Re: optimizing guitar signal through stomp boxes

[Jeff Shirkey <jcshirke@midway.uchicago.edu>]

On Jul 16, 2006, at 1:15 AM, L.A. Angulo wrote:

> Hi gang,
> I need some tips from those of you using lots of pedal
> effects in optimizing a guitar signal,there is a
> significant volume difference between using my efxs
> and pluging directly into my 50w tube amp.
> Here is my pedal board signal:
> 1.sweet sound Mojo Vibe
> 2.Line6 roto machine
> 3.boss pn2 vibrato
> 4.Ibanez ts9
> 5.boss octave
> 6.boss dl3
> 7.nobels preamp booster
> 8.Line6 DL4
> 9.bossn N2 noise supressor

Are all of these pedals connected together in series? If so, there is  
some *serious* tone suckage going on.  Most of them probably are not  
true bypass either, although I believe the Sweet Sound Mojo vibe is.

You need a looper--a different kind of looper than is usually  
discussed here. You need something that can insert/remove smaller  
loops of effects, so that your signal isn't continually degraded as  
it moves further and further through the fx chain. I forget who makes  
them, but one guy's in particular is always being discussed on The  
Gear Page. You may try searching "looper" there (www.thegearpage.net)  
Or check out a Switchblade (www.soundsculpture.com), if you've got  
the bucks. You could rack those pedals and put each one in a  
Switchblade "loop". You can then route your signal any way you want  
from simple to complex, series or parallel.

Jeff