VT Bass into MarkBass Effects Loop

[MostlyBass]

I did a search and came up with several old threads that are close but not exactly so...

I just decided to try my VT Bass through my MarkBass Jeff Berlin (Combo Head II) effects loop rather than the input.

The sound seems much thicker and richer sounding. It seems this setup is functioning as a blend between the input and the loop. Is this in fact the case?

The other posts had said that the effects loop send may be too hot of a signal for the VT but, at least for this amp, this does not seem to be the case as turing up the gain did not cause extra / unwanted distortion.

I had been running two VTs between my bass and the input - one for general tone and one for fuzz. But having one in the line and one in the loop has me rethinking this. Can anyone comment as two positives / negatives or advantages / disadvantages to either setup?

Thank you!

[MostlyBass]

Ok so the effects loop is in parallel as stated on the MarkBass site.

[bongomania]

Yeah, you are getting a thicker sound because the signal is being doubled; it's like an analog chorus except without the swooshing sound. I would also bet that the clean signal is partly out of phase with the loop signal, but (because of the multiple gain stages and EQ) not exactly out of phase, and that's a good thing. It means more fatness, less signal cancellation.

The business about the levels being too high/too low in the loop is something to be aware of as a general possibility, but as you have found, it's not always the case. Experimentation is key.

[MostlyBass]

Thank you for the info, Bongo. I appreciate your expertise!!

[Downunderwonder]

It works,

yay!

Carry on...