Darkglass Microtubes X7 Bass Demo

Signal chain: Radial X-Amp - Darkglass Microtubes X7 - Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 - Fender Rumble 4x10 - Shure Beta 52/Electro-Voice RE320
Darkglass Microtubes X7: amzn.to/2PNRNh3
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[@tonywatson6752]

Thank you so much for the lower gain, DI, and in-the-mix demoing!

[@skafanatic19]

I did buy one, for the life of me though I couldn't get tone out of it that was fitting the context that I needed. I did an A/B test with a Brimstone Crossover Distortion and found the Brimstone to be more versatile and had a few extra features that I feel crossover distortion really benefits from. Definitely not a bad sounding pedal, just a little to djenty for this cat. Plenty of great Darkglass products out there so it was easily remedied with B7K Ultra. Great review, thank you for the time and effort put into this!

[@scottcruickshank870]

Really liked the variety of basses showcased in this demo!

[@alexskibicki2262]

Awesome demo, guys...sounds killer with the musicman bass, the jazz bass, and the schecter stiletto.

[@rogergottleben6382]

Extremely interesting product but it definitely feels that this kind of concept requires sooo much more knobs that it currently has. One of the biggest shortcomings is that the clean sound can’t be applied throughout the whole frequency spectrum. I’m hoping to see X7 combined with the functionality of AO. Then Doug can have some of my money again.

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

This concept is called "parallel processing" and has been a studio mainstay on bass for years: it's used when you don't want a full spectrum clean signal, that's actually the entire point. I can only imagine the eminent Ultra version will have even more functionality though ;)

[@rogergottleben6382]

I completely understand. I just feel that a blend knob on the distortion side would’ve been useful in this pedal to reduce the harshness. I don’t know if it would be useful in reality though.

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

@@rogergottleben6382 There's no harshness, even at high gain settings, with the appropriate EQ; you just have to duck the 1k band and the treble shelf to taste. A full range clean signal would defeat the entire purpose of the pedal design. Check out this mix tutorial, the engineer does something quite similar with a chain of plugins, and only has a clean signal up to about 300Hz: kzbin.info/www/bejne/haKZY4tnnbaifLs

[@IvanBassist]

The tone around 9:14 is my favourite :)

[@klaymeister]

I'll wait for the X Ultra

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

I'm guessing it'll be announced early next year, curious to see what additional functionality they add to it.

[@david_onbass]

Need to be able to engage the distortion and the EQ separately for it to be a useful preamp for direct to board and out to amp during live performance. Like the Alpha Omega Ultra.

[@asterhogan1]

hope to see the regular x soon

[@lars6710]

Very impressive! But can you do a Microtubes X7 vs. Microtubes B7K Ultra V2 Bass Demo?

[@TheBassChannel]

Well, we don’t have the V2, but we can compare to the B7K Ultra V1.

[@lars6710]

Bassic Gear Review well, that would be awesome as well!

[@Killerb567]

Just when I thought I was gonna stop spending money.

[@Checker1O1]

SpivelzCA Amen

[@yairgrenade]

I think this is gonna be a no from me... I find the distortion character way too harsh, to the point of hurting my ears. Much too ice-picky texture and not tube-like. Also, the top frequency for the LPF is 500 hz, which doesn't allow you to use it as a regular distortion, where you just blend the clean signal and the distorted signal. However, this is the only darkglass pedal where the blend is normal, and in which the clean signal doesn't always stay at 100%... I hope they fix these problems in the ultra version. Maybe there'll be a way to bypass the filters completely? Maybe a more flexible EQ will allow the user to somehow dial out the ice-picky-ness and get a nice sound. However, the review was great! Thanks Bassic Gear Review team!

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

Keeping the LPF crossover to 500Hz and under is not a "problem": it's actually the essence of parallel processing. This pedal is doing something that use to only be possible via multiple tracks in a DAW, or multi-band saturation plugin like FabFilter Saturn with added compression functionality on the low end. The "ice-pickyness" isn't inherent to the circuit either, it's entirely dependent on how the controls are being used: give this more traditional, low gain tone a listen instagram.com/matthewthebassplayer/

[@yairgrenade]

Nah son. The LPF max frequency being only 500Hz is problematic. What if I don't want to filter my clean tone, and to use it in conjunction with the distorted signal (filtered or otherwise)? This prevents the pedal from being used in a standard blend mode, like there is on many other distortion pedals. The benefit you have with the programs you mentioned is that you can use parallel processing in any way you want, not just filtering. Parallel processing also means blending two unfiltered signals. And also, I found the distortion tone to be ice-picky. Unlike the AO, B7K, VM etc. which sound wonderful both in high gain and low gain, I found that past a certain point the X7 has an inherent, unmistakeable ice-pickyness to its tone. Maybe it's some nasty high-mid presence that can be dialed out given the right EQ. This is only my opinion however and I accept the things you said as well.

