Effects Processors, anyone?

Antonio · 05-29-2009, 06:36 PM

anyone else here use effects processors for guitar/bass?

i have a Zoom G1 John 5 edition, while certainly not the best from Zoom, it was the best i could get for $60

mr dave · 05-29-2009, 06:53 PM

effect i love. multi-effects i loathe.

but that's just me, in my experience i've found combo boxes to be far more hassle than they're worth. they're really good if you know what specific type of sound you're looking for from the get go and don't mind factory presets.

something else i've found with the ones i've tried is that they usually only do one type of effect well at the expense of the others. for example one unit might provide excellent distortion tones from mild fuzz to speaker shredding overdrive but try to use one of the wavey effects (phaser, flanger, or chorus) and you're running for cover, or vice versa.

the other thing i really don't like about multi-effects is that you can really change the order of the pedals. placing the distortion before or after a wah pedal results in a significantly different effect. heck hooking up the wah 'backwards' produces a unique siren effect as well (BE CAREFUL IF YOU EVER TRY THIS).

either way for the price one of those little boxes is enough to give you a good idea of what sort of proper effect(s) you'll want in the future. way less hassle for practicing on your own as well.

Antonio · 05-29-2009, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave

effect i love. multi-effects i loathe.

but that's just me, in my experience i've found combo boxes to be far more hassle than they're worth. they're really good if you know what specific type of sound you're looking for from the get go and don't mind factory presets.

something else i've found with the ones i've tried is that they usually only do one type of effect well at the expense of the others. for example one unit might provide excellent distortion tones from mild fuzz to speaker shredding overdrive but try to use one of the wavey effects (phaser, flanger, or chorus) and you're running for cover, or vice versa.

the other thing i really don't like about multi-effects is that you can really change the order of the pedals. placing the distortion before or after a wah pedal results in a significantly different effect. heck hooking up the wah 'backwards' produces a unique siren effect as well (BE CAREFUL IF YOU EVER TRY THIS).

either way for the price one of those little boxes is enough to give you a good idea of what sort of proper effect(s) you'll want in the future. way less hassle for practicing on your own as well.

well, i like to have alot of different sounds when i plug in cause of the variety. In all honesty, some of the sounds on mine have inspired me in songs i've made. for me it's less of what i have and more of what i can do with it.

and yeah there's 40 preset sounds on mine, but it also has 40 editable ones, and i edited them all. and yeah, while some of the presets weren't ones i wanted, i still had the editable ones to fall back on.

so yes, i understand your point of view concerning them, and on some points i agree, but overall, i'd take the processor, cause of the variety and different things i could get out of it

mr dave · 05-29-2009, 07:19 PM

yeah i also have access to a small suitcase full of pedals and cables so i don't really 'need' a multi effects unit when i already have the necessary pedals

my cousin on the other hand is ALL about multi-effect units. he jumped on a line6 pod as soon as they hit the market. runs a jumbo BOSS multi-effects thing now.

we both think each other's setup is a bit of a hassle hehe.

Antonio · 05-29-2009, 07:37 PM

yeah, but what's made at the end is all that matters, right?

mr dave · 05-29-2009, 07:44 PM

for me it's all about what's made in the moment. how it eventually comes out in the end isn't the top of the list for me anymore hehe

Antonio · 05-29-2009, 07:48 PM

oh yeah, i agree with that, i'm just saying the music that's made with it at that moment is more important than what you used to get there

Freebase Dali · 05-30-2009, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antonio

oh yeah, i agree with that, i'm just saying the music that's made with it at that moment is more important than what you used to get there

I agree.

Dave and I got into this same type of argument regarding using synthesizer presets.

While I agree that using individual stomp boxes to form your "sound" is fun and creative, there are multiFX pedals that allow you to edit every individual process, just as you would using stomp boxes. I don't see how it's different. It's certainly more cost-efficient, and if you can come out at the end of it all with a great sound, regardless of whether you used a bunch of individual boxes, or a single box that does the same thing, then that's what really counts.

With that in mind, I do have several stomp boxes, but I got this a while back and it's pretty flexible:
Digitech RP500

What I like about it is I can use it like a stomp box by disabling the pre-amp section and plugging it right into my guitar amp head. In the studio, I used the pre-amp and cab simulations direct in. In either case, it sounds great. I may be thinking about getting a Mesa pre and a power amp to use for my half cab though, because currently I have a Line6 Spider 2 on top of it and it's REALLY inflexible and doesn't sound all that fabulous.

Freebase Dali · 05-30-2009, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave

effect i love. multi-effects i loathe.

but that's just me, in my experience i've found combo boxes to be far more hassle than they're worth. they're really good if you know what specific type of sound you're looking for from the get go and don't mind factory presets.

something else i've found with the ones i've tried is that they usually only do one type of effect well at the expense of the others. for example one unit might provide excellent distortion tones from mild fuzz to speaker shredding overdrive but try to use one of the wavey effects (phaser, flanger, or chorus) and you're running for cover, or vice versa.

the other thing i really don't like about multi-effects is that you can really change the order of the pedals. placing the distortion before or after a wah pedal results in a significantly different effect. heck hooking up the wah 'backwards' produces a unique siren effect as well (BE CAREFUL IF YOU EVER TRY THIS).

either way for the price one of those little boxes is enough to give you a good idea of what sort of proper effect(s) you'll want in the future. way less hassle for practicing on your own as well.

Hey Dave, you ever looked into the Digitech RP500 I posted about above this?
You may be surprised at the capabilities it has.

I'm wondering what are the multiFX pedals you looked that contributed to your opinion of them.

mr dave · 05-31-2009, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veridical Fiction

Hey Dave, you ever looked into the Digitech RP500 I posted about above this?
You may be surprised at the capabilities it has.

I'm wondering what are the multiFX pedals you looked that contributed to your opinion of them.

nope. haven't really been gear shopping in a few years now, i'm basically content with what i've got for now.

i suppose i should be adding a caveat to my opinions on multis since i've never actually owned one. i've tried old boss units from the 90s, newer line6 stuff, pods, and X boards in the recent past. some friends had zoom multis from around 2000 as well.

thing is where i've got almost 20 pedals of my own i never really find myself testing out multi-units anymore. i don't find it any more or less hassle to keep using the method i've got. besides, i also like running a wet/wetter stereo setup, seems to me it would be kind of hard to pull off with a single multi-unit.