Alpha·Omega: Demo by Adam "Nolly" Getgood

[@ChrisKogos]

Holy shit it's Michael Stevens

[@codigoceropokemmo]

Vsauce here : *proceds to fcking crush a bass guitar*

[@Eatfard_5150]

Hey Vsauce Michael here! *(Proceeds to fucking demolish a bass riff)*

[@Eatfard_5150]

Ye

[@samuelhayman6983]

The tone he gets for Flatline is literally the greatest I've ever heard. I wish he was still with Periphery.

[@mattbermo1958]

He pretty much still is lol

[@JoelSebastianMoreno]

He leave officially the band, not just for touring. But c'mon, they're still friends and Nolly helps to record Hail Stan.

[@jacobesmagobes8664]

He still does the bass work. He’s kinda in, kinda not. He’s definitely amazing though!

[@TierRune]

@@jacobesmagobes8664 So basically he's Schrödinger's bassist.

[@connorross6921]

@@TierRune take my like damnit

[@drphalanges1520]

This is the bass tone I've been trying to get for a long time. It's been in my head forever, and every time I hear it I get goosebumps. There is literally no other sound I like better than a Dingwall plugged into a Darkglass pedal. It's perfect. I should have my B7K soon, to use with my Stingray. I'm so excited I fell like I'm going to jump out of my skin!

[@drphalanges1520]

5 years later, the bass has changed from a Stingray to a Harley Benton MP-4, but I still use a Darkglass Alpha Omega pedal (the Photon now!) as the cornerstone of my tone.

[@13_cmi]

I don’t have pedals and junk. Pretty much just a low end bass I rarely use. But I’d totally get this thing.

[@keyikush]

@@drphalanges1520 I'm planning on getting the Alpha Omega pedal. But i only use an average Cort Action V bass. Do you think it'll work great?

[@drphalanges1520]

@@keyikush yes. I also use a Behringer BDI-21 (SansAmp clone) and both together make the best tone in my opinion. But if should sound good no matter what.

[@sethdusith6093]

​@@drphalanges1520that's what I do too lol. It gets very close to this nolly tone when you use them both together

[@ashplaysbass]

I love how a Dingwall can sound like anything from a growly beast to straight up MIDI sequencing.

[@DEM94]

I'm a Simple Boy. I see Michael from Vsauce playing the bass and I hit like

[@dzamija922]

Thanks for the joke, you're free to go.

[@francoextract]

David Erro Joke's on you, Michael also plays bass.

[@blackenedizzycore]

This joke has so many layers it's impressive

[@marijandesin8226]

Tree tops ! ! !

[@keegagongon]

Can't like comment cuz it would ruin that perfect 420

[@romeodark00]

hey vsauce michael here

[@ronaldgarciaguitar6414]

Hahaha!

[@turssska]

Came to comment just that. Too late

[@MrPedromuriel]

same here

[@miteshhatle]

Romeo Amador Guzman Today we will be taking a look at this wonderful​ phenomenon called djentology discussed by Prof. Thall in his book Needs More Strings

[@romeodark00]

i like memes you went full savage mode

[@Killenmachine05]

the best thing about nolly is every time theres a new video of him playing bass, he's improved his tone, he's always constantly tweaking and making it better.

[@captainpiefox9133]

Nolly - *pulls out six string* Me - *jizzes everywhere*

[@bassheadjazz2708]

Cant take you anywhere

[@NeilDjents]

Captain Pie Fox oof

[@MMR_LM]

@Trey Fontenet If you aren't jizzing to Nolly's bass tone on a 6 string, I think you need to get that looked at.

[@sevazakharenko8176]

Djizzes*

[@freezingjazzy]

@Cock A Doodle Doo Nah bro. It's completely straight.

[@apexxx09]

The amount of downstrokes on here is simply ludicrous. This is pure dedication to tone.

[@aminuacidu4638]

0:35 Absolomb - Periphery 1:18 The Way The News Goes - Periphery 1:55 Flatline - Periphery enjoy

[@dandini0698]

go up!!

