DOD Meatbox behaviour

[Undertone]

May II seek a little knowledge from seasoned DOD Meatbox users please.

 

I just bought a brand new DOD Meatbox. First thing I do is match the volume & timbre of the affected signal (effect on), to that of the unaffected clean tone (effect off). Playing through a Trace AH350SMX I've had new since the early 1990's (onboard effects off / flat).

Octave & Sub knobs fully CCW, Output at 2pm, Low at 3:30pm.  Volume match exactly, timbre not quite but pretty good.

 

Now to add some octave down, I bring up the Octave knob to 2pm, the octave down is heard, but the overall output volume (perceived) goes DOWN!  Quite a BIT!   As though the octave sucks the original signal.  Is that normal?  Is it the aim?    Does the Output knob lset the output volume no-matter-what (regardless of other controls) thereby sucking clean tone when Octave is added?  (perhaps for speaker-safety?).

Some volume returns if I then bring up Sub to midday, but I don't want to on this occasion.

 

I also find it a bit noisy. The Trace has a little hum, but significanly more with the Meatbox (which I'm powering from a Strymon Ojai with no other pedals).

 

What's going on?

Thanks

[Byo]

I can't answer for the noise you're experiencing, but regarding the Meatbox itself, I have always found it behaves differently to a regular octave pedal.

 

I have always used mine on a clean parallel signal that is split from my compressor and goes straight to a DI and to FOH. Never in line with my amp or other effects.

 

The intent behind the Meatbox, or at least the meta that Juan Alderete popularised, is to give you that ultra low bass extension that pushes the subs in a venue. Emulating the range of a 808 synth.

 

The eq controls, as far as I recall by memory, were around 30Hz and 60Hz (I could be wrong), which will make any amp sweat a little if you are pushing them. This is essentially killing all your headroom too.

 

Maybe the perceived volume drop is based around the frequencies that are boosted when the pedal is engaged.

 

Not sure if you have access to a second amp or a PA system, but if you can split the signal into two separate rigs, you will really be able to balance your main sound and the sub accordingly.

[Byo]

Forgot to mention that the general rule of thumb with the Meatbox, and other variants like the Mantis Density Hulk, has always been to max out the controls and let the pedal do its magic via the PA.

 

Mantis even released the version with the EQ knobs inside the casing as users tend to run the thing maxed out anyways.

 

Beware, you can fry a speaker and even a power amp section if you are not careful! There is so much low end content that amps struggle, hence the PA + Subs approach.

Edited Monday at 17:38 by Byo

[Undertone]

Hey thanks. The 2 amps thing is a good idea, although I'd like not to have to do that. Headroom comment noted too.

I'd have loved to get hold of a Mantis but they're tough to come by in the UK.

Seen lots of vids & comments re potential gear damage so I'm at low volumes at this stage.

[Byo]

What are you trying to achieve with the Meatbox?

 

Only asking, as there might be something else that might do the trick for you instead.

[Undertone]

Oh, just that deep woolly booming bass, characteristic of the Meatbox. I'd have liked to it be a bit more intuitive! Sucking volume when I turn up Octave is absurd to me - no mention of it in the manual / web page. Having to add Sub to get virtually any octave seems futile. The Octave and Sub knobs might as well be combined into a single knob. I can't even tell whether Octave is any different from Sub (is Sub 2 octaves down?). With Octave at 3pm and Sub at zero, I have virtually no octave. I need to bring Sub to 3pm to get decent octave, hence my comment re combining the 2 knobs. Finally, to basically get the woolly booming bass, I have all 3 knobs at 4pm. Might as well have just one knob. I'm quite disappointed at it's versatility and lack of intuitive controls. I'll play with it a bit more but I suspect it's not going to stay in my gear. For recording, for example, a sub-synth plug-in will do the same.

[Byo]

You are describing the journey of every person that has used a Meatbox, me included 🙈

The first time I plugged mine into my amp, I was so underwhelmed. I managed to get one of the OG models from back in the day, and it just didn't do anything for me... that's until I took it to a rehearsal and plugged it directly to the PA via a separate DI. 

BOOM, literally... Haha. That's when I understood where this shines.
Amazing for pop, hip-hop, etc... gigs where you need to either step in for a synth or share low-end duties with a synth/keys player.

I have never managed to get a good sound of it through my amp, I prefer to use an octave pedal or even some EQ if I need more support in the low end. 

It is one of the most misunderstood pedals out there, especially the 1st version, where each knob has weird names 😅