When 'Authenticity' Becomes a Nuisance | An Honest
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2024
- 🎸 Get Skype guitar lessons with me: patreon.com/seanbennett
In this video I review the @UniversalAudio UAFX Dream '65 Reverb Amplifier after 3 months of use both in my studio and live. There are things about the Dream '65 you should know about before purchasing which is why I made this video.
One thing I can guarantee is that I would never replace a real amp with this. Think of the Dream '65 as a tool to avoid carting your amp - not something to replace your amp entirely!
Would I buy it again? Probably not - find out why in the video!
If you like the honesty in this video, then please make sure to like and subscribe! More gear videos on the way.
Best!
Sean
#UniversalAudio
#UAFX
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0:00 - Intro
0:40 - Why Did I Buy The UAFX Dream '65?
1:52 - What I Don't Like About The UAFX Dream '65
4:54 - What Settings I Use On The Dream '65
5:34 - Being Honest About The IRs!
5:58 - Too Honest For My Own Good (Probably)
6:17 - UAFX Dream '65 Tones
7:01 - With The Reverb
8:12 - With The Vibrato
8:44 - Testing The Bass Control
9:17 - More Vibrato Testing!
10:57 - Volume Clipping Test
12:56 - An IR Preset Comparison
13:58 - MOD Tones
16:44 - How Does The Dream '65 Sound With Pedals?
20:45 - Conclusion
I think people are getting confused, as the boost looks like it's on when it's not. The reason the boost is not on is because 1) most of the video has the pedal set to ALT mode, which changes the boost into an intensity control instead for vibrato. Only on the AMP mode are the standard controls acting like a real amp (e.g the boost engaged when turned up) 2) I changed the footswitch modes before recording this video from their default settings. The left footswitch engages the reverb and the right footswitch engages the vibrato in this video.
The volume knob on the Dream ’65 is copying the amp’s volume (the amp had no master volume. The more volume you dial in… the more gain. That is the way it should be…
BUT the Dream ’65 has the Output knob that really is a master volume (that the amp is missing). Set the Volume to 0 (or as close you prefer) and set the output to prefered volume and you will have a pristine, clean tone…
Ok so I tried it out, and frankly it’s superb. I played a strat pro II into the Dream, into an apogee interface to pro tools, through my main monitors Geithain 921s which have 12” woofers. Sparkling highs, that nice fender mid-scoop, tight lows. Typically I record tube amps: Marshall Origin, blackstar combo , Fender blues junior. The Dream doesn’t replace them, it just gives me an easy way to help an artist get to the answer faster. In a modern pop mix though it’s super cool and for rhythm parts can easily replace the tube amps. Yup it’s a bit too pricey, but will probably be the most used pedal on my board! 🎉
My friend all we need to have a clear, full, fantastic sound without any problems is to set Vol - 0, and give output a big chance + cut off boost. It gives absolutely fantastic, crystal clear results. No disturbances recorded. Extremely pleased with this beauty.
When I do this I get harsh clipping when the output is on max - even with the volume set to zero. Typically I have to set the output to 75% to avoid this when ‘digging in’. Glad it’s working out though for you, but not everyone necessarily wants to set the pedal up like this.
@@SeanBennettGuitar Well... maybe there is sth wrong with particular pedal of yours or series. I played many gigs + studio recordings and never had any issues...
Im thinking of getting this pedal and I have 3 of the same overdrive pedals. This was perfect sounds really similar to my real princeton reverb.
Great. I will buy one tomorrow, for sure.
Thanks for a cool review.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks a lot for honest review
My pleasure 😊
Even from a "dislike" kink of video I could hear fantastic tones..the noise you are telling is sooo coool! 😅Maybe I have to buy this pedal!
I think you should buy more than just one!
Great video. I just got my hands on the pedal today. What I’ve found with almost every single speaker amp/cab emulation I’ve tried is like you’re always hearing that annoying “guitar-straight-into-mixer” sound. I think it has to do with the pick attack and the mid/high frequencies response. It’s a very subjective matter. There are few ir loaders that really manage to “ round off “ that frequency range.
Thanks! Yeah I know what you mean. I've been testing the Dream '65 further with pedals and it doesn't take them anywhere near as well as a real tube amp. Still useable to be fair, and maybe I'm being too harsh on the Dream '65, but it was definitely a completely overhyped product when it came out. It was made out to be way better than what it is. Some people will disagree, but that's fine.
@@SeanBennettGuitar you’re right. It’s still usable for certain type of sounds / pedal combinations. But To my ears it is not what most people think it is. Just a different tool. Thanks for your reply. We need more honest reviews here !
