Members 1923ford Posted March 13, 2008 Members Share Posted March 13, 2008 i currently run a rackmount fx processor in the loop of my amp, and recently got a rackmount wireless unit. BUT...i'd like to be able to run just a few FX before the amp, and since i'm wireless i'd rather no add pedals/cables on the floor to my midi pedalboard. so is it crazy to run dual FX units...one before the amp, and one after the amp...all midi controlled and rackmounted with my wireless unit...so then i only have the midi pedalboard and single midi cable? my FX unit switches the amp channels for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JMPMarshall Posted March 13, 2008 Members Share Posted March 13, 2008 It's not crazy at all and I think it's a quite good idea. The Line 6 Mod Pro was designed so it would run either way. That's actually where you might have hang-ups, some processors aren't designed to be run infront of the amp due to the weak level of the guitar. The wrong processor will wreak havok on your s/n ratio and might not track. It might be simpler to use a G-System though. Though expensive it's extremely intuitive to program and sounds great. The load time is instantaneous. The problem with it is that it's hard to integrate other midi gear. If you use a G-System it'll be extremely difficult to use another processor or midi preamp with it. If that's not a problem it'll be your best bet. Give one a test drive somewhere. Using your pedals in a loop switcher would also work probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members El Grinder Posted March 14, 2008 Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 The Lexicon MPX G2 includes inputs and outputs that allow effects before the preamp and after the preamp. It sounds like what you're describing. The G-System from TC Electronic (as mentioned above) is also set up this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JMPMarshall Posted March 14, 2008 Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 The MPX-G2 would be cheaper but imagine it like a pedal board. You can only toggle one effects block or function at a time unless you use program changes which take forever to load. It's also very complicated to program. If load time and toggling effects quickly are an issue the G-System is the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gorgon90 Posted March 14, 2008 Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 Other options: 1) If you only want a couple of fx in front then you could leave the rack fx in the loop, rackmount some pedals on a shelf permanently turned on, and use a looper like the GCX to switch them in and out of the path in front of your amp. 2) My old Zoom 9150 preamp processor features two fx loops. The first being fixed in the preamp section but the second is programmable per patch about where the send and return points sit in the signal path. In can be run in series or parallel with the internal effects giving all sorts of routing options in theory. I've not tried this with my combo amp though so I can't comment on the noise levels from possible signal impedance mismatches as mentioned above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1923ford Posted March 14, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 thanks for all the options and ideas. i currently have a G-System...and while it is a great "idea"...it is still lacking something. I've had trouble integrating it with other midi gear, and using it as a stand alone before/after processor is great except that there is a very noticeable lag time when switching amp channels through the G-system relays. i could deal with the expense of the G-system...but for me spending that kinda money...it really needs to do everything "I" need it to do. I like the idea of the rackmounted stompboxes...so maybe I'll explore that option as well. thanks again for the ideas and responses!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JMPMarshall Posted March 14, 2008 Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 The GCX is definitely the way to go then. That's exactly what I'm doing with my setup. Analog pedals in front, My amps preamp, an external preamp, my effects processor in loops out to my amps effects return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elric Posted March 14, 2008 Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 Another option is a single processor that has it's own movable loop, then you put the preamp in the FX unit's loop and you can have some FX before preamp gain and some after. Pretty much all of the high end Boss/Roland units supported this on the rack units. I have a 90's era Roland GP-100 and it does that, for example. The floor units too. Line 6 is supporting this with the X3Live and X3 Pro now. I'm sure there are others, I'll bet the new GSP1101 from digitech does too, etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spacehog26 Posted March 14, 2008 Members Share Posted March 14, 2008 Yeah, the GSP1101 is specifically designed for doing that. You can select on a per preset basis between the internal modelled preamp settings or a preamp in the loop. I've not got mine yet, but I plan to use it along with my RJM Music RG-16 to give me a whole wealth of tonal options and combinations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.