Do pedals increase headroom?

[perutxo]

Hi fellows,

Well, the title says it all.
As active basses (with an onboard preamp)do increase headroom, I was wondering if effect pedals and outboard preamps,being active, would do the same function.
Thanks

[bongomania]

Active basses reduce headroom, if they provide boost. You must mean "loudness", and while some onboard preamps do boost the gain, increasing loudness, not all of them do. Nearly all preamp pedals do provide some gain boost, but it would be wrong to assume anything across the board.

[perutxo]

Oh well,
I have always thought that active basses increase headroom.
I thought active basses offer more volume before amp clips, distorts...
Isn't that the meaning of headroom?
Thanks

[jelwood]

An amp's headroom is not affected by what kind of bass is plugged in to it.

[nicoli]

An amp will clip at the same input/output level regardless of what is plugged into it. An active bass will provide a louder output than a passive bass, thus the same volume can be achieved with less gain on the amp, but that doesn't mean it will make the amp louder before it distorts. You'll still get distortion at the same volume as with a passive bass.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by perutxo

I have always thought that active basses increase headroom.
I thought active basses offer more volume before amp clips, distorts...
Isn't that the meaning of headroom?

That's the correct meaning of headroom, but making a bass louder does not change anything about the amp. If you make the bass louder, the peaks of that signal will be even closer to the point where the amp starts clipping--so headroom is reduced.

[Pollinator95]

Wouldn't a compressor (or limiter, perhaps) more-or-less increase headroom, or at least create that illusion?
I mean, it wouldn't actually make the amp take in a hotter signal, but it should let you make most of your notes louder, shouldn't it?

[perutxo]

Thank you guys for the answers,
As instructive as usual.

Thanks

[Blue]

Clearly no; just the opposite. When you step on a Pedal you are perhaps 2" closer to the ceiling.

[old-fashioned]

It is not a pedal but this (or any optimized HPF) may increase headroom I suppose.
[sfx]:micro-thumpinator

[tekdiver500ft]

Cyrus is 100% right, and he is one man on this board that should be trusted about the technical aspects of sound. Anything that increases input reduces headroom, be it preamp or pedal.

[arginator]

Originally Posted by Blue

Clearly no; just the opposite. When you step on a Pedal you are perhaps 2" closer to the ceiling.

Brilliant!

[vivifiction]

Also, you'll find some popular pedals, normally drives, will advertise they can be run at 18v to "increase headroom"- it's my understanding (TB, correct me if I'm wrong) that they are referring to the context of the pedal itself; that is, the headroom of your signal is not being raised, only that the pedal won't break up at lower setting on the pedal itself.

[buglen]

Originally Posted by vivifiction

Also, you'll find some popular pedals, normally drives, will advertise they can be run at 18v to "increase headroom"- it's my understanding (TB, correct me if I'm wrong) that they are referring to the context of the pedal itself; that is, the headroom of your signal is not being raised, only that the pedal won't break up at lower setting on the pedal itself.

That is correct. The higher internal voltage of a pedal should allow a hotter input before the pedal itself starts to exhibit clipping or other audible artifacts. Of course, this assumes that the internal circuits of the pedal are designed to take advantage of the higher voltages.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Pollinator95

Wouldn't a compressor (or limiter, perhaps) more-or-less increase headroom, or at least create that illusion?
I mean, it wouldn't actually make the amp take in a hotter signal, but it should let you make most of your notes louder, shouldn't it?

Yes, because it concentrates more of the signal at a higher average level, so it sounds louder before the amp starts clipping. It doesn't increase headroom, but you're right that it would give that impression.

[diehard70]

Originally Posted by Blue

Clearly no; just the opposite. When you step on a Pedal you are perhaps 2" closer to the ceiling.

This made me chuckle