New Darkglass Pedal - ADAM

[Cuzzie]

16 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

There's one in the FS at £50 off the new price if folk are interested.

Looks like DG have covered off part of the front end panel of the DG M900 Mk2 / AO, but with a character dial instead of the AO bite / growl buttons and, importantly, presets, but lacking the preamp EQ.

Seems to me that if DG were to put this as a replacement front end of their M900 series amps they will be making a move into Berg B Amp territory; but the B Amp covers a bunch of additional ground eg allowing EQ presets also. 

 

I am not sure exactly what you mean, aside from dials being given a similar name, and the sliders are an EQ - it’s a different entity albeit without a power amp.

Have i missed something?

[krispn]

, but lacking the preamp EQ.

There’s a 6 band eq. It’s the black strips you can see along the middle of the pedal. I guess it mimics the sliders on their amps and pedals and touch controlled  nifty!

 

Edited January 30, 2021 by krispn

[Al Krow]

16 minutes ago, krispn said:

, but lacking the preamp EQ.

There’s a 6 band eq. It’s the black strips you can see along the middle of the pedal. I guess it mimics the sliders on their amps and pedals?

Ah my bad I missed that - I had wrongly presumed from a quick look that they were the visual indicators for the knobs, but now obvious that's not the case given there are 6 strips and 5 knobs!

So yes this then becomes pretty much the front end of the DG M900 Mk2 / AO but with key addition of presets.

So kinda delivering what the TC RH450/750 has been doing for the past decade, but with a few added bells and whistles?

[krispn]

If you go back and check out a demo or read the overview you’ll see the full list of features and applications. It’s as much a bass recording interface/workstation and distortion device as it is a simple dirt pedal... an evolution of the pedal range and combining the Neural side of DG. This could be the next stage in the development of the DG range in terms of design and features. 
 

No the front end of your amp would be the AO Ultra pedal. 

[krispn]

It’ll be good to hear some other non-Nolly demos and see what drives are introduced with further updates. 

[Cuzzie]

I would politely suggest this is a world away from TC gear suggested, and an evolution of the front of a DG/AO amp, it’s not as simplistic as that.

It looks a great bit of kit, and one to spend decent time with

[Al Krow]

24 minutes ago, krispn said:

If you go back and check out a demo or read the overview you’ll see the full list of features and applications. It’s as much a bass recording interface/workstation and distortion device as it is a simple dirt pedal... an evolution of the pedal range and combining the Neural side of DG. This could be the next stage in the development of the DG range in terms of design and features. 
 

No the front end of your amp would be the AO Ultra pedal. 

Not sure that's quite right. Bear in mind that quite a few of interface features you've suggested are already on the back of the DG M900 Mk2 / AO amps and having a built in audio interface is useful but not really revolutionary.

[Cuzzie]

No one mentioned revolution, evolution was mentioned.

If you actually look at and delve into the feature set and capabilities you will see how it’s is different.

If you don’t want to that’s fine too, but I cannot see how a snap judgement or generalisation can be made without full knowledge of both.

 

 

[krispn]

I thought it was a digital pedal using some of the neural tech? and an audio interface as well as accessing the DG suite. Happy to be wrong!

I thought the front end of your amp was the AO Ultra Pedal? Was that wrong too?

Edited January 30, 2021 by krispn

[Al Krow]

Yeah the front end of my amp is the AO ultra pedal, but if you're then saying it's got clever interface capabilities, well a lot of that's already there on the back of DG M900 Mk2 / AO amp. So for me the key thing it seems to be bringing to the party is presets, which is a "nice to have" for sure. However I suspect you would be the first to suggest starting with your usual favourite amp settings for your bass, whatever they might be, then adjust to suit the venue, at which point EQ presets start to lose some of their sheen. I'm not sure how many variations of dirt tone you would want or, given the inherent DG character of the pedal, this would be able to deliver? For me probably 3: a bit of grit, meaty dirt and full fat fuzz. Based on my amp I reckon this will probably do the first 2 of those 3 very well.