Thank for your review man! Do you know if they fixed this noise issue with a software update maybe? I’m thinking of buying this thing
No probs - thanks for commenting! Not that I know of currently. When I wrote to them about the noise issue, they said it's meant to sound 'warts and all' identical to the real amp. I don't see them making it optional in the firmware updates, but if it changes I will let you know as a follow up comment!
Thank you ;)
Hey! really cool review. The clipping you mention is what we hear in 13:55? Was your interface clipping or something? Because the setting were not that high, as far as i can see...
Thanks! No clipping at all on my interface. My interface gain is always set very, very low or completely off. It’s definitely not the interface which is actually also from Universal Audio too. The clipping is from the pedal. I couldn’t believe it myself. Every time I use the pedal that clipping is there, which is why I’m certain it’s not the audio interface.
@@SeanBennettGuitar OH god....that´s what i´ve been reading about it...Does it happen with the volumen all the way down, (and output up)?
@@metekatana It happens in every setting as far as I'm aware. Universal Audio told me the clipping/noise is intentional when I reached out to them. They're going for the 'warts and all' approach from the original amp, which I get, but isn't something everyone would want but the purists.
I am glad you brought up the nasty distortion artifacts in the background. I do never heard this in demos. I bought one and first time playing with it live my friend who is also a guitarist and bassist asked me / what is that nasty clipping going on in this background? I listened for it and I heard it. I couldn’t unhear it. That’s why I got rid of it. It’s definitely there and I just can’t cope w it. Thanks for puting this out there
Sorry to hear this happened to you too. Its interesting though that other people have had the exact same issue. Because I’m being honest about the unit, and have no bias towards Universal Audio, this video has got way more dislikes (currently) than any other video on my entire channel. Really shows the level of blind fandom that certain brands get, such as Universal Audio, and how people these days simply cannot handle not being ‘sold to’ in reviews. It’s funny yet stupid how if I was completely dishonest instead, and said how great the Dream 65 is (and lied), this video would have done much better. I would never lie about my thoughts on a piece of gear.
@@SeanBennettGuitar I’ve heard this factor in other people’s demo of the pedal as well. So it’s def in there and verified by UA. Maybe it’s more pronounced for others than some depending on rig and playing style. I dunno… either I’m happy I trusted my ears and not popularity. I did however happily land on something else that fits the bill for me
@@Joshuaalan21 Interesting! I didn’t see the other videos on this unit that also highlighted the issue, but then again I only watched the first few when it came out. Out of interest what did you replace it with?
@@SeanBennettGuitar no one else highlighted the issue … but I heard it.
Replaced it w/ Fender ToneMaster Twin Reverb
Nice review. Thanks. So what would suggest to go live using an “amp in a “pedal”? I was planning on doing just that with the Dream by running it direct into my PA.
Thanks! Depends what style you intend to play. I just tried out the KSR Vesta and it’s an awesome preamp; however, it’s more rock and metal orientated and doesn’t have built in IRs. I do like the Dream ‘65 more than when I made this video now. I still use it for cleans direct into the PA.
@@SeanBennettGuitar cool. Clean with a simple dirt pedal (like a Bluesdriver) for classic rock to country.
@@mkrj2576 that’s what I do with my Dream ’65, but with the JHS morning glory 👍🏻 time based effects going after the Dream ‘65 in the pedalboard signal chain seem to sound best.
yes, agree the power supply should be in the damn box!!!! Other than that, I have pined for one of these to be my platform when doing direct to the mixing console. I've seen dozens of reviews of all three UAFX, the Strymon and the rest of the recent amp in a box pedals and the Dream 65 still sits at the top of my list.
I've been getting on better with the Dream '65 recently. It is useful for going direct into the PA - there's no doubt about that. Still probably wouldn't buy it again and would probably go for a digital modeller instead. The power supply is definitely overpriced and flimsy as anything - shouldn't have to pay extra for it whatsoever.
Hello ! I dont understand, on some part of your demo as since 14:00 to 16:42 the footswitch ON is not engage? ( the red del isn't on) So the pedal is bypassed, but still turning the knob affect the sound? I'm lost.. what this footswicht active in fact? Thanks for the review.
Hi! The remote switch doesn’t light up - it was always engaged in the video to the JHS Morning Glory. I didn’t always write text when things were switching on or off.
This was exactly my issue with the dream and ruby. Once I heard that artifact noise I couldn’t get it out of my head.
Interesting. I thought before making this video that I was the only one! Nightmare
@@SeanBennettGuitar shame because they do sound and feel the most amp like that I have tried.
