Effects loop, when to use?

[Axtman]

Is there an advantage to using an amp's effect loop for effects rather than going from bass to effect to amp?

[McSpunckle]

The effects loop just bypasses the preamp of the amp. Basically, any EQ, distortion, etc your amp does will happen before the effect. There also tends to be a lot of gain going into the effects, depending on how the effects loop is done, that can result in the effects clipping-- which tends to sound horrible.

I prefer my effects up front.

[ga_edwards]

FX loops tend to be at line level. So any effect unit that operate as such (like many rack units) work best here.

There is a school of thought that tone shaping effects such as wah, distortion, filters, eq should go before preamp, and time based effects such as chorus, phaser, reverb, delay etc should go after. However, this tends to work better if your actually using the amps preamp for distortion - such as a guitarist. Many of us bassists however keep our amps clean so putting effect after the preamp in the loop doesn't really offer any benefit. In fact, running more cables back and forth makes it more fuss than it's worth.

Some fx loops also have a parallel wet/dry blend allowing you to dial back in some of your clean, bypassed tone. How useful this is to you is down to the player. It may save a headache if you're losing low end on some extreme effects.

Actually, thinking about it, many fx loops are parallel without a blend. This is handy as if ever your fx chain fails, you shouldn't lose signal. Something I've had once when running all effects before the amp.

Best thing to do is use your own judgment and see what sounds better to you.

[JimmyM]

i hate loops for anything, line or instrument level. everything always goes in front for me, thank you.

[gastric]

Can get a little messy having everything in front if your amp has built-in overdrive/distortion as you often want modulation and time based effects AFTER the overdrive/distortion, not before where they tend to get muddy or entirely lost.

Speaking as a Mesa Titan owner which has great tube overdrive, if you're a heavy effect user it's generally better to have all your effects before and use a clean amp and rely on pedals for overdrive/distortion for that reason.

[BigOldHarry]

I find them useless. I think I am not alone....

[Beersurgeon]

I like to have everything in front and use the EQ of my amp!!

[Axtman]

My goal is to get stuff off the floor, so I though about putting effects boxes on top of my amp.

1) I don't move around a lot but others do and have unplugged or tripped on my stuff.
2) It is getting harder and harder for me to bend over. Ever since that incident in prison. But seriously I got to start doing yoga.
3) It is easier to back up and twiddle a few knobs on my amp/effect.
4) Set up time. I want to plug and play.
5) Batteries. I run my effects on batteries because I don't want another extension cord run to my spot. More stuff to trip over.

[15000volts]

well, if the only pedal you use is a tuner, you can have it in the effects loop and have the pedal on top of your amp. some people like to do this and have the floor as free as possible for their feet.

[TheMutt]

Totally understand where you're coming from, but...

Originally Posted by Axtman

1) I don't move around a lot but others do and have unplugged or tripped on my stuff.

Is/Are your effect(s) on a pedalboard, or just sitting on the floor? Some cable management, and also training the other band members to not stumble around the stage like idiots might be in order.

Originally Posted by Axtman

2) It is getting harder and harder for me to bend over. Ever since that incident in prison. But seriously I got to start doing yoga.

So long as you're only having to set the pedals once and go, I don't see a problem with them being on the floor. If you need to change certain effects modes (like on a PS-5, SYB-5, Whammy, or something else) I can see the benefit of them being up where you can reach them.

Originally Posted by Axtman

3) It is easier to back up and twiddle a few knobs on my amp/effect.

The downside is that although it is easier to turn around and adjust settings on a pedal, it is much more difficult to do so mid-song (let alone switch effects on/off) when both of your hands are engaged in fretting and picking/plucking/slapping/etc. Unless all of your effects are always-on and/or you leave certain pedals (or combinations thereof) on for an entire song and have ample time between songs to change to the next combination, it's very unlikely that this will work out well for you.

Originally Posted by Axtman

4) Set up time. I want to plug and play.

