DARTA DIGITAL AUDIO · HIGH-GAIN DISTORTION PLUGIN
The Darta Effects distortion pedal, now as a plugin. Two gain stages, diode clipping, active bass and treble and a semi-parametric mid with a three-position switch.
Charged in Brazilian Reais (BRL), converted from US$ 19 at the day’s exchange rate. PayPal or your card converts it back and shows the exact amount in your currency before you confirm. Download link and license key by e-mail right after payment. Windows and Mac.
A high-gain black heart.
BLACKHEART was born in our own pedal line, Darta Effects: a heavy distortion that puts the mids in your hands. The plugin models the pedal's circuit with the schematic's values, part by part, and adds a GATE for the pauses.
Up to 76 dB of gain
A single GAIN knob raises the gain of two stages at once. At 10 the guitar saturates all the time; at low settings a crunch is left.
Semi-parametric mids
MID cuts or boosts and MID FREQ picks where: from about 90 Hz up to 4.8 kHz, depending on the switch.
MID Q switch
Three positions, as on the pedal: each one changes the width, the frequency range and the strength of the mids, from ±15 to ±27 dB.
The controls
Seven knobs, one switch and one footswitch. All of them can be automated in your DAW.
GAIN
The gain of both distortion stages. At low settings a crunch is left; most of the gain sits at the end of the travel, and at 10 the sound fully saturates. The volume barely changes: the saturation does.
BASS
Active lows, around 110 Hz. 5 is flat; up to about ±20 dB at the ends.
MID
Cuts or boosts the mids at the MID FREQ frequency. 5 is flat; lower scoops, higher adds body and cuts through the mix.
TREBLE
Active highs, shelving. 5 is flat; about ±18 dB at 5 kHz at the ends.
MID FREQ
Where MID works. With the switch in position 2 it goes from 180 Hz to 4.8 kHz, around 1.1 kHz at 5.
MID Q
Three-position switch. 1: lower, stronger mids (about ±21 dB). 2: the widest range, up to 4.8 kHz (±15 dB). 3: the lowest and strongest mids of all (up to ±27 dB). Switches with no click.
LEVEL
The pedal’s volume. At 3 it matches the level of the guitar with the pedal off; above that, up to +24 dB.
GATE
A plugin extra: closes in the pauses. It listens to the clean guitar, before the pedal, so it doesn’t eat the end of your notes. At 0 it is off.
FOOTSWITCH
ON turns the pedal on with no click. The LED next to it lights up when it’s on.
Inside the circuit
The signal path, recreated with the op-amps, the diodes and the bass transistor, in the same order as the pedal.
GAIN
A buffer at the input and two op-amps in series: one non-inverting and one inverting. The same pot splits the gain between them, up to about 76 dB.
Great forThe attack and the amount of distortion.CLIPPING
Two diodes to ground clip the signal, and the next op-amp has different diodes in each direction in its feedback: the clipping is asymmetric, with more even harmonics.
Great forThe texture of the distortion.TONE
Active bass and treble (the bass uses a transistor as an inductor), then the semi-parametric mids: a Wien-bridge filter with the dual MID FREQ pot and the switch capacitors.
Great forThe final tone.The three MID Q positions
The switch changes the capacitor of the mid filter. It doesn't only change the width: the frequency range and the strength of MID change too, as on the pedal.
POSITION 1
From about 120 Hz to 3 kHz, up to ±21 dB. Lower, more present mids. Try the Singing Lead and Smooth Lead presets.
POSITION 2
The middle and default position: the widest range, from 180 Hz to 4.8 kHz, with up to ±15 dB. The smoothest of the three.
POSITION 3
From about 90 Hz to 2.1 kHz, up to ±27 dB. The strongest mids: from fat lows to nasal mids. Try the Thick Wall preset.
16 presets to start with
In four categories, all at the same volume. And you can save your own with SAVE, compare two settings with A and B, and undo with UNDO.
Crunch · 4
Rhythm · 4
Lead · 4
Special · 4
Tips to get the most out of it
Ideas to get started.
Start at 3
With LEVEL at 3, switching the pedal on and off doesn’t change the volume, so you judge the sound, not the loudness.
In front of a clean sound
Use a clean amp or a clean channel in your amp sim; straight into a 4×12 cab IR also works great.
