Stereo effects into the FX loops or amp input...

[Kilroy is all about...]

I'm attempting to build a pedal board/line (Damn GuitarPlayer, May '08 edition) and I've got three different effects (Tremelo, Echo/delay, and Chorus) with matching, stereo outputs. Three of my amps have back-side effects loops with two returns to use the stereo output from this effects.

However, I can only use one at a time or is there junction-box, similar to the Morley a/b/c box, that would permit me to have all three effects plugged into the back-side of the amp, in stereo, and select the tremolo or chorus as I see fit.

OR, I could use my VOX Tonelab and slam that into the back-side/Fx loop, which solves the problem of having multiple effects in stereo to the back-side of the amp, but I'd rather use individual stomp boxes/effects, because they're better in quality and I like to do the toe-tap-routine.

Any suggestions or recommendation as to a new piece of gear that permits all three to be selected and plugged into the backside or what...

rk :angry:

currently:

FUZZ -> WAH -> O/D -> AMP

chorus OR tremolo OR echo -> FX loops with stereo feature..

[Guest Mike Lee]

I'm not exactly clear on what you are trying to do. What amps are you using, and are they stereo amps with stereo returns?

If you want to run all three effects in stereo, a rack mount multi-effector that has those effects is probably a better choice.

Most stereo echos have a wet out and a dry out, as do many choruses. This is not "true stereo", it's really just effect/no-effect. But it sounds like stereo in most cases. True stereo choruses have a wet out and an inverted out. But if you use that setup for recording or performance and both of your channels get summed to mono, the effect can go away since the inverted output cancels the regular output.

In the case of wet/dry outs you can just use the wet out on one of the channels and get the same result. Pick which effect you want to be true stereo - say the tremolo, and then feed each of its outputs into one of the other effects and then run the wet out from each effect to the two returns on one stereo amp.

It all depends on which effect you want to be "true stereo". You could also run some of the effects in mono before the stereo effect. If your tremolo does panning, I would have it be the stereo effect. Then you can decide if you want delay from the left, right, or both channels depending on where you position it in the chain. Same for the chorus.

When I ran a stereo amp, I ran the send to a y-splitter and then into two delays - one set for short delay and one for long and then fed the normal outs from each delay into the stereo returns. The amp had built-in stereo chorus and reverb so I didn't need pedals for that.

[veatch]

I haven't looked into these for a while, so my info is a bit dated.

Voodoo labs makes a GCX Audio Switcher (Voodoo Labs Web Site), and if you want to spend some serious scratch, there's the Switchblade by Sound Sculptors (Sound Sculptors Web Site).

I had an early version of the Switchblade that kicked serious booty (*very* transparent), but i don't use effects much anymore, so i've kinda lost touch of anything more current.

Besides using the Switchblade to select the effects in the effects loop, i also used it to push multiple preamps in parallel. I used a Bradshaw mixer to mix the preamp outputs together for the power amp. Very flexible and programmable rig. Kinda miss it, but i now spend more time playing, and less time tinkering.

Other than that, i'm sure there are other units out there that some smarter folks than i know of.

Hope that he'ps.

[Kilroy is all about...]

I'm not exactly clear on what you are trying to do. What amps are you using, and are they stereo amps with stereo returns?

If you want to run all three effects in stereo, a rack mount multi-effector that has those effects is probably a better choice.

Most stereo echos have a wet out and a dry out, as do many choruses. This is not "true stereo", it's really just effect/no-effect. But it sounds like stereo in most cases. True stereo choruses have a wet out and an inverted out. But if you use that setup for recording or performance and both of your channels get summed to mono, the effect can go away since the inverted output cancels the regular output.

In the case of wet/dry outs you can just use the wet out on one of the channels and get the same result. Pick which effect you want to be true stereo - say the tremolo, and then feed each of its outputs into one of the other effects and then run the wet out from each effect to the two returns on one stereo amp.

It all depends on which effect you want to be "true stereo". You could also run some of the effects in mono before the stereo effect. If your tremolo does panning, I would have it be the stereo effect. Then you can decide if you want delay from the left, right, or both channels depending on where you position it in the chain. Same for the chorus.

When I ran a stereo amp, I ran the send to a y-splitter and then into two delays - one set for short delay and one for long and then fed the normal outs from each delay into the stereo returns. The amp had built-in stereo chorus and reverb so I didn't need pedals for that.

I'm so weak...what's the difference btw. dry and wet. It wet the 'effected' out and the 'dry' the virgin or organic guitar line. you're right, their not 'true' stereo per se, but thought they were. Indy holds a special place in my heart as i lived there in the early 70s only to return for law school and spawned my son liam from '94-'98. the vogue theatre is a treasure and i lived on college ave next to the aristocrat/pub.

thanks for the post...

[Guest Mike Lee]

Yes, dry is the un-effected signal, and wet is the effect. Usually the wet out is really a mixed out with both wet and dry signal. A 100% wet out would have no dry signal at all - i.e. only echos. Some pedals and most rack mount effects have a mix control to vary from 100% dry to 100% wet.

Th Vogue is great - I saw the Brian Setzer Orchestra there in 1997 before they hit it big with the general public. Great place for that show. I don't get there much anymore though.

The Music Mill on the north side is an outstanding new venue that's getting more of the acts I'm interested in so I've been there a couple times in the recent past.