cameltoe Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I've been using my effects loop for a while, just cos it's there, really. I use a Nobels bass overdrive, Bass Eq pedal, and Behringer Dc9 compressor, not in any particular order(which is another question in itself). My rig is a Hartke vx3500 combo, and I don't actually know how good the effects loop is on these amps, whether I should run one, two or none of the pedals through it or what. All I know is, the compressor is as max output, but there is still a volume drop-off when I engage it, even if the compression level is low. ( not limiting, just an actual decline in volume) The EQ pedal works really well through the loop, but the overdrive again seems a bit tame in the loop. I used the OD through the Fx loop on an 100w Ampeg rig the other day and it seemed much 'beefier', whereas it seems quite timid on the Hartke. Same with the compression-worked real well through the loop on the Ampeg, not very good on the Hartke. Didn't Compress my lows and give me some punch, just reduced my volume a bit. If anything it was punchier when I had it off! Oh and the send/return level? I had it set halfway for a while, then toyed with it and realizes it was almost a blend knob, allowing me to retain some clean signal. Is that right? I have it all on return now. I clearly don't know what I'm doing so if anyone can shed some light on all this..... Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb625 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Usually the effects loop is located after the preamp and before the power amp. With many 'time based' effects, such as modulation (chorus, flanger, phaser etc) and delay these tend to sound better coming after the preamp. Drive and compression effects are usually placed before the preamp, but this is really down to what suits your ears. I'd try the compression and OD before the amp, ie Bass - Compression - OD - Amp and try the EQ in the effects loop. I have seen that with Bass, some people use the compression last in the chain, so try swapping the two around to see what sounds the best to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 If you're using pedals you should really have them between your guitar and amp, they're designed to handle an instrument-level input, not line-level. Have you tried them infront of the amp to see if they perform better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 No, not yet. Hence the question! Cracking advice though guys, cheers. At least I'll have a vague idea what I'm doing with all this at my next gig (tomorrow). So will try plugging directly from bass to OD, Compression, Amp, and run the Eq in the Fx loop. I'll see how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Fly Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) I recommend you this thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=41518"]Using the Amp efffects loop, or stuffing it straight into the front?[/url]. I am sure you will find it interesting. Edited March 17, 2009 by Silent Fly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Nailed Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Another thing to bear in mind is that sometimes FX loops have a set blend, so that not all your effects are in the signal. For example my SVP-Pro had a pre-set 50% blend on the FX loop, so only 50% of the signal from the preamp EQ went through the FX loop, the rest was dry. This mean I got nice clean, punchy distortion if the distortion was in the loop, as it was blended with my clean tone. However for other FX that isn't really what you want, i.e. compressors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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