Wiring effects in parallel? Pros/cons?

[enjoi1018]

Just as the title says (I know I've seen it on TB before, I just can't find the thread after an hour of searching... forgive me!) can you split all of your effects into their own channel post-tuner and recombine them just pre-amp? If this is possible, wouldn't you lose any "stacking" of effects?

For instance, octave>fuzz>filter (series) normally can produce some good synth tones, but wouldn't wiring these effects in parallel take away the fuzz from receiving an octave signal and so on? Or, if the above is possible, would I just be stuck blending a straight octave signal with a straight fuzz and a straight filter signal? I hope this is clear.

Any experience, know-how, or general tips/ideas would be much appreciated.

[cheapbasslovin]

It is true that if you ran each in its own parallel loop you would lose some of that mojo you get running in series, but you can get all that back plus some if you have your stuff grouped nicely.

For instance you can still have your oct>fuzz>filter setup, but with a delay in parallel, you would get a clean bass delay trail following it. Or you could split your octave from your fuzz> filter to get a more two instrument tone.

These are just two scenarios of many available from parallel paths. I likes me the parallel paths .

[smllsnd/bigsnd]

parallel processing is awesome, though the combinations and options can be a bit overwhelming... depends on what you're looking for really.

- octaves down may be nice alone so as to not glitch out from fuzz pedal harmonics and you keep that nice fuzzy edge with the low beef.
- using overdrive/fuzz and keeping subtlety in delays and reverbs without adding a lot of high end hash, parallel is nice...
- parallel pitchshifting.

really, a combination of the two = WIN

[M Sterling]

I agree, parallel processing opens up so many possibilities it can be overwhelming in a very good way. I keep my octave down in a parallel loop to always have a thumpy bassline no matter what crazy sounds I put in the other loop, but there are many other uses.

The Boss LS-2 is probably the cheapest pedal you can get to do this, but there are many, many options ranging in price and functionality.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by smllsnd/bigsnd

really, a combination of the two = WIN

+1, I almost always have both series and parallel in my chain. Each method has great value, depending on the specific pieces of gear being connected, and what results you want from them.

[Unrepresented]

You'd trade the synthyness of a filtered fuzzed octave for a blend of octave a filter and a fuzz. Definitely not the same thing. For example, the three will have different levels of attack, sustain, and release rather than one that's made relatively unified by the filter.

I agree with the above posters who recommend smart selection of channels to run parallel. Put pedals you use in series in a single channel, and have as you have series of pedals, rather than one for each pedal, at least if you're frequently combining groups.

[bassbrad]

It's a nice idea but a bit impractical you'd need a patch bay or mixer to combine effects.

[enjoi1018]

Thanks for all the help guys, all my questions are answered!

[cheapbasslovin]

Originally Posted by bassbrad

It's a nice idea but a bit impractical you'd need a patch bay or mixer to combine effects.

Or any one of these:

Badger Schism
Wounded Paw Super Blender
Wounded Paw Ultra Blender
SFX Split and Mix
SFX Crossover and Mix
and last but not least
Boss LS-2

[bongomania]

[DannDubblewe]

Well, I feel like an idiot for never exploring this. It almost seems necessary, especially when going for the "modular" synth-based effect setup to keep things layered and fat.

Durn. This is awesome.

[CHILDISHGAMBINO]

I've been thinking of running some sort of parallel set up for a while now. LS-2's are cheap and plentiful. But I just quit my job so it will be a while.