[@interstellish]

In addition to being a phenomenal bassist, this guy is the absolute cream of the crop in terms of producers/engineers in the prog/math style these days. His drum production is especially legendary -- the new Devin Townsend record has got him at the pilot's booth, and it's got the best rhythm section production that I've heard since Eddie Jobson.

[@MichaelRampage]

This tone is MEAN!

[@juliansedor7101]

You can see how well setup his bass is. I love it. It must feel great to play.

[@Magmoormaster]

So I guess I'll be the first point out the mildly amusing fact that Nolly, from Periphery, a band that released a dual album "alpha/omega", is demoing a product called the alpha-omega, which has nothing to do with the band or the album.

[@david_hstg]

What about Mark's signature pickups? The Seymour Duncan Alpha/Omega.. also a product without any connection to the band or album :D I am waiting for a cymbal serie from Matt. The Meinl Alpha/Omega Cymbals :D

[@Pughhead]

Yeah Alpha/Omega is a pretty overused concept/name in music though.

[@daniolus]

Don't forget Karnivool's song: Alpha Omega too!

[@the1trueporkchop]

That's where the name of this pedal comes from.

[@bremsnix]

It was modelled after songs like Goliath or Simple Boy, so Alpha/Omega also has relatively little to do with the name of the pedal aside from its dual-voicing-distortion.

[@HoodRatKing90]

i wish the bass tracks on the album sounded like this

[@kallekaunisto9959]

Pretty close, just lower in the mix.

[@HoodRatKing90]

ye a little more punch to these performances too

[@3AwesomeLetsPlayers]

I thought the Absolomb was better on the album

[@josuastangl7140]

I prefere the tone on the album, but this is good too.

[@DonPaps]

Right!? It would be so awesome. Maybe Nolly could make a solo album so we get to bathe in this bass tone.

[@erickmazur807]

A darkglass tone capsule into a darkglass...epic

[@francoishtzl157]

It is not wrong to use that. Better use your ear than just looking at the brand name if you want to make a tone

[@WernerErkelens]

Damn, all that downpicking during Flatline...

[@chicken6111]

Jeez yea. I wonder why that is? String tone purposes?

[@trentztradingcards3094]

Lucas Monastirsky I WISH I COULD LIKE THIS COMMENT A MILLION FUCKING TIMES. ME AND MY BUDDY GEEK OUT SO HARD TRYING TO DOWN PICK THE WHOLE SONG OF MASTER OF PUPPETS THAT SHIT IS HARD

[@applesauceman3555]

thats nothing compared to Jason newsted.

[@tobiasteichmann5882]

how can i speed up my downpicking?

[@Arbfor]

practice at slow tempo

[@AttilatheThrilla]

Man the bass riffs from Flatline are Godlike!! 🤘

[@videforslin]

I'm a simple man; I see Nolly, I click like.

[@killxswitch]

Are you sure you're not a Simple Boy?

[@razvysme]

Underrated!

[@sacredxgeometry]

I was going to say Simple Boy, DAMN IT!

[@nashcomp]

And you'll get good

[@CapSlaps_]

I'm a simple man. I see a comment about liking Nolly, I click like

[@theyconsiderthis]

Hey Darkglass- Put out a new video everyday please because these demos (Nolly/Stockman) are awesome. Such great bass tones.

[@blackblurable]

Such great tone and I love that bass too

[@brandonbassett7818]

Recorded the 3rd album with my band Arakara with this Pedal because our sound engineer had it and i immediately bought it after we were done. The BEST tone I've ever gotten for my bass and it is a staple on my pedal board🤘🤘

[@jorgaridya7085]

Just checked some of your band stuff and got hooked with "Hell Arrow"

[@nsiepmann]

Great tone as ever, and the consistency of Nolly's playing honestly beggars belief. That downpicking in Flatline almost sounds like a sampled picked bass (in a good way - it provides a solid foundation to build the song on top of).

