Looping All Your Effects?

[theHoss]

Does anyone ever put their entire FX chain in a loop. I was thinking about doing it for two reasons.

1) You can set up total sounds with your chain and engage at once.

2) If you want to get old school, you can do the Guitar Amp thing, and remove alot of potential tone suck.

I have about 10 pedals about about 6ft GeorgeL between them. All pedals are top notch true bypass.

Do you see a loop adding any tonal benefits?

What would you loop with? I was thinking about using a Little Lehele?

Thanks!

 

[MattB]

I use a Loooper pedal. All true bypass. Works great.

www.loooper.com


-MattB

 

[grantbob]

Do you put that looper in front of your amp or in the effects loop?

I can see the benefits of being able to pull pedals out of your signal chain with the looper, but there are some effects (OD's, wah) that I prefer in front of the amp, but others (chorus, delay) in my amps effects loop.

 

[theHoss]

I don't have an FX loop, so they are all in front.

My thought was I could remove the whole chain if I wanted to, or at least a big chunk.

Guitar >Looper > FUzz, ODs, Phaser, Wah, Comp, Chorus,Delay, Boost > Amp.

Then you can either run straight in bypassing the entire chain, or add your FX to the signal path.

I think it is more of an OCD (not the pedal) 'Tone Suck' problem that I have. I really can't find a way to balance my addiction to pedals with the purity of Guitar > Amp.

I was also considering the D-Loop by Lehle because of the optional buffer.

I think I hear Tone Suck, but I think it is my OCD (again, not the pedal). Can 4 Ft of George L, a Loop-Master Switcher, RMC2 Wah, Tone Press, Medusa, Keeley Moded AD-9, and ToadWorks Meat Boost degrade the signal that much? Is that considered a long signal run or short?

 

[erksin]

Originally posted by theHoss
I don't have an FX loop, so they are all in front.

My thought was I could remove the whole chain if I wanted to, or at least a big chunk.

Guitar >Looper > FUzz, ODs, Phaser, Wah, Comp, Chorus,Delay, Boost > Amp.

Then you can either run straight in bypassing the entire chain, or add your FX to the signal path.

I think it is more of an OCD (not the pedal) 'Tone Suck' problem that I have. I really can't find a way to balance my addiction to pedals with the purity of Guitar > Amp.

I was also considering the D-Loop by Lehle because of the optional buffer.

I think I hear Tone Suck, but I think it is my OCD (again, not the pedal). Can 4 Ft of George L, a Loop-Master Switcher, RMC2 Wah, Tone Press, Medusa, Keeley Moded AD-9, and ToadWorks Meat Boost degrade the signal that much? Is that considered a long signal run or short?

I bet your 'tone suck' issue is real - that's a lot of pedals and cable...

I only run 6 efects right now (all TB w/GLs cabling) and I have some high end loss - not a huge amount, but it's noticeable. I'm thinking of adding either an Axxess buffer or doing the Loooper option too.

 

[Moe45673]

You could probably get two looopers combined in one, with two inputs and outputs with loops in between.

This way you can plug it into your signal and into your FX loop. An advantage of this would be, say, a master bypass switch.

 

[jcshirke]

If you want to add a rack unit to your arsenal, look at the Soundsculpture Switchblade. It does everything you want and much more.

What are the pedal looper options, and how do they work? Any URLs I should check out? It looks like I'm well on my way to developing two separate rigs. I'd use the Switchblade for my switching in one of my rigs with a lot of rack gear + some pedals, and I'm going old school (vintage style amps and old school pedals) with the other rig. I think I need a looper for it as well.

Jeff

 

[shuffle]

I use close to what Moe said - 2 Looopers in one pedal.

I have a Loooper with 2 Separate FX loops on it.

Loop A i put my over drives Fuzz's Wahs + phaser

Loop B i put my effects which i MAINLY use for clean sound. Delay Tremelo and Chorus.

I can use EITHER of the loops at one time or BOTH at once (a third button for 'Both')

My signal goes Guitar > Loooper > Amp (if no loops are turned on)

or

Guitar > Loooper >Loop A or B or A&B > Amp

Works like a charm. And fix's all my tone loss from using 10 or so pedals. Even though most are true bypass - about 3 aren't.

Im not too fussy when it comes to my Amps FX loop. I dont use it at all. I find that since i use a LOT of clean sound - a Loooper was perfect for me.
It also alows me to change between 2 or more pedals by pressing one button (change loop) so i dont loose timing or stuff up in a song.

Hope it helps.

 

[mrbluetone]

I use three (3) single loopers. One chain for heavy distortion, One for mudulations, and one for preset long delay! I keep a Comp and clean boost for my main tone then hit a looper for lead or modulations. Takes all the stuff out of the chain!

 

[devbro]

I think buying aLoooper is the best thing I did to manage my effects. I run everything thru my Loooper except my compressor and wah. Guitar > compressor > wah > loooper > amp. OD's, chorus, phaser, trem and delay are in the loop. Remember, there is no tone sucking from any pedals in the loop while they're off because they're not in the chain. The only reason I dont run the compressor and wah in the loop is because I'm not a good tap dancer when I need to turn on the wah. Besides, Teece and Keeley have excellent true bypass.

Loooper even provides an option that can control effects in your effects loop and in front of the amp! You can have the best of both worlds. There's another guy out there I hear builds excellent loopers cheaper than Loooper. He'll build anything you want. Check out http://pacificustompedals.com I'm getting ready to order one from and customize it to switch my Shiva so I can be rid of the huge Shiva footswitch.

