Fast or slow dirt, what do you prefer?

[BossMann73]

Was a/b'ing some pedals lately and realized that some pedals react to my attack so much faster than others. For instance, my Alpha Omega or BBR Cmos is what I would call fast. I play, my attack comes thru with no sag. My Dunwich ODB (which I absolutely love) seems to make my playing a lot less articulate in that the attack seems squishy and slow. So I've taken to using the Dunwich for doomy parts and the Darkglass for parts where I need articulation. Anybody else here have a preference for fast or slow attack? If so, why? Also, please let us know which dirts you use that are super articulate or super squishy.

My fastest bass dirts:
Darkglass Alpha Omega
BBR CMOS Bass Overdrive
Idiotbox Landphil
Cog Mini 66

Slowest:
Dunwich ODB
Dunwich VT125B
Dunwich Wizard fuzz
Boss HM-2

Just want to add that one should not read fast or slow as "good" or "bad." My Dunwiches, although slow, are some of my prized possessions.

[ratrod]

This is why I love the RAT because it can be either fast or slow (or both?) depending on your settings.

Love the slow, imploding attack on my Big Muff as well.

[Mosfed]

Never thought about it that way but from your list, I seem to greatly prefer slow. Nothing in the fast list does anything for me.

[BossMann73]

Never thought about it that way but from your list, I seem to greatly prefer slow. Nothing in the fast list does anything for me.

It's probably all dependent on the music one is making. My Dunwiches work best for slower doomy parts but not for where I need more precise articulation. But overall I am writing music that requires precise attack so my BBR or Darkglass get turned on the most. Would you classify your music as needing more articulation or more squish to use these two general words? If both, what pedals do you turn on for what you need vis a vis attack?

[Kacey Y]

(((((((((((((SLOW)))))))))))))

[tremolo3]

I was thinking about that a few weeks ago when I was messing around with MangledVerrb, how come there are not dirt pedals with some sort of envelope?


For guitar and for what I'm playing lately, I want as much as attack as possible, I simply love that percussive sound when playing chords, but I can see why one would prefer it slow for doom or shoegaze.

[BossMann73]

I was thinking about that a few weeks ago when I was messing around with MangledVerrb, how come there are not dirt pedals with some sort of envelope?


For guitar and for what I'm playing lately, I want as much as attack as possible, I simply love that percussive sound when playing chords, but I can see why one would prefer it slow for doom or shoegaze.

Thanks Trem. Great post. Yes, an envelope would be a great idea actually. Perhaps with it you could get fast and slow in one pedal. I guess another way is with different clipping diodes, but that also changes more than just the attack characteristics.

I wonder what would happen using a slow gear at it's sort of fastest setting as an attack killer? Or maybe that would be too extreme an effect?

[Blackened Soul]

Please list pedals that are more generic that more people have had their hands on and already know what they sound like and not a list of a bunch of oddball hipster things. Thanks.

[tremolo3]

Please list pedals that Knobs has demoed. Thanks.

[Tristan]

Mid Fi does have stuff like that, dirt with envelope.
I don't agree with the HM-2 having slow attack though, it's pretty articulate.
It's the reason I don't like lots of distortion pedals or for instance some Big Muffs, slow attack, it sounds weak to me.
I strongly prefer a fast and heavy attack, give it to me straight up my face.

[Mosfed]

Never thought about it that way but from your list, I seem to greatly prefer slow. Nothing in the fast list does anything for me.

It's probably all dependent on the music one is making. My Dunwiches work best for slower doomy parts but not for where I need more precise articulation. But overall I am writing music that requires precise attack so my BBR or Darkglass get turned on the most. Would you classify your music as needing more articulation or more squish to use these two general words? If both, what pedals do you turn on for what you need vis a vis attack?

I don't know - I guess I really never thought about it that way. I think about attack with filters or compressors etc but never really with dirt. If I think about it, usually if I am going for something heavier in our sound (Fuzz and heavy distortion are probably only on for about 10-15% of our songs, light/touch sensitive overdrive is much more my thing) I go for a creamier, richer, muff like fuzz over a faster attack fy-2 more buzz fuzz. Not that I don't like the other but I use it way way way less.

My favorite overdrive is the Dunwich Volt Thrower (not the VT125B but the stock). And I have had other great experience with RAT type circuits with no clipping options.

[BossMann73]

Never thought about it that way but from your list, I seem to greatly prefer slow. Nothing in the fast list does anything for me.

It's probably all dependent on the music one is making. My Dunwiches work best for slower doomy parts but not for where I need more precise articulation. But overall I am writing music that requires precise attack so my BBR or Darkglass get turned on the most. Would you classify your music as needing more articulation or more squish to use these two general words? If both, what pedals do you turn on for what you need vis a vis attack?

I don't know - I guess I really never thought about it that way. I think about attack with filters or compressors etc but never really with dirt. If I think about it, usually if I am going for something heavier in our sound (Fuzz and heavy distortion are probably only on for about 10-15% of our songs, light/touch sensitive overdrive is much more my thing) I go for a creamier, richer, muff like fuzz over a faster attack fy-2 more buzz fuzz. Not that I don't like the other but I use it way way way less.

My favorite overdrive is the Dunwich Volt Thrower (not the VT125B but the stock). And I have had other great experience with RAT type circuits with no clipping options.

Cool. Well from what I am gleaning you use both fast and slow as part of your sound although you may not have thought explicitly about it. And clearly one thing we do have in common is the experience with RAT's. Out of all the circuits I like them the best in terms of sheer tone, but on my VT for instance I need to keep it on no clipping for best attack. Seems like Dunwich in general favors a slower attack. But I could easily use my Landphil as the only distortion on my board since it covers so many areas I like (low gain preamp sound and super high gain dirt). Gets a little too mushy for me at high gain settings, but I never actually use that in the real world. I generally keep that pedals DIST knob at no higher than like 11 o clock, which is where I find it's sweet spot to be between low and higher gain.

[BossMann73]

Mid Fi does have stuff like that, dirt with envelope.
I don't agree with the HM-2 having slow attack though, it's pretty articulate.
It's the reason I don't like lots of distortion pedals or for instance some Big Muffs, slow attack, it sounds weak to me.
I strongly prefer a fast and heavy attack, give it to me straight up my face.

I might have to go back and amend my list. You're right, the HM-2 is pretty articulate. I just plugged it in to see. I just remembered it always sounds like a Muff to me and Muffs in general are slow as shit. But yes, HM-2 is fast.

[Tristan]

Might have been the low end content you were thinking about, it also has a somewhat fuzzy sound.

[BossMann73]

Might have been the low end content you were thinking about, it also has a somewhat fuzzy sound.

True, the low end is a little flubby on it. I tend to use my HM-2, when I use it on bass, as a lo-fi machine with the bass completely off. I love the AM radio sound it gives me.