DOD 512

This is my first effects processor, and as such the interface is very easy to use. I did not get the manual with it, and I'm not sure about what the exact relationship is between the presets and the list of effects, although I can hear the difference. As far as the specs go, previous reviewers have done a pretty good job describing it.

I am using it primarily as an effects unit for my Yamaha RY10 drum machine, and right now it is churning out some pretty funky sounds. I'm running it to an old Kawai mixer into a pair of sub-woofered computer speakers. The phaser and flang effects are actually really good for the drum machine, it can make some analog-sounding stuff. All the reverb effects turns the drums into a really washy wall of pulses. The effects are rather tweakable for my use.

Front plate is metal, knobs can be easily pulled out, looks pretty strudy to me. i don't think it would ever get to be used in a gig, but i wouldn't hesitate to use it if i need to.

haven't had to use it yet.

I think it goes verl well with the drum machine. i'm not sure how good it is with other synths. It's a great beginner FX processor, and t was lost i'd get it again. I've never heard of DOD until I saw this unit, and it's sufficient for my use.

It has 7 knobs and one switch. I am using it as a reverb-unit, the only thing my amp is missing, and for that it can be easily configured.
The in and output volumes you only have to set once, so you basically have 5 knobs to worry about. But they need a lot of tweaking to get the sound you want. A bit to much I think.
Worst part - It has no bypass switch. You have to set it with the preset knob.

The reverbs are great, the pitch shifter and (short) delay are ok, but the flanger and phaser are useless.
Big pro is the noise level. It is my only rack unit and it is the only effect not giving a extra hum in my setup.
About the reverbs - mix them as dry as possible. The unit exaggerates this effect to a new level when set to wet.

It hasn't broken down or did anything strange for the past four months, and I have put it in my amp. I soldered it between my pre and poweramp. It hope it stays working for a couple of years.
And if it breaks down on a gig i'm having a big problem, since my complete set-up won't work.

I play mostly industrial metal, and it works fine as a reverb.
When playing clean picked pieces I can imagine myself sitting in the middle of a canyon or in the nearest bathroom.
The only thing really missing is a bypas-switch, or even better, a connection for a pedal so I could bypass it just like a stomp box.

But for the price I paid, it is wonderful

This is an economic unit, around US$ 250 in South America. Right out of the box, this "reverb" unit sounds fine, evidently targeted at music scholars and minimalistic bedroom recording studios. Nonetheless, some relevant issues should be considered before running to the next music shop. All fxs -reverbs, flanger, phaser, chorus, pitch shifter, (including all combinations, offered by the manufacturer in a couple fo pairs)- are almost UNTWEAKABLE (more on this later) and only stackable in a PREDEFINED array, which in many cases may disappoint your sonic desires, or even needs, impeding semi-pro results. Nevertheless, if you are moving from your first stomp boxes to your first rack, you should read on since this thing looks like THE choice for u...

The best definition of this unit is to think of it as a couple of stomp boxes (mainly DODs) "inside" a rack format (for the price of one stomp box!). That's the quality you should expect from it (low-to-mid range), and that's the versatility (almost zero) vis-a-vis serious (and certainly more expensive) gear. In numbers: 7 knobs, 1 switch, 3 leds. Stop.

Manual is unnecessary, even while provided.

The offered reverbs are pretty good -plates in particular- while halls and rooms are kinda exaggerated (always expect this at this price range) even while if you are proficient with the "mix" knob some fine results might be obtained. Flangers, choruses and other modulation fxs are no wonder, but I never found amazing sounds of this type in no unit within this price range anyway, so it's no surprise. Chorus is probably the exception, it's light but just right for me. Delays are short yet nice, with quality standards equal to those in stomp boxes. All other effects (in particular combinations of any of the above in pairs, exception made by pitch+delay) are nothing more than correct, yet usable. The pitch shifter is certainly unnatural, being only possible to obtain one voice in intervals (by hand!), and certain annoying delay between your (played) note and the pitched one shall be with u as long as you own the piece.

Note this: Each predefined effect or combinations (selectable through a knob in the middle of the front face of the unit) offer a couple dozen flavors through another knob, and any one of those may be again tailored by two predefined parameters, through two rubber knobs. Don't let the DOD guys fool you, most of the times is just ONE real parameter and the other is well,... an stupid excuse for you to turn the knob hopelessly. Anyway, time intervals and number of repeats in delays and pitch intervals in the shifter, chorus depth and other vital parameters are still definable. No Midi features here, neither XLRs outs, no displays, no useful LEDs, no nothing, just the predictable, boring guitar effects. In fact, even the power source is demential (at least bizarre) for a rack: a 9 volt adapter! "a la" BOSS pedals. Three leds (not being "power on" one of them) lead the way to identify peaking (this limitation is really annoying in live situations). Believe me, I played this thing many times, with many guitars, with 5 different amps... my judgement should be sound.

