From: grego@bit.UUCP (Greg Sanguinetti)
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers
Subject: Re: Effects loop vs Straight In
Date: 8 Oct 92 15:34:59 GMT
Article-I.D.: bit.442
Reply-To: grego@bit.UUCP (Grego Sanguinetti)
Organization: BIT  Portland, OR

<Cross post to alt.guitar dropped to make news feed happy.>

In article <1992Oct7.212127.5677@inmet.camb.inmet.com> wayne@inmet.camb.inmet.com (Wayne Wylupski) writes:
>What's the difference between the following setups:
>
>Guitar -> effects -> amplifier
>
>Guitar -> amplifier
>	   |     |
>	   effects (in the effects loop)
>

It depends on the amp and the effects (sorry no clear answer here).

Typically the effects loop out, from the amp, goes out after the first
input buffer stage. This has the following implications:
  1. initial level control on amp controls signal level into effects unit(s)
  2. input buffer on amp takes care of any impedance matching, i.e. send
     to the effects units is a controlled (and usually fairly low) impedance.

The effects return, to the amp, often has a blending (balance, mix,...)
control that determines the mix between the straight through feed (not going
through the effects loop) and the returning signal from the loop. If your
amp has this then there are some good advantages to using it:
  1. you can blend the processed "wet" signal with the unprocessed "dry"
     signal to further control effects sound.
  2. provides a better way of attenuating extra hot signals generated by
     some effects processors rather than feeding them into the amps input
     buffers (there still is another buffer downstream from the effects
     loop that sums the signals and feeds the driver stage).

Some amps don't the provide both a dry and wet signal path. These use the
effects loop as the main signal path, i.e. when you connect something into
the effects loop the dry signal is lost. They obviously have no blend control.

>Where would one best put the following effects?
>-- distortion pedal
>-- wah-wah
>-- compressor
>-- delay effects (chorus, flange, reverb and digital delay)
>
I would put all these effects in the effects loop, especially if it has
a blend control. The delay effects can REALLY benefit from the blend
control, especially if they don't provide their own. Some folks prefer
having the compressor before EVERYTHING so that the signal is compressed
before even the amps input stage.

>If one was using the amp's distortion, would that change where one would put
>the previous mentioned effects?
>
That is one point to consider. If you are getting your distortion by
overdriving the input buffer (on amps that have a separate level and master)
then the distorted signal is being sent to the effects. This may or may not
be what you want. You will have to experiment. If your distortion comes from
the main driver stage then it doesn't matter.

>Thank you!
>
>wayne
>-- 
>Wayne Wylupski    {...!}uunet!inmet!wayne    wayne@inmet.camb.inmet.com

-grego
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grego Sanguinetti, Bipolar Integrated Technology | Water, water everywhere,
grego@bit.uucp or grego%bit%ogi.cse.edu          | but I'd rather drink
or bit!grego@ogi.cse.edu or ...!ogicse!bit!grego | beer.