Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

jmcorey

New member
I have a Traynor YCV40-WR, which I love. However, putting things in the effects loop decreases the dynamics.

Putting a boss chorus ensemble does a little, and my boss GT-8 does a lot. Any antidotes to this?
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

Loops where made for linelevel stuff, that is running parallel...well if it is going to sound any good though!!
Pedals have no buisness in a loop as far as I am concerned, unless something in and output is being added to the pedal, plus correct impedance!
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

Loops where made for linelevel stuff, that is running parallel...well if it is going to sound any good though!!
Pedals have no buisness in a loop as far as I am concerned, unless something in and output is being added to the pedal, plus correct impedance!

I agree! most stompboxes and multi-fx units were designed to be placed in front of the amp, and IMO sound best that way.
If you are using a rack type set-up, the loop may be the way to go.
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

My delay and looping pedals all sound fine in the loop.

It seems like Traynor really messed up the loop on this amp. I've read quite a few complaints online about it. Too bad, the rest of the amp sounds great. You know, there is a distinct possibility that it's the pedals causing the compression of dynamics, especially the multi-fx. Is there a way to completely turn all the effects off to determine if it's any of the effects or if it's just the internal circuitry of the GT? Also, are you losing just volume or true dynamics? (Can you get the same volume using the loop as without it?)
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

A lot of multi-effect and modeling processors have a switch to convert between instrument-level and line-level (loop) operation. Since equipment can be so variable, it is recommended to try out that switch a few times to see which position is best for your rig.
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

I used to have an ADA MP-1 preamp, and even turning on the FX Loop made it sound bad.
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

My delay and looping pedals all sound fine in the loop.

It seems like Traynor really messed up the loop on this amp. I've read quite a few complaints online about it. Too bad, the rest of the amp sounds great. You know, there is a distinct possibility that it's the pedals causing the compression of dynamics, especially the multi-fx. Is there a way to completely turn all the effects off to determine if it's any of the effects or if it's just the internal circuitry of the GT? Also, are you losing just volume or true dynamics? (Can you get the same volume using the loop as without it?)

I think the volume does drop.
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

A lot of multi-effect and modeling processors have a switch to convert between instrument-level and line-level (loop) operation. Since equipment can be so variable, it is recommended to try out that switch a few times to see which position is best for your rig.

I don't know if the GT-8 has that available....
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

It seems like Traynor really messed up the loop on this amp.
Messed up??
Maybe they just made it the way they should??
Line level and parallel!!
I think guitar players had a collective blackout....nobody remember the 80's??
Racks, linemixers, CAE ruling the world!!:D
As Joelap pointed out, the internal signal is at linelevels, and has a different impedance, why degrade that to seriel at mere musiclevels??
That is not going to get one "good" sounds, not if you compare it to how it should be!
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

I don't know if the GT-8 has that available....

It actually does, but it is not on a switch. You have to flip through some menus, and they give you some complicated options. Most processors have a switch that says something like "amp/line", "instrument/loop", "-10/+4dB", or something. The GT-8 gives you options for connecting to combos, stacks, or specifically the JC-120. It is actually safe to try all of them and see which one sounds best to you. If by chance a processor doesn't have such options, just adjusting the volume/gain paramters is the solution.
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

Messed up??
Maybe they just made it the way they should??
Line level and parallel!!
I think guitar players had a collective blackout....nobody remember the 80's??
Racks, linemixers, CAE ruling the world!!:D
As Joelap pointed out, the internal signal is at linelevels, and has a different impedance, why degrade that to seriel at mere musiclevels??
That is not going to get one "good" sounds, not if you compare it to how it should be!

No, you should have the option of series or parallel, as well as be able to control send and return levels. That's how you adjust an effects loop to be able to accept pedals or rack gear. I'm able to get great results with several delay pedals, a looper and somtimes chorus in the effects loop. How else are you going to use delay, into the front of a distorting amp? Gross! :eek: lol I've read a lot of complaints on various forums that this amp's loop loses volume, dynamics, tone, etc. It sounds like an afterthought rather than good design.
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

Why use a seriel effect in a loop???
Makes no sense.
Loops works and sounds best as parallel and at line levels....pedals have no buisness between a pre and poweramp!
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

My delay and looping pedals all sound fine in the loop.

It seems like Traynor really messed up the loop on this amp. I've read quite a few complaints online about it. Too bad, the rest of the amp sounds great. You know, there is a distinct possibility that it's the pedals causing the compression of dynamics, especially the multi-fx. Is there a way to completely turn all the effects off to determine if it's any of the effects or if it's just the internal circuitry of the GT? Also, are you losing just volume or true dynamics? (Can you get the same volume using the loop as without it?)