That’s true
Hey, man thanks for the video. Appreciate the honest review. I’m sure you sold the dream already, but, if it’s anything like my vintage DR, it produces weird distortion artifacts when the volume is high and the bass is high. I think lowering the volume, bass, or both will get rid of those artifacts. Compensate with the Output and it should be clearer.
I also noticed that, in your video, the sound rarely happened when the volume was low. Which would confirm my theory. Anyone have any experience with this?
I've surprisingly not sold it yet, as I do think that the Dream '65 has some utility as a pure clean sound only for recordings (when there's no distortion artefacts). I do think in the future though that I'm probably going to swap the Dream '65 for the Fractal FM9 live. I'm not convinced that this unit is better for clean tones, especially with the distortion artefacts, than a decent multi-effects unit.
Thanks for the recommendation! I will check it out.
I’ve had the Dream 65 for a couple of months now. I’ve had it on a variety of gigs and messed around with different pedals through it. I actually A/B’d it today with my Fender Princeton (which has a 12” celestion Greenback in it). With a small amount of EQing I got the tones to match very closely. I was very happy with the recording. I set it quite clean, maybe volume on 3 and had a Greer Lightspeed to loosen it up.
Although the sound was so so close, I don’t know what it is about it. I just don’t like it. It makes me not want to play, but when I had the amp on I was automatically making flowing inspired music.
Is it a feel thing? Maybe. Or is it a mental thing? As in, I know in my heart of hearts that it’s not the real thing? I definitely know what you mean about the noise/sizzle thing in the pedal. I’m not a fan of that either. Confusing! All in all, it’s incredible technology and a very useful device for certain situations where the job needs DONE! I’d choose an amp every time though. Maybe the pedal will grow on me more.
Cheers
Totally agree with you in everything you said. Funnily enough, I was recently thinking exactly the same about the Dream ‘65! Even though I’ve had my issues with it, when it works as it should, it does sound great for cleans; HOWEVER, it just doesn’t make me want to play through it. It’s the weirdest thing…
When I’m playing through my tube amp into my load box I’m inspired. Whenever I play through the Dream ‘65 it’s just a ‘job’ to do. I only ever plug it in when doing gigs for the pure convenience of it. It could be a subconscious fact that I know it’s not ‘the real deal’, but saying that, I enjoy playing through amp sims sometimes. I really enjoy the spring reverb especially, but as I say, it only comes out the box when I have to play direct. It’s a shame as I do really want to use it more! Maybe it’s also the fact pedals sound way better and have more headroom through my tube amp, so when I do use the Dream ‘65, it’s only ever for the clean sound only.
@@SeanBennettGuitarDitto, dude. For more headroom with pedals, the best way I've found to run it in the chain is as follows:
Guitar > drives > dream 65 > eq/clean boost > mod > reverb.
And I've been running the output at half way and the volume at 9 o'clock. That seems to be the most 'open' sounding pedal platform for me. I'm sure everyones different but that's my most successful experience so far.
Haha just talking about all this, I did use the Dream on a live stream gig last week and it felt great and listening back it was very good. Better than an amp would have been for that particular situation. :D
Sounds like a BF Deluxe Reverb to me. I'm impressed how close they got this to sound to the real thing!
Yeah everyone’s saying that when comparing the two. I can’t pretend that I would know as I’ve never played the real deal to be honest. Thanks for commenting!
@SeanBennettGuitar yeah, Black Face Deluxe Reverbs have lots of character. Not so much squeaky cleans. You may need something that emulates a Fender Twin. Now that's clean! The Boss IR 200 has a Twin model and the JC 120. Also their proprietary "Natural" amp. Those are very clean. I have one, and it's pretty good.
Thank you bringing up the crackling noise. I think it sounds like a tube going bad and I replace bad tubes in my real amps so I don't get noises like that. I had a hard time figuring out what was going and it made me wonder if I had issues with my other gear or had a defective UA pedal. UA seems to stay away from it on forums and most revert to the power source, a hiss or the overall noise level. I also agree with the 5th and 6th string comment but feel it is most noticeable when you change from the bridge pickup to the neck. Set a good bridge tone and the neck flubs out, set a good neck tone and the bridge is anemic. I used an ACS1 for a couple years and am only a few weeks in with these UA amp sims but feel like the Ruby and Dream do take stacked overdrives better. They retain the bottom end better IMO. I have got some good tones from the Dream and Ruby but I did play with the Ruby this weekend and felt like I had a hard time hearing myself in my IEM's when playing live. The only way to describe it is that maybe it was too polished if thats a thing.
