Oni dual overdrive/distortion
Overview
Oni was designed in conjunction with Taylor Young of The Pit Recording Studio, Twitching Tongues, God’s Hate, ZOUS, Criminal Instinct, Apparition…you get the point.
From Taylor:
“The Oni is a labor of love between Michael Klein and myself with over a year of back and forth until completion. I reached out and mentioned a vintage pedal chain that I use often, and that I’d love to have it in one box with some modifications. He was psyched on the idea, and we teamed up to make the pedal a collaborative product.
The pedal combines two circuits, one a smooth overdrive, the other a fuzz, both with their own full set of controls, low boosts, and bypass switches. Rounding it out is a sequence switch that moves the circuits to be 1st or 2nd in the chain, and a universal bypass so you can turn on/shut off both at once.
It is a MONSTER chug box, best rigged in the loop of a noise suppressor (Michael’s BALL GAG is actually the ultimate companion) since it has a wild amount of gain. It can run as a boost pedal, or make an amp scream as the main distortion. The truest “Oni” sound is with the amp at low gain, the low boosts cranked and the gain staging to taste. I hope everyone enjoys the wrath of the ONI.”
I’d add/reiterate that Oni is quite wild with intense distortion capability when both GRIT and BITE are used together…but that is also the heart of the tone. There is a LOT of versatility in Oni, and it can be a bit intimidating. Take your time, use your ears, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need advice dialing it in.
CONTROLS
BITE – vintage-flavored overdrive with sharp pick attack, incredible harmonic detail, and high-mid and treble teeth
LEVEL Controls the output volume of the BITE circuit.
NOTE – BITE has an exceptional amount of output, and unlike many overdrives you may find the LEVEL control does not need to be at maximum output for a useful boost
GAIN Controls the clipping content of the BITE circuit.
We find the BITE’s clipping melds particularly well with a high gain amplifier, and when boosting a high-gain amp (like many of us do) you’ll notice that BITE doesn’t “sit on top” of the amp’s clipping, rather they fit together cohesively. This was extremely important to both of us!
BEEF Low-frequency boost control. Beef boosts a very specific frequency and bandwidth to fill out and compliment all of BITE’s upper mid detail. When BEEF is all the way down, it is out of the circuit. As BEEF is increased, the low frequency boost is increased, and you’ll clearly hear the tone fill out. In BITE, this version of the BEEF allows you to run it high and still maintain a clear, articulate tone.
We suspect you’ll find BITE a unique overdrive that does an excellent job of maintaining your amp’s character while adding aggression and…well…bite.
GRIT – vintage-flavored distortion with thick low-mids, harder clipping texture, and a characteristic fuzzy “sag” as it’s GAIN is increased, courtesy of its unique opamp.
LEVEL Controls the output volume of the GRIT circuit.
NOTE – GRIT’s LEVEL control is VERY interactive with its GAIN control, and high LEVEL and GAIN controls begin to bring in the identifiable “sag” of the vintage opamp used in part of this circuit. You can use this to your advantage by finetuning the feel of this circuit.
GAIN Controls the clipping content of the BITE circuit.
NOTE – very high GAIN levels begin to introduce noticeable sag and compression, almost like a vintage amplifier with 5U4 rectifier tubes. This is completely normal and part of GRIT’s character and serves to offset BITE’s articulation. Dialing in a very, very subtle amount of compression with this control can help create a HUGE wall of tone. Patience is rewarded!
LO-PASS Treble frequency control. The setting of this control determines at which frequency higher frequencies become decreased. At low settings, only the highest frequencies are decreased, which creates a brighter, almost chaotic sound. As it is turned up, gradually more of the highs are attenuated, resulting in a more controlled treble content.
BEEF Low-frequency boost control. Beef boosts a very specific frequency and bandwidth to exaggerate GRIT’s girth. When BEEF is all the way down, it is out of the circuit. As BEEF is increased, the low frequency boost is increased. Compared to BITE’s, this BEEF control feels thicker, almost more subharmonic. It is EXCEPTIONAL with a bass but can also bring in thickness to the guitar. You’ll likely need to be more judicious with this BEEF than that of BITE’s.
Compared to BITE, GRIT’s personality lends to more conservative LEVEL, GAIN, and BEEF settings with guitar, although it can really excel with bass too. Some very impressive ‘90s Florida death metal tones can be conjured with careful settings on GRIT into your favorite amp.
ORDER toggle – controls the order of the circuits when both are engaged.
Toggle RIGHT is BITE into GRIT, and toggle LEFT is GRIT into BITE.
Each setup has its own characteristics, tone, output levels, etc. Again, patience and experimentation will be rewarded!