Sonic Titan: Initial Impressions + A. Hermida Test Drive!

[5digits6strings]

So, my Sonic Titan arrived yesterday (thanks Sickle!), and I've had a chance to test it through a variety of gear so far: '62 Historic SG-->Titan-->Bad Cat Tone Cat, Peavey Valveking half stack, Fender Super Reverb Reissue (at work). Navigator N-LP-380 "Les Paul" -->Titan-->Vox AC4TV (all three power modes) and a cheap Marshall MG15CDR, at home.

I found a few functions for the pedal that work well so far: super clean amp with the gain up on the Titan, medium crunchy rhythm, and slightly saturated amp super slammer! I wasn't fond of the Titan through the Bad Cat, and from my personal experience owning the Hot Cat 30 and Lynx, they don't like most pedals. Those amps want to be cranked and have the volume knob do the work. The Peavey, while relatively cheap, is a good full range amp, and did a nice job magnifying the inherent characteristics of the pedal. I didn't have much time to test out the pedals that morning, so that was it for me through those amps. (I work at a guitar shop, if it wasn't obvious. )

Later on we were paid a visit by our local pedal prodigy, Alfonso Hermida. http://www.hermidaaudio.com/ Talk went to stomps, and I mentioned that I had just picked up the DAM, so I brought it over for some "evaluation". He was familiar with the mini power amp based design, so we chatted about that a bit, and then we hooked it up through the Fender SRRI with a Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded. Apparently the little power amp in there was originally designed for headphone amps! I was interested to hear what he played as he tested out different settings and the dynamics of the pedal. I have my set of stock riffs for testing that I'm sure EVERYONE around me is tired of hearing, so I was interested to see what he played to demo it. He didn't say much, but he seemed to be interested in it, and played on it for a good ten to fifteen minutes. Upon my probing, he did say, "it sounds good", so I think that counts as kudos from the man!

My impressions so far, in broad strokes:
The sound - BOLD
The output - HUGE
The bite - as much as you could ever need, but able to be tamed
The amount of saturation - enough
Bottom end - Loosens up with the gain level (great for solos and lead playing), and not too compressed, however, I prefer a bit more tightness at higher gain settings
Overall tonal character - well voiced
The sustain - good, but with a hint of crackle at the tail end (which 98.999% of "distortion" pedals produce)
The construction - SOLID

While I dig the tone at lower gain levels, that hint of crackle will probably make me choose my Providence "Free The Tone" SOV-2 (a lot like the Hermida Zendrive, actually!) for lower overdrive sounds, while using the Sonic Titan as either:
A. solo BOOST
B. GAIN boost
C. Medium distortion to use on the clean channel of my DSL100, while using the Lead 1 channel for heavy rhythm

So far so good. I'm super fickle with pedals, so we'll see if the Sonic Titan stands the test of time. Great product either way, Dave and Linzi!

[tatter]

It's a versatile little beast isn't it? Worth having on the pedalboard for that reason alone in my opinion. I use my Sonic Titan as a cleanish boost in my main band and also on it's own as a main distortion sound in a Ramones cover band i play in. It's also great for using after fuzzes to give them a volume boost. I had a germanium fuzz pedal die on me mid-gig from the heat once and the Sonic Titan stood in admirably.

Never heard the crackle you mentioned though

[skybone]

I've never heard it crackling either... but there again, I've never used it for any "low gain" sounds, and it's always gone into a cooking power amp...

[5digits6strings]

Again, this "crackling" at the tail end of a sustained note issue is something I hear in almost all "distortion" pedals, and most overdrives...just part of the nature of clipping a signal with something other than a vacuum tube. But it's not a deal breaker. (The Hermida Zendrive and the Providence SOV-2 are a couple of pedals that DON'T demonstrate this type of characteristic. Check 'em out!) But hey, crackling is GOOD when you have a fuzz pedal with that kind of nature hooked up. I'm just SUPER picky on the dist/OD pedals! Hehe. I'd love to see a damping knob or tight/loose adjustment on a V2 Titan! I know that might go against the DAM style, but it'd be cool.

[cubba]

Thx for the cool review 5x6!
Full of details and pretty scientific too.

[Luca]

I too hear that "hint of crackle" at the end of sustain.... not a big problem though, as the pedal sounds great

BTW: does your Titan add dirt even with the gain at zero? Mine does, and I was wondering if I should mess with the trimmer inside.

[5digits6strings]

Thx for the cool review 5x6!
Full of details and pretty scientific too.

Thanks, brotha!

I too hear that "hint of crackle" at the end of sustain.... not a big problem though, as the pedal sounds great

BTW: does your Titan add dirt even with the gain at zero? Mine does, and I was wondering if I should mess with the trimmer inside.

Yeah, it definitely adds dirt, even at all the way CCW on the gain. From what I understand, most of, or all of, the DAM pedal trim pots shouldn't be "user" adjusted. Correct me if I'm wrong, DAM veterans.

[1bottlerocket]

Never heard the crackle either but I agree with others, the Titan is a great unit that overcomes all the inherent shortcomings in 808-style pedals. I have thought of it as a Tube Screamer for those that don't like Tube Screamers; Great Pedal that Titan