No problem, I’m glad that some people at least in the comments appreciate the honesty. I’m starting to think the crackling noise is an all round issue in general with amp pedals with certain guitars - at least that’s my theory. Before the Dream ‘65, I bought the Simplifier Deluxe and had the exact same issues with weird noise in the background of the guitar sound. The manufacturer, DSM & Humboldt, came back with the exact same answer as Universal Audio, in that they claimed this harsh crackling noise is ‘on purpose’ to accurately emulate the amp. I honestly don’t believe it. If it were the case, why don’t digital modeller companies such as Fractal or Line 6 try to achieve the exact same noise in the background? It’s crazy how far people will go to defend a product, or avoid admitting the issue, when it obviously has flaws. Thanks for commenting - I’ve noticed that issue too when swapping between pickups.
@@SeanBennettGuitaryea, I’ve found that crackling noise happens on certain guitars I use with the pedal. It’s horrible. The solution was to turn it up and it seems to disappear. Maybe the original amp did have that sound, but at that volume our ears arnt picking it up. Either way, whether it’s part of the original amp or not, who wants some annoying crackling noise happening while their trying to make music.
I have this pedal and a real Fender Deluxe, so in my opinion its strength is also its main drawback: it's too realistic! it really gives you the good and bad of a real Fender amp, I love it but I wish that for this price it could have MIDI and USB audio interface, or at least a firmware update to enable audio over USB so I can use it as my direct audio interface and maybe MIDI over USB to change presets
My power supply came with mine. Having a lot of issues with the app
Wow this thing sounds almost exactly the way I remember my old 1965 Bandmaster sounding. Real close to my Vibro Champ, maybe a little more scooped sounding. Amazing. I was contemplating picking up a Milkman The Amp, but this has complicated things.
Fantastic - glad you like the sound. There’s definitely a big scoop in the mids with this thing. I find the JHS morning glory helps to fill the mids and balance out the EQ spectrum of the tone. Every time I switch the morning glory off, the lack of mids sounds pretty drastic, but that’s the nature of the amp I suppose.
This is a bit strange because I've now watched quite a few videos on here demoing this pedal and not only can you get very clear tones out of it but the breaking up sounds good too. Not hearing those artifacts on this video either.
Looking at other demos, for clean tones, keep the boost turned right down and the volume shouldn't really be going much over 9 O'clock.
I guess you still can't beat a proper tube amp though.....
Yeah, as soon as I installed a treble bleed on the Schecter Nick Johnston the issue seemed to disappear. Only when I max out the output does it seem to come back. For some reason I’m just not inspired enough with the Dream ‘65 playing wise. Might be a subconscious thing knowing that it’s not the real deal. Definitely would only use it for cleans as it doesn’t really take pedals well for overdrive/distortion. Better to use a real tube head as you say with the natural headroom. Nothing will ever replace a real tube amp in my opinion.
The Dream is awesome - so is the Ruby. I’ve gigged with both on my board. Great sounds, versatile and consistent venue to venue. No more tube amps (!) load ins and outs, micing, and added stage space. They are great…and less noise than my Fender amps -
I still want the ruby 63, and doing research. Just trying to get the honest reviews, does it really react like the real amp? I do have the starlight and also the golden, and love those pedals, which have ended up on my pedal board. I even use them singly through my audio interface and they have some nice sounds. I have the helix floor which I never use as its too big and cumbersome, just like grabbing something and using it.
It reacts and responds like a real amp from my experience, but with weird clipping that you don’t usually get with a real amp - no matter what Universal Audio sugar coat the issue with. I’m going to be selling the Dream 65 due to that reason alone. It’s never going to entirely feel 100% like playing a real tube amp, but it’s close.
@@SeanBennettGuitar I ended up getting one about a day after writing that. and I am very happy with the ruby. I haven't really experienced that weird clipping, do you have a video on what it sounds like with the dream, because I am thinking about getting that one as well?
@@RockG.o.d glad you’re happy with the ruby man! The clipping is in my video at certain points. I commented when it happens 👍🏻congrats on the purchase! I just can’t get alone with the Dream 65 for that reason.
@@SeanBennettGuitar I will have to watch the video again. Haven’t heard anything weird in the ruby. The clean sounds amazing, the overdriven sounds amazing too. Though when playing through headphones, I use the spacial audio in logic and this other plugin to give some virtual reality positioning to the audio. It’s also making my neighbours happier. :)
Ok I can also hear the fizzle at the end. It’s not something I have noticed with the ruby. If you still have the pedal, did you update the firmware to see if that fixes it?
