DA-LA is a two-stage analog processor for bass. The first stage is a premium LSK170B JFET that adds the even-order harmonic weight you get from a great tube or discrete preamp. The second is an optical leveler built on the same principle as the legendary LA-2A: a sealed LED and photocell doing the work, so the response is program-dependent and musical. It leans into transients instead of grabbing them, and releases the way a player breathes.
Your lows come through uncompromised. No algorithm is protecting them. The opto element is physically too slow to chase individual low-frequency cycles, so nothing gets lost and there’s nothing to blend back in.
MASS sets the colour. At the low end of its travel the JFET is in circuit but barely there. Through the middle it adds the density most players will live with all night, and toward the top it moves into obvious character and the edge of saturation. Click it fully off and the colour stage drops out entirely.
FORCE sets how hard the leveler works, like Peak Reduction on the original. Turn it up and the whole thing engages more deeply. There’s no ratio, threshold or attack to fuss over. A low shelf in the detector keeps the bottom from pumping the circuit, while still letting it catch the notes that need catching when you push it.
The goal is simple: same level in, same level out, and you shouldn’t notice DA-LA working. You should just notice that you sound better.
DA-LA runs from a standard 9V centre-negative pedalboard supply and steps it up internally to an 18V core for serious headroom with active and passive basses alike. A side-mounted ACTIVE/PASSIVE pad sits out of reach of your feet, and the footswitch takes DA-LA completely out of the signal path when bypassed. Fully analog, designed and built in Quebec by Dave Audio.