[@bassplayer807able]

Yair Haimi I wonder if I could achieve the Clockwork Angels tone with this pedal, or if it would be better to get the Darkglass AOU, right now I have the Tech 21 GED 2112 unit, and the Dug Pinnick DP3X pedal, but I mean if I want that tone off of Black Sabbath’s 13 album, and Rush’s Clockwork Angels, could the X7 do it, I mean as far as getting a ballpark tone?

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

@@yairgrenade Fab Filter Saturn doesn't allow you run a full range clean signal and a distorted signal above 500Hz simultaneously, you need two separate tracks for that. It's a very common studio practice to use a "sub bass" track, totally clean and heavily compressed, crossed over with a distorted mids and high end track: that's what this pedal is designed to do. If you absolutely want a full range clean signal to blend with a full range distorted signal, which is how almost all distortion pedals with a "blend" function work, this obviously isn't the pedal for you. For my money, and I've owned literally everything that DG has made and dozens of other distortion pedals, it might be the best standalone dirt box ever created for bass. The "ice-pickiness" is easily remedied by ducking the 1k band and the high shelf to taste at higher gain settings.

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

@@reefersutherland4265 "mulit-band / crossover pedals are not that unique now days": can you name more than five currently in production?

[@GodsHotel]

daaamn, I forgot about the pedal - the player is sooo good! was looking at hands more than the pedal settings

[@russelw.6288]

can someone explain what low pass side is doing. I rewatched but i just dont get it.

[@ryanronki8255]

song is Israel's Son by Silverchair

[@vivalavida4930]

That Warwick is gorgeous 2'53

[@Casual_Shots]

Damn that's a beauuuuuuutiful enclosure. Well done darkglass!

[@BLACKSYNTH]

M E H . Sold mine, terrible (for me) was similar to paralax Plugin that was lackluster too. I run a way huge Pork & pickle pedal and a bass modified RAT pedal. the bass mod is reletivly easy to do if you can solder.

[@algarridm]

How would it sound this pedal into an Aguilar Tone Hammer 700?

[@underpressureman]

So this may be a dumb question, but I notice alot of people calling this and other pedals(Preamp Pedals). I'm just curious, what would you guys say would constitute a "Preamp" Pedal, as opposed to just a Dist/Overdrive/EQ Pedal?

[@MrExcane]

Great job as always 👍

[@TheBassChannel]

Thanks, dude! 🤘🏻

[@IBJ57]

What’s the riff at 1:53!? I know it and it’s driving me crazy lmao.

[@-rickgarciabass-2796]

Kinda sounds like the breakdown for Deathamphetamine by Exodus

[@GR1338]

Sounds like Swedish DM to me. Might be fooling myself though.

[@GR1338]

Happy to deliver the 666th like. Thanks for the demo. Is that a Carcass song in 1:52?

[@GutspillPhil]

This sounds better then my XUltra

[@technoalah]

Perfect video

[@androidquinn99]

Could you demo the EHX Lester G/Lester K? I love the sound on guitar and I keep wondering the cool sounds you could get out of it on a bass.

[@TheBassChannel]

We’ll most likely do one of them fairly soon.

[@kimfaucher007]

How and where would you plug this kind of pedal on your pedal board? Where would you plug the chorus, wah and other effect relatively to this device? Would you use another compression pedal with it?

[@bradbarker4041]

If it's used mostly as a "preamp" then put it at the end of the chain. If it's used mostly as distortion, then put it nearer the front.

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

@@bax7619 This isn't really a pedal that's meant to be turned on and off: it's really meant to craft the entirety of your sound. The engineer in this video does something very similar with plugins here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/haKZY4tnnbaifLs

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

I don't find that the DI output needs any additional processing (compression, EQ, or otherwise) to sound like a finished album track of you spend the time dialing in the tone before tracking: the controls all have a very wide range and even slight changes can make a very big difference overall.

[@kimfaucher007]

Thanks MatthewtheBassPlayer ! That's what I thought at first. Would you put at the end of your effect chain and plug it directly in the console?

[@MatthewtheBassPlayer]

@@kimfaucher007 Yep, that's precisely how I'm using it.

[@luke66639]

I think i'm going to buy this pedal, but can someone explain me what's the parallel output purpose?

[@samuelviden7412]

It's an unprocessed output for when you want a clean sound to mix.

[@johnconlon8635]

They added 1khz but not on the ultra! Dang.

[@nategin9009]

Demo the microtubes x

[@jaredmatthews9403]

That J bass sounds dirty AF

[@TheBassChannel]

That’s the American Geddy Lee signature.

[@vincenzoguglielmo230]

DBZ FTW 0:54

[@Crabfather]

Half the problem with bass od/dist is that it just sounds revolting on its own and needs to be buried in the mix to sound OK. Dark glass stuff is the best sounding of its type I've heard yet, and sounds cool with at least drums behind it. But when the guy starts playing solo, echhh...