/ Register

Line6 mod and filter pro effects units

Discussion in 'Effects [BG]' started by Howard K, Jul 28, 2003.

  1. Jul 28, 2003 #1
    Howard K

    Howard K

    Feb 14, 2002
    UK
    I find setting the levels for effects is a serious pain in the r's... i.e. my mini q-tron and distortion pedals boost the level loads, while my chorus cuts. On top of this, the addition of numerous unbalanced cables in the signal path means massive hum once I finally get to the PA...
    Basically I find effects a right pain in the arse to use live!

    does anyone have any experience of the two line 6 units mentioned above - can they be used effectively with bass - via send & return from an amp?

    or are any other multi-effects units worth considering?

    I'm considering someting that will replace a qtron, bass balls and chorus, but with a few more effects chucked in, phase, flange etc etc...

    Some real odd funky sounds that can be tweaked to the max... i'm also really only up for wrack-mount stuff

    ta
    H
    :)
     
  2. Jul 28, 2003 #2
    alexclaber

    alexclaber Commercial User

    Jun 19, 2001
    Brighton, UK
    Director - Barefaced Ltd
    Thinking laterally, you could try adding a volume pedal to your setup to deal with level changes. I use a lot of pedals and haven't had any noise problems so all that hum may be due to ground loops or noisy power supplies - how do you power all your pedals?

    Alex
     
  3. Jul 28, 2003 #3
    Howard K

    Howard K

    Feb 14, 2002
    UK
    I could indeed use a volume pedal at the end of the chain, good idea. However, I cant stand on one pedal and change volume at the same time, not a biggy I suppose, but not ideal either.

    Of late I power via 9V battery, I've used mains in the past, but I have to admit the large amount of mains cables and interconnects required is just so much hassle that I rarely bother with more than one pedal per gig, if that, even tho I do really want to...

    When out gigging you never know what the quality of the mains will be like... this is a problem no matter what, my amp suffers noticabley if the supply is bad, so regardless of how I power my effects I'm gonna get problems.

    I'm not getting any earth loops, at present...

    I dont suppose they are power supply cleaning devices you can buy are there? That'd be worth investing in..

    Truth be told, I'm pissed off with pedals, the wires, the huge amount of potential problems, the crap all over the floor.. it just bugs the hell outta me, hence I rarely use the damned things!
     
  4. Jul 28, 2003 #4
    alexclaber

    alexclaber Commercial User

    Jun 19, 2001
    Brighton, UK
    Director - Barefaced Ltd
    I know exactly what you mean - it just takes one lead to come out or one battery to be flat and suddenly all your sound is gone! So annoying...

    My solution to this has been to fix all the pedals onto a pedal board and have them permanently wired up and connected to a good power supply, thus making them like a giant multi-FX. All I have to do at gigs is plug my bass into one end, the amp into the other and connect up one mains lead. (I was also very particular about my FX having consistent on & off volume levels, low noise levels and decent bypass (true preferably) but you can't really do anything retrospectively with your existing pedals).

    I'm a bit concerned that you might find rackmount digital effects to be even more awkward than analogue pedals (especially if you have dodgy mains power) plus they won't be cheap once you've figured in midi controllers etc.

    What's your effects chain at the moment?

    Alex
     
  5. Jul 28, 2003 #5
    Howard K

    Howard K

    Feb 14, 2002
    UK
    Or worse still, something breaks and you dont know what it is... aarrgghhh!!

    Chain at the moment is:

    bass into

    1) boss signal splitting pedal
    2) boss super metal distortion (nasty, but nicely configurable)
    3) mini qtron
    4) bass balls
    5) boss chorus

    into amp...

    I could add a volume pedal to the end of the chain, but truth be told I'm not 100% sure about that?
    I mean ideally I'd chop and change between effects on different sections of songs etc. so volume pedal might be a right mare? hmm?

    These line6 modeling units are only £200 so I'm more than happy to shell out if I can get some recommendation or comments of them?

    i reckon they could be very effective if used to teh max, it's just whether they handle the bass signals well or not really?

    i mean practiclly all pedals are noisy and beneath a band i'm not too worried about digital vs analog - not for live sounds anyhow