Yes, the Darkglass Alpha-Omega isamazing at getting aggressive scooped metal tones since that was one of its original design goals. 

If that’s what you’re after, then look no further and buy the Darkglass Alpha-Omega. You’ll be able to dial in raw, aggressive distortion that can cut through a wall of uber-saturated guitars. 

But if you’re wondering if it can go beyond that, which it can, then read on. 

Two flavors of distortion in a box with a DI

The Alpha-Omega came out of the collaboration between Darkglass and Karnivool bassist Jon Stockman. 

Stockman reached out to Darkglass to replicate the tone he had achieved by blending a handful of different amps in the studio. Specifically the tones from Karnivool’s 2010 release, Sound Awake. 

Since this is not practical in a live setting, they developed the Alpha-Omega to replicate said studio tone. 

The Alpha-Omega can be described as two different distortion pedals, a clean blend, Darkglass’s signature EQ section, AND a DI. 

Put together, they give you a surprising amount of control over your signal so you can get a hint of tube-like distortion, or dial in crazy amounts of gain to get distortion tones that border on fuzz. 

The Alpha and The Omega

The Alpha/Omega mod knob on the pedal allows you to go from one flavor of distortion to another and any mix in between. 

The Alpha side is more what you would expect of a tube-type distortion. It’s smooth and relatively even across the EQ spectrum. 

The Omega side has more of a hard clipping character and a different mid-profile that gives it an aggressive and more raw sound. 

This is the type of distortion that has an EQ emphasis that helps you cut through a dense mix, although it has the potential of sounding somewhat nasal/honky. 

And this is what’s so unique and practical about the Alpha-Omega. It helps you dial in the right type of distortion for your application. 

For example, want to add some cuts to your warm tube-like drive? Turn the knob from the alpha side to the omega side. 

Do you want to add some warmth to a very aggressive and ripping distortion? Then turn the knob a bit to the alpha side. 

This configuration is very simple to use and helps you make quick adjustments to your distorted tone if needed. 

The Darkglass Secret Sauce

Players of different metal sub-genres and other heavier music styles were among the first to gravitate to Darkglass.  

That’s because Darkglass pedals have a unique sound to them, they’re not transparent, rather they impart their signature EQ to most of their lineup with different amounts/styles of distortion. 

The signature Darkglass sound can be described as having a solid low end, somewhat scooped mids, and sparkly highs. This tonal signature is great for heavier genres since it makes it easy to cut through a dense mix of guitars, as is usual in heavier musical contexts.

Having said that, their signature sound is only the starting point. The EQ section is very intuitive and easy to dial in with the Low, Mid, and High knobs as well as the Growl and Bite switch. 

Are you feeling that the bottom is too big? You can dial it back until it’s just right. 

Too scooped in the mids? Give the Mid dial a bit of love and you’ll fill out the mids so it sounds a bit more traditional. 

Rounder sound?  Bring down the highs and you’ll smooth down the character of the distortion.

Where it gets very interesting is with the Growl and Bite switch. The Bite Switch gives a hefty boost in the high mid frequencies and the Growl brings up the entire low end. 

Even though you’ll have a hard time getting it to sound flat, there is a lot of flexibility with the EQ so that you can make your tone fit almost every musical context. 

Above average I/O

One of the most interesting parts of the Alpha Omega is that it includes a DI and a parallel output to give you additional routing flexibility. 

The clean-sounding DI gives you the option of going straight to the mixing console and making sure that the pedal delivers all of its punch and aggression. 

The parallel output gives you additional routing flexibility by giving you a pass-through of your original signal. Comes in handy if you are working with a multi-amp setup or using some form of parallel processing. 

These features are nice if you have these more elaborate setups as you won’t have to use a splitter box and you can also leave your DI box at home.  

From grit to growl to meltdown

Although named a distortion pedal by Darkglass, the Alpha-Omega covers a range of distortion that goes from mild overdrive to an almost fuzz-like drive.

And when you combine it with the well-tuned clean blend knob and responsive EQ, you’ll find that you can achieve almost any style of distortion you may need. 

If you want to use it as a clean preamp for its EQ, you can do that too if you go 100% dry on the blend knob.

In terms of build quality, Darkglass pedals are known for their durability and reliability. And the Alpha-Omega is no exception. Its sturdy construction ensures it can handle the demands of both stage and studio settings, making it a reliable companion for gigs and recordings alike.

To summarize, the Darkglass Alpha-Omega is a bass distortion pedal that has a surprising range of tones that you can use in genres outside of metal. It’s one of the reasons why it’s become the go-to distortion for so many players. 

In other words, you can make the Darkglass Alpha-Omega sound exactly like you want it to. 

Remember that if you have any questions about Darkglass distortion pedals or any of the other brands we carry, you can always shoot us an email or give us a call and talk with a real human.

We love drive pedals here at Fat Bass Tone, so we’ll be happy to help you build the ultimate bass pedal board for your specific needs.