Dougal (Bag Cover)
System Benefits
Volume Control
Tune your pipes before an event more discretely
Play without disturbing others
Control the volume of band players to isolate leaders or new members
Battery Powered
2-4 hour battery life
Integrated charge plug
Battery Indicator
Easy Tuning:
Digital fractional tuning built into the Blair chanter
Low A constant file for hands-free drone tuning
Volume Control for reduced chanter sound tuning to focus on drone output
System Benefits
Volume Control
Tune your pipes before an event more discretely
Play without disturbing others
Control the volume of band players to isolate leaders or new members
Battery Powered
2-4 hour battery life
Integrated charge plug
Battery Indicator
Easy Tuning:
Digital fractional tuning built into the Blair chanter
Low A constant file for hands-free drone tuning
Volume Control for reduced chanter sound tuning to focus on drone output
System Benefits
Volume Control
Tune your pipes before an event more discretely
Play without disturbing others
Control the volume of band players to isolate leaders or new members
Battery Powered
2-4 hour battery life
Integrated charge plug
Battery Indicator
Easy Tuning:
Digital fractional tuning built into the Blair chanter
Low A constant file for hands-free drone tuning
Volume Control for reduced chanter sound tuning to focus on drone output
The Dougal is engineered to be an all-in-one sound module for the Blair digital chanter, allowing your acoustic bagpipes to be a digital/acoustic hybrid (electric chanter + acoustic drones) or gooseneck. This versatility allows you to play anywhere, as you want to. With the digital blair tuning and integrated dual speakers, you can precisely tune your chanter to match your drones and customize the sound to your preference.
Why go digital?
Because it is quiet enough to play anywhere and specificially engineered to match the output of a traditional chanter, the Dougal expands your ability to play to different volumes, pitches, and keys.
What can it do?
It takes the pressure off (literally). By isolating your bag to just the drones you can more precisely control your tone and pressure which produces a richer sound. This benefits new pipers by allowing them to focus on constant pressure and how it affects the drones, while still working on learning tunes. The design also benefits aging pipers and injured pipers that may otherwise need to give up the pipes by cutting down the strength needed to play.
What can’t it do?
The Dougal is not designed to reproduce the drone profiles of the Blair chanter. To keep it small and light, speaker drivers were chosen to reproduce the Highland and Smallpipe chanter frequencies. To get the most out of the Dougal, turn off the volume of the drones in the Blair chanter and isolate the chanter profile.
How do I adjust the sound to my preference?
The Dougal is designed with two drivers that offer different sonic characteristics. By using the “pan” function in the Blair chanter, you can favor a sound profile of preference. Additionally, adjusting the built-in frequency, treble, and bass settings will adjust the sound to your tastes. I recommend the following:
Pan: +2
Frequency: 470hz (depending on drone reeds)
Treble: 1
Bass: 4
Vibrato: On
Volume: 99
How long does the battery last?
The Dougal was designed with an external battery pack to fit in a sporran or pocket so you can play as long as you need by swapping out packs. Generally, at high volume, you can expect the battery to last 3-4 hours on a 2800mah battery pack.
Getting more with your Blair Chanter
Follow the steps below to turn your highland pipes into a set of Smallpies.
Remembering Doug (Dougal) Stewart
A Great Teacher and Friend