I got a single loop switcher unit from Loop Master (many other companies also make high quality loop switchers) not quite sure where I was going to use it. If you are not familiar with a loop switcher, it takes your signal, and if the loop is engaged, sends it out to some other unit or units , then expects the signal back in, then it sends it back into your chain (an effects loop). If it is off, the effects loop is bypassed.

Then it hit me. If I placed the DD-6 in the loop by itself and placed the pedal in Tap-Tempo mode, I could use the loop as the instant on/off switch while remaining in tap tempo mode.  I will eventually replace the DD-6 with something with an external tap, but for now I think this will do just fine.

So if you have a DD-6 and are frustrated with it’s tap-tempo mode, this might be a good solution for you too.

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(This is a reprint of an article from an older blog of mine)

I like to tinker. So it should be no suprise that now that I have a tube amp I want to do a little testing to see what it is capable of. I emailed Crate to see about the best way to get into the amp and they provided me with the Final Assembly Schematics for the amp, which showed that removing 2 screws allowed the amp assembly to pivot down.

So what you see here is the transformer, the 4 EL84 tubes and the 3 12AX7 tubes.  I borrowed a 12AU7 tube from a friend to see what that would do inserted into the V3 position (the leftmost tube in the front row of this picture). Being that the 12AU7 has a substationally lower gain than a 12AX7 it cleared up the clean channel which when it was on 0 volume had a slight low hiss, but since now the power tubes were getting a lot less power from the inverter tube, it was much quieter.I did have to turn the amp up much louder to get the same volume and it started to break up the clean channel at a lower volume then before. But there was abit of fullness that I seemed to lose. Not sure I am ready to make this change. I need to test some more first. My friend also recommended rather than a 12AU7 a 12AT7 which has a gain level somewhere in between the U and the X.

After trying the 12AT7, I was happy with the reduction in volume and increase in volume knob sensitivity. Right now that is what I’m sticking with.

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The answer to the question of what order to put them in is… ‘it depends’.

You have to identify a few parts of your signal chain to really figure it out. What effects are you using in your multi effects and what are the other pedals that you want to use with it. Do you have a killer boutique overdrive pedal and a BOSS ME-50? Well chances are that you will be using the OD from your pedal rather than what is built into the ME-50. Since we usually want to put overdrive and distortion early in the chain, I would put the OD before the ME-50.

I know some people who have a POD LiveXT  on their pedalboad (I know big board) for the amp modelling and direct outputs, but most of their effects are in other pedals. So in this case their entire pedal chain ends with the POD, so that it can be jacked into the sound system directly rather than into an amp (or in addition to).  I know several guys in church settings who use a POD this way, for the flexibility they can get out of it.

If you have something like a visual sound volume pedal, I would probably put that after my multi effects (unless my multi-effects had a volume built in) so that it was after my gain pedals.  Also delay and reverb pedals can go well after a multi-effects unit since they usually come at the end of the chain.

Of course you would want to edit you multi-effects patches to work with your pedals so you didn’t have 2 delays or phasers or whatever fighting with each other.

So say you had an Effectrode Tube Drive, a BOSS ME-50 and a Line6 DL4 delay. I would put them in that order, leaving out the distortion and delay from my patches on the ME-50.

One last thing is that some multi-effects units have effects loops built in to them. You will want to look in the manual to see where in the signal chain the effects loop leaves the multi-effects unit. Is it after the gain stage (distortion) or after all the effects before amp modeling, or somewhere else? Some newer units (like the Digidesign Eleven) will let you move the physical effects loop to anywhere in the effects chain.

So the question is really what am I adding to or replacing in the multi-effects box and is it closer to the front or back of the signal chain that I want.

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for tips on using muti-effects with other pedals see this post.

Let me start by saying that this is simply a jumping off point. If you want your sound to be your own, mix it up, see what happens and then try again. This basic layout seems to make sense (if you read various posts around the net) but if you try putting your delay before your compressor and you like it, then DO IT! Sometimes to not be a conformist you need to study how a lot of people do it, then make a change and see if it works. So with that out of the way, here is a basic chain from left to right.
Guitar Tuner Wah Compression Overdrive / Gain EQ Pitch Modulation Level Echo Amp

Tuner

Wah

Compression

Overdrive / Gain

EQ

Pitch

Modulation

Level

Echo & Reverberation

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