I'm sure some folk will love it, but given its size and cost if someone said spend £470 on a decent mid range multifx or this I know which way I would be jumping. IMO, YMMV etc.

Edited January 30, 2021 by Al Krow

[Cuzzie]

7 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Yeah the front end of my amp is the AO ultra pedal, but if you're then saying it's got clever interface capabilities, well a lot of that's already there on the back of DG M900 Mk2 / AO amp. So for me the key thing it seems to be bringing to the party is presets, which is a "nice to have" for sure. However I suspect you would be the first to suggest starting with your usual favourite amp settings for your bass, whatever they might be, then adjust to suit the venue, at which point EQ presets start to lose some of their sheen. I'm not sure how many variations of dirt tone you would want or, given the inherent DG character of the pedal, this would be able to deliver? For me probably 3: a bit of grit, meaty dirt and full fat fuzz. Based on my amp I reckon this will probably do the first 2 of those 3 very well.

I'm sure some folk will love it, but given its size and cost if someone said spend £470 on a decent mid range multifx or this I know which way I would be jumping. IMO, YMMV etc.

The points being made was not which way anyone would jump, or the decency of the range of DG amps to provide some good sounds, or how to EQ a venue/which presets work where and how they can be tweaked (of course if you play the same venues regularly then the pre-set becomes invaluable as you can set it up for specific venues taking into account the room, and tweak dependent on crowd density), or the cost and how people spend their money so we are getting into mission creep and confounding factors, it was to address the fact it is a new evolution to the line (not the same as) with great capabilities which have much more future proofing in how they can be managed

[krispn]

Double post. 

Edited January 30, 2021 by krispn

[krispn]

43 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Yeah the front end of my amp is the AO ultra pedal, but if you're then saying it's got clever interface capabilities, well a lot of that's already there on the back of DG M900 Mk2 / AO amp. So for me the key thing it seems to be bringing to the party is presets, which is a "nice to have" for sure. However I suspect you would be the first to suggest starting with your usual favourite amp settings for your bass, whatever they might be, then adjust to suit the venue, at which point EQ presets start to lose some of their sheen. I'm not sure how many variations of dirt tone you would want or, given the inherent DG character of the pedal, this would be able to deliver? For me probably 3: a bit of grit, meaty dirt and full fat fuzz. Based on my amp I reckon this will probably do the first 2 of those 3 very well.

I'm sure some folk will love it, but given its size and cost if someone said spend £470 on a decent mid range multifx or this I know which way I would be jumping. IMO, YMMV etc.

OK

[Kev]

First major Adam firmware update is here!

Main feature, you can now get muchhhhh lower gain sounds, so it can now be used for grit, and it sounds great.

They’ve added the option to move the cab sim to the end of the chain, rather than just the distortion side.

They’ve added attack/release controls to the compressor in the suite (so the comp now has ratio, threshold, attack and release controls, which is awesome)

They’ve formally announced the next update will include a built in noise gate.

This has pretty much resolved all the issues people have had with the Adam, fair play to Darkglass for listening to their customers! 

[Cuzzie]

5 hours ago, Kev said:

First major Adam firmware update is here!

Main feature, you can now get muchhhhh lower gain sounds, so it can now be used for grit, and it sounds great.

They’ve added the option to move the cab sim to the end of the chain, rather than just the distortion side.

They’ve added attack/release controls to the compressor in the suite (so the comp now has ratio, threshold, attack and release controls, which is awesome)

They’ve formally announced the next update will include a built in noise gate.

This has pretty much resolved all the issues people have had with the Adam, fair play to Darkglass for listening to their customers! 

Does that mean they can call it MADAM now

Mildly Aggressive Distorting Advanced Machine

[Kev]

2 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

Does that mean they can call it MADAM now

Mildly Aggressive Distorting Advanced Machine

Maybe!

