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effects loop -- who uses it?
- Thread starter robb.
- Start date
elaborating on robb's explaination...
There's pretty much 2 reasons an octaver doesn't track well
Pretty much all octavers have a clipping stage that converts the bass signal into a square wave. As soon as this stage falls out of clipping, the device will cease to track at all. This is why it's better to run an octaver in the effects loop, since the signal is hotter.
After the clipping stage comes the division stage. If you input too complex a waveform, such as a chord, the circuit tracks, but you confuse the divider stage and you will get some funky artifacts out.
The compressor can give you a consistant "hot" signal that stays in clipping for a long time, and also gets rid of some the harmonic content that confuses the divider stage.
There's pretty much 2 reasons an octaver doesn't track well
Pretty much all octavers have a clipping stage that converts the bass signal into a square wave. As soon as this stage falls out of clipping, the device will cease to track at all. This is why it's better to run an octaver in the effects loop, since the signal is hotter.
After the clipping stage comes the division stage. If you input too complex a waveform, such as a chord, the circuit tracks, but you confuse the divider stage and you will get some funky artifacts out.
The compressor can give you a consistant "hot" signal that stays in clipping for a long time, and also gets rid of some the harmonic content that confuses the divider stage.
I've never been a fan of my effect loop, at least for effects uses.
The signal is lower (I think someone said lower impedance) coming through the effects loop, so I can't dial in any usable distortion through my pedals... Also, most of my other pedals just sound different in the loop.
If I did use it in its designed function, I'd put my volume and delay pedals in the loop and leave everything else in front... But between that and the amp's footswitch, I'd have four cables between the amp and the pedalboard. It's just not worth that.
As it is, I sometimes use one effects loop (I have two on my Fender) for a line out, sometimes for a handy tuner output. I used to use the effect loop to take a line out to a bigger slave amp, back before I realized the joy of using PA support.
Now days, the effects loops go largely unused for shows. If my drummer can't hear me, I take a line out straight to his monitor mixer so he can dial me in specifically as much as he wants. I was using the effect loop faithfully for my tuner because I coudn't get it to work for the life of me in my pedal board. Turns out I was using a faulty patch cable, so now it's back on my board.
Occasionally I'll use the IN from my effects loop if I'm doing something that I want to stay uncolored, like playing an acoustic guitar... or, heaven forbid, I have to plug a mixer into my amp...
The signal is lower (I think someone said lower impedance) coming through the effects loop, so I can't dial in any usable distortion through my pedals... Also, most of my other pedals just sound different in the loop.
If I did use it in its designed function, I'd put my volume and delay pedals in the loop and leave everything else in front... But between that and the amp's footswitch, I'd have four cables between the amp and the pedalboard. It's just not worth that.
As it is, I sometimes use one effects loop (I have two on my Fender) for a line out, sometimes for a handy tuner output. I used to use the effect loop to take a line out to a bigger slave amp, back before I realized the joy of using PA support.
Now days, the effects loops go largely unused for shows. If my drummer can't hear me, I take a line out straight to his monitor mixer so he can dial me in specifically as much as he wants. I was using the effect loop faithfully for my tuner because I coudn't get it to work for the life of me in my pedal board. Turns out I was using a faulty patch cable, so now it's back on my board.
Occasionally I'll use the IN from my effects loop if I'm doing something that I want to stay uncolored, like playing an acoustic guitar... or, heaven forbid, I have to plug a mixer into my amp...
Just like a compressor is best run at the begining of the effects chain, to give the effects a nice clean signal to, well, affect, shouldn't a compressor be best run before the equalizer to give it a nice clean signal to equalize? That is assuming that the effects loop comes after the eq but most my amps are like that.
well, there's certainly some benefit to compressing before the preamp if that's the sound you like. but EQ isn't really what i'd call a level-dependent effect like distortion or octave.
robb.
robb.
thejohnkim said:
Why?I used to use all my effects going straight into the input, but my studio guy got me to start using them ALL in the FX loop... I guess I just got used to it that way and never questioned what the diference was...
can anyone enlighten me on that please? why would yuo want some effects going in through the front and some going into the FX Loop?
the FX loop is post EQ, so if you're making any EQ changes on your amp, they'll be sent to your effects through the FX loop. that is another reason why people will put a compressor in the FX loop -- it compresses the post-EQ signal, which is important if you boost any frequencies. also, the FX loop has a higher signal level than an instrument, so it's easier to use the compressor properly there than inline. the exception being if it's a dedicated pedal (designed specifically to be used with an instrument).
that said, sometimes it's better to put the compressor ahead of effects, particularly if they're level dependent like distortion, octaver, or even an envelope filter (though envelope filters benefit greatly from the natural attack and decay characteristics of uncompressed instruments). you can use it to smooth out the attack of the instrument for a much more even response from the effect. i have used a compressor before distortion when recording guitar. it allowed me to achieve the same type of attack and sustain using far less gain (which is very mix friendly). that makes the distortion sound smoother and less buzzy.
so there's reasons to do both, and it really depends upon what you're trying to accomplish why you'd use one or the other.
robb.
that said, sometimes it's better to put the compressor ahead of effects, particularly if they're level dependent like distortion, octaver, or even an envelope filter (though envelope filters benefit greatly from the natural attack and decay characteristics of uncompressed instruments). you can use it to smooth out the attack of the instrument for a much more even response from the effect. i have used a compressor before distortion when recording guitar. it allowed me to achieve the same type of attack and sustain using far less gain (which is very mix friendly). that makes the distortion sound smoother and less buzzy.
so there's reasons to do both, and it really depends upon what you're trying to accomplish why you'd use one or the other.
robb.
I have an ART BCC multi-effects unit (discontinued model) that I use in the effects loop of my Eden Nemesis NC410 combo amp, as well as the effects loop of my Carvin RSP rackmount preamp (also discontinued model). Works fine for what it does (I believe the effects loop in each amp is parallel) though I'm probably going to move to separate effects processors in a pedalboard, as it's more flexible to mix & match on the fly - particularly in a live situation. The ART BCC may be better suited to the studio - if it's quiet enough...
MM
MM
OK, so given these:
EBS Multicomp
EBS Octabass
EHX Big Muff
Ibanez Phaser
Boss Bass Chorus
Boss Dig. Delay
which would you put in the FX loop and which at the front?
EBS Multicomp
EBS Octabass
EHX Big Muff
Ibanez Phaser
Boss Bass Chorus
Boss Dig. Delay
which would you put in the FX loop and which at the front?
Aussiephoenix said:
I've never used any effects through my loop as a bass player but as a guitar player the rule is that time based effects go into the loop while everthing else goes through the front end. I can't see why it would be different for bass. Now I just have to figure out what bass effects I should want ...
my first instinct is to put the comp first, and then the octaver and distortion. depending upon how you use your amp EQ and how it effects the chorus and phaser, i'd experiment with putting them in front or in the loop. the delay i'd definitely put in the loop, if anything is going there at all.
robb.
robb.
