Effects Loop Question

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Just the other day i experienced this when i tried hooking my delay pedal in the loop and was finding a FX level i maxed it out and was like HOLY CRAP!!!! I didnt know if i was going to screw something up so i leveled it back down. Has anyone gotten official word if this can be done while not hurting the amp?
 
I tried this today and yes it works on the RM4. Increased volume, clarity, & pinch harmonics. Something is f'd up with my recording setup. Maybe tonight or tomorrow I'll get it figured out so everyone can hear it.
 
It's a significant improvement in any tube-driven parallel loop and completely safe. You are just running the signal through an additional tube path and gaining all the harmonic benefits of doing so. I use it in my live rig and it's fantastic.
 
I tired this with my Camerock module and it made a difference in clarity, punch, playability but more importantly brought forth more of that grind and 'clean' overtones that are present in the module (and the real amp).

Basically, everything sounded better. I didn't need to crank the FX level either, just put it up to around 1-1:30 o'clock...cranked is a bit too much.
 
JKD said:
I tired this with my Camerock module and it made a difference in clarity, punch, playability but more importantly brought forth more of that grind and 'clean' overtones that are present in the module (and the real amp).

Basically, everything sounded better. I didn't need to crank the FX level either, just put it up to around 1-1:30 o'clock...cranked is a bit too much.
Click to expand...

^agreed
I sit around 12 o'clock on the fx loop

How's that Camerock? Uncle Sam owes me money for a change! Sam>Ray>Antonin
 
crankyrayhanky said:
JKD said:
I tired this with my Camerock module and it made a difference in clarity, punch, playability but more importantly brought forth more of that grind and 'clean' overtones that are present in the module (and the real amp).

Basically, everything sounded better. I didn't need to crank the FX level either, just put it up to around 1-1:30 o'clock...cranked is a bit too much.
Click to expand...

^agreed
I sit around 12 o'clock on the fx loop

How's that Camerock? Uncle Sam owes me money for a change! Sam>Ray>Antonin
Click to expand...

It actually hasn't been out of my rig since I got it....struggling to find a setting I don't like..so much variation in the gain level is possible with this wee beastie but almost all tones have that signature mid-grind...not that you can't turn the mids down.....but mids are where this module is at so why would you?

I would say I was about 75% happy with it when I first got it, learned how to dial it in a bit better and that improved a few points but the way the FX loop trick brings this to life, I have to say I'm overjoyed with it...as soon as I find the best tubes for it, I'll be 100% happy. :)
 
Since I was initially being a naysayer I spent some time experimenting with jumpering the parallel loop.

I run an RM4 into the serial return of my MOD50 and use an Axess Electronics GRX4 switcher to toggle between the RM4 and the MOD50 preamp section. The output of the GRX4 goes to my time based effects then back to the return of the serial loop on the MOD50.

So that gave me a few choices; I could jumper the parallel loop of the MOD50, jumper the loop of the RM4 or both.

Ultimately, I choose to just jumper the MOD50. I ended up going out the serial send of the RM4 to the return of the GRX4 to match the serial send of the MOD50 going to the GRX4. It just seems to sound the best this way and makes sense; both being buffered by the serial loop sends respectively. The master volume on the RM4 is full clockwise and the modules match volume between the MOD50 and RM4.

The GRX4?s 4th loop is isolated which allowed me to use it as an on/off for the jumper cable on the MOD50 parallel loop; MOD50 parallel loop send -> GRX4 loop 4 input -> GRX4 loop 4 send -> MOD50 parallel loop return. Activated, it jumpers the MOD50 loop.

At the moment I don?t have a midi pedal to send CC messages so I just have presets with the GRX4?s 4th loop activated that I can select via program change.

So, this setup gives me a programmable volume boost and effectively turns 8 channels into 16.

As far as the jumpered parallel loop sound goes? Better? I don?t know. Different? Sure. Usable volume boost? Absolutely.

Whatever harmonic benefit you are getting by running the signal through an additional tube path, that signal is still running in parallel with the original one. Things definitely have to be readjusted to be pleasing and that varies with the modules being used.

The cool thing is I have a new knob on my MOD50; it was unused labeled ?Effect?, I might re-label it ?Boost Level? OR ?Glow?. Ewww, I like that, ?Glow?
 
Now, the question is, who here with a good selection of preamp tubes is goona swap a bunch in the effects tube slot and report thier findings?????? :)
 
Downrightproductions said:
Now, the question is, who here with a good selection of preamp tubes is goona swap a bunch in the effects tube slot and report thier findings?????? :)
Click to expand...
Since the loop is so far downstream (it's the 4th tube the signal sees), the variations between tubes is going to be minimal. Don't expect the same results as changing V1 on the amp or module.
 
I hear the volume increase as well, but fail to hear anything much different in tone. Maybe I need to spend more time with it but so far, I don't think I'm changing the way I run my rig. :(
 
KillTone- I use my Brahma for cleans or roll the guitar volume down with the JF RR59 & I do not notice any more breakup than setup normal.

kutisqpublic - I noticed a presence out of the amp that was not there previously. I slightly increased the bass & decreased the treble to tame some of the increased presence/brightness. I'm not sure where you run your gain, level, & master volume, but I anticipate you will hear a more pronounced difference with the overall volume significantly higher (assuming you have it at bedroom/apartment levels now).
 
I have it at gig volumes, but that being said we aren't a blisteringly loud band. RM4 master volume is about 11 o clock. I'll have to play around with it some more. It would be cool to add another dimension to the rig!
 
I tried this last night and I did notice the volume and extra high end. I was a little hammered so I am going to spend more time fooling around with it tonight. Pretty cool either way.
 
Ok guys after playing with this for awhile now ive come to this conclusion, this adjustments works great if your at a moderate volume of says 9 or 10 o'clock on the master volume and the effects loop is at say 12 or 1 o'clock and the 12 or 1 o'clockon the module, this i think will work great if your recording or are able to be mic'd up, but if you have to play at loud volumes this will work against you since the highs will be too high and the warmth will fade. it will still sound decent but at high volumes the character of the amp changes and loses the quality i found at the lower volume. Just my thoughts tell me what you think. \m/
 

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