DARTA DIGITAL AUDIO · DISTORTION PLUGIN
The distortion made for extreme metal, modeled part by part and matched to a real pedal: gain to spare, diodes to ground and a three-band EQ with up to ±22 dB after the distortion. Plus what the original doesn't have: GAIN, TIGHT, GATE and a SMOOTH voice.
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.
Made for extreme metal.
In the 90s, one distortion pedal was made for the heaviest metal: fixed gain, no knob to turn it down, and a three-band EQ after the distortion, strong enough to go from a scooped tone to a wall of low end. The Darta Effects Death Metal is our take on it, with the white enclosure, the pink knobs and the zombie unicorn. In the plugin, the circuit was modeled part by part, matched to an original pedal and given what it was missing: a GAIN knob, TIGHT, GATE and the SMOOTH voice.
Matched to a real pedal
Modeled from the schematic and compared with an original pedal: we measured it with white noise, one EQ knob at a time, and adjusted the components until the difference was down to 1.2 dB.
The missing GAIN knob
On the original the gain is fixed, all the way up. Here it's a knob: at 10, the stock pedal; turn it down for more definition in rhythm parts and chords.
Built for modern metal
TIGHT removes low end before the distortion, GATE closes in the pauses between riffs and the SMOOTH voice takes the fizz out of the highs.
The controls
Seven knobs, one switch and the footswitch. All of them can be automated in your DAW.
GAIN
The gain of the second stage, which is fixed on the original. At 10, the stock pedal: maximum saturation and sustain. Turn it down and the distortion opens up and chords get clearer; at 0 it’s still distortion, just looser.
LEVEL
The pedal’s volume. At 3 it matches the level of the guitar with the pedal off; above that, up to +24 dB.
LOW
The low end around 107 Hz, after the distortion, with up to ±22 dB. It follows the original pot’s taper: at 5 it already adds a little (+3.5 dB), like the pedal with the knob at noon, and around 2 it’s flat.
MID
The mids around 1 kHz, with ±17 dB. Cut for the scooped sound; boost to make the guitar stand out or the lead sing. At 5 it’s flat.
HIGH
The highs, with ±17 dB, on a shelf that rises from 1 kHz. At 5 it’s flat.
GATE
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.
TIGHT
Removes low end before the distortion (from 20 to 400 Hz): the lows stay firm in fast picking and low tunings. At 0, the original circuit.
VOICE
STOCK is the pedal’s circuit. SMOOTH lowers the pre-emphasis and adds a filter after the diodes: less fizz and a smoother sound.
FOOTSWITCH
Turns the pedal on and off, with no click. With the pedal on, the unicorn’s eye lights up.
An EQ that goes all the way
The EQ sits after the distortion, as on the original, and it's strong. Around the middle of the knob it's fine-tuning; near 0 and 10, every knob changes a lot.
LOW
The weight. It follows the original pot's taper: the cut is at the start of the rotation and the boost spreads from 5 to 10. Around 2, flat; at 5, a little extra low end.
Great forLow tunings, doom, heavy rhythm.MID
The guitar's middle. Cut, you get the scooped 90s death metal sound; boosted, the guitar stands out in the band and leads sing. At 5, flat.
Great forScooped tones, leads, a guitar that cuts through.HIGH
A shelf that rises from 1 kHz. Up, the attack and bite of the saw; down, a dark, thick sound. At 5, flat.
Great forFast picking, blast beats, dark tones.STOCK or SMOOTH
The VOICE switch changes the filters around the distortion.
STOCK
The pedal's circuit: strong pre-emphasis, the full top end and all of the original's attack and bite.
SMOOTH
Less pre-emphasis and a filter after the diodes: less fizz in the highs (about 5 dB less at 8 kHz) and fuller lows and mids. Great for leads, doom and very bright guitars.
16 presets to start with
In four categories. And you can save your own with SAVE, compare two settings with A and B, and undo with UNDO.
Classic · 4
Extreme · 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.
The original is 10
With GAIN at 10 you get the stock pedal. For tighter rhythm parts and chords that don’t smear, try between 5 and 7.
90s death metal
GAIN 10, LOW 4, MID 3 and HIGH 6: mids pushed back, lows and highs up front.
Low tunings
TIGHT at 7 and GATE at 6: the lows stay firm and the pauses stay dry.
A lead that sings
GAIN 8 and MID 8: the note comes forward and sustains. With VOICE on SMOOTH, it gets even smoother.
Before the amp
Put Death Metal before your amp simulator, with a clean or low-gain amp, just like a pedal on the floor.
Under the hood
Matched to a real pedal
We recorded white noise through an original pedal, with each EQ knob at minimum and maximum, and adjusted the model's components: the plugin's response is within 1.2 dB of the pedal on average, from 31 Hz to 16 kHz.
Modeled circuit
The op-amps have the voltage, speed and bandwidth limits of the real part, and the diodes are solved with the real equation. The EQ is calculated as a circuit: the knobs turn without clicks.
16x oversampling
The distortion runs at 16x your DAW's rate, so the highs stay clean.
Gate before the pedal
The gate listens to the clean guitar, before the pedal, and only closes what comes after it: notes end naturally.
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, the VOICE switch 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 DOD FX86, with an added GAIN knob (on the original the gain is fixed). DOD and FX86 are trademarks of their respective owners; Darta is not affiliated with them and the names are used here only to describe the style of sound.
Does this pedal really exist?
It does: Death Metal is a Darta Effects pedal, with the white enclosure, the pink knobs and the zombie unicorn. The plugin is its expanded version, with GAIN, TIGHT, GATE and the SMOOTH voice.
Does it work with low tunings and 7-string guitars?
Yes. Use TIGHT to keep the lows from getting muddy and GATE to keep the pauses dry.
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, Death Metal 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. Death Metal 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.
Can I save my own presets?
Yes. Your presets are saved in Documents\Darta Digital Audio\Death Metal\Presets and stay there even if you uninstall or update the plugin.
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.
Wake the unicorn.
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.
