My Thoughts on the Mod Dwarf (pros and cons and wishes)

[Kim]

@KuRi Yes! indeed…

[Kopplog]

@KuRi

P.D: ahh, I see, the mod duo x has more cpu and ram! Damn… I need a mod duo x now!

…I had a Dwarf, and went for a DUO X…

[KuRi]

@Kopplog
I have already bought mine on ebay, waiting for it to arrive xDDD

[khz]

On the subject of noise another thread.

Noise Reduction plugin is required

Hi all! Only a few days with my new mod dwarf, loving and hating at the same rate xD The device is incredible and the possibilites are endless but I am struggling with the noise… Not the usual gound loop noise or cable noise or digital noise… My problem is with the classic amp+distortion (heavy metal sound) noise. I own a lot of pedals and multieffects and what we have with the mod dwarf is not enough. The mod dwarf has a noise gate that only supports a threshold, and below the limit, it jus…

I would find that

@khz

I know it also partly with hardware devices.
But do you need the noise in a software plugin?
I would find it more useful if you could optionally switch the noise on or off.

useful.

Does the DuoX have an on/off switch on the unit?
Then you have a device with the 6 CPU’s, if not a LE version with 4 CPU’s.

Say hello to the MOD Dwarf

There you go [MOD Devices Product Comparison]

[qtguy20000]

I couldn’t agree more.

In spite of the brilliant idea of these products, there are some problems hard to accept from such a powerful device. My MOD DUO X is probably one of the best piece of gear I’ve ever had but unfortunately it’s not reliable for live performances AT ALL.

I had a huuuge humming on the original power supply that also many other users on the forum faced to. It was impossible to use the unit with a medium-high volume. I solved this problem only by replacing the original power supply with a cheap one.

I use two MOD pedal switches and I still have problems with the LAN connection. I tried all the cables on the market besides the original one, from the cheapest to the most expensive and still have LAN issues from time to time. The MOD team didn’t provide a support or at least an explanation for this.

Maybe I would skip this problem and use the MOD DUO X live without pedal switches. The unit is so good and tempting to take the risk and use it on stage. But unfortunately there is another problem much worse than the ones mentioned. The power plug doesn’t make proper contact inside the unit so the power cuts out at the slightest movement of the unit. This happens also with the original power supply. The problem could not be solved by the two electronic engineers, friends of mine, whom I asked for technical support.

So unfortunately I had to keep my distance from this amazing device and never use it on stage. Sadly.

[KuRi]

I want to comment again because I have spent lot of hours tweaking and fixing as much as I could and now the unit is completely usable at live (for my purposes).

• The expander helped me with the noise (a lot)
• The portal helped with the CPU issue (massive improvement)
• I was able to tweak the source code for the midi plugin and recompile the lib so I can limit the number of voices at the same time. This way the cpu usage is limited and no cracking noises appear. Anyway when playing synths with the guitar, I don’t need more than 6-12 voices at the same time. This was a stopper for me until I fixed it some hours ago

I still think the device is impressive, and I have also bought a mod duo x and will keep supporting the team as much as I can. However, now I think this is a device oriented to technical people, who wants and likes to spend time adjusting, trying and playing at low levels. I am that kind of person, so I am having looooot of fun with it.

To be a commercial success, it needs to be more user-friendly. So please keep up the good work and good luck! Just let me know when you release the Dwarf X

[Rom]

@qtguy20000

I use two MOD pedal switches and I still have problems with the LAN connection. I tried all the cables on the market besides the original one, from the cheapest to the most expensive and still have LAN issues from time to time. The MOD team didn’t provide a support or at least an explanation for this.

I’ve never tried a MODswitch, but midi works perfectly, it may be your way out of this mess !

@qtguy20000

Maybe I would skip this problem and use the MOD DUO X live without pedal switches. The unit is so good and tempting to take the risk and use it on stage. But unfortunately there is another problem much worse than the ones mentioned. The power plug doesn’t make proper contact inside the unit so the power cuts out at the slightest movement of the unit. This happens also with the original power supply. The problem could not be solved by the two electronic engineers, friends of mine, whom I asked for technical support.

isn’t it just a solder joint that failed at the connector in the DuoX?

[qtguy20000]

@Rom

I’ve never tried a MODswitch, but midi works perfectly, it may be your way out of this mess !

Yes, midi works perfectly but sometimes I have to restart the MOD X several times until the switches get seen by the unit (even though everything is connected correctly the switches are not recognized from the first switching the power on). Some other times when the unit is functioning correctly and everything is ok, one of the pedal switches stops functioning and the screens of the pedal light off. There is a connection problem if not a software error.

@Rom

isn’t it just a solder joint that failed at the connector in the DuoX?

Yes, it’s a matter of incorrect diameter. I tried many power supply adaptors but I have still the problem. One of my friends adjusted those little connectors inside the joint in order to increase the contact…but the contact is still insecure. So the power still cuts off….

[Rom]

@qtguy20000

Yes, it’s a matter of incorrect diameter. I tried many power supply adaptors but I have still the problem. One of my friends adjusted those little connectors inside the joint in order to increase the contact…but the contact is still insecure. So the power still cuts off….

In the wiki page you can find the specs of the jack for the power supply :
The plug diameter of the power supply must be Φ5.52.1*10mm *
It’s the same for the Dwarf, so you could use some of the ones listed here : https://forum.mod.audio/t/mod-dwarf-background-noise-by-power-supply/

I use this one daily :

K+ motherboard power supply - bundle | Anasounds

And I have this one that works too :

Thomann NT 1215

[qtguy20000]

@Rom

In the wiki page you can find the specs of the jack for the power supply :
The plug diameter of the power supply must be Φ5.52.1*10mm *
It’s the same for the

Thanx, ROM, for your support. You always reply to my posts
I use the correct power supplies according to the specifications but unfortunately none of them seem to work properly. It must be a very little diameter building error inside the power connection of the MOD. My engineer friend checked the solder of the power connection inside the MOD and everything is ok. I will try as a final attempt the Thomann power supply you recommended. Thanx again!

[dscb57]

I just wanted to ask - since there have been no further updates to this thread - did you finally resolve this issue? I am considering purchasing a used Mod Duo X, and the last thing I want is to run into the kind of noise, LAN connection and dodgy power connection issues if I opt for this device over the Mod Dwarf. Thank you.

[KuRi]

Hi! No noise when using a better power supply. I returned the Mod Dwarf because the lack of power (a rpi4 is far more powerful).

I bought an used Mod Duo X and I am more than happy, more power and even less noise.