Put the amp volume down at zero and crank the output…you get an awesome pure, clean tone which is great as a pedal platform.
Well, I am searching for a classic rock-blues tone, not jazz not metal. No problem with an always-on pedal as I would have one with a real Deluxe. But, the feel cannot be digital and must 'feel' good. Do you think this pedal gets there? Or, Ruby?
It's never going to feel like a real amp 100%, but I don't have any issue with the 'feel' and it never bothers me. I'm never conscious about the feel on the Dream '65 and it responds pretty well to my playing. No-one has ever complained live about the sound being digital. Audience definitely can't tell. I would be really interested in trying the ruby, but I imagine they would be identical in 'feel' from one to the other. If you want the sound of the original Fender amp then this one is probably the best option.
I just use mine for practice, or recording when I’m lazy! Gets the job done!
Definitely does! Much easier than recording a real amp. I’m starting to like it more than when I made this video.
I don't use the artist presets in the dream and the ruby ...as you said, find your own settings that work best with your pedals 😉
Thanks for sharing! Definitely the best approach
finally somebody that highlights the problems and the negatives...this ridiculous forest of "reviewers" that just praise and praise anything that comes in their hands is becoming so annoying and frankly very dishonest and disingenuous. Also they mud the waters so much that the only thing that you are left with is to buy the damn thing and return it if you don't like it.
Exactly! A lot of reviewers are sponsored by the brand of gear they are reviewing - only issue being that it must warp their level of transparency about what they really think. The reviewers will be worried about getting paid or getting future work from the brand if they say they don't like something - kind of defeats the object of reviews really as you say!
I noticed since buying this pedal (and watching other reviews of the Dream '65) that a few big review channels didn't give an individual opinion on the Dream '65 - is this a subtle sign they also didn't particularly like it much, but wouldn't say? They either just gave a 'hats off' on how authentic it sounds compared with the real amp, or just go through all the features and the UAFX app (alongside tone demonstrations), or both. I think the emphasis that was placed on the reverb, and how amazing it is, was deliberate to over-hype this unit without a shadow of a doubt. Yes, it's a great reverb, but I've never seen product demonstrations ever give so much attention to a reverb on a unit like this before - it was a bit overdramatic for me personally.
That clipping you are talking about sounds like low frequency distortion. I usually hear something like this when trying to get power amp drive out of an amp sim (something that most amp sims are still struggling with a lot).
Interesting! Thanks for your input. I think I'm going to do an updated 2023 review of this pedal to see if I can find the issue.
I've never heard that noise with mine. It's one of the best $350 I've ever spent on a pedal. I think it's amazing. Just my opinion 😂 I used to own the original reverb deluxe, obviously, there's no replacing the real thing but for what it is it's amazing. And I think I'd rather use if for a recording than the real amp. Less of a hassle.
Those clipping noises you refer to , sounds to me more like static noise build up coming from your guitars scratch plate. I've had the same issues with lots of my guitars. I've found a fix for this by sanding the back of the scratchplate with 40 grit sandpaper and adding a layer of aluminum.
Or electric disturbance picked up by those single coils…
I heard the same. Clearly a grounding issue.
Could be! I recently had a treble bleed circuit installed on the Schecter Nick Johnston and it ‘seems’ to have solved the issue somehow.
You're the first one to mention that clipping. I hate this clipping, thought that the volume pot of my guitar was probably scratching. When I decrease the volume on my guitar it gets less. But I don't have a treble bleed on my guitar, so I can't do that. I'm really annoyed. It's a great pedal if only it didn't do that harsh clipping.
Does my head in too mate. So do gear reviews that overhype products. I’m not entirely sure this is actually supposed to be happening - even though Universal Audio say it should. I had the exact same issue with another ‘amp pedal’ from a different manufacturer who came back saying it’s also meant to be ‘on purpose’. I think it’s a common issue with these types of amp pedal units, but rather than admit it, the companies are making out its deliberate - otherwise people would just stick with a real amp.
@@SeanBennettGuitar go buy a real tube fender deluxe reverb. Crank it and put a mic in front of it, you will hear that same clipping. It’s just the nature of the overdriven tube circuits (especially Fender). If you are used to playing digital gear or setting your amp squeaky clean and getting your gain from a pedal, you get less of this effect. So in fact, it sounds like an amp; you just don’t seem to know how amps actually sound. But yeah, since it’s digital they could’ve added a setting to clean it up.
