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Multi effect pedal vs. single effect pedals

#42
I've use both approaches pretty extensively, for both bass and guitar, and prefer individual pedals. My why's:

• Multi FX almost always means all-digital. Digital is fantastic for some things, and not desirable for others, in my opinion, and for what I like. For example, I don't want my dirt, wah or delay to be digital. But digital modulation and reverb is glorious to my ears. Simulations and models of analog are not the same. YMMV

• I find that programming patches is a tedious pain in the neck. I would rather twist knobs of individual boxes than scroll through menus to tweak presets. Been there, done that many times, and to me, it gets old. And I also find that I don't like revisiting and re-tweaking the patches, so I'll tend to just live with what I set up. Also, settings are usually more complicated to change quickly on the fly. YMMV

• With individual pedals, you can get the exact tone you're looking for, for each effect. You're not limited to the algorhythm and brand of the multi. Example, for me is, I love a Fulltone OCD for dirt, a JHS Panther cub for delay, a EHX for fuzz, anda TC electronics digital pedal for reverb. that's what sounds best to me. If you have an all-in-one unit, you have to live with the models of those things they include. YMMV

• It's not as much fun as mixing and matching pedals from other manufacturers. YMMV

• Sharing a single processor for all effects usually means less processing for each one. And you can often hear the difference. Meaning, the dedicated digital reverb pedals I have used sound way huger than with more headroom than the ones that came as part of a mutli-fx "everything" pedal. YMMV

• In my experience, in general, the more effects that are combined into one unit, the less good they sound individually. Meaning, it's a bunch of mediocre effects that sound OK, or some of them sound great, and some of them are meh... but if I want the best tone for each effect, individual, hand-selected-for-the-purpose boxes are better. YMMV
 
#43
beans-on-toast said:
The Eventide H9 is very good. So are the EHX digital pedals. Multi-effects are good and will continue to improve as time goes by.

The problem with chained analog pedals is the noise. Although if you are running distortion, maybe noise is not much of a concern.
Click to expand...
I've found that a decent buffer takes care of that.
 
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#44
Blaargh said:
I think cheaper/older multi-FX units are a good idea if you're getting into effects and trying to figure out what kinda stuff you like. Newer things like the Helix seem to be much higher quality in general- Soundwise I probably wouldn't have a problem with one.
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Newer units are made with newer technology. That does not mean that the price has anything to do with it. The price of these units is usually in the hardware. With Something like Line 6 Helix, you get a big board, with a lot of control. That does not mean that it uses much newer technology than B1on, and it does not mean that it sounds much different. But it's easier to use for some applications.

You shouldn't put cheaper/older in the same category, because this description couldn't be more different. A $1000 20-year-old multi-effect will sound worse than a $50 modern one. And that's where many people get these units wrong. They tried Zoom 505 20 years ago, and they will think that new stuff sounds like that.

Additionally, multi-effect units come as their name says these days. More, independent effects, in the same unit. You can use your processor just for delays and reverbs if you want to. No one says that it has to be either full pedals or either just a processor. They kinda became these idea that they don't play well other pedals, so people will use either one or the other, but that's not the case anymore.
 
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#46
beans-on-toast said:
Do you have one buffer pedal that you like?

When I saw buffer, the first thing that I thought of was Bufferin for the headache :laugh::

Home | Buffered Aspirin by Bufferin
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LOL! Yes, shove two aspirin in each effect :D

But seriously, I've found that pretty much any buffered bypass pedal will do the job...Boss pedal, VT, wireless, clean boost/buffer. I have some favorite examples of each, but don't really have a favorite where one stands out over the other.
 
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#48
I prefer single pedals for the flexibility. That said, my board is down to all Source Audio now other than my Broughton octaver, so I suppose if Source were to put out a multi-effect unit with a great octave effect I'd seriously consider it.
 
#49
JimmyM said:
LOL! Yes, shove two aspirin in each effect :D

But seriously, I've found that pretty much any buffered bypass pedal will do the job...Boss pedal, VT, wireless, clean boost/buffer. I have some favorite examples of each, but don't really have a favorite where one stands out over the other.
Click to expand...

I've got a buffer pcb on order to build one. So I've been wondering about them.

What would be nice is a relay based router that can reconfigure which pedal is in the chain, and the order of each pedal, all programmed to a single footswitch.
 
