@@DrDizzleFrizzle In this case i disagree. He's played in many different bands and has written lots of songs I'm sure he can come up with msny different riffs to play. I enjoy his channel, but listening him playing literally the same riffs in every guitar video can get tiresome lol
I don't use the micro dark regularly, but it's so small that I bring it to every gig as a backup. The other guitarist in my band has had to use it a couple times when his amp went down, so it's saved the day a few times.
I do the same thing on tour! The mirco dark barely takes up any room in the van and it's a cheap, good sounding way to make sure that no matter what happens you can still play the show!
I'm looking for a backup amp that takes up little room and is loud enough for gigging. Would it be loud enough in a small pub with a 4x12 and not running through a PA?
I've just bought a Micro Dark, mainly for use as a recording amp, go from effect send into an emulated tube power section and cab and it sounds better than any all software amp simulation I've tried, sounds massive.
@@Ones_Complement ahh! So if I opt to record through the effect send; the tube is totally useless unless I hook up a cab? Or headphone out. But that sounds like doo doo haha
Daniel Longo I also like it for that price reason, and I bought it because it is loud and sounds pretty good with an OD pedal in front of it and change of the preamp tubes
@@daniellongo7873 Budget orange amps, as evidenced by this video, are WAY closer to their full tube brethren than almost all other brands. The micro dark with either extremely high output pickups or a tube screamer sounds just as good as the real deal for half the cost.
Micro Dark ($189) + Mini Tube Screamer ($70) = $260 To beat how this combo sounds, you'd have to spend at least $500 on a head alone, or $700+ for a combo
@@_vez Tech 21 Oxford from the Character series. An Orange in a box. They also make excellent Marshall & Recto in a box pedals, they work as DIs & preamps too. Same company that makes the Bass Driver DI, industry standard way for bassists to make instant friends with the soundman for decades.
I’ve got both a CR120H and a Rockerverb Mkiii 100. It’s a similar thing to this video where the Micro Dark gets close but just doesn’t have the same tone as the Dark. The CR120 is very close to the Rockerverb. I use the CR120 live where I don’t want to worry about wrecking my Rockerverb in a shitty venue.
The Brent Hinds Terror is weird. I bought one on release because I'm a big Mastodon fan, expecting it to be a metal monster, but it's actually a medium gain 70's style amp like an Orange-voiced hot Plexi (which makes sense based on Mastodon's actual tones). It came out at the same time as the Rocker 15 head and shares a lot of similarities but the Brent Hinds Terror is actually much LOWER gain than the Rocker 15. I think it actually ended up being quite unpopular for that reason.
👽 inevitable vegan future 👽 that’s why I got rid off my unfortunately. I think they kinda mislead people with it. While it did sound great It wasn’t the sound I’m after.
@@inevitableveganfuture3915 I have one and won another one in an online contest Orange had. Stick a really good OD in front of the Hinds and it is glorious. Even a cheap TS Clone makes a huge difference and will give you passable tone. Talking with the Orange people I mentioned they needed a good Metal 2 Channel Terror and they would sell tons of them. They said they considered it but it never went anywhere. ...
@@MehWhatever I got some great metal sounds out of it using distortion type pedals (Marshall Shredmaster, MXR Super Badass Distortion, Vemuram Rage-e), but I could get similar tones out of other amps just pushed with a boost/od. No reason to keep the Brent Hinds Terror around if it needs so many pedals to get it sounding like other metal amps. I normally like to use a Keeley Metal Zone with the gain down super low like Cannibal Corpse used to use live, but it just pushed this amp into sounding way too shrill.
A Micro Dark sounds so much better with the Volume turned up. These comparison videos always have it around 9:00. It really starts sounding great around 2:00. It does respond like a tube power section. You just need to push it. Otherwise it just sounds like a distortion pedal.
Just tried it on mine and youre right it does give it more body. Odd since the power section is transistor. I have a mesa 1x12 and this tiny head sounds ridiculously good.
@@prismsedits2320 - How is the noise on this one? Do you use a gate? Does it need one? I have an EVH 5150III 50 watt that's ridiculously noisy. Almost bugging me too much now. -Jeff
@@canyonadvisors6449 Hey there, fellow 50-watt 5153 owner just passing through in the comments and thought I'd throw in my two cents. I've noticed that the amount of noise/buzz the 5153 produces is somewhat dependant on where in a room you have it sitting and where in a room you're playing compared to where it is; best quick fix I can recommend is just moving it around a bit to see where it produces the least amount of noise (if you get it situated really good it's almost completely noiseless). Other than that I find that a Smart Gate set at just 10 o' clock can usually kill whatever noise issues I might be having with it. Cheers, I hope this helps!
I use it with volume around 2 O'clock and above with a passive attenuator in the FX loop to keep it at room volume. Really makes a difference to overall tone and gets it closer to a full tube sound.
