Thorough review of Owl Mighty II the bass preamp!!!

In this article, I would like to review the Owl Mighty II bass preamp released by ViVie on June 30, 2020.

Vivie / OwlMightyII

Description of item
OwlMighty II can be divided into three functions: EQ section, Comp section, and Drive section. Based on factory settings, turning on the effector turns on the EQ section and Comp section, turning on the Drive switch turns on the EQ section and Drive section, but removing the back cover, there is a DIP switch, which if you switch on, the Comp section will remain active even when the Drive switch is turned on.

● EQ section

Low
Mid
Mid-Freq
Treble

It has these four controls.
The Mid-Freq knob controls the Mid-range, which allows you to create a more detailed sound. Of the overall band range, I mostly wanted to adjust the band here! You can adjust the band you want. It's quite effective, so I think it's best to use it in a way that cuts bands that are unwanted. Also, just turn all the knobs to 12 o'clock for a slightly rich, sparkling sound.

● Comp section

Level
Comp

It has these two controls.
The Level knob adjusts the volume when the Drive switch is off and the effector switch is turned on. The Comp is modeled after the popular Fenne Comp compressor released by ViVie, so even one control knob is easy to use and you can apply natural effects. The controls work very well, so even at 12 o'clock, the feeling of compression is quite strong, and I think it's easy to use even for those who use a lot of slap.

● Drive section

Level
Gain
Tone
Blend

It has these four controls.
Gain isn't too strong and can cover everything from overdrive to light distortion. Also, since the blend control knob determines how much distortion is mixed with the original sound, you can obtain various distorted sounds by increasing the blend with low gain or suppressing the blend with high gain. I am grateful that it has a Tone knob dedicated to distortion, and it scratches that itch.

Impressions

Basically, the preamp was characterized by a natural sound that emphasized the original sound. The Freq knob works better than I expected, so I could easily create an ideal sound by just tweaking the knobs in the EQ section.
The compressor works very well, but I think it's important to note that if you apply it deeper than 12 o'clock, it will sound like a machine. At around 9 o'clock, the compression was just right and the slap sounded good. The drive channel can produce a variety of sounds with the Tone knob and Blend knob, so you can get closer to your ideal sound. It is made with the aim of creating natural distortion, so if you want to distort it quite deeply, I felt that it would be better to distort it with another distortion effector.

Comparison with other products

Here, I would like to mention the differences of the Owl Mighty II compared to other effectors.

Vivie / OwlMighty

Owl Mighty II was released as an improved version of this effector with the addition of some input from professionals. The OwlMighty II has a thicker midrange and better sound quality than the OwlMighty. In addition, the degree of compression is solid. In addition, the Drive channel Tone makes it possible to create a wide range of sounds. The old OwlMighty had a Color knob that could change the distortion from natural to fuzzy, but the OwlMighty II does not have this knob, so there may be a difference in the old type in terms of ease of sound creation. Personally, the biggest difference between the OwlMighty and OwlMighty II is the presence or absence of a DIP switch. As mentioned above, the OwlMighty II has this switch, but the OwlMighty does not have this switch. I think this is a big point.

Summary
The OwlMighty has a clean sound and you can adjust the distortion with the Color knob. On the other hand, the OwlMighty II has a thick mid-range, a solid compressor, and the Tone of the Drive channel can be adjusted. Moreover, it is possible to apply the compressor while applying the drive using the DIP switch.
Since the OwlMighty II is an improved version of the OwlMighty, many people think that it is totally better, but I think that the OwlMighty also has its good points. However, I felt that the Owl Mighty II has many advantages from an objective point of view and is more versatile.

Vivie / Rhinotes

ViVie bass overdrive. The Rhinotes is not a preamp; it's an overdrive. So it's good for distortion. You can freely create shallow distortion to deep distortion, and it is also possible to boost the treble range with the Bright switch. However, since Mid-Freq is a switch, I think that the Owl Mighty II should create the EQ section.

Summary
The Rhinotes seems to be able to play the same role as the OwlMighty II when you look at the knobs, and so on, but in reality their roles are completely different, and if you look at them as preamplifiers, I think that the Owl Mighty II will be better.

How was this article? The OwlMighty II is my favorite effector, so I hope this conveys the good points of the OwlMighty II.

Thank you for reading.