This is easily accomplished with a pedalboard, granted some minor tweaking of parameters that may have shifted in transit, to set output to unity for the application (big venue where you need to crank it Vs. small venue where a lighter touch is required), or to adjust eq for a certain room (super-huge stadium Vs. one-stall bathroom).

Originally Posted by Axtman

5) Batteries. I run my effects on batteries because I don't want another extension cord run to my spot. More stuff to trip over.

Although I dislike batteries because they require changing, this will actually inhibit your ability for a quick setup. You would need to unplug every effect to ensure that the battery does not drain (usually switched on/off by the input jack) when not in use. This would also mean that you would need to keep an up-to-date log of every effect's battery levels and even carry backup batteries in the event of a failure. Of course, we can argue that a power supply might fail, but the chances are that the amp's power would fail as well being that they would likely be plugged into the same mains (which is normally the culprit IME).

All of this may or may not be a moot point for you, and obviously doesn't answer the question as to whether or not you should use the effects loop of your amp (which ga_edwards has already covered), but I just wanted to fully flesh out your effects plans as the dissenting point of view.

By all means do what you feel is right and comfortable for you, but also make an (at least marginally more, if my ramblings have achieved this) educated decision about it.

[Axtman]

Thanks TheMutt. Good responses!

[warwick.hoy]

Effects Loops are typically intended for rackmount gear (Rackmount Compressors/Preamps/EQs etc). That way you can have your amp in a rack along with the other units and not have to run them into your instrument input. My understanding is rackmount gear typically put out a signal intended for line level whatever that may be (I'm not really familiar with rackmount gear).

Just put your stuff on your amp like you want to and plug into the instrument input.

[Headless Llama]

I use mine, and I like it! The only effect I put in-line is my wah.

I do it like this because I don't need them on the ground. Plus, I like to change certain settings on some effects mid song... this would be impossible with them on the ground.

[ga_edwards]

Originally Posted by Axtman

My goal is to get stuff off the floor, so I though about putting effects boxes on top of my amp.

1) I don't move around a lot but others do and have unplugged or tripped on my stuff.
2) It is getting harder and harder for me to bend over. Ever since that incident in prison. But seriously I got to start doing yoga.
3) It is easier to back up and twiddle a few knobs on my amp/effect.
4) Set up time. I want to plug and play.
5) Batteries. I run my effects on batteries because I don't want another extension cord run to my spot. More stuff to trip over.

To add to TheMutt's already excellent response. It would appear from your list of requirements that you may possibly need to simplify your existing setup to make it work for you rather than need to know the ins and outs (no pun intended) of fx loops.

There are ways to remotely control fx without needing racks and fx loops. For example, the only effect I switch in and out mid set/mid song is overdrive. So to this end, rather than have a pedal board down by my feet which also has all my 'always on' utility pedals, I have a TC Nova Drive that can be remotely controlled by a passive footswitch whilst the pedal board sits at the back of the stage with my amp. This also means I don't need to run power to the front of the stage too. Just one regular instrument cable to the footswitch.

If I wished, I could put my pedalboard on top of my amp too to make it easier to tweak knobs.

Another option that occurs would be a loom cable, something like the pedalsnake. This can carry your audio signal to your amp from the pedal board, whilst also carrying power from the back of the stage to your pedals. Therefore negating the need to run power extension cables to the front of stage.

I would also buy a couple of rolls of gaffa tape if tripping over cables is an issue!

Another thought it to take a good hard looks at your existing effect and think about what you really, really need. Take out anything you can live without, or the audience won't really notice. Yeah you'll miss them at first, but it will make your life a lot easier.

Lastly, given the above ideas, you might want to look into a multi fx device, one that can be remotely controlled. Something like the Line 6 Pod X3/X3 Pro comes to mind. These can live on top of your amp, where your power supply is, where your can quickly make changes and can be remotely controlled by one of there passive controllers, so you don't even need to run power to the front of stage.