Stereo Rig Question

Lazarus1140

Lazarus1140

New member
So the guitar signal or the signal coming out of the pedal board is divided between the two rigs? What is normally done to, let's say, get the original level clean signal to both amps? Is it just a boost before the split or two after the split? Something like an Xotic EP Booster or what? I'm just interested in experimenting. Who runs a stereo rig and how dod you do it?
 
Re: Stereo Rig Question

For a rig such as the one described, you would usually have the first pedal you want to go to one side only to split the signal. Unless you want an uneven effect, I would put all boosts before splitting the signal. Unless you are running two different amps, you will usually rely on a time-based effect such as a chorus to create the stereo effect.

(Important: you will want something like an EbTech Hum Eliminator to avoid ground loops.)

In my opinion, most such rigs are more effective if you use one preamp, split the signal in the effects loop, and put it into a stereo power amp. This can be done with a pedal board, but for the most part, the effects you want to give stereo effect sound better in the effects loop anyway. The relative simplicity of such a rig is a large part of what still keeps the rack rig alive.
 
Re: Stereo Rig Question

That Pedal Show have several vids on this - here’s one:

https://youtu.be/lY20UncfuFg

I’ve played around with both stereo and wet-dry-wet rigs - there’s definitely some fun to be had once it’s set up - but I would never try it live at the level of bar gigs I play:

1) because we play multi and shows and have only minutes to get setup and ready to go

2) small gigs require amp-audience sound direct so the benefits of either multi-amp setup is quickly lost

3) there’s only so much space on the stage

4) it’s hard to find a house sound engineer who can mix one amp in mono, let alone multi-amp

In terms of how I set it up - