EQD Dispatch Master - anybody enjoying one of these?

[Whizzinby]

Braved the GC crowds to get my kids a new keyboard for Xmas today, and saw the Dispatch Master on sale and nabbed it. (Ya know, for the effort)

I forgot just how badass the DM is. Where the knobs are set is completely irrelevant as it’s insta-tones everywhere in any combination. You just get lost playing and about 15 minutes later you blindly foot dial something else and then you’re off for another 15-20 minutes. Paired it with the 3rd Dimension (Becoming a sleeper chorus for the $$$) and the 80’s clean ambience is

Such a great pedal.

 

[jellodog]

I forgot just how badass the DM is.

Such a great pedal.

Now I have even more respect for it. It seems like such a simple pedal. However...

I just spent the last 3 hours with the Dispatch Master in the loop of the FM3. I thought to myself, "oh it's just basic Spin chip with a delay effect piped into a slightly modulated hall reverb - I should be able to replicate this".

3 hours later and I had something that was "similar" but not really close enough.

For one, the modulation in the reverb is thicker and soupier than what's available in the FM3. It doesn't seem possible to dial in modulation quite like that in the FM3 reverb block, so I eventually I gave in and in addition to the modulation in the reverb block, I added a touch of slow chorus in a separate block after the reverb; but it really wasn't the same. And then the delay itself: the repeats get slowly darker. I managed to get a little degradation and darkness in my version but again, it wasn't quite the same.

All in all, having examined the DM more closely, the real genius is all the subtle EQ and tone shaping that's going on in there, which make it sit really well behind the guitar.

 

[Whizzinby]

All in all, having examined the DM more closely, the real genius is all the subtle EQ and tone shaping that's going on in there, which make it sit really well behind the guitar.

Agree. They nailed the controls, and the interactions of them, in a way that’s very thoughtful too. It’s rare to have a reverb or delay pedal where there are simply no bad settings. I’ve been playing it and doing completely random knob turns of varying amounts and everything results in something useful or interesting.

I’m surprised they haven’t tried recreating the magic on a pedal using a different reverb and delay pairing.

 

[la szum]

I’m surprised they haven’t tried recreating the magic on a pedal using a different reverb and delay pairing.

I believe they have, Avalanche Run is a Delay paired with a Reverb, as is the Disaster Transport SR.
Those both have knobs/control galore, while the simplicity and minimalism of the Dispatch Master
is just something sublime in and of itself.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I really need to pick up another one. There really is nothing like it

I believe they have, Avalanche Run is a Delay paired with a Reverb, as is the Disaster Transport SR.
Those both have knobs/control galore, while the simplicity and minimalism of the Dispatch Master
is just something sublime in and of itself.

The magic can't be recreated. I've had the Avalanche Run twice, and while it is an awesome pedal, it definitely doesn't have the same magic as the DM, no matter how badly me and I'm sure others wanted it to. Can't fuck with perfection I suppose

 

[Whizzinby]

I believe they have, Avalanche Run is a Delay paired with a Reverb, as is the Disaster Transport SR.
Those both have knobs/control galore, while the simplicity and minimalism of the Dispatch Master
is just something sublime in and of itself.

Are the same reverb/delay algorithms used in the Avalanche Run, or is it different types?

 

[la szum]

I really need to pick up another one. There really is nothing like it



The magic can't be recreated. I've had the Avalanche Run twice, and while it is an awesome pedal, it definitely doesn't have the same magic as the DM, no matter how badly me and I'm sure others wanted it to. Can't f**k with perfection I suppose

I agree on the Avalanche Run. I believe it was a special build sold on CME/Reverb. I didn't jive with it
either. The Disaster Transport SR, though, is legit. That is a crazy good sounding pedal. Just not as
straightforward as the DM.

 

[la szum]

Are the same reverb/delay algorithms used in the Avalanche Run, or is it different types?

Pretty sure it is an entirely different beast. I am not sure of the exact details, though.

 

[spawnofthesith]

According to EQDs ad copy the AR was supposed to be a bigger and better DM

The Avalanche Run was developed with one goal in mind: to take the floating ambient tones of our Dispatch Master to the next level while still keeping it user friendly and refined.

Idk about the algorithms, but I think the AR is supposed to have a much more powerful DSP chip. The draw on them is a bit obscene, like 450mA

 

[Orvillain]

I'm angry I wasn't ambiently name-checked.

 

[jellodog]

I'm angry I wasn't ambiently name-checked.

Ambiently name-checking you this evening. I’ve been playing the Dispatch Master. I kept putting the guitar down, ready to wrap up the evening and power down…

But the DM is just so addictive that I kept picking the guitar up again saying
“oh go on then, just another 5 mins”.