# PROBABLY going for an Orange dark terror....questions.(bi-amping content)



## thedarkoceans (Oct 18, 2011)

so guys,prolly i'll buy an orange dark terror.first question.what should i buy first? head (dark terror) or cab (orange 2x12 i think) ? what's the best ABY switcher for bi amping?and tell me what you think of the dark terror for some hardcore/mathcore converge style.
tdo.


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## macgruber (Oct 18, 2011)

i think the radial bigshot is one of the best passive ABY's on the market, plus its got an isolated output to avoid ground loops and headaches of that nature. 

i recently tried out the dark terror and it quickly cemented itself as my favorite mini high gain amp. 

the order you choose to buy the head/cab really depends what gear you have already. already have a cab? buy the head and familiarize yourself with it (the three knobs on it, anyway..hehe). i think it'd be a good choice for the music you're into.


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## Sephael (Oct 18, 2011)

Save some cash for an EQ, gate and maybe a boost, the ODT is great by itself but so much better with a little help.


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## S-O (Oct 18, 2011)

I bet it could do Converge esque things, but I would look into some other options.

I thought one of he dudes rocked out a JMP or something like that Marshall head, bunch o' pedals for the grindz too.

So, you could get there for sure.


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## TemjinStrife (Oct 18, 2011)

Uh, the Dark Terror is not what I'd pick for a very tight, aggressive, defined sort of sound. It's got more gain than the Tiny Terror, and the Contour is interesting, but it's very "hairy" and a little limited in versatility. I spent a while with one and was not impressed. For the price you can do much better.

The Radial ABY switch is great though.


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## macgruber (Oct 19, 2011)

yo OP, have you tried out the dark terror in person yet?


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## thedarkoceans (Oct 19, 2011)

no,i just heard it,and it sounds wicked.yeah,i already thought about it,i'll buy an mxr 10 band eq,and a noise suppressor.


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## Shor (Oct 19, 2011)

thedarkoceans said:


> no,i just heard it,and it sounds wicked.yeah,i already thought about it,i'll buy an mxr 10 band eq,and a noise suppressor.


Great plan. I would definitely go for a boost of some kind though.
I've got the Dark Terror and I also have the mxr 10 band eq and a Way Huge Green Rhino OD. if there's any pedal I wouldn't want to be without it is that Green Rhino. I use it as a boost and it is a must if you want a good tight tone from the Dark Terror imo.


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## thedarkoceans (Oct 19, 2011)

whart's the best EQ? is the MXR one good? what do ya suggest? the 10 band of the or the 6 band?


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## Shor (Oct 19, 2011)

thedarkoceans said:


> whart's the best EQ? is the MXR one good? what do ya suggest? the 10 band of the or the 6 band?



The MXR 10-band one is brilliant if you ask me. Do some research as to which bands you want to mess about with and you should probably come to some sort of conclusion.
I'm sure the 6 band is "enough", but the 10-band gives you more bands (duh), and some different frequencies to work with + an overall volume and gain slider to compensate for volume lost or gained...I just picked that one up since I want to be as flexible as possible, and I wanted the lower freq's as well just in case I plan on using it for my bass at some point.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Oct 19, 2011)

I use the 7 band (+1 vol slider) boss ge7 eq.
Works just fine for anything guitar or bass related I do.


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## Sephael (Oct 19, 2011)

I love the MXR 10 band, being able to drop the volume in the loop is very handy.

Sure the Dark Terror "lacks" some features, but it is sonically mostly the same as a $2000+ amp, thus not so bad of a value.


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## USMarine75 (Oct 19, 2011)

I love the ODT, but for $300 more you can buy a 5150 III mini with 3 channels, more versatile EQ controls, and 50W instead of 15/7W... 

Plus for tight metal type distortion IMO its hard to match it for <$1000. No flub and decent individual note clarity with complex chords. And even the high gain channel 3 is much quieter than the old un-modded Peavey 5150s.





But, either way you can't go wrong the ODT is badass too!


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## thedarkoceans (Oct 19, 2011)

do you think that the Dark Terror is loud enough to play small-medium live shows? i heard that even little orange amps are pretty much loud.


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## Shor (Oct 19, 2011)

thedarkoceans said:


> do you think that the Dark Terror is loud enough to play small-medium live shows? i heard that even little orange amps are pretty much loud.


Although I don't gig or anything...I can pretty much guarantee you that it is plenty loud for that, especially if you pick up the 2x12 cab to go with it.
It's so incredibly loud.. when I play at home I tend to play at just below 1 a lot of the time, and at 4 I definitely want ear protection (call me a wuss, but I love keeping my hearing intact) if I'm going to play it.

