Express Loop, effects and levels

[Bob Womack]

Hi all!

After reading the owner's manual, I'm wondering what sort of effect is "good enough" to go in the loop. I tend to like to put my delays there and was wondering if the issue that made Mesa suggest a rack unit is ability to match gain from a rack unit's controls or is the loop a line-level i/o or what? Can you use a good modern pedal type in there without loss or corruption?

Thanks!

Bob

 

[EtherealWidow]

I use a DD20 in my loop all the time. Thinking about using it for recording. Not totally sure though. Introduces some noise and once while recording I could hear some little "beep boop" type sounds. Unplugged it from the loop, sure enough, that was it. The point is, you can totally use it if you're not too picky.

 

[Mark 63]

I plugged an Analogman Ardx2o into the loop. The repeats were clearer, but it wasn't enough of a benefit to warrant the extra wiring.

Also tried an auto wah in the loop, and it sounded bad (whooshy).

 

[Don]

I use a Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere in the loop of my 5:50. It sounds fantastic! This pedal was expensive as hell and was designed to be used this way, though!

 

[Newysurfer]

Hi all!

After reading the owner's manual, I'm wondering what sort of effect is "good enough" to go in the loop. I tend to like to put my delays there and was wondering if the issue that made Mesa suggest a rack unit is ability to match gain from a rack unit's controls or is the loop a line-level i/o or what? Can you use a good modern pedal type in there without loss or corruption?

Thanks!

Bob

Express loop is not line level - its just a high quality Series Loop.
The classic pedal location guide most people use is

In loop - all time based pedals (delays,chorus,flangers,reverbs etc) plus EQ and noise suprressors.

Up Front - wahs, distortions, OD's, fuzz's - anything that produces tone.

Works best for me too but doesn't for everyone.
Your choice as always

 

[Bob Womack]

So, I went ahead and tried an effect in the loop. I had a Korg DL301 echo that never sounded right before amps. I plugged it up in the loop and it sounded fine. Something that I've noticed is that some effects just don't play well with a guitar. Pooibly the input impedance is off or something but they exhibit the classic sings of impedance mismatch and wimp out your sound. Others see a guitar's level as too low and add a bunch of noise into the chain. Some of these do just fine in the loop because the interaction between guitar and preamp isn't an issue. So far I've discovered that with the Korg and a Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere. The H&K is a tad noisy and leaches something out of your sound when run before the amp but in the loop it is transparent. I'm beginning to think it is a combination of signal strength and impedance.

File it in under "lessons learned."

Bob

 

[J.J]

Did you try it with your amp at high volume ? The output level from the send increases at the master is raised and at high volume you may run out of headroom. I'm not familiar with that Korg effect, it may have an input adjustment to deal with this kind of use.

The only pedal I use in the loop is Boss GE7 and it seems to cope with the wide range of levels around the loop.

 

[Bob Womack]

It's got a lo-hi input level switch that allows you to adjust to the incoming level. I pushed the preamp up and down to check for overload and checked to see if there was loss when I plugged it in and out.

Bob

 

[Newysurfer]

So, I went ahead and tried an effect in the loop. I had a Korg DL301 echo that never sounded right before amps. I plugged it up in the loop and it sounded fine. Something that I've noticed is that some effects just don't play well with a guitar. Pooibly the input impedance is off or something but they exhibit the classic sings of impedance mismatch and wimp out your sound. Others see a guitar's level as too low and add a bunch of noise into the chain. Some of these do just fine in the loop because the interaction between guitar and preamp isn't an issue. So far I've discovered that with the Korg and a Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere. The H&K is a tad noisy and leaches something out of your sound when run before the amp but in the loop it is transparent. I'm beginning to think it is a combination of signal strength and impedance.

File it in under "lessons learned."

Bob

There isn't a delay pedal ever made that sounds great up front to me.
You say "some effects don't play well with a guitar".
Don't agree - it's got nothing to do with the effect type imo - it's all about the design of the individual pedal you're using.

Like everything in life pedals range between crap and fantastic.
Some pedals also suit some amps better than others.
The Express series amps are very pedal friendly so if the pedal is good then it'll sound great thru the Express.
If the pedal is a dud it won't sound good thru anything :mrgreen:

 

[Bob Womack]

Well I'm with you in one way and against you in another, and they rotate around the same unit: The Echoplex. If you want delay on a clean sound, the sweetest sound you are going to get it the Echoplex and it sounds great ahead of the amp. However, the moment you gain up for rhythm, any delay mushes up the sound if it is ahead of the amp, be it an Echoplex or a digital delay.

But I'm into high quality effects: The Korg is a holdover from the period when I attempted leave the Echoplex for digital because it was "too noisy." It didn't work. Now I need to recap my Echoplex so I can try it in the loop!

Bob

 

[dadoffive]

No issues with the loop on my 5:25

Send => BOSS CE-5 => BOSS DD-7 => RETURN

GUITAR => BOSS TU-3 => FULLTONE Clyde Deluxe => FULLTONE OCD v1 => 5:25

 

[mtodd6]

I wasn't an fx loop guy until I got a 5:50. I play everything except OD, including compression, through the loop now. I find that I don't really need an OD with the dual channel. I use both mfx roland/boss & individual boss pedals in the loop. They all sound great. I have a Roland VG88 & it sounds better through my Fender amps up front. The 5:50 clean channel is too brittle sounding with the VG88 up front, but I have heard people play the Boss GE MFX pedals, which have the same DSP, & like it.