[@Pablotrejoastorga]

He is so proficient with the pick!! And the tone is butter to my ears!!

[@Fraend]

Sounds dope! I can listen to this ALL DAY

[@naruto199797]

I love Molly's bass tone it's one of my favorites along with Ryan martinie's

[@Bassic778]

I've heard of Periphery, but I have not listened to their music. That will change after watching this video!!!! Fantastic!!!

[@radarkw]

With all these high gain fuzz boxes and demos I yearn for more of the core bass sound blended in. Alas.

[@glennquader7389]

What a fantastic demo and playing. You made me purchase this pedal!

[@ss-to7ii]

The way the news goes bass line makes me want to just tear up. That line is so DAMN EMOTIONAL.

[@gamerpc5]

nothing​ makes me happier than finding a new nolly video

[@JarodGrieco]

Man, I spent the last two years buying and selling every Darkglass pedal except this or any of the AO series pedals. I couldn't get any of them to sound the way I wanted (even though they're all exceptional pedals). Every KZbin demo had a flubby messy tone and I bet in those cases it was user error. This video, with headphones, convinced me this is the one. I went with the AO Ultra and I'm blown away. It's got SO SO much gain, and yet it shines at low gain and a lot of dry blended in. The EQ is exceptional. Notice he's got the blend around 50% a lot in this video, and in The Way The News Goes he's even got the drive set at 0. I believe KZbinr Rulefuzz does the exact same thing. This is the one for me. The EQ is so good alone that I don't even touch my amp's EQ anymore. There's also a ton of options you can get for cleanish sounds by playing with the Growl and Bite switches, which to my ear act like a Microtubes X in a way. Sounds like the growl setting distorts the lower frequencies and the bite switch distorts the super high frequencies. Lots of fun to be had using one or both of those options OFF in some cases. Leave it to Nolly.

[@francoishtzl157]

Actually the unit distord all frequencie, with a strong mids presence. But the Bite boost high mid (I think before the drive) and Growl is a shelving boost (before too maybe). But I clearly prefer that over the X serie or the B7k, which was a great thing but I have my tech21 who did a better overdrive to me, and that AlphaO is way more mids focus, full and gnarly sounding (I think the amp like distorted tone is what I like, because in the AO there is a blend of different unit including a Darkglass B7k for the lowend growl and a Tech21 XXL :D )

[@rubentrevino8684]

I must own this pedal! Nolly has killer grooves and tone!

[@cesarperez-cardenas97]

LOVE the growl and the crispness.

[@SeverinoSE]

Is playing with a pick recommended when using overdrive/distortion? I guess it adds clarity, definition and attack?

[@alexeypolevoybass]

Not really. What's recommended is practicing.

[@riffgroove]

Yes. Unquestionably.

[@yagoovirus2751]

Yes, it also give aggressiveness to the tone

[@NytronX]

1:54 - Well that escalated quickly! The song should have been mixed like this with the bass hogging the mix and the guitars in the back.

[@umrasangus]

There is something called balance which makes the mixes overall just better

[@NytronX]

@@umrasangus Naugh, push the guitars down in the mix, the bass should be the main instrument in this song (i.e. Periphery - Flatline). The era of the bass just being just an accompanying instrument needs to die.

[@Spartan87667]

I don’t have a Dingwall, but I just got an Ibanez EHB1506. I may have to get this pedal because that tone is exactly what I’m after. There’s nothing like that sweet Darkglass tone 😄

[@bigmikec9]

Really Martine sounding set up. I dig it.

[@hyperdazedesu7350]

Everything you touch and do sounds amazing

[@VinceAnity]

Wow it adds two strings on your bass !!! Litterally

[@moriyokiri3229]

No

[@Eatfard_5150]

@@moriyokiri3229 why not?

[@archangelguitarsusa9205]

That bass sounds so damn good

[@anthonycamporeale5925]

I love that he shouted out John Stockman from Karnivool. Those guys are my favorite rock band of modern time. And Stockmans bass tone is ultimate.

