidth producing a mid peak..i liked that effect so i reproduced it via the gain control extra circuit..but the cool thing about my version is that it varies the resonant peak as you change the gain, so low gain is flat, mid gain is twangy, and high gain is honky..also helps a lot to reduce the noise..
 
#93
Hi Daniel
Your Drive maker sounds awesome! I am used to the darkglass sounds since years but when I first listened to the sound samples on youtube I could not stop thinking about it. So I just made an order on your website and already paid with paypal. Could you please let me know how long it takes to ship to Switzerland?
 
  • Like
Reactions: XLunacy
#94
lotrego said:
Hi Daniel
Your Drive maker sounds awesome! I am used to the darkglass sounds since years but when I first listened to the sound samples on youtube I could not stop thinking about it. So I just made an order on your website and already paid with paypal. Could you please let me know how long it takes to ship to Switzerland?
Click to expand...
Hey man i got your order!!
i am assembling it as i write this, so i will ship it in one or two days.. It should take around 2 weeks to get to you

cheers!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: DirtyDuke and XLunacy
#95
Hey thank you for your reply...it is always good to get a personally confirmation. I am looking forward to it.
Before I ordered direct from you I ordered online from Musictoyz and I have to say that they are not able to handles anything online. I paid with paypal and I received an automatic generated order ID# from their shop. When I wanted to check the status on their website it says I don't have place an order. Then I read a lot of bad comments on the musictoyz business. After I emailed them they couldn't find any order. Fortunately I got the refund on Paypal in a short while.
 
#96
lotrego said:
Hey thank you for your reply...it is always good to get a personally confirmation. I am looking forward to it.
Before I ordered direct from you I ordered online from Musictoyz and I have to say that they are not able to handles anything online. I paid with paypal and I received an automatic generated order ID# from their shop. When I wanted to check the status on their website it says I don't have place an order. Then I read a lot of bad comments on the musictoyz business. After I emailed them they couldn't find any order. Fortunately I got the refund on Paypal in a short while.
Click to expand...
Wow, what a bummer..good thing Teddy refunded you quickly, he is a nice guy..I will talk to him about it..i hope it was just a system communication snafu..
BTW i am finishing a small batch of Drive Makers, yours is in there..let me know if you want it signed or dedicated

cheers!
 
#98
For folks who have the DM - do you find yourself using it for higher gain more often than light gain? I'm looking for a light, mid focused od to run in parallel with my high gain setup. But I'm also thinking I should just get the DM because it sounds like it has grindy, high gain goodness drool
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back