Right? Invest in a long plate preamp tube…louder and more gain…sounds beefier as well more like a 5150 voicing without the high end harshness if you know what I mean
My micro dark is my main gigging amp. You can do so much with it I don't think people realize how powerful it is. Easy to swap out tubes, compact and easy to bring with you, buffered FX loop, cab sim line out. What it lacks in tube frequencies it makes up for in size, money and value.
I need to try this. All this time, I have always stuck with using the valves that came in the amps, and only replacing them with they break or burn out. For that matter, I need to try tube swapping to begin with. That is something I never considered doing, since valves can last forever if you take care of them. I have seen Fender amps from when JFK said "Ich bin ein Berliner," and they still have the factory valves.
@@ThatBaritoneGuitarGuy tube rolling a Micro Dark is thankfully super easy. Recommend looking up a chart of different tube types to see what you are looking for. Also note that all Tubes are not equal, and manufacturing origin has a lot to do with the sound you get. A Mullard 12AX7 is going to have a different profile than a Groove Tubes 12AX7. If you want clean headroom, check out a 12AU7 or 12AY7.
Funny you say that. The music I produced almost never calls for orange tone. Yet when I'm without, I find myself always wanting an orange amp. Orange has such a great sound it makes practice more fun.
*_Everyone has their own preference and taste, but I’ve never heard a bad Orange. Whenever I hear a great rock and metal tone, it usually ends up being a band that plays Oranges. 🤣_*
I've gone through a couple of comment sections on these videos and I feel like I am the only one coming here not only for the chug but because of the way you play I love your playing
The micro dark is a more versatile amp IMO. The micro dark can really do any genre of music from doom to surf rock (the cleans are actually really glassy at a lower gain and with a transparent OD pedal). The dark terror seems to be better suited for high-gain sounds.
I have the micro. Love it. Recently moved to an apartment so I had to switch from a 4x12 to a 1x12. It’s a solid amplifier IMO. I get most of my gain tone from pedals, but if I need beefy amp gain it’s got it. I want to get two of them and run a wet/dry set up because that would kick hella feet. Great vid as always Ola. Love you dog. Keep being awesome.🤟🏻
I run an MXR 10 band eq in the loop and it's sick! Breathes some serious life into the amp. Also, upgrading the preamp tube with a Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7, the amp becomes an absolute BEAST!
@@Homanjer The only reason I would buy this amp is for the pre amp. Hell the micro only has a tube preamp and a solid state poweramp. So in my case getting a separate preamp defeats the reason to buy it in the first place. But we all have different preferences : )
@@florisbackx1744 I'm just saying if you find something annoying in the tone of an amp you can get a good preamp and "fix" your tone. The amp still is a really good deal for that money even if you buy an extra preamp to clean the tone up. Generally a good preamp pedal is always useful and can give you lots of room for experimentation. Don't limit yourself to a guitar to amp signal chain
@@florisbackx1744 and if you care about the fact that it's valves then you should just try to compare the tones yourself. This whole valve vs solid state argument is really old and pointless
I use the micro dark live all the time. I use some cheats though, I swapped out the preamp tube and threw in a tube compressor in the effects loop to get that tube sag. My effects and pedals pretty much do the rest. I also use a H&K red box from the headphone out to the sound board if I have to play small venue. It’s loud and mighty, and with a few adjustments it can handle almost any live situation.
I use the Micro Dark in a live situation on my touring rig (I wanted the smallest options possible - I have a Radar Pedal as backup) i run a EQ pedal through the effects loops to clear up the wayward frequencies, I have genuinely had compliments on my tone. Anyway - If you wanna hear it in action check out On a Hiding To Nothing.
ForgedMacaroni Aren’t the Mesa’s just standard JJ’s, the same thing that used to come stock in the Micro’s? I’m seriously not trying to be a smartass, it’s that there’s so much conflicting information out there and the vacuum tube industry just seems so shady to me. I tried a long plate JJ in the regular Micro Terror. Didn’t really add too much but it did make the gain a little more usable.
I once suffered from GAS, this is why I got an Axe FX so when I watch videos of Ola demoing stuff and get the symptoms of GAS I'll just go to my Axe and dial the tone xD
I wonder if that would Keep up with my RV100MKII... Have a 2x12 with Swamp Thangs and an old 94 Tubeworks Tweed 4x12 with 60W blank Eminence. Then a B. Ultrabass 300W and 1x18Peavey 300W speaker. Need to build a bass mids cab 4x12 with 2 300W Peavey Bass Speakers and 2 Swamp Thangs...Need something to power the new 4x12 bass/guitar hybrid ( I need a full range rig)
Sooo.... To be honest : for some reason I never liked Orange amps, always somehow too bizarre or simple or just... Repulsive... You changed my mind. Still far from my favourite, but on my top 5 list.
They use the "Shape Knob" which is basically an all in one EQ Knob of sorts. I keep mine around 1 o clock and it sounds great. The manual explains it this way: "Turning clockwise reduces mids and produces brighter tones. Turning fully clockwise ‘scoops’ the mids entirely. Turning anticlockwise increases the mids and smooths the treble."