Anyone else notice the name change?  IE it is now ONLY called the Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine, and all references to ADAM have been removed, including the name on the pedal?  Its almost like they've distanced it from being the Nolly signature pedal and instead are just calling it a collaboration, its a bit odd.  I mean, I get it from the perspective of people being put off buying it as they don't like the Nolly/Dingwall thing, but it can't just be that.  I've asked a couple of times on public posts and had no response...

Edited March 10, 2021 by Kev

[Cuzzie]

3 minutes ago, Kev said:

Maybe!

Anyone else notice the name change?  IE it is now ONLY called the Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine, and all references to ADAM have been removed, including the name on the pedal?  Its almost like they've distanced it from being the Nolly signature pedal and instead are just calling it a collaboration, its a bit odd.  I mean, I get it from the perspective of people being put off buying it as they don't like the Nolly/Dingwall thing, but it can't just be that.  I've asked a couple of times on public posts and had no response...

Or they have read our woke thread here.........but that is interesting, no harm in a gentle rebrand

[Obra]

A question:

Does signal goes to mute mode when tuner is engaged?

What's happening with Adam's availability on Thomann?

It now says 11-14 weeks 🙁

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Obra

[Kev]

On 04/05/2021 at 09:19, Obra said:

A question:

Does signal goes to mute mode when tuner is engaged?

What's happening with Adam's availability on Thomann?

It now says 11-14 weeks 🙁

 

It does.

And don't know!  Can't remember if the Darkglass factory is still assisting with Neural DSP orders, imagine they may be a bit strained still if so.

[Obra]

I have a problem with a brand new Adam 🙁

 

First it wouldn't connect with my Windows 10, and after 3 frustrating hours of trying to solve the possible drivers and usb problems, it comes to faulty usb cable that came with device. I have a spare, so it's not a real problem.

 

Second thing is that when I finally started playing through it on a headphones since it was late at night, the headphones volume pot from the back started acting weird and buggy.

It behaves like it is touch sensitive. Sometimes it's not working at all, and then I just touch it, and it starts to be ultra loud. Turning it +/- sometimes work and sometimes not. Then on a light touch it starts to work for a few seconds. Finally when I manage to found the right volume for my ears, after 15-20 seconds it turns it down all the way.

 

Am I doing something wrong here? Is there any secret for operating headphones volume pot?

 

I really like the pedal and it would be frustrating to send it back after mounts of waiting...

 

Thanks

[Cuzzie]

7 hours ago, Obra said:

I have a problem with a brand new Adam 🙁

 

First it wouldn't connect with my Windows 10, and after 3 frustrating hours of trying to solve the possible drivers and usb problems, it comes to faulty usb cable that came with device. I have a spare, so it's not a real problem.

 

Second thing is that when I finally started playing through it on a headphones since it was late at night, the headphones volume pot from the back started acting weird and buggy.

It behaves like it is touch sensitive. Sometimes it's not working at all, and then I just touch it, and it starts to be ultra loud. Turning it +/- sometimes work and sometimes not. Then on a light touch it starts to work for a few seconds. Finally when I manage to found the right volume for my ears, after 15-20 seconds it turns it down all the way.

 

Am I doing something wrong here? Is there any secret for operating headphones volume pot?

 

I really like the pedal and it would be frustrating to send it back after mounts of waiting...

 

Thanks

Sorry to hear - but Doug is pretty stellar at looking after his creations-I would make contact

[krispn]

So with the software update and the changes implemented to the signal chain how are folks enjoying the ADAM?

As is the way with gigs returning I’d really like to get an ADAM and give it a blast. Now there’s nothing wrong with my stomp nor my ‘full’ pedal board set up which has comp, drive and eq/blend control so I can use either to give a very pleasing live tone. For most of my gigs all Ireally need/use is a simple signal

chain of eq/drive/comp (and cab sim for IEM’s). 

The signal chain in the ADAM and it’s features are pretty cool and having the software update/flexibility (Neural software) leads me to believe that the pedal will continue to have some practical updates which will outpace the amps down the line - the new selectable eq points looks interesting and we could see different eq profiles to mimic various amps in the future as part of that Neural software lineage. I’m picturing a B15 eq profile in conjunction with the low gain, SVT profile etc. 
 

