While DPW's MÖG D-2—a 4 band pre-amp/overdrive/distortion—appears humble at first glance, being a mono in, mono out affair [albeit with both a Eurorack level input and a hi-z input] and with only one CV input, the D-2 is an amazing sound sculpting tool from DPW. Sure, it is easy to be enamored with bigger and more elaborate units with flashing lights and loads of controls, but modules like the D-2 are the secret sauce in a Eurorack system and can add the warmth and tonal adjustments to help make your patches sing.

The D-2 signal is separated into 4 bands—LOW, LoMID, HiMID, and High, each with their own controls—and it functions much like an equalizer that can be pushed from a clean warm tone through overdrive and into full blown distortion. The multi-band approach allows you to really hone in on the frequencies that you'd like to enhance while minimizing or carving out others that may muddy up your mix. Overall, the LOW band can add some serious girth to a kick drum or bass line, with the LoMid bringing the dirt and distortion in spades. The HiMID is great for sculpting or carving out conflicting frequencies in your mix and the High band is great for adding some sizzle to transients or brightening up attacks. In addition to the frequency controls the D-2 has a large GAIN knob—for setting how much drive you give the bands—and a large VOL knob for controlling the overall output volume from the bands.

With such a wide range of tone sculpting possibilities your mileage will be based on what is being sent in and what you want to get out. Using the D-2 as an end-of-chain effect can give a patch some much needed warmth and glue it together a bit and there are sweet spots galore to be found on everything from drums to arpeggiated synth lines to multi-voice patches.

The distortion circuit can be bypassed both by a dedicated toggle switch or by sending CV into the ON input. Any voltage above 1V will turn the distortion circuit on, though the toggle switch has precedence over the CV input. The D-2 features a very nice evaluation circuit which allows for click-free switching between on and off and the circuit will respond over a wide range from direct current well up into the audio range. The high-speed, glitch-free switching allows for some nice rhythmic effects at lower speeds, and at audio rates it can produce a very unique and crunchy distortion, almost like a chopped up fuzz. Super cool.

The D-2 is great for adding some grit to reverb tails or other effect paths. I particularly liked playing around with the D-2 inserted in the feedback loop on a delay line. The four-band control really allows for some precise tone shaping of the repeats and is a fun way to add some character to an otherwise clean delay.

This is such a straightforward seeming module that it would be easy to overlook just how much it can bring to a system. In a Eurorack landscape crowded with loud and flashy units, sometimes you just want a module like the D-2 to help those attention getting modules shine through a bit more. Like a good friend the D-2 is always there for you and it brings some warmth and a little something extra to your life. Sure, on occasion it can get loud and boisterous, but never out of hand. The D-2 is flexible, reliable, and interesting, and sometimes it’s just the spark you need in your sound.

10HP +12V 25mA -12V 15mA

Price: $295

dpw.se