Trace Elliot 1210 Combo Effects Loop

[tovey87]

Hello all,


I've been trying to perfect the sound of my TE 1210 recently and even though I use the effects loop, if I'm being 100 % honest, I don't completely know what it is doing.


My effects loop consists of a boss ODB-3, SYB-5, CH-1 and a DD7


I have it set to parallel with the send coming from the 'Hi Pass' and the Return to the 'Mono' jack. I'm not exactly sure what the 'Hi Pass' send does, I would imagine it has something to do with only the hi end of the signal gets sent through. I have read numerous posts on the web discussing the pros and cons of parallel or series link. Parallel is my personal preference as I like my effects to be subtle and it sits better with the type of music I play in my band.


One of the main aspects of the effects loop on my amp that confuses me is the loop level. If the loop level is set at 12 o'clock, does this mean the ratio between dry signal is 1:1 or 1:0.5? I have read something explaining this as setting the loop level to 'wet' or 'dry'?This is probably very obvious and I just don't get it but I am always very conscious about peaking the amp (the red LEDs above the input gain knob). Because of this, I have the level of my pedals all below 12 o'clock.


I emailed Trace Elliot and I got a pretty disappointing response. I made it clear that I had read the manual numerous times but was having a couple of problems completely understanding what was going on. The reply I got was basically "it is explained in the manual!" I have always had good experience using this forum, and even though I rarely post, reading past posts has helped me understand a number of different things about playing and getting the best performance out of my gear.


Sorry for the long post, any advice/critics on my setup would be greatly appreciated! I apologise if this post should have been placed in the 'Effects' section. It is applicable to both I suppose.


Cheers!

[BbbyBld]

I'm not exactly sure what the 'Hi Pass' send does, I would imagine it has something to do with only the hi end of the signal gets sent through.

Yeah, you've pretty much got it right. It's crossed over at about 300 Hz, so essentially you get 300Hz and above out of that jack.

One of the main aspects of the effects loop on my amp that confuses me is the loop level.

The loop level is a gain knob for the return jack. It's not a blend control that lets you pan between all wet and all dry with 50/50 in the middle. The dry level is fixed so you are just adding more effect to the mix as you turn it clockwise.

[tovey87]

Perfect, thanks for the reply! Am I losing a lot of the signal sending from the Hi Pass? Would the sond improve if I used the 'Full Send'? I'm sure I used the 'Full Send' before on the synth pedal never sounded right if I remember rightly. It was like I wasn't getting any Hi's in the slightest and it wouldnt oscillate properly.

Thanks again!

[BbbyBld]

How much 300 and above signal depends on the bass, playing style and range of notes on the neck.

You could probably use a switching pedal to switch between the different effects send outputs. There's a lot of variation possible!

Usually synth pedals use envelope filters that for the most part roll off varying amounts of highs based on how hard you play. You have to give them highs to work with. It's kind of like the passive tone knob on a bass. You can't really tell what it's doing when you play down low, but then if you play higher notes you can use it like a wah effect. I find that I get the best results from the bridge pickup because there's more highs across the board, so I can get the effect on low notes. You may try that instead of using the crossover output.

The crossover usually works well with chorus and flanger effects.

At any rate, you have a lot to experiment with!

[tovey87]

I play a US Fender Jazz and play mostly mid to hi range notes. I really like the Peter Hook style of bass playing and it suits my band quite well. I think from what you are saying I am probably right to be using the 'Hi Pass'. And in a way I've never had any problems using that send so why try and fix it!?