Just do a simple test . . . You can always just jump the loop out to the loop in with a 1/4 inch patch cable and play it for a bit. Then try it without the jumper in and see if the amp sounds different. If there's a difference in sound without the pedals, then it's the loop that's causing the problems, otherwise it's the pedals.

I really like my YCV40WR, but to be honest I haven't used the loop too much. I like most of my effects in front of the amp clean.
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

buffers have there uses.... most larger stages you need a buffer if you have a large board with lots of daisy chains and 40-60 feet of cable so you can move around on stage like a wireless system.... In my large rig i had over 50 feet of cable and then some.... but i was using higher output pickups like the JB and a massive gain monster amp the 5150 so you could just turn the amps gain up slightly and it seemed to take care of the cord issue... plus my headswitcher system had built in buffers of some sort...

For a while i had a Boss Chorus and Delay in my 5150's FX loop... adding the FX loop into the mix with an already pile of cable in front of the amp was even more cable madness.. i ended up using just the chorus in front of the amp instead of in the loop and got rid of the delay pedal as it made noise infront of the preamp yet was quiet in the loop!!!!...

for my smaller rig i still have 40-50 feet of cable infront of my C30 combo sometimes... pedalboard has a bunch of cables and a 10-20 foot infront of the pedal board and a 10-20 foot cord to the amp... i don't use the amps loop anymore myself... it just made for more cables..... I don't use buffers... i still use medium/high output pickups
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

A buffer is worthless if it is not located first in the chain....
Personally I cannot stand having non buffered pedals, unless I am doing a Hendrix like setup....then it is a whole different mindset.
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

You've got to be kidding me... somebody actually made a product that is a tube buffer? Now I've heard it all :chairshot If someone doesnt want it to sound like theyve got pedals in front of their amp, then they shouldnt use pedals! Want to compensate for losses in high frequencies from cable capacitance? Run into a buffered bypass pedal first, like ANY boss pedal. Or better yet, take 8 steps or so, and turn up the knob that says "TEH TREBLE" on your amp! Odds are there wont be a single person in the crowd who can hear through the mix in a band situation who would say "wow, that guitar sounds good, they must be running into a TUBE BUFFER directly after the guitar as to compensate for high frequency attenuation". If you're recording and you want a good accurate sound of just the guitar and amp, run the shortest wire from your guitar straight into the amp. But live, no one is going to be able to tell. No one.

If someone would pay $240 dollars for a BUFFER when they can buy an SD-1 for 30 bucks that'll do the SAME THING (just leave it off), that person should be institutionalized!

Have you tried it?
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

It wouldnt matter even if I did, because there'd be no way I'd spend close to $250 on a buffer! And I hope you dont think I was attacking you in my post, I wasn't intending to come across that way. I was just baffled by the idea of a buffer costing $250, since I had never seen that before. In my EE classes, we design unity-gain buffers with 4 resistors, a MOSFet, and anywhere from 1 to 3 capacitors at the most (thats about 3 dollars worth of parts if you're ordering expensive caps)! Since buffers essentially "do nothing" (they convert a high impedance source to low impedance, but dont provide gain or add any sort of change to the signal) that seems like a HECKUVA lot of money to spend on something that isn't going to have any "effect" on the sound. And the whole "tube buffer" thing just struck a nerve with me... There is no advantage to using tubes in such an application to the best of my knowledge. Thats pure marketing to get people to buy it.

you have a point....
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

It wouldnt matter even if I did, because there'd be no way I'd spend close to $250 on a buffer! And I hope you dont think I was attacking you in my post, I wasn't intending to come across that way. I was just baffled by the idea of a buffer costing $250, since I had never seen that before. In my EE classes, we design unity-gain buffers with 4 resistors, a MOSFet, and anywhere from 1 to 3 capacitors at the most (thats about 3 dollars worth of parts if you're ordering expensive caps)! Since buffers essentially "do nothing" (they convert a high impedance source to low impedance, but dont provide gain or add any sort of change to the signal) that seems like a HECKUVA lot of money to spend on something that isn't going to have any "effect" on the sound. And the whole "tube buffer" thing just struck a nerve with me... There is no advantage to using tubes in such an application to the best of my knowledge. Thats pure marketing to get people to buy it.

No I didn't feel attacked I just asked if you tried it since you made some good points. I haven't seen one but it sounded good and coming from vht I must have some value.
 
Re: Does using the effects loop decrease dynamics?

So everyone who believes that effects shouldn't go in the loop likes their chorus and other time delay effects distorted? I much prefer the sound of a chorus be added at the mixing or post production stage of the stuff I record, which is more closely simulated by a chorus in the loop.

The first EFX loop buffer I ever saw was designed by Vox and I think specfically tailored for use with a 5150 as it had some EFX loop issues.

Personally, I think people should just do what they think sounds best. If you don't like the sound of your loop, don't use it or try a differnet setup
 
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