Andertons did a video on the Dark Terror, and they measured it up to 117 decibels cranked I think...which is mighty loud.

Maybe someone else has gigging experience with it that can give you a better answer, although I'm pretty sure they'll agree with me.


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## USMarine75 (Oct 19, 2011)

thedarkoceans said:


> do you think that the Dark Terror is loud enough to play small-medium live shows? i heard that even little orange amps are pretty much loud.


 
It was really loud... it kept up with my Peavey 5150 combo which is 2x12 and 60W. (It actually reminded me of a Budda 18W head that was ridiculously loud for the rated wattage)

But that was just 2 guitars... I wonder how it would fare with drums, bass, a crowd, etc...


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## thedarkoceans (Oct 19, 2011)

so guys,i have this idea,tell me what ya think.i buy the head first,and i plug it in my 4x10 ashdown cab until i havent got a guitar cab.and anyway i wont gig until i havent got my guitar cab.what do you think?


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## Sephael (Oct 19, 2011)

Shor hit the money on the volume, I use a 1x12 and my volume rarely goes above 2 with a decent amount gain, and then some times use drop the volume in the loop to push the preamp a bit more. By 12 oclock volume and gain I only play across my room from the cab.


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## TemjinStrife (Oct 19, 2011)

Dude, play the head first. See if you like it. There are a bunch of places with good return policies. Personally, I couldn't stand it.

Don't "fix it" with a million pedals if you can snag an amp that does the same thing better without the pedals, as it will probably sound better with the pedals in the first place.


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## Enselmis (Oct 19, 2011)

USMarine75 said:


> It was really loud... it kept up with my Peavey 5150 combo which is 2x12 and 60W. (It actually reminded me of a Budda 18W head that was ridiculously loud for the rated wattage)
> 
> But that was just 2 guitars... I wonder how it would fare with drums, bass, a crowd, etc...



Budda's are horrifically loud... It's genuinely terrifying with those little things. They do sound most excellent though.


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## TemjinStrife (Oct 20, 2011)

Enselmis said:


> Budda's are horrifically loud... It's genuinely terrifying with those little things. They do sound most excellent though.



 I have the 30W one. Luckily it sounds good at low volumes, it gets pretty loud and cuts like a knife.

Although, remember with tube amps, the position of the master volume doesn't tell you how much volume you have on tap. Once you hit around 10 o'clock on most master volumes, the amp won't have much more overall volume to give you and will just start to compress and give you power tube saturation.


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## thedarkoceans (Oct 24, 2011)

sorry for the huge bump.but i really need to have this info.is the dark terror tight enough to play things like mathcore/technical-fast hardcore?
example ion dissonance,dillinger escape plan.obviously with an EQ pedals


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## TemjinStrife (Oct 24, 2011)

thedarkoceans said:


> sorry for the huge bump.but i really need to have this info.is the dark terror tight enough to play things like mathcore/technical-fast hardcore?
> example ion dissonance,dillinger escape plan.obviously with an EQ pedals



Based on my experience, no, not really. It's an Orange, which means it's very stoner-y, with a lot of growl, hair, and a bit of wool. There are better amps in that price range for that goal. 

Like the 6505+ combo, or a used Mesa F-series or DC series, or the Jet City JCA22H.


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## USMarine75 (Oct 27, 2011)

I stand by the EVH 5150 III mini for $999... versatile with 3 channels, but channel 3 is what you're looking for... throw a cheap tube screamer in front to tighten up (e.g. used TS7) and then maybe a noisegate (e.g. ISP) if you want no hiss/feedback (all high gain amps will have this)

But I have (and highly recommend 100%) the used Peavey 5150 combo... or check out the 6505+ or 3120. All better for that style than the ODT and they're all under $1k. Peaveys are one of the most underated brands and you can get them modded and they will go head to head with boutique metal amps that are $3k.


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## USMarine75 (Oct 31, 2011)

^ Update... OP, I changed my mind... ODT sounds pretty good for metal.


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## TemjinStrife (Oct 31, 2011)

Have you actually played one? I have. I thought it would be awesome for '70s-style stoner rock, and that's really about it.


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## Sephael (Oct 31, 2011)

They show off a bit of the DkT flexability here:


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## TemjinStrife (Oct 31, 2011)

Also, if you can play like Chappers and those other guys, you can make a Marshall MG10 sound good


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