@@TurquoiseArmies So apparently me, and a lot of other people who've commented, don't know how amps actually sound? That's a hilarious claim to make. I've owned amps all my life, and none of them have had this harsh clipping. This harsh clipping is not the same 'pleasant' clipping as an overdriven tube amp pushed when recorded, I know the difference. I've spent hundreds of hours recording tube amps to know this isn't normal. Too many UA fanboys on here desperately clutching at straws.
@@SeanBennettGuitar different amps, how the eq is set, filtering by the speaker used contributes to it. I see a lot of Ibanez, Metallica and high gain in your channel; quite different from vintage Fender Deluxe reverbs. I think you actually mentioned somewhere that you’ve never played a fender deluxe reverb? I own a 1969 super reverb, 1969 100w Marshall, 57 fender tweed; and I have played thru over 50 of those examples. I was hearing the same unpleasant clipping in all of them, but you will learn the correct speaker/eq combinations to minimize it.
I bought a pedal that emulates a Deluxe reverb. But I don't like it because it responds like a Deluxe reverb.......
I bought a pedal that emulates a Deluxe reverb. But I don’t like that the pedal has problems that the real amp didn’t - there, I fixed your comment for you.
You do realize that this whole demo was done with the boost on, and boost can introduce some noise.
How are you going to get a pristine amp sound with the boost always at 12:00?
The boost needs to be turned off to bypass.
IKR. Dude didn’t turn it off the whole time.
The boost was not on - the pedal was switched to 'ALT' mode for most of the video which bypasses the boost for effects (in this case, tremolo settings)
Don't get me wrong please, but sounds like a killer fender blackface amp I would expecto to sound, obviously not intended to be the best match for every style of playing. I think you would be much happier with other style of amp circuits and IRs. Otherwise, is just an expensive and not very efficient Clean channel platform for your pedals (with as little headroom as any 22w Watt valve amp). Anyway I appreciate the honest / not sponsored bias reviews.
It happens. The guy and this style of amp weren't made for each other. He sounded like a fish trying to run. It's not his fault or even the tool's fault.
Yeah I agree with your comment. I probably would have been happier with another style of amp circuit and this amp pedal was definitely a gamble for me. I didn't have time to try it out properly unfortunately before gigging with it. Anyhow, it is what it is. Thanks for commenting and for the feedback!
This made me laugh 😂 pretty spot on to be fair!
I’ve had it for about a month. The basic clean sound is great. Reverb is good but a little too bright. The tremolo sounds awesome… but … I HATE that the controls are hidden. They should be on the pedal like a real Fender amp. As a result I don’t use the tremolo. Instead I have a dedicated tremolo pedal. I wish the two switches were BOTH for presets. I’m constantly fiddling and losing my base tone.
Cool to hear an honest review. Although I think most of us have Boss-type power supplies with 400mA already. If the PS came with the pedal it would increase the cost without any use for most folks. Also you said you don’t want to use the boost, but have it set at 12 o’clock. Set it to zero for no boost. That alone should make the tone much cleaner. Cheers!
Boost isn’t on because of the mode I set the pedal on. Thanks for commenting! I know most people would have one, but it’s hardly a high quality cable which is why I think it should come included. Just my personal opinion.
Man I am so close to getting one of these but that clipping is harsh. I don't think I dig that at all. Ty for pointing that out.
No problem. Still not sure why it happens, but I wanted to point out the issues I was having. Thanks for commenting!
@@SeanBennettGuitar what's funny is I notice the brand new fender amp in a pedal from TC does it too!
@@hereonmars Seriously? That's crazy. I'm so sure that this is a flaw in these types of amp pedal units - yet none of the manufacturers own up to it! Maybe it's not my guitar thats the issue after all.
@@SeanBennettGuitar the thing that kills me... I got a flamma FS06 just to dip my toe in the water. The clean sounds on that do it BAD. but that's a 75 dollar pedal. When I saw your video it blew my mind that the 400 flavor of the month pedal does it! Ps the distortion tones on the flamma box are great. It's kinda shameful how good it sounds for some stuff.
I wanted to buy this pedal so bad but this review made me change my mind. It sounds just as I am afraid it would. I am a tube guy
I’ve had the Dream 65 for a day now and it sounds utterly convincing to my ears. What I can say though is when I first got the pedal it didn’t sound great. The reason was that I was using a standard 9v charger. I was hearing a digital sound under everything. Once I checked the manual I realised my mistake and switched to 400mA and the pedal is sweet as. No clipping, no digital noise. For anyone who has sound issues with this pedal I would suggest closely checking your power source.