One particular word on the stereo capabilities: the unit is stereo in/out (phone jacks), but I found that simple feature puzzling, since the stereo field doesn't feel right, the feel is that of unbalance. Up to this point I'm confident that I made my point clear: Professionals shall not be sustained (or even satisfied) by this gadget. Even though, on the rear of the unit I discovered a true pro gem: a hum canceling bolt, a very pro feature for this kind of unit. Hats off for DOD!. On the other hand, there's a flaw here that's inexcusable: NO ON/OFF SWITCH!!! This reason is probably why I wouldn't buy this unit ever again. It's impossible to play without this while performing, or recording, or doing anything realistic. Note: There's another DOD thing which stuffs two 512s in one single space rack unit wich is switchable (no Midi) and offers true stereo results, being the price around US$ 500. I checked this unit and I DO NOT recommend it, since is the same poor quality level for the price of something decent, anyway testing that yourself wouldn't harm. Also note there's a new version of this thing out there (3 something), which is switchable, even when some of the above features were left aside. No opinion then...

Construction of the unit (Made in the US) is impeccable, sturdy and reliable. The control scheme may be called everything but nerdy, if you ever manipulate a stomp box you'll be playing in no time. No care is needed here. Second hand buyers should have no particular concern on maintenance. Let me repeat my motto: 7 knobs, 1 switch, 3 leds. Stop.

Play without a backup? THIS is the backup! Even though, the question suggested by Harmony Central, yet handy, ("Would you use it on a gig without a backup?") is kinda personal, instead of focusing on the unit itself. Depending on your situation this could be your main unit.

Never contacted the manufacturer, so nothing to say. The unit is not upgradeable.

Taking into consideration the price tag I definitively found it useful for my own home studio (to add a wash of reverb or chorus here and there), acknowledging at the same time that this processor shall NOT be able to take the heat as primary unit. If you know what you're looking for, I can recommend it. Major Pros: 1. Hum Canceling feature!, 2. Many stomp boxes for the price of one...plus fits in your beloved rack!. Major Con: The simplest, low-end stereo unit NOT switchable around... try to live with that.

It is really easy to figure out. Mine came used and without a manual. It took about a whole 20 minutes to figure out almost all of the features. Plus it's only got 6 knobs, it's much easier than some of the units that I tried out.

First I'll give a rundown of the effect on it. Reverb (many types) flange, chorus, phaser, gate, detune. The reverb is great and primaraly what I bought it for. I would say that it is comparable to the more expensive Alesis Microverb. There are several different "rooms" to chose from with a decent amount of variation on each of them. As for the other effects, they are decent but not anything great. There is also no Midi interface so there is no means of changeing them on the fly other than turning the knobs. Also one of the modes of operation allows you to use two (note: no more than two) effects at once. I found that in this mode both of the effects being used were compromised and generally didn't sound very good. Plus if you turn an effect on you are stuck with it until you find the time to reach over to the rack and turn a knob, which is not very practical. I guess some of the effects would be alright in a post production situation, but not very applicable in a live situation unless you bought a seperat A/B switch for it. Overall (I will repeat) this is a great little reverb box, but not much of a multi FX box.

I've found it to be really reliable because there's not much to break. The more complicated a unit is the more there is that can break.

You can get most any reverb you want out of this box. It's great for running (as I do) on a Aux send out of your mixer and back into a stereo return. I use it as my main reverb unit live. It is simple to use with it's controls (input level, output level, bank for the two effects banks , effect, parameter one and parameter two ). I guess it could also be used as a reverb unit for an individual instrument as well. I would buy it again if it went out because it does what I need it to (reverb) without paying for extra effects that I won't use anyway. It is really clean (44.1 kHz sampling rate) and is resonabally priced.

It is as easy to get a good sound out of the 512 as they say. You simple choose an efx type, and then adjust 3 other knobs to further customize the effect. I find the 3 knobs enough to get a good variety of useable effects, but remember you have no memory! The manual is very brief, but does tell you what each knob does. It's no big complex thing at all. This unit is still new and there are no upgrades.

I find the 512 to be very quiet. This is partly due to the internal noise gate. On the back of the unit you can find a pot to set the threshold of the noise gate. You can adjust it with a small screwdriver. I had to readjust the threshold level because it was kicking in un naturally with some instruments. The delay, flange, and chorus and very good in this unit. The reverb and pitch change are also decent. Some of the reverb settings modulate like vibrato at the decay, which isn't good, but most of the reverb settings are good. The phasor sounds cheesy to me, so does the tremelo.

The 512 is a 1 rack space unit, but is very shallow, it's half the depth of say a regular synth rack mount. It seems very sturdy, but it does use a "wall wort" power supply which can be pulled out.

I bought the 512 to replace my old Microverb II with out paying too much money. It stands up very good in comparison to the Microverb II. The effect settings are simple to change, and the sounds are decent. I do wish the phaser was better, and I wish the decay on some reverb settings was better. The 512 has no power on/off, so I just leave it on and hooked to my mixer's efx/send. I have it set up so it provides just the right amount of reverb for my piano module. That way when I am praticing piano, I just turn on my mixer, my master controller and my piano module and I am ready to go.