I just got a Mesa TT-800 amp. It is 2 channel and each channel has it’s own effect loop. I’m a bit at a loss as to why it’s set up this way. How is this to be used. I need to separate pedal boards, one for each channel? Or I have to choose which channel I want to gig with? I don’t see a way to combine the loops. Anyone experience this issue on this or other amps?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Dual Effects loops useage Mesa TT-800
- Thread starter Troy Allen
- Start date
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,035
- 5
- 220,950
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Due to the specific architecture, the loops are separate. They are also line level (like many loops) and are generally not suitable for many pedals. Pedals can be placed in front of the amp.
They are intended to be used with line level effects, as well a insert points that allow an external preamp to be substituted for one of the internal preamps and follow the channel switching.
The loops can not be combined.
They are intended to be used with line level effects, as well a insert points that allow an external preamp to be substituted for one of the internal preamps and follow the channel switching.
The loops can not be combined.
Thanks for the great response. So, the idea is that to use my stomp pedals they should be plugged into front of amp. I guess I am not familiar with “line level effects”. Would this be like my rack mount DBX160 compressor? Or if I used my Axe FX effects?
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,035
- 5
- 220,950
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Yes, the DBX 160 is exactly the type of effect that the loop is intended for as it generally can’t be used in front of the amp at instrument label. I know of a player that uses a 166 (2 channel) in a rack, one comp patched into each channel set quite differently.
The question I have for other TT-800 owners is: how are you using the two channels and the two loops?
Right now I'm using the Subway channel as a brighter, "clean" channel, keeping the gain low. The Boogie channel has the gain turned up higher to push the tubes a bit, and the EQ is set a bit "big" with more lows and low mids and the highs dialed back a bit.
I'm currently running all of my pedals in front, but keep thinking about how advantageous it would be to have the effects dialed in for each channel, to make channel switches a bit more dramatic.
So how are you using the two channels and their respective effects loops?
Right now I'm using the Subway channel as a brighter, "clean" channel, keeping the gain low. The Boogie channel has the gain turned up higher to push the tubes a bit, and the EQ is set a bit "big" with more lows and low mids and the highs dialed back a bit.
I'm currently running all of my pedals in front, but keep thinking about how advantageous it would be to have the effects dialed in for each channel, to make channel switches a bit more dramatic.
So how are you using the two channels and their respective effects loops?
Can you chain the two preamps by selecting the subway channel and patching the mesa effect send into the aux in?
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,035
- 5
- 220,950
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
That would get you both channels, but I have no idea if they will be phase coherent since it wasn't designed to work that way and it probably won't sound all that great with the two voices simultaneously. This would be parallel summing.
That’s a great question. Anybody? I’m going to try my Fractal FM 3 in the loops. It could be set up to run both loops with same effects (with a lot of cords or pedal snake). For now I’m just running my analog chorus, delay, comp, sansamp, eq and boss distortion to the front of the amp. So both channels get all effects. Otherwise I would have to pick and choose which effects go to what loop, and run the Sansamp to the front.
Maybe the question I should have asked was, is anyone using the effects loop on their TT800?
I have played with a Line6 HX Stomp setup with my TT800.
The HX Stomp takes the mono bass (L) input and feeds it into our chosen front end stomp FX.
The FX output is then sent out on the stomp's stereo FX loop, we use the left channel of the stereo send to feed the TT800 input.
This takes care of things like distortion, compressor or envelope filter based effects that we might normally run in front of our amp.
The Stomp has a MIDI output which is used to drive a Suhr microMIDI Control that is used to switch between the Boogie or the Subway channels. The appropriate MIDI commands can be saved per HX Stomp patch.
After the TT800 front end does its magic we take the TT800 Boogie Send and Subway Send and return them to the stomp's stereo FX return. At this point the stomp thinks it has a stereo signal but in actual fact it has a signal on only one of the channels.
From here on, inside the stomp, we only use mono effects in the rest of the signal chain which effectively merges our quasi stereo signal back to mono. In this portion of the stomp's processing we run the sort of effects you might typically use in the effects loop of an amplifier, e.g. delay, chorus, reverb etc.
Finally the Left and right stereo outputs of the Stomp are then fed back to the Boogie and Subway FX returns. Each of the stomp's L+R outputs carries the same mono signal, and this is effectively fed into the TT800 power amp via the active TT800 channel FX return.
What this means is that I can combine a variety of digitally emulated pedal and loop effects with either of the TT800 channels. If desired I can completely bypass the TT800 preamp and substitute any of the stomp's emulated preamps to directly feed into the TT800 power amp. I can tweak and save any combination of channels and effects under a single stomp preset which is available to be recalled when needed.
In actual fact the Stomp has a left and right input, so you could connect two separate basses and then, as part of the preset settings, you could then save which input was being used along with the settings tailored to that instrument.
This has been great fun to play around with and I imagine it could be really useful if I was covering a variety of different songs or genres. What I actually need to do though, is to learn to play my bass properly rather than play around with all these different effects. At the end of the day just plugging straight into the TT800 boogie channel with no effects at all is so sonically satisfying that I don't really need any of the effects to feel happy anyway.
All that being said (sorry it's a bit of a novel), if I was actually going to use this setup outside of the home I would definitely invest in a custom multi-core cable to make connections between the stomp and the TT800 easier.
Cheers
The HX Stomp takes the mono bass (L) input and feeds it into our chosen front end stomp FX.
The FX output is then sent out on the stomp's stereo FX loop, we use the left channel of the stereo send to feed the TT800 input.
This takes care of things like distortion, compressor or envelope filter based effects that we might normally run in front of our amp.
The Stomp has a MIDI output which is used to drive a Suhr microMIDI Control that is used to switch between the Boogie or the Subway channels. The appropriate MIDI commands can be saved per HX Stomp patch.
After the TT800 front end does its magic we take the TT800 Boogie Send and Subway Send and return them to the stomp's stereo FX return. At this point the stomp thinks it has a stereo signal but in actual fact it has a signal on only one of the channels.
From here on, inside the stomp, we only use mono effects in the rest of the signal chain which effectively merges our quasi stereo signal back to mono. In this portion of the stomp's processing we run the sort of effects you might typically use in the effects loop of an amplifier, e.g. delay, chorus, reverb etc.
Finally the Left and right stereo outputs of the Stomp are then fed back to the Boogie and Subway FX returns. Each of the stomp's L+R outputs carries the same mono signal, and this is effectively fed into the TT800 power amp via the active TT800 channel FX return.
What this means is that I can combine a variety of digitally emulated pedal and loop effects with either of the TT800 channels. If desired I can completely bypass the TT800 preamp and substitute any of the stomp's emulated preamps to directly feed into the TT800 power amp. I can tweak and save any combination of channels and effects under a single stomp preset which is available to be recalled when needed.
In actual fact the Stomp has a left and right input, so you could connect two separate basses and then, as part of the preset settings, you could then save which input was being used along with the settings tailored to that instrument.
This has been great fun to play around with and I imagine it could be really useful if I was covering a variety of different songs or genres. What I actually need to do though, is to learn to play my bass properly rather than play around with all these different effects. At the end of the day just plugging straight into the TT800 boogie channel with no effects at all is so sonically satisfying that I don't really need any of the effects to feel happy anyway.
All that being said (sorry it's a bit of a novel), if I was actually going to use this setup outside of the home I would definitely invest in a custom multi-core cable to make connections between the stomp and the TT800 easier.
Cheers