I’m using the official Universal Audio 400mA power supply in the video. Glad yours is working without the issues though 👍🏻
You can buy a current doubler adapter plug for your power supply you don't need to buy a separate power supply.
I can highly recommend running it volume 10, treble 10, bass 0. Just try it.
Mine runs without problems with a One Spot. Who doesn't have one of those lying around?
Exactly. I have them drawn all over the floor in the spare room. They’re a damn nuisance!
@@SeanBennettGuitar I think you're misunderstanding.... you don't need to buy the official UA power supply, a Truetone One Spot will provide up to 1700mA of power. More than enough to cover this pedal.
I bought all three pedals in this series and I don't use them as the hissing noise etc they make is fairly sh1t...I go direct into the front of my amp and have also tried them through the send and return at the back of my Runt 20 combo amp.
You're running your volume at noon No wonder you're clipping That's what it should do at that level. Use you output level to adjust your volume. That being said the clipping doesn't sound bad I kind of like it. Blackface Fenders are known to be great at edge of breakup
By 'clipping' I don't mean the pleasing type of overdrive or breakup you would get from the volume at noon - I don't mind that. I'm talking about the harsh clipping in the background that is almost 'underneath' the sound altogether. I get this harsh clipping at different settings - not just at noon. Cheers
If a power supply was included it would cost even more and most of us that buy an expensive pedal like this probably has one suitable at home already.
Recommendation: Truetone Onespot for 25 $US. It can handle 9V and 1700mA…
There is no excuse not to include a power supply on a $400 pedal
@@mtguitar5150 I've yet to purchase a guitar pedal that includes a power supply... regardless of price. The only pedals that usually include a power supply are those that do not use a standard 9v adapter.
All the videos I’ve watched has a green light on the preset side of the pedal.
I configured the switching in the UAFX app to have reverb on the left switch and boost on the right switch.
@@SeanBennettGuitar thank you.
Turn down your guitar volume fella and see what the Dream does when it's on 10....LOADS
I did and it still doesn’t change much on my opinion on this pedal in the video
Strymon zuma to power everything you need
Thanks, I will bare it in mind
I have the dream 65 pedal and quite frankly the sound you’re getting sounds like you either have a bad pedal or your overdriving the pedal with something else we can’t see because the cleans that I get from it are far superior to the sound you’re getting, and the crunch sounds, and the drive through the pedal are much better than you’re getting too.
exactly… my thought is his guitar and his overly nervous playing style…
Dude it’s a Fender amp, not a shredding machine… relax, chill, vibe or get a dual rectifier or something… lol
I think this pedal is just way too gritty in the top end. Too harsh for my liking and it doesn't sag enough for my liking either. Probably selling mine.
Sorry to hear that. Thanks for commenting how you feel about the unit 👍🏻
You sounded bad with this pedal. I don't think the pedal is bad, but it wasn't a match for you. Better to move on.
Sounds like a bad breakup
@@SeanBennettGuitar It's the Deluxe Reverb breakup. Classic, but not modern by any means. I have the amp and the pedal, they are very very very much alike. You can hear in other videos how similar they are as well.
the pedal sounds very digital its actually one of the worst amp sim pedals i have heard and i have watched other vids of this.
@@Dawgley Absolutely not. And I'm saying that as someone who had a Dream 65 and have a Deluxe Reverb for many years. I've compared them both and it's schokling close. Like I couldn't even differentiate them at times.
You can also listen how close they are in some vids around here. Do better.
I think his demo is helpful and realistic.
Maybe not the pedal for Blues 101 licks circa 1992
You’re right. Since it’s the dream ‘65 and all, I should have played Blues
You’re right. Since it’s the dream ‘65 and all, I should have played Blues
PLEASE NOTE WHILE WATCHING THIS VIDEO: The "clipping" this reviewer points to is real! You can hear it in this video, and he could also have recreated it at certain profiles of the Kemper and even on some (super sensitve) amps.
That's because the noise has nothing to do with the (UA Dream) pedal, but are static discharges from a badly grounded pick guard. Same thing happened to me (on a brand new guitar even!) and was driving me crazy! Until I found out what it was! The input of the Dream is so sensitiv that it picks up on these discharges, but its not to blame for them!
Thanks for commenting - I will have to check out the grounding on the pick guard of this guitar then. I might make another follow up video and see if it fixes the issue. I don’t have this issue with any other equipment I plug this guitar into though - this goes for the UA audio interface I have too (volt 276) and real tube amps. The only thing I just cannot fathom however, if the issue really is this guitar, is how UA could come back to me saying ‘this should be happening to emulate the real amp’ (to paraphrase). UA didn’t even try to defend the unit and suggest something like you’ve pointed out here - crazy! This is why I had to assume it was the unit that was at fault in this review.
