Draggin' The LMB-3 Discussion Up Again :D

[SurferJoe46]

Bongo; you gave me a pretty good bunch of info before, and I am indebted to you for it.

I am wondering what really happens when I put the LMB-3 into the EFX Loop of my amp instead of where I now run it.

I like the ability to knock the boomer strings down and even out my playing - that's all fine and good. It does exactly what it is supposed to. I am the erratic element here, not the gear I feel!

I run my basses into it and then into the padded input of the preamp side of my combo. I realize that I am knocking the peaks from my playing - but I am confused a little by the mechanism involved.

I went through the Search area and cannot find an answer to what I would like to know.

1) Does the LMB-3 'clip' or does it turn the signal down on the higher voltages (e.g: 'amplitude'), not just looking to corral the more powerful frequencies? (ibidem: Thinking it's less of a 'clipper' and more of an active volume control)
2) OR: (almost the same question, but asked a little differently) Is it somewhat intuitive and can differentiate from higher voltages (and therefor volume peaks) or just selectively knock down the less-desired and dialed-in frequency by setting a gated level?

Is there any reason to just put it into place before the pre - or should it be inserted into the Loop to drop the peaks that the pre has already processed?

Since I believe that clipping control is solely a process of the pre-amp, am I just compounding the clipping - by doing it twice - if indeed 'clipping' is what the LMB-3 does in the first place?

The only problem I see with putting the LMB-3 into the Loop is that it can drive the post-amp too hard if it's not set correctly - and cause problems to it - right?

I have no complaints at all about the LMB-3 - it is a great piece of equipment - but I just wonder how it is doing what I like so well.

There are times when I have used it as a pre-amp for a vocal too! Imagine that! It works very well when I don't want to fire up my ART/Tube Amp.

[SurferJoe46]

Ker - BUMP

[bongomania]

Heyo, sorry I missed this earlier. As described in my FAQ, a limiter is a type of compressor, and a compressor is just an automatic volume control. Clipping does compress a signal, so in that sense OD's and fuzzes are compressors; and there's a sense in which the threshold of a compressor is like the clip level of a gain stage, so it's all in the same family. But where "regular" clipping is inherently hard-edged and audible, "regular" compression ideally has a softer edge and is much less noticeable.

I usually find that if there is an unwanted clipping noise when I play, it happens at the input stage of the amp. So in those cases it really is better to put the limiter between the bass and the amp, to prevent unwanted (audible) clipping. If you find that there is no unwanted clipping at that stage, but instead at a later stage (EQ, power section, speakers) then it becomes reasonable to put the limiter in the loop.

All that said, one of the biggest factors is whether the particular loop on your particular amp is designed for operating at a signal level that is compatible with the pedal. There's a lot more detail on that subject in my FAQ, but basically some loops will cause unwanted clipping in some pedals, and the mismatch of operating levels can result in noise, bad tone, or just distortion.

Experiment to find out what the situation is with your amp--it won't hurt anything.

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Heyo, sorry I missed this earlier. As described in my FAQ, a limiter is a type of compressor, and a compressor is just an automatic volume control. Clipping does compress a signal, so in that sense OD's and fuzzes are compressors; and there's a sense in which the threshold of a compressor is like the clip level of a gain stage, so it's all in the same family. But where "regular" clipping is inherently hard-edged and audible, "regular" compression ideally has a softer edge and is much less noticeable.

I usually find that if there is an unwanted clipping noise when I play, it happens at the input stage of the amp. So in those cases it really is better to put the limiter between the bass and the amp, to prevent unwanted (audible) clipping. If you find that there is no unwanted clipping at that stage, but instead at a later stage (EQ, power section, speakers) then it becomes reasonable to put the limiter in the loop.

All that said, one of the biggest factors is whether the particular loop on your particular amp is designed for operating at a signal level that is compatible with the pedal. There's a lot more detail on that subject in my FAQ, but basically some loops will cause unwanted clipping in some pedals, and the mismatch of operating levels can result in noise, bad tone, or just distortion.

Experiment to find out what the situation is with your amp--it won't hurt anything.

This is the part I like!

Experiment to find out what the situation is with your amp--it won't hurt anything.