To FX Loop, or not to FX Loop... that is the question.

[Rich]

Up until now, my signal path has been bass>wireless>FX board>amp. But I'm wondering if perhaps the board could go in the amp's FX loop. I'm guessing possibly not as there are boost elements there, but I'd like to know what the team think. The amp is a Trace TE-1200 and this is my board. 

[itu]

The biggest difference is most probably the changes in signal levels. Study the amp's manual.

[Stub Mandrel]

In the 80's/90's I always used the effects loop.

 

Don't use it at all these days.

[pete.young]

If you're going to put the board into the loop and plug the bass into the amp input, it might help to know whether the loop is serial or parallel. If parallel, only part of the signal will be modified by the effects (50% if there is no blend control).

[StingRayBoy42]

Isn't 'conventional wisdom' that stuff like delay works better in the loop and stuff like drive/OD work better in front of the amp?

(Full disclosure: I've never used an FX loop)

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, StingRayBoy42 said:

Isn't 'conventional wisdom' that stuff like delay works better in the loop and stuff like drive/OD work better in front of the amp?

(Full disclosure: I've never used an FX loop)

 

So I understand.

[MichaelDean]

3 hours ago, StingRayBoy42 said:

Isn't 'conventional wisdom' that stuff like delay works better in the loop and stuff like drive/OD work better in front of the amp?

(Full disclosure: I've never used an FX loop)

I think that applies more to amps where you're generating a bit more dirt in the amp itself, so you want that coloured sound to be effected. It's all personal preference though. Try it and see if you like it. I found it wasn't worth the extra cabling required. 

[Higgie]

6 hours ago, MichaelDean said:

I think that applies more to amps where you're generating a bit more dirt in the amp itself, so you want that coloured sound to be effected. It's all personal preference though. Try it and see if you like it. I found it wasn't worth the extra cabling required. 

Precisely this. If the Amp is imparting an integral part of your tone, then it stands to reason that you might want certain effects to colour the tone you’re getting from the front end of the amp, ie delay, modulation etc.

 

If the amp is literally just amplifying your board tones, chuck it all into the front of the amp. 

Edited 23 hours ago by Higgie

[BigRedX]

Whether or not to use the FX loop depends on 2 things:

 

1. Do you use the pre-amp of your amp to produce "drive" sounds via valves or some other circuitry?

If so some effects like delay (definitely) and chorus/flanger/phaser (maybe depending on the sound you are after) will benefit from being on the effects loop.

 

2. Do you have effects that are expecting line-level rather than instrument level input signals?

These always perform better in the effects loop.

[Rich]

It's a no to both of those.

To be honest, in light of what everyone's saying here, I think I'm going to follow the classic flowchart...