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Ok ,
So I have had it since it came out and I have had this love hate relationship with it so far. But I think it's a useable tool and the way I'm using it now I think works best for me.
It's sad I can't use it the way I want which is in the 4CM and use the other 2 loops for effects but that doesn't work out and it sucks but here is my solution until I get the ES-8.
I wired my guitar into the input.
Then in Loop 1 I use my tc electronics Sentry Noise gate. Yes it's first for a reason.
Then Loop 2 is my Boss Wazacraft Blues Driver
Loop 3 is tc electronics Spark( great pedal by the way for those looking for a clean , mid hump or mild boost pedal, it does a lot)
Out of the MS-3 oto the front of my amp.
In my effects loop I have in this order a Ernie ball VP volume pedal, Boss Wazacraft Chorus , tc electronics Flashback and then at the end of the chain a tc electronics Hall of Fame Reverb pedal.
So I'm sure some of you reading this is thinking then why have the MS-3 if your not going to use it as intended?
Well the MS-3 colors the sound. It outputs at -10bd and you have to gain adjust using the patch levels of each path. You will find this IF you try the 4CM or not. Even out front you have to gain adjust as it loses output power which I hate because it makes everything softer, you lose your edge ( If your a Metal guy like me) and then you have to bring it back with Patch levels.
BUT I can use my clean channel and use effects built into the MS-3 all out front and it's ok. I can get some useable Chorus , Delay , Reverb combos that sound fantastic almost. But no where near as good as when I use the Pedals, turn off all effects in the MS-3 and use the effects loops effects. More natural more responsive and much more creative driven inspiration.
One thing I'm really liking about the MS-3 is that it has a true TRS output and can handle a amp channel change and a boost level change. Depending on how your amp handles TRS outputs, it can work exactly how your 2 button amp control foot switch works. This is a HUGE improvement over the GT series which only had control out on and off, no TRS output which was a stupid moron move from Boss which I expect so much more from.
At the end of the day my wife got this for me for my Birthday. She pre ordered in back in May and it came in late June. I was excited at first, wanted to throw it out the window but now that I have the editor, I can at least have some fun with it, give it all she got and I'm gonna attempt one more time to get the 4CM to work one last time. If I can get the Coloration out, then I will keep the MS-3, if not I'm gonna move on , get a ES-8 and just stick with pedals as for me I have never heard a Multi Effects unit at any level sound as good as pedals do when wired and used correctly with buffers and proper high quality cables.
You can make one hell of a mess out of your natural tone with a larger pedal board if you don't know what your doing and can find the darkness within the board where it starts and how to correct for it to retain you tone.
If any MS-3 owners want to add to the single conversation I'm having feel free. If anyone has been successful in retaining your amps natural tone using the 4Cm , please teach me.
The point of this conversation for me is to express my experience with the MS-3 and find others who might know how to use it better then me. I have a lot of experience with Boss Multi effects but I have never been able to retain my amps natural tone with any of them. I'm sure there is a way to get it closer then I have but I'm at a loss on how to get there. 2 many adjustment drives me crazy. Simple is SO MUCH BETTER.
So I have had it since it came out and I have had this love hate relationship with it so far. But I think it's a useable tool and the way I'm using it now I think works best for me.
It's sad I can't use it the way I want which is in the 4CM and use the other 2 loops for effects but that doesn't work out and it sucks but here is my solution until I get the ES-8.
I wired my guitar into the input.
Then in Loop 1 I use my tc electronics Sentry Noise gate. Yes it's first for a reason.
Then Loop 2 is my Boss Wazacraft Blues Driver
Loop 3 is tc electronics Spark( great pedal by the way for those looking for a clean , mid hump or mild boost pedal, it does a lot)
Out of the MS-3 oto the front of my amp.
In my effects loop I have in this order a Ernie ball VP volume pedal, Boss Wazacraft Chorus , tc electronics Flashback and then at the end of the chain a tc electronics Hall of Fame Reverb pedal.
So I'm sure some of you reading this is thinking then why have the MS-3 if your not going to use it as intended?
Well the MS-3 colors the sound. It outputs at -10bd and you have to gain adjust using the patch levels of each path. You will find this IF you try the 4CM or not. Even out front you have to gain adjust as it loses output power which I hate because it makes everything softer, you lose your edge ( If your a Metal guy like me) and then you have to bring it back with Patch levels.
BUT I can use my clean channel and use effects built into the MS-3 all out front and it's ok. I can get some useable Chorus , Delay , Reverb combos that sound fantastic almost. But no where near as good as when I use the Pedals, turn off all effects in the MS-3 and use the effects loops effects. More natural more responsive and much more creative driven inspiration.
One thing I'm really liking about the MS-3 is that it has a true TRS output and can handle a amp channel change and a boost level change. Depending on how your amp handles TRS outputs, it can work exactly how your 2 button amp control foot switch works. This is a HUGE improvement over the GT series which only had control out on and off, no TRS output which was a stupid moron move from Boss which I expect so much more from.
At the end of the day my wife got this for me for my Birthday. She pre ordered in back in May and it came in late June. I was excited at first, wanted to throw it out the window but now that I have the editor, I can at least have some fun with it, give it all she got and I'm gonna attempt one more time to get the 4CM to work one last time. If I can get the Coloration out, then I will keep the MS-3, if not I'm gonna move on , get a ES-8 and just stick with pedals as for me I have never heard a Multi Effects unit at any level sound as good as pedals do when wired and used correctly with buffers and proper high quality cables.
You can make one hell of a mess out of your natural tone with a larger pedal board if you don't know what your doing and can find the darkness within the board where it starts and how to correct for it to retain you tone.
If any MS-3 owners want to add to the single conversation I'm having feel free. If anyone has been successful in retaining your amps natural tone using the 4Cm , please teach me.
The point of this conversation for me is to express my experience with the MS-3 and find others who might know how to use it better then me. I have a lot of experience with Boss Multi effects but I have never been able to retain my amps natural tone with any of them. I'm sure there is a way to get it closer then I have but I'm at a loss on how to get there. 2 many adjustment drives me crazy. Simple is SO MUCH BETTER.