If you have a tone suck problem when the effects are on, it's an entirely different problem attributable to many things including cables, buffers and the effects themsleves.

 

[Tanner Vix]

Not to tag on here but I'd really like to hear some results of the loopers as well.

 

[JKoeth]

I've got all True Bypass effects. Teese Pic Wah, Lovepedal Black Beauty Balance and Eternity, Strobostomp.

That's it for the moment.

I'm using Evidence Audio Lyric HG cables throughout including for patching between effects.

When I plugged my Tele straight into my Tophat Club Royale with a 10' cable, the sparkle and chime tones were stunning. When I added my pedals in the chain even though they were bypassed (turned off), something was lost.

I recently got a Lehle D Loop and it confirmed even further how much tone was lost going through just a few pedals even though they're all true bypass.

Now I can bypass everything altogether. I don't get the exact same sound as when I plug a 10' cable directly in, but it's 90% back. Afterall, I'm still using about twice the cable length and it still goes through the Looper. This is all without using the buffer on the Lehle by the way.

I'm thrilled with the purchase and plan more loopers in the future.

 

[MattB]

I have a loooper with all effects in front of the amp. No Effects loop. With the loooper pedals you can have him build effects loops or any other functions you would need. He can add pots for each loop to control the level of each effect in the loop..etc...There really is no limit to what Mr. Boggs can build.

Check out his site and look at the options available in the custom orders. Im sure you will find something that fits your needs. Just be prepared to wait a few months.

-MattB

 

[theHoss]

Originally posted by JKoeth
I've got all True Bypass effects. Teese Pic Wah, Lovepedal Black Beauty Balance and Eternity, Strobostomp.

That's it for the moment.

I'm using Evidence Audio Lyric HG cables throughout including for patching between effects.

When I plugged my Tele straight into my Tophat Club Royale with a 10' cable, the sparkle and chime tones were stunning. When I added my pedals in the chain even though they were bypassed (turned off), something was lost.

I recently got a Lehle D Loop and it confirmed even further how much tone was lost going through just a few pedals even though they're all true bypass.

Now I can bypass everything altogether. I don't get the exact same sound as when I plug a 10' cable directly in, but it's 90% back. Afterall, I'm still using about twice the cable length and it still goes through the Looper. This is all without using the buffer on the Lehle by the way.

I'm thrilled with the purchase and plan more loopers in the future.

I was thinking about the DLoop myself. I have a loop-master clean/dirty switcher (basically a 2 loop switcher) with Master Bypass. I have my guitar right into that, and it handles a rythym/lead loops, then it goes to my wah, chorus, delay, and boost. I like the Dloop becuase you can run each loop independently, or together (is that correct??) which you can't do with the loop-master. Also the DLoop as the buffer.....have you ever used that?

I think I might end up getting one.....a bit pricey, and takes up space, but boy if it is as good as you say it is, seems worth it?

Thanks for all the replies so far, I am glad to know that 6ft of cable, and 10ish pedals is a lot, I was worried I was making up the High End loss. I have a PM into MajicBoy for one of his buffers. I have tried one on a friends rig, and it was real nice.

Thanks again for all the info!

 

[Loop-Master]

I like the Dloop becuase you can run each loop independently, or together (is that correct??) which you can't do with the loop-master.

I have this option available now on the "Clean/Dirty" switchers.

 

[JKoeth]

The D Loop is programable. Haven't messed with programming yet. The buffer is good but I don't like buffers all that much. Sean made me a Lovepedal buffer which I like a bit better than the D Loop but they're roughly the same, just different flavors.

I just run the loops independantly. Loop A>Amp. A into B>Amp. or B>Amp.

It's great. If you don't need the buffer, there are plenty of less expensive options out there. I'm planning on adding a Loooper Single so I can run my Overdrives and Wah in 1, Modulations and Delays in 2, and Digitech Jamman and Tuner in 3.

Great stuff!!

 

[theHoss]

Sweet!!!

I have two loop-masters, and they are great. As it looks, I think they are getting even more versitile.

 

[theHoss]

Originally posted by JKoeth
The D Loop is programable. Haven't messed with programming yet. The buffer is good but I don't like buffers all that much. Sean made me a Lovepedal buffer which I like a bit better than the D Loop but they're roughly the same, just different flavors.

I just run the loops independantly. Loop A>Amp. A into B>Amp. or B>Amp.

It's great. If you don't need the buffer, there are plenty of less expensive options out there. I'm planning on adding a Loooper Single so I can run my Overdrives and Wah in 1, Modulations and Delays in 2, and Digitech Jamman and Tuner in 3.

Great stuff!!

Great, thanks for the info. I am waiting to hear back from Sean on a MajicBoy buffer....looks like I will start with that route, and see who it does.

 

[wleeds]

Adding a buffer early in the chain will help retain sparkle even you are going straight into an amp.
My path goes like this:
guitar->unity/gain buffer->RMC 3->Vintage Rat-> Axess Electronics GRX-4(MXR 100, TS-808, AD-9, Analog Man Chorus( controlled by MFC-5))->Twin reverb. All connected with George L except a 10' Beldin cable going from guitar to buffer.
The buffer is the knig in this setup. it helps to retain the guitars natural signal.
mark

 

[JKoeth]

My experience with buffers is limited but I've tried 2 of the best on the market. It's important to understand that all buffers will color your sound. On the Axess (BS2)site it acknowledges this too. The only thing that will sound just like your guitar running straight into your amp is just that.

But, if your looking to add back sparkle, it will definitely so that!