[@generatorofheavy7761]

NG2 6?

[@ianwichmann2697]

Todd Bogley Yup, it's a thing. Last I saw they should be in production in 2018. I've also seen that they'll even have an option for the triple pickup configuration!

[@U-mann]

I only play guitar but that is one seriously good bass tone!

[@sleeplessnightsofficial6334]

I’ll never ever get tired of that Flatline riff 🔥

[@ins1demanwhitaker527]

Love that sound.

[@vintagejm]

I'm too late to make a Vsauce joke.

[@tonyvice6661616]

You can still make Adam Neely jokes

[@PookieQDB]

2 years later and I am too late sir. My regards to future generations who will also look for this joke.

[@LeonidasKaragiannis]

Hey, Vsauce! Michael here.

[@sspark2686]

Leonidas Desert And today's topic is **DJENTS HARD AS FUCK**

[@carterm4475]

I was thinking the same thing

[@AmnesiaAir]

came to this video just to say this

[@daylightsensor8695]

Λολ

[@rhinehartd]

God I wish Dingwall would do a Made in Canada version of the NG-2. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

[@gurg4130]

Why not just get an afterburner?

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

As someone who has owned multiple Canadian Dingwalls, there is nothing at all "second rate" about the NG-2; it sees more playing time than my Afterburner basses ever did, and is arguably easier to play than my SJ3X.

[@Alex_Khouri]

The Afterburner has a different neck profile, which is a little thinner (I personally prefer the thicker necks). They also don't make one with the same pickup placement/preamp as the NG-2, which form a large part of its sound.

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

They absolutely do. Any 3X Afterburner has a "middle and bridge in series" setting (which is the same as the NG-2) on the rotary switch, and can be ordered with a Tone Capsule as well; that's how mine was spec'ed.

[@Alex_Khouri]

True. It still has a different neck profile though, and a different type of wood used in the neck (which would help the overall balance, as wenge necks tend to add a lot of neck weight IME).

[@nonono7973]

I like how his hair has slowly shifted from the top of his head and onto his face. its truly a marvel of science

[@dev46195]

What an absolute beast tone!! 🔥

[@willbennett9533]

I'm eagerly awaiting the day that 6 string ng is on the market.

[@atacimic]

I forgot all about the pedal and got lost in pure Nolly bass-shred heaven within seconds of the demo starting.

[@Blakeadam52]

Mans tone is SO GOOD.

[@jfv2312]

The tone of this man is all I dream of as a bassist...

[@hgfdsaytrewq5352]

Soooo good...infact i really like that tight low B.

[@nahmy]

I saw periphery live a few weeks ago and they played to a fucking pre-recorded bass track. Never been so disappointed.

[@mrpookywooky66]

To be honest, all i heard was Nolly's sound!! That plum kicking thump and zing.....like a boss!

[@mvyper]

Can we know what IR was applied? That would be very cool!

[@GaryMcNeill]

I have a dingwall NG3 6 string bass, this pedal, these settings and added a cabinet IR and compression in post and cant get anywhere near the focused tone used in flatline - not even close. There is some tom-foolery happening in this video.

[@saamo1423]

User issue

[@rossamccann72]

Fun fact this is the pedal nolly used for the official recording of absolomb(and likely most of p3)

[@gearzdesign]

Holy hell, ok, I'm ordering one. I'm sold after the various demo's.

[@PhilosophicalCat]

1:53 I wish I could make my 4-string transform into a 6-string....

[@quibster]

As it stands, it goes to show how much of Stockman's tone is in his fingers and style, he really hits the instrument hard. With a pick playing very even notes, this doesn't translate across quite so well. However this may give some reference to bass players who seriously use a pick.

[@faithnoman2635]

Yes. I use a 4003 with a pick much of the time and I can attest to the A/O's awesomeness. It has better grind in the mids than the B3K I had.

[@That_many_watts]

Stockman uses picks sometimes tho...