Anyhow future developments aside how are folks enjoying the pedal and @Obradid you manage to resolve your issues with the pedal? 
 

[Obra]

On 08/08/2021 at 08:40, krispn said:

So with the software update and the changes implemented to the signal chain how are folks enjoying the ADAM?

As is the way with gigs returning I’d really like to get an ADAM and give it a blast. Now there’s nothing wrong with my stomp nor my ‘full’ pedal board set up which has comp, drive and eq/blend control so I can use either to give a very pleasing live tone. For most of my gigs all Ireally need/use is a simple signal

chain of eq/drive/comp (and cab sim for IEM’s). 

The signal chain in the ADAM and it’s features are pretty cool and having the software update/flexibility (Neural software) leads me to believe that the pedal will continue to have some practical updates which will outpace the amps down the line - the new selectable eq points looks interesting and we could see different eq profiles to mimic various amps in the future as part of that Neural software lineage. I’m picturing a B15 eq profile in conjunction with the low gain, SVT profile etc. 
 

Anyhow future developments aside how are folks enjoying the pedal and @Obradid you manage to resolve your issues with the pedal? 
 

 

Thanks for asking

Yes, after a while, my pedal traveled back to the store in Germany, then to the service area in Holland, and all the way back to me. The headphones pot now is working as it should be. And more, all three of my presets stayed intact as I make them while trying the pedal. 

Happy with the sound and service ☺️

 

 

[Kev]

On 08/08/2021 at 07:40, krispn said:

So with the software update and the changes implemented to the signal chain how are folks enjoying the ADAM?

As is the way with gigs returning I’d really like to get an ADAM and give it a blast. Now there’s nothing wrong with my stomp nor my ‘full’ pedal board set up which has comp, drive and eq/blend control so I can use either to give a very pleasing live tone. For most of my gigs all Ireally need/use is a simple signal

chain of eq/drive/comp (and cab sim for IEM’s). 

The signal chain in the ADAM and it’s features are pretty cool and having the software update/flexibility (Neural software) leads me to believe that the pedal will continue to have some practical updates which will outpace the amps down the line - the new selectable eq points looks interesting and we could see different eq profiles to mimic various amps in the future as part of that Neural software lineage. I’m picturing a B15 eq profile in conjunction with the low gain, SVT profile etc. 
 

Anyhow future developments aside how are folks enjoying the pedal and @Obradid you manage to resolve your issues with the pedal? 
 

The Adam, along with the Boss ES-5 and midi, is the heart of my pedalboard now.  I use all 6 presets for different basses, different EQs for certain pedals, different distortion modes etc.  
 

My only issue at the moment is the noise gate.  Being last in line with no key input,  I’m finding it needs to be at different levels for clean and distorted to be tight, and at present it’s only a global plugin.  Hopefully it will be updated to be assignable per preset on the next update, as its hard to use as it is.

[Obra]

On 10/08/2021 at 10:43, Kev said:

The Adam, along with the Boss ES-5 and midi, is the heart of my pedalboard now.  I use all 6 presets for different basses, different EQs for certain pedals, different distortion modes etc.  
 

My only issue at the moment is the noise gate.  Being last in line with no key input,  I’m finding it needs to be at different levels for clean and distorted to be tight, and at present it’s only a global plugin.  Hopefully it will be updated to be assignable per preset on the next update, as its hard to use as it is.

 

I understand You completely. For that reason I do not use Noise gate at all, although the heart of my board is also Adam. 

For now, I am ok with just a three Adam presets, because having some more drives at the board.

My problem is turning Adam on and off by pressing A+B together.

For example, if I play preset A, and turn Adam off, and latter I need preset B, by pressing B from off, Adam will turn on latest used and that is A in this case. Then I need to actually press B twice very fast, and sometimes I forget that. I wrote to DG about this, and they response that this is just the way Machine is built. 

It would be nice to add some possibilities in new Suite update. Digital pedals gives more and more new software options for user to adjust by themselves. I like it