Find the mids
Set MID to 9, sweep MID FREQ until you find the frequency that bothers you or that’s missing, then set MID.
Scooped mids
GAIN at 8, BASS at 7, MID at 2, MID FREQ at 4, TREBLE at 7. Try the Scooped Chug preset.
A singing solo
GAIN at 8, MID at 7 and the switch in position 1. Try the Singing Lead preset.
Clean pauses
With high gain, bring GATE up to 5 or 6: the hiss goes away in the pauses without cutting the end of your notes.
Under the hood
Checked against circuit simulation
The circuit was compared with SPICE, the circuit simulator engineers use: the frequency response matches within 0.09 dB up to 10 kHz and, with distortion, the output stays within about 1%.
Real op-amps, diodes and transistor
Each op-amp follows a model with its bandwidth, its speed (slew rate) and the supply limit; the diodes follow the parts' curves, and the bass transistor works at its operating point. Everything is solved together, at every sample.
With the schematic's values
Every resistor, capacitor and pot of the pedal: the log GAIN and the dual MID FREQ, as on the original.
16x oversampling
The distortion runs at 16x your DAW's rate, so the highs stay clean even with GAIN maxed out.
Standalone
It also opens as an app, with a clean amp and cabinet (or your own IR), to play without a DAW.
Try before you buy
Download the trial with everything unlocked: every control, all 16 presets and the standalone app with amp and cabinet. The only difference is that the sound drops out for 3 seconds every 45 seconds and presets can’t be saved. Like it? Buy a license and paste the key into the plugin, no reinstall needed.
Windows 10 and 11 (VST3 and standalone) and macOS 10.15 or newer (AU, VST3 and standalone).
Specifications
System
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. macOS 10.15 or newer (Intel and Apple Silicon).
Formats
Windows: VST3 and standalone application. Mac: AU, VST3 and standalone application.
License
One license key activates up to 2 computers. Once activated, it works offline.
Channels
Mono or stereo. A mono guitar comes out on both sides.
FAQ
Which pedal is it based on?
On the BLACKHEART from Darta Effects, our own pedal line. The plugin follows the pedal’s schematic, with the same controls; GATE is a plugin extra.
Does it have a clean sound?
No: it’s a high-gain distortion. For the least gain, keep GAIN low (try the Edge Crunch and Classic Crunch presets) and roll back your guitar’s volume.
What is the MID Q switch for?
It changes the kind of mids: position 2 is the widest and smoothest, 1 and 3 move the mids lower and make them stronger. Use it together with MID FREQ.
Is there latency?
Only 5 samples (about 0.1 ms at 48 kHz), because of the oversampling: imperceptible. The bypassed sound is delayed by the same amount, so switching on and off sounds seamless.
Do I need an internet connection?
Only to activate. After that, BLACKHEART works offline.
Can I use it on more than one computer?
Yes, each license key activates up to 2 computers. To move it, deactivate it on the old computer from inside the plugin.
How do I get the plugin?
Right after payment, you get the download link and your license key by e-mail. Both are also in My account.
What currency will I be charged in?
Darta is based in Brazil, so checkout is in Brazilian Reais (BRL): the US$ 19 price is converted at the day’s exchange rate. PayPal or your card issuer converts it back automatically and shows the exact amount in your currency before you confirm. Depending on their conversion rate, the final amount may differ slightly from US$ 19.
Is there a Mac version?
Yes. BLACKHEART runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, macOS 10.15 or newer, as AU, VST3 and standalone.
Can I play without a DAW?
Yes. The standalone app comes with a clean amp (VOLUME, BASS, MIDDLE and TREBLE) and a 1×12 cabinet, or your own IR. Just plug your guitar into your audio interface and play. In your DAW, the plugin is just the pedal, so you can use any amp and cabinet you like.
Is there a trial version?
Yes. Leave your e-mail under Try before you buy and download it right away. Everything works; the sound just drops out for 3 seconds every 45 seconds and presets can’t be saved. Once you buy, just paste the key into the plugin.
Black heart, heavy sound.
Charged in Brazilian Reais (BRL), converted from US$ 19 at the day’s exchange rate. PayPal or your card converts it back and shows the exact amount in your currency before you confirm. Download link and license key by e-mail right after payment.