Do NOT understand the big hype around the pedal. I used it for three days and gave it back. It has wooden, lifeless sound if you listen to it through a real cabinet rather than through headphones. But how many guitarists play with headphones?
Got to say I agree with you. Interesting what you say about using a real cab with the Dream ‘65. I’ve never had the chance to use it with a cab yet. I play a lot through headphones as I prefer doing so. I’ve tried a few other preamp style pedals and they all seem to suffer from the same issues. Nothing will ever beat a real amp.
@@SeanBennettGuitarcustom champ@@SeanBennettGuitarChamp@@SeanBennettGuitar And can forget about live sound of real amp.
I like this video because it is honest. I have to say I didn't have to buy the power source - it works just fine with my standard 9v center neg power source. Beyond that I was hard pressed to get a good sound from it. For multi tracking home studio my Fender Mustang Micro headphone amp (£80) offers way superior sound options. Buyer beware!
Honest maybe, but not super informed. I can’t remember the last time I bought a pedal that came with a power supply. That’s standard. Also, the knobs at noon is not the “default setting”. That is a misnomer. It’s the middle of the settings range but that doesn’t mean it’s the “normal/default” sound. Does anyone have any pedals that they like everything at noon? You didn’t like the way it sounded that’s ok, doesn’t mean it’s bad, it means it’s not for you. Even the sounds you didn’t like I thought sounded fantastic and this video further convinced me that this pedal is a killer.
Not super informed am I? Well have you actually bought the official power supply for these pedals? Flimsy as hell. If they are going to make official power supplies this cheaply for pedals at this price point, then I’m sorry, but the power supply should be included. As for the ‘default setting’, who cares? I bet that most people would set the controls to noon first after buying the pedal, because that’s what you do and tweak accordingly. Do you honestly think that absolutely everyone who buys this pedal uses or has used the real amp? No is the answer. There’s plenty of people out there, like me, who bought it as a ‘means to an end’ so they can go ampless to gigs. I have plenty of pedals that I like almost kept at noon, surprised you don’t. Weird since noon is what pedal and amplifier companies aim to make the best sounding, or as close to it as possible, because they know that’s what people will set the product to first.
I’m sorry if I came off as snarky. I didn’t mean to I just genuinely disagree with your points. You and the pedal sounded great together to my ears and calling something of such high quality objectively “bad” is strange. Don’t waste any more time on me, I meant no ill will.
These pedals don't use impulse response cabinets.
This is what a review should be! the sound is less good than a tube preamp + cab m combo to my hear ; i dont know about the feel but this pedal is not for me
Thanks! Definitely doesn't beat a real amp. I just see the Dream '65 as a unit for convenience really. The Dream '65 is very responsive to my playing which I will give it credit for; however, I can't really focus on the feel much because I'm always getting distracted by the noise emulation based on the real amp - so annoying haha!
It sounds to me like you have a ground problem with your guitar. Every time you touch the pedal or guitar, it pops. That’s what I hear more than anything.
I’m definitely not counting this out, but it seems very weird to me that I never have this issue with any other amplifiers, audio interfaces etc - only with this pedal!
Universal like forcing you to buy separate power supplies, thunderbolt cables and iLoks. Sneaky company. It's good sounding but they're not the best around so I'll never give them a penny again.
Probably a lemon. I had same issues with the Ruby
That’s crazy you had the same issues with the Ruby too!
With the reverb on it sounds pretty good, but that noise clipping really is annoying. I can't believe they deliberately included it.
Yeah it's quite distracting. I get why they did it for authenticity - it's my fault for buying the thing before trying it out. I was in need of an amp pedal asap for gigging and so took a gamble online. It would be cool though if they made the noise clipping an option in the UAFX app.
@@SeanBennettGuitar
That's a fantastic idea - make it optional / switchable. I hope they're reading this and will consider that for an upgrade.
@@mr.d.572 It would definitely make it more appealing. There will be people out there who would buy this if they could have all of the best bits only. UA update the app all the time anyway so it would be nice if it was an option! It’s weird how they didn’t market the noise aspect of things, but I suppose they knew it may put people off.
I love honest reviews. As you play good guitar so I guess you know your s**it.
Tbh I think you would sound bad through any amp or pedal… You’re way too agressive on the guitar, nervous sounding… The other (non sponsored) demos sound beautifull and are mostly played smooth and vibey…