[@faithnoman2635]

Then there's also guys who use a pick hard(Billy Gould)

[@quibster]

Yeah naturally, plenty of people use picks and Jon definitely uses them for inbetween sounds, I'm not saying it doesn't work, just referencing specific tones. I'm sure if you're using a compressor as many of us do, it's not really the sort of problem anyone is going to run into ever anyway. nbd

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

It's both his style and the particular basses he uses; nothing else really sounds like a Thumb, in a similar way to how nothing else really sounds like an NG-2. Not sure why you don't think this translates well, the tones he's getting on "Absolomb" and "The News" are arguably just as good or better than what he laid down on the record.

[@Bassmaniaaa]

Cool sound, cool plectrum technique.

[@jasem1767]

Great review and performance. Interested to know what brand / type / thickness of pick is being used???

[@blessthedead69]

B7K or Alpha Omega? That's the important question....

[@tristanturner2017]

Gotta say while I like the sound and idea of the A/O, I'm not keen on losing out the hi/low mid pots (which are important to me).

[@sallen6949]

I actually bought both at the same time, and for my bass, I preferred the B7K Ultra. I can get the clean hyped darkglass sound, then kick in the ANGRY. The voicing of the A/O went from "B7Kesque" territory to ratty, woofy neo-fuzz. It just didn't work with my particular bass - Kiesel AW5. Kept the B7K, sold the A/O.

[@babkakiepskagamestv]

+S Walton Can you make a demo with your aw 5 of b7k ?

[@FirealMX]

The biggest factor for why I went with the B7K is because I needed an EQ pedal with a separate distortion switch, so I bought the Ultra version. Though I guess the Alpha·Omega will receive a similar upgrade in the future.

[@padureancalin8096]

BOTH!!! :)))

[@fromaggio7654]

It sounds like the bass is exploding every time he hits the strings

[@failbro23]

that 6 strings bass though

[@bucketofnoises7810]

Is it some type of optical illusion or the action of this bass is damn low..

[@h_elian]

Oh yes, we need more

[@masecardrums]

Man, that six-string sounds weird. It's grindy and full in the sub-lows, but all I could think of was the synth bass plugin I had ten years ago in Cubase LE.

[@6sentient]

my heart cannot bear the weight of the knowledge that I will never be able to own and play a dingwall + darkglass combo...

[@TheShrimpMan]

6sentient not with that attitude, strive to make a change in your life. You can do anything if you set your mind to it (as cliche as that sounds)

[@Slunqmusic]

@6sentient. I thought that. Saved up, sold some shitty bass stuff. Now I have an NG2 and a B7. Took a year or so. If you DECIDE you'll never have that, you won't.

[@burroughs334]

It’s not a yacht.

[@riffgroove]

I have a novel suggestion... How about finding your own sound instead of trying to emulate everyone else's?

[@chinnarciso]

Your bass guitar looks amazing

[@Kuykenstuff]

But like, can I hear it on a bass that I could actually play/afford?

[@S1kTh66]

You don't buy a 400 euro pedal for 100 euro bass guitar...

[@drphalanges1520]

Why the hell not? This pedal costs more than my bass, and my bass is fucking awesome.

[@Slunqmusic]

@ kuykenstuff: Sadly it won't really work unless you use an aggressive Dingwall. Bummer eh? I have a Traben Chaos 5, a Fender Jazz 5 and a Rickenbacker 4001 - they all sound like shit through the Microtubes B7. My NG2 sounds fucking amazing through it. I assume this one is as tightly matched (sounds the same as the B7 but less, in my opinion)

[@sethspooner9935]

I emailed Dingwall they said they where taking preorders mid January shits got like a year long wait???

[@Slunqmusic]

9 months at the moment.

[@samuelsuarez9790]

Look at that low action. Seems so comfy

[@Wilbursson]

Are there any examples of this bass playing anything other than djent and screamo? I'd love to hear something like Dead Goon (bungle) Giant Steps (coltraine) Stabwound (necropagist) or Teen Town (weather report) or literally anything but this style. ty

[@LazySatan22]

Any info on what cabinet IR Nolly used? I know that is creating a huge part of this sound, which sounds amazing!

