Connecting a Digitech Looper with Axe Fx

[thetower07]

I just purchased a Digitech JamMan Solo looper pedal (I have a Standard, so no onboard looper ) and was working on getting it set up tonight but ran into a small issue. I started off by running the looper in front of the Axe-Fx input just by plugging my guitar into the looper and then into the Axe. This is fine and dandy but say I record a loop with a clean setting and then want to layer another part over top with a bit of overdrive, the previously recorded loop goes from a clean sound to dirty when I switch patches on the Axe-Fx.

I'm sure there is a way to utilize the Axe-FX's effects loop in order to avoid this problem but I've never used the feature before and was getting confused when I attempted to place the effects block in the correct place.

I want to be able to record a loop with a particular sound and then overdub with a completely different tone without effecting the previous layer. Is this possible? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks guys

-Robbie

[Ben R]

I never bother with any outboard effects with my Ultra, so I'm only going off of memory here... I believe that you can insert a block anywhere in the signal chain of any of your patches for the effects loop. This will tell the Axe FX where in the chain you want the effects loop to come into play. I would assume that if you put the JamMan looper pedal in the effects loop and then place the block for this in the most appropriate place after your overdrive, you can accomplish it. Just have some way to turn your overdrive block on and off (midi footswitch or whatever). You could also not use a drive block and instead put the effects loop after your amp block and then have some way to turn the amp gain up and down. You could also use more than one signal chain in your patch (in parallel) with 2 amp blocks. You could then set it up so that one amp is clean and the other one is dirty and they then would both need to connect into the effects loop block (where you'll add in your looper pedal). There are probably a number of way that you could do this.

[organometallica]

I use a Boss Looper (RC 2) alot with my axefx setup. The easiest way for me is to just hook it up after the axefx. This will record the actual tone from the axe fx. When you change the preset on the Axe, it won't change what is recorded on the looper.

Axe fx output-->boss looper --> QSC K12

I also tried using the fx loop inserted in each preset. I guess I was worried that having a pedal after the axefx would alter the tone. I have compared the tone with and without out the pedal in the signal chain and I can't tell the difference, so in the end I just place it as described above.

Good luck