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#51
The problem with multieffects is that you can't mix and match brands. You can get a top of the line pedal for $100 to $200 bucks a piece. But, I've seen pedalboards with a multieffects and individual pedals.
If anything get a Zoom MS-70B, which is a multieffect laid out like a stompbox, then you can gradually replace it with stompboxes.
 
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#52
The second you want to use multiple sounds from the same effect, in combination with each other, having individual pedals loses every time. With the exception of midi capable stuff and a loop switcher, doing this with boxes becomes impossible, especially live.

I used to be an individual pedal user, and still am to a degree, but the digital multis have gotten so close that you can't even say some effects sound better, just different. I now use an HX and it's awesome. No more board shuffling, troubleshooting cables and connections, etc. Want a delay into reverb into fuzz? Done. Want a compressor, EQ and light overdrive? Done. Want to switch between the two, as well as countless other options instantly? DONE. That was the biggest selling point.

No hate on those who still use individual pedals. If I didn't need the complete flexibility, I would too. It makes sense to have a few quality pedals if you dont change sounds often/drastically. In fact, I have a small backup board for the necessities that is all individual pedals.

TL;DR : Like everything, it depends.
 
#53
Inconnu said:
I do something like what you have in mind.
I keep my octave, overdrive, bassballs, then use a Zoom B1on for additional envelope, fuzz, some modulation, and even an always on comp and eq setting.
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Ahh, the octave.

That's the most important item in my effects chain. As far as I know, there is no multi-effects pedal that has a decent low-latency polyphonic octave up. Specifically, I blend a sweetened (slightly detuned and/or chorused) octave with the dry bass output. I also have a very good dual-band compressor. Until I can find a multi-effects pedal that can do these things (and do them well), I'm stuck with individual stomp boxes.
 
#54
gary mitchell said:
Please share your thoughts and why you think that way.
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if all you're into is a bit of a chorus effect on a certain song(s) then why complicate things!
just get a single effect pedal that suits your needs!
But if you're into all different types of effects on different types of songs etc. Then it makes perfect sense to get a multi effex pedal for the same reasons! "Don't complicate things" by having 12 pedals on stage when you can have all the effex needed with just one!
 
#56
I have both a Trace Elliot Transit B, which has comp/eq/od/preshape/tuner,
and a little pedaltrain nano+ filled with darkglass A-O + Duality, MXR octaver, Cali76cb comp, tuner.

Both have a lot going for them. The Transit B is a lot cheaper and covers my basic needs. It does sound great!

I stay away from digital fx except for delays / reverbs.
 
#57
Individual analog pedals for me. Not that I think they sound better, but because I like having all the knobs right in front of me and I know what they all do without digging through menus. Similar to what someone else said, I'm just using compressor and any of 3 drives, no mod, delay, etc. So I rarely have to stomp on 2 boxes at once, never 3.
 
#58
JimmyM said:
I thought they had those already.
Click to expand...

They do, the problem is, I don't. :laugh:

The big advantage is a cleaner signal chain. Even a true bypassswitch can add a little capacitance and, enough can roll of harmonics. The ability to dynamically reroute and take pedals that aren't being used out of the chain is good.

Not that I use a lot of pedals at once but I imagine, still nice to play with.
 
#60
I converted to Multi-Pedals several years ago. The original goal was for convenience. I don't use a lot of effects (comp, chorus, tuner, dirt, octave) and I could get what needed with a BOSS ME-50B. It eventually died and I ended up cycling through several others.

I currently use the Bass Fly Rig with my active/ passive fretless (which I play in passive mode exclusively) for the comp, SansAmp for tone shaping and chorus, and the Acoustic Fly Rig with my piezo pickup only, chambered body fretless for the comp, SamsAmp for tone shaping, chorus and occasionally reverb. I can't beat the convenience. The comp is good enough for the practices and gigs I participate in, though I would need something better for recording. You can't beat the SansAmp and the chorus does what I need. I have not yet been able to get a useable sound out of the Fuzz/Octave section but this is not yet something I have wanted to use on a fretless, so I haven't tried very hard; I am sure I can find useful settings if I spend some time working on it.

I am thinking of getting another BOSS ME-50B or another Bass POD as a alternative to the Fly Rigs. I have been tempted to get one of the larger BOSS digital pedals of the Line 6 pedal but I am not sure I want to dilute my playing time with learning how to program and set them up.
 

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