Our most loyal readers are aware that we don’t cover bass pedals in this blog, but some videos are emerging of the Darkglass Electronic ADAM used on guitar, and it sounds very interesting!
If you want to have your mind blown, though, you need to check out this pedal’s innovative rotating footswitches, something we’ve never seen before in a regular stompbox! Through those, you can select out of five compression ratios, distortion type and cab simulations!
The ADAM (an acronym for Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine) is the product of a collaboration with metal bassist Adam “Nolly” Getgood. It isn’t exactly a small pedal, having the width of around three compact stompboxes placed next to each other, but it offers all the necessary effects to sculpt your tone any way you want – here’s the list of goods:
Compression: Not only it acts as a compressor, but it features a system that adds back automatically some volume to compensate for the loss in level.
Drive: Adds vintage-style distortion and drive.
Character: Shifts the presence of the distortion.
Graphic EQ: Controlled through 6 touch-sensitive slides, it applies from -12 dB to 12 dB range to the signal. The frequency bands are the following: low shelf, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1.5 kHz, 3 kHz, and a high shelf.
Cab Simulation: The ADAM also has a Cab Simulation system that can load impulse responses through the desktop app.
Blend: Reintegrates the clean signal for added dynamics and clarity.
Presets: Each one of the three footswitches can be assigned to a preset.
Tuner: Yes, there’s also a chromatic tuner.
Connectivity: The ADAM includes Headphone Hout, Aux-In for playing backing tracks when rehearsing in the headphones, Balanced Outs, Direct Output and MIDI compatibility.
USB Audio Interface: The pedal can be used as an audio interface to record directly into your computer, via USB.
Here’s how the Darkglass ADAM sounds on guitar. We included a bass demo at the bottom.
The Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine is the result of a collaboration with one of the most celebrated artists in today’s metal scene – Adam “Nolly” Getgood. This pedal captures Nolly’s entire tonal arsenal meticulously refined by years of in-depth testing and experience in one striking enclosure.
The Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine has three fully programmable rotating footswitch presets. Each of these stores your unique blend of compression, distortion, impulse responses, EQ parameters, and signal chain settings. Featuring a unique and innovative top-notch precision touch slider interface, for its 6-band programmable EQ.
It also incorporates a USB-C audio interface and balanced stereo outputs for studio monitors and is equipped with an extra accurate chromatic tuner, that also works well with down-tuned guitars and basses.
