I need some help. I have a few pedals and I cannot get everything to play nice together.
I have:
Schecter guitar -->
Tuner pedal -->
Volume -->
Taylor amp (Effects loop out)-->
Fish n Chips -->
Blues overdrive -->
Taylor amp (Effects loop in)-->
Not currently used:
Multi effect with a pedal that does wah/phase/etc
Looper
Everything works fine as long as I leave the looper and multi effect out, but I need some of the effects that come with the multi effects like the delay and chorus and I would like to use the looper to learn how to fit it in. When they are in the chain the volume is real faint and really reverb-y.
Where do I place the multi and the looper so that it all plays nicely? Eventually I want to replace the multi with individual effects but I need it VERY SOON for songs we are preparing.
Thanks in advance guys
Jim
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
Personally, I'd start by making absoluitely sure that the EQ and the Multi-FX have (sufficient) power. Then, I'd make sure that I was using the right connections on the multi-FX and the EQ (e.g going in to the "out" and out through the "in").
If everything was correct, I'd continue by taking all the effects out of the chain.
Try adding the Multi-FX between guitar and amp to see what effect it will have on the volume. If there is none, try putting it into the effects loop, because that is where I'd want it to be for such things as echo, delay, chorus, etc.. See what happens to the volume - if it's OK, you know that the problem is not the multi-FX on its own.
Repeat the experiment, using the EQ pedal. That should have no nasty effect wherever you put it.
In theory, that should have isolated the problem, unless there is some incompatibility between EQ, multi-FX and the rest of your set-up.
As for your current chain, I'd re-arrange it to
Schecter guitar -->
Tuner pedal -->
Fish n Chips option-->
Blues overdrive -->
Fish n Chips option-->
Volume -->
Fish n Chips option-->
Taylor amp (Effects loop out)-->
Taylor amp (Effects loop in)-->
Once you're happy with where you put the EQ pedal, try adding the multi-FX into the effects loop, but only use time-based effects, like delay, etc. - no distortion, overdrive, or whatever.
It will all happily work or, at some point, become inaudible again - but you'll have a starting point for finding what is causing the problem.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
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I think the power is ok but I will double check that. Instead of batteries I am using an ispot 9v chain adapter to power everything but the looper pedal.
I am a little unclear about your chain. Are you suggesting that I do no use the overdrive in the effect loop? I may not use it at all, because I prefer to use my footswitch to control my clean and distorted sounds directly through the amp but I wanted to make sure why you suggested it be before the effects loop.
I appreciate your thoughts GB, have a fantastic new year.
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
I agree with GB: overdrive goes before the amp, not in the effects loop. time warping and EQ effects are good in effects loops (as well as before the amp), but overdrives, fuzzes, wah, envelope followers (e.g. auto-wah), compressors, volume pedals and similar usually work best between guitar and amp. same multi-FX: between guitar and amp, these often include OD, and env followers.
why OD before the amp? because the intent of an OD effect is to pump up the guitar signal (pretty much clean gain) to overdrive the input stage of the amplifier, resulting in anything from a fattening of tone to actual crunch. putting it in the effects loop places it after the amp's pre-amp stage, so the OD sound is not the same. might be okay, but effects loops buffer amps are not the same as a pre-amp. don't get the OD function mixed up with the pedal's internal ability to create distortion. that part will work in the effects loop. a pure OD pedal just adds gain to smack the pre-amp. there are not too many pure OD pedals, so the dual functionality often is confused or missed.
a looper is tricky, as you will likely want to change effects/sounds on some of the loops. that usually means everything before the looper. it may work well in the effects loop.
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