The OKKO Dominator is a high-gain distortion pedal from OKKO FX. The current version, the Dominator MKII Black, combines three things players usually add as separate pedals: a distortion circuit, a built-in noise gate, and an active 3-band equalizer with a selectable mid frequency1.
What it does to your sound
RockBoard's PedalPedia describes the MKII Black as "brutally nasty": immense gain reserves, a super tight low end response, and a good portion of punch aimed at hardcore, grind and death metal1. The original Dominator was described in similar terms on the Guitar FX Layouts forum, covering "aggressive british crunch, classic heavy metal, brutal modern high gain or anything in between"2.
The noise gate has two modes, and the difference is audible in how notes stop1:
- Hard mode: an abruptly closing gate, which the maker suggests for explosive palm mutes
- Soft mode: a longer decay and a more organic sound1
The tone section is an active 3-band control with a selectable mid frequency, so the EQ shapes the sound after the gain stages rather than just cutting treble passively1.
Controls and circuit
The technical analysis published on Guitar FX Layouts traces the original Dominator's gain to the first opamp stage, on IC1, with the Gain control setting how much that stage produces2. The layout's contributors recommend an OPA2604 for IC1, calling it a very low noise IC, and note that a TL072 works in all positions. The circuit uses two TL072s elsewhere and two BF245A JFETs, with a J201 reported as a working substitute for Q12.
The same analysis notes that the three gain stages and the EQ stage each run on individually filtered voltages up to 18 volts internally, which the contributors tie to the pedal's headroom and dynamics2.
The MKII Black draws 45mA at 9V DC, center negative1. That is more than some daisy-chain outputs supply, so it is worth matching to a supply that can carry it.
Dominator Red and Dominator MKII Black
The MKII Black is the darker counterpart in OKKO's range: RockBoard's PedalPedia calls it "the evil twin of the Dominator Red"1. The Red is the established high-gain pedal in the lineup, and the Black takes the same idea further toward the aggressive end, with the maker's description naming hardcore, grind and death metal as its home territory1.
What players and builders report
Guitar FX Layouts, a forum of pedal builders, published a vero board layout for the original Dominator in July 2014. It replaces the original's mid frequency switch with a variable Mid Range pot and moves the charge pump to a separate daughterboard. Builders who worked from that layout reported a verified working build, with one noting it "fired on first try once corrected the trannies pinout" after substituting a BF244 for the BF2452.
The most detailed player report comes from a forum member using the pedal in a punk-HC and crust band: "i'm playing in a punk-HC/crust band, so i need something very powerful, and the okko is what i need"2. The same player flagged one characteristic worth knowing before buying: the pedal is extremely full of bass, producing too much low end for his taste even with the bass control all the way down2. That matches the layout contributors' own comment that the Bass knob is not very useful, as happens with many high gain effects2.
Videos
Brett Kingman
Dennis Kayzer
musictoyznetwork rasch
Questions
What is the difference between the Dominator Red and the Dominator MKII Black?
The Dominator MKII Black is described by the maker as the evil twin of the Dominator Red. Where the Red is OKKO's high-gain distortion, the Black pushes the same circuit toward a more aggressive character: the maker describes it as brutally nasty, with immense gain reserves, a super tight low end and punch aimed at hardcore, grind and death metal.
Does the OKKO Dominator have a noise gate?
Yes. The Dominator MKII Black includes a built-in noise gate with two modes. Hard mode gives an abruptly closing gate for explosive palm mutes, while soft mode produces a longer decay and a more organic sound.
What power does the Dominator MKII Black need?
The Dominator MKII Black runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug and draws 45mA. That current draw is worth checking against a daisy-chain supply's capacity before sharing an outlet with other pedals.
Is the OKKO Dominator analog?
Yes. The maker lists the Dominator MKII Black as an analog circuit, and the independently published technical analysis of the original Dominator describes an opamp-based analog design with JFETs in the signal path.
Is the OKKO Dominator good for punk and hardcore?
The maker aims the MKII Black squarely at hardcore, grind and death metal. One builder on the Guitar FX Layouts forum, playing in a punk-HC and crust band, reported that the Dominator was what he needed for that kind of music, though he found it very full of bass even with the bass control all the way down.
Sources (2)
- Dominator MKII Black by Okko FX, RockBoard (rockboard.de PedalPedia), 2026
- Guitar FX Layouts: OKKO Dominator, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2014-07-15
