Darkglass Alpha Omega 900 Bass Head

The Darkglass Alpha Omega 900 Bass Head takes the best elements of Darkglass’ most successful distortion preamplifier ever, combined with state of the art features to make a monstrous 900-watt amplifier with earth-shattering tone. While Darkglass' signature Alpha and Omega drive engines add incredible girth and size to the overdriven signal, the studio-grade VCA compressor adds an extra layer of control, and the ultra-quiet 6-band graphic equalizer can help sculpt the tone from aggressive and overdriven to crystal clear clean, whatever your needs may be. That's not everything though, the MIDI programmability and impulse response cabinet simulation with up to three different storable virtual cabinets make the AO900 not only one of the most complete amplifiers for the touring musician but combined with the auxiliary input and headphone output, the ideal tool for silent practicing. The Alpha Omega 900 amplifies the best qualities of one of the most powerful and distinct Darkglass products ever made.

Input

Use this jack to connect your instrument via a standard 1/4-inch mono cable.

Active/Passive

Use this push-button switch to change from passive to active mode. If your bass is active it can have a hotter signal making the amp distort early (feel free to use it if such additional distortion is desired).

Distortion

Use this push button to turn on or off the Alpha Omega Engine to add natural compression, organic harmonic enhancement, and saturation ranging from mild overdrive to high-gain bass rage. The Alpha Omega Engine operates before the clean section (you can therefore use the 6-Band Active EQ for additional tone shaping).

Bite

Boosts high mids (2.8kHz) for additional presence and definition.

Growl

Shelving Bass Boost for a fatter tone and increased low-end saturation.

Compression

This knob controls the amount of dynamic compression added to the Alpha Omega Engine. The makeup low-end gain is adjusted automatically. The compression can be turned off or assigned using the Darkglass Suite.

Drive

This knob controls the amount of distortion that the Alpha Omega Engine will deliver. It will change from a soft, warm overdrive to a massive and modern distortion sound.

Level

Use this knob to control Alpha Omega Engine’s output volume.

Blend

Use this knob to mix between the Clean signal and the Distortion signal (Alpha Omega Engine).

Mod

Selects or mixes between the two distinct distortion circuits: Alpha is punchy, and tight with a lot of definition, whereas Omega is simply brutal and raw.

Gain

Use this knob to change the volume of the signal before the Active 6 Band EQ. You can set it low for ensuring the cleanest operation possible or set it higher for a more aggressive growl.

Bass

+-12dB at 80Hz. Use this knob to change the low-end content of the signal.

Mids

+-12dB at 250, 500, 1.5 and 3kHz. This graphic EQ controls the mid-content of the signal.

Treble

+-12dB at 5kHz. Use this knob to change the high content of the signal.

Master

Use this knob to control the overall volume of the amplifier.

Mute

Use this push button to mute the amplifier.

Speaker Output

Use this connector to connect the amplifier to your cabinet. This Speakon combo jack allows for either Speakon or 1/4 inch speaker cable operation. The outputs are connected in parallel.

Min-Load

Press this switch when using a 2 ohm load. You can use this control to lower the output if your 4ohm cabinet is not able to handle more than 500W (you can also get 350W with an 8 ohm cabinet in this configuration).

Send

Use this output to send the signal to effects pedals.

Return

Use this input to receive the signal from effects pedals. Master volume control is after this input.

Ground Lift

Use this control to lift the ground of the DI XLR outputs. If you are experiencing ground noise in your DI signal try changing the setting of this control.

Pre DI Output

Use this output to send a balanced copy of your input signal to recording equipment, mixer, etc. The output is latency compensated to match with the Post DI Output

Post DI Output

The signal for this output is taken after the distortion, EQ, and effects loop, and processed through the cabinet simulation engine. The output is latency compensated with the Pre DI Output, and not affected by the master volume.

USB

The USB connector allows you to use the Darkglass Suite to load different cabinet impulses or change different parameters on your amp (midi, compressor, etc.).

Headphone Output

Connect your Headphones and enjoy the impulse response cabinet emulation.

Headphone Volume

Controls the volume of the headphone output.

Aux In

Use this connector to provide the Headphone output music from your laptop, cellphone, mp3 player, etc.