Do I need a Preamp after the HX Stomp?

[Vibhas Patil]

Hey Folks,

Planning on getting a HX Stomp XL that will serve two main purposes.

At home, it will be simply a unit that I shall use for effects such as delays, reverbs, filters, etc. I have octave, distortion, and the Meris Ottobit running into it. The stomp will go out into my Markbass head and cabinet

Live, I won't an amp most likely. Hence, going straight out of the HX stomp into the PA.

One last item, I will in the loop of the HX stomp have the Chase Bliss Mood and Ditto Looper. This is so that I can have items looped before I use the DI or Amp sims in the Stomp itself, and maybe even add a bit of delay/reverb.

Anyway, my question is as follows - when using live or even when running into my amp at home, do I need a preamp after the Hx stomp or can I run straight out of it? Also, would y'all recommend that i place the HX stomp in a loop of some kind so as to have better tone? For now, I have assumed this 'preamp' to be the Jad Freer Tim Lefebvre CAPO but I'm open to others too.

Check reference images below for the two options I am thinking of.

Option 1: Image titled, 'Slide 1'
Option 2: Image titled, 'Slide 2'

Thanks!

 

[gtirard]

No.

JF Capo is great but you don't need any preamp after the HX Stomp.

I have both and I love them both, but I never need to use them at the same time.

I use the HX Stomp when I want to use different effects in a single box, I use the Capo when I just want just a clean preamp + different flavors of OD with a quick and intuitive access to the settings.

The only situation when I would use both would be if I wanted real time control (with physical knobs and no menu diving) for my tone and OD, + HX Stomp as a wild card for other FX…

 

[S-Bigbottom]

For live stage use a DI box, a very basic is great no need for a preamp unless you just want it.
The mixing board and the Soundman will want to hook you up to the PA with an XLR cable.

At home, straight into your amp either the front or the Effects Loop. You choice, no DI required.

 

[sunbeast]

No need for a preamp at all, though many Stomp users seem to like a nice analog preamp to complement the digital FX. You may also not gel that well with the internal amp sounds by themselves- they can be somewhat tricky to dial in due to all the options and an external preamp can be a more straightforward and simple option for a base tone. The Stomp has a balanced output, but only via 1/4” cable and without a ground-lift option or phantom power protection (apparently phantom power won’t damage the Stomp but can degrade tone), so an external preamp with a standard XLR DI output is potentially a plus (or you can just use a plain DI box instead if you want to have the ground-lift option and phantom-power protection)