User Guide for Darkglass Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine

Quick Start Guide

To begin using your Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine, follow these steps:

• Connect your instrument to the 1/4 inch INPUT.
• Connect a compatible power supply (9V DC, center negative, min. 500 mA).
• Connect your output device: headphones, USB-C cable to a computer, instrument cable to an amplifier, or XLR cable to a mixing desk.
• The unit comes pre-programmed with three presets (A, B, and C). Select them using the dedicated footswitches.
• To save changes to a preset, press and hold one of the footswitches for two seconds until the LEDs flash.

Connections

The device offers versatile connectivity options:

• Input: Primary instrument input (1/4 inch mono jack).
• Aux In: Stereo input for backing tracks (1/8 inch jack).
• Headphone Output: Supports 16–600 ohms impedance. Use the dedicated potentiometer to set volume.
• Balanced Outputs: Two 1/4 inch jacks for studio monitors or amplifiers. Use TRS connectors for balanced signals.
• Direct Output: XLR output with a ground lift switch for low-noise connection to mixing desks.
• MIDI In: 1/8 inch TRS jack for external MIDI controllers.
• USB: USB-C port for audio interface capabilities, software updates, and Darkglass Suite interaction.

Signal Chain

The internal signal processing follows this path: Input > Compressor > (Split: Multiband Compressor / Distortion & Cabsim) > Blend > EQ > Output. The Blend control mixes the distorted/preamp signal with the clean sidechain signal.

Controls

The interface features smart potentiometers, touch sliders, and rotary encoders:

• Smart Potentiometers: Compression, Drive, Character, Blend, and Level. Positions are stored per preset and indicated by LED rings.
• Touch Sensitive Slider: Controls the 6-band graphic EQ. Swipe up to boost, down to cut, or double-tap to reset to 0 dB.
• Rotary Footswitch Encoders (A, B, C): Press to switch presets. Rotate to adjust specific parameters (Compressor ratio, Distortion mode, or Active IR).

Basic Operation

Editing and Saving Presets: When you change a parameter, the preset LED will breathe, indicating audition mode. To save, press and hold a footswitch for two seconds.

Tuner: Press B and C simultaneously to enter. The unit will not output audio while tuning. The sliders display tuning accuracy.

Bypass: Press A and B simultaneously to enter bypass mode, where the input signal passes through unprocessed.

Performance Lock: Press A and C simultaneously to lock the device, preventing accidental parameter changes during live performances.

USB Audio Interface

The device functions as an audio interface. Mac users do not need drivers. Windows users must download the latest USB audio drivers from the Darkglass website. The unit supports 48 kHz and 44.1 kHz sampling rates.

Bluetooth Pairing

Press and hold an encoder while rotating it. The LEDs will illuminate one-by-one. Once all five are lit, look for "Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine" on your Bluetooth device list.