[@jorgaridya7085]

Still finding out. I'm using Neural DSP Darkglass IR section only with this pedal and still can't get this tone.

[@ericvalverderosado2046]

Big pedals need a bigger light to see if it is on, i barely can see the little light (pd: where the hell os the overdriven tone? I can hear a lower end punched, but then?)

[@larspetterhelgesen6085]

Oh, i need a Dingwall! Got the pedal...

[@Drummerboykhari12]

HEY THE FIRST NOTE OF THIS VIDEO IS THE SAME NOTE TO THE SEINFELD THEME.

[@FuegoNooot]

How come he hasn't been touring with the band lately ? Just curious

[@artembolshakov9586]

For using with Dingwall only*

[@Killenmachine05]

I like how they immediately started with "does it djent"

[@spt3400]

I've watched this video like 50 times by now

[@criticaltheist3992]

Dang does he have that thing tuned to drop c? Sounds beastly

[@francoishtzl157]

I think he use drop C and drop G# here

[@raymondmarboh7699]

i love the sound

[@TheProgGuy]

I would love to put this in my signal chain but I'm having a hard time trying to decide if i would run it before my B7K ultra or if i should take the direct out from the B7K into the input of the alpha omega and then run direct out. Would that in theory work if i'm using the cab emulation from the b7k ultra? I would like to have a clean tone, an overdriven tone and a distorted tone without changing the ultra, as that's not easy nor efficient when playing live.

[@francoishtzl157]

Nope, You will get a cabsim before the AlphaO and it will sound terrible. But you can go from a B7k to an AO ultra, use the cabsim and use the B7K as a "tight" boost before it, will sound chunky

[@TheProgGuy]

@@francoishtzl157 yeah idk what I was thinking when I typed this 2 years ago. I've been using a vintage micro tubes before my B7K ultra and stack the pedals if I want more gain. Plus I use an Element at the end since I have a delay/reverb pedal after the B7K.

[@BirdRacer]

i knew you guys would have nolly demo on this

[@flv2358]

0:41 - messenger ding in the background?

[@MicahJohns]

Nice tone

[@tybrunz]

Man, I love Darkglass. I love Nolly. But could it be possible to show off their gear with tones that aren't tonally directed at the prog/djenty crowd? Would love to see how a pedal like this could play into a sludgier tone. ex: for bands like Conan, Pallbearer, Windhand, etc.. I see a ton of potential in their stuff and am gonna try it out regardless, but I would love to see playthroughs with a more diverse genre/subgenre spread.

[@calypso1145]

1:20 what's the song name?

[@sid670]

dont know if you found it already, but the song is called "The Way the News Goes" by Periphery

[@calypso1145]

@@sid670 thanks anyway

[@gameygameygamer]

vsauce, michael here, today we'll be demoing the alpha omega by darkglass

[@MichaelTamme]

Hi, what's the advantage of that weird fret architecture? I understand that it changes the scale length on every string from wide on the low strings to narrow on the higher ones but what for? Never seen this before!

[@jacktraveller8290]

Have you noticed how when you tune down, the tension on your strings is reduced (i.e. they're floppier), so they're harder to play and there's potential for fret buzz and other artefacts? This can be a real problem for low strings in low tunings. I play a bass with a low A string, and it can be a nightmare to manage. The longer scale length on these fanned fret basses allows you to keep the tension on your lowest strings higher.

[@MrBueno141]

Come back in tours nolly !

[@xxlmer]

I find myself watching this video every day^^

[@TheLvGordo]

The tone at 2:00 and on, is that because of the 6 string?

[@MCO2ATL2DTWby777]

wow, this might be one of the best bass players out there that uses a pick. I never realized that he used one

[@lerevenantband]

What's the bass tuned at here?

[@lukebogartmix]

Drop C first two, Drop G# last