The micro terror definitely sounded better to me using headphones. It was tighter, sharper and more compressed in tone with the TS-9 which I generally prefer over the Dark Terror' s more focused, open and wider sound. I would buy both and mix the tones together for a great sound in a full mix though.
You have a three tube preamp versus a single tube preamp. -Power section aside, that is going to creat a huge difference. I have a micro dark and I get a great sound running the effects loop send into my interface and then into my DAW where I can throw IRs on it (as well as do other processing). A dirt pedal on the front end can really help bridge yhe gap between the two heads. If you record a dry di guitar signal you can reamp it through the micro dark again with slightly different gain settings and then bus those in your DAW and it will sound full. (Admittedly a lot of work and time to where a load box and a dark terror will eventually make more sense lol). Thanks for the comparison video, Ola!
I've commented on this elsewhere, but the sound of any instrument in isolation is irrelevant for either recording or live ensemble playing. More people who aspire to being gigging musicians need to 'understand' what the...'useful' portion of the sound is, in terms of it fitting in a mix, and adjust their ears sooner rather than later and 'aim' for it, or they will always be RU-vid performers. It's even worse with wind wind players in orchestras. The 'fixed' sound or tonal construct a classical wind player works to in isolation of the section or an orchestral tutti is less appropriate for 90% of their playing. But wind players don't have tone controls to adjust their mode of play from rhythm to solo. Some of the best orchestral wind players disappoint terribly in section and ensemble for sounding too...euphonic. It is the ego's choice, but IMO it is the wrong one, and orchestral tuttis suffer for it. A first chair player needs a brighter sound to sit on top of the section and blend 'up', while a second chair player needs a thicker sound to make up for that brightness, and so on. If the first chair player aspires to have a fat or thick sound, they will fail in responsibility of their duties and work to defeat the composer's ambitions for his orchestration. Today orchestras play...'louder' to try to compensate for being 'duller' and consequently...less exciting. Phil Spector understood just how...'strange' an instrument needed to be 'made' to sound 'at the board', in order for the mix to work. There are examples on RU-vid of great players whose sound 'is known', but 'when' soloed' from the mix is absolutely terrible (though it undoubtedly wasn't on the session), but WOW!..do they ever sound good in context of the mix. It was ever the case that the 'musician' auditions 'one way' to get the job, but plays another to deserve it.
I had the Micro Dark, sold it because I didn't use it at all. It's mean as fuck, but I think the Dark Terror eats it on breakfast. You also compare a hybrid 1tube amp vs a 3+2tubes amp! Huge fucken difference! The Dark Terror is more focused and richer. The attack is more aggressive (the chug). But I guess if you want something really cheap.. although the Dark Terror is quite cheap too I's say! For what it is.
Hi Ola! What are your thoughts (if you have any) about all this "Post Malone with metal guys" stuff? I'm sure you know about the song he did and performed with ozzy, and the photo he took with Phil Anselmo which addressed him as a cool guy. Not judging the man, but how can you be into metal while producing such a different kind of music?
Or save your money and buy a Seymour Duncan gain stage 170 and the Boss OD-200 drive pedal and boom got a nasty amp on your pedal board. Take it a step further and buy the Tsakalis G-Spot all tube drive pedal and give the Djent gods what they want! Pure drive saturation!!
Micro Dark should be theoretically fuller sounding at 20w vs 15w for the Terror. Maybe run the master volume higher than 9 o'clock next time on the Micro Dark?
In the end, solid state power can’t hang with all tube power most of the time. Except for Dimebag’s rig....still don’t know how the hell he got that tone with a solid state amp.
Ola! Hi! I have a stupid question but… I would love to buy an Orange head, but I was wondering… I’m also mainly playing home, in an apartment, mostly with headphones, with a combo right now, and I was wondering what setup I need to be able to have headphones with an amp head. Is there something like a cab that can do that? Thanks in advance, love your hair.
That is some heavy ass chugging! Love the sound of both! Ola, have you considered putting some foam behind your nut to keep the strings quite? I learned that trick from specter sound studios and now I can't stand the strings making noise (especially in drop tuning w/ heavy distortion). Keep up the good work Ola! Cheers from Illinois USA
Wow The big boi has noticeably more mids and low end But shit for $180 and another $300 on a matching cab would be an awesome small rig. I might just do that.
I was going to return the micro dark and get the bigger one .. but finally decided to keep the micro dark mini.. because it’s sounds very close to its bigger brother.
In the last comparison I hear only a subtle difference, that can be easily EQed. But no idea about the loudness though. The micro sounds better in the high frequencies but it is just a EQ touch. The tube one is too harsh like solid state drive plugged direct.
To me, they sound both good, but the dark terror has a more "familiar" sound, and probably it has to do with the valves, since the micro dark is basically a solid state amp (yeah, that one tube in the preamp means nothing, it is solid state, the rest is marketing mumbo jumbo).
Micro sounds tighter, terror sounds like palm mute trunk bass. Palm mute trunk bass is not good. No one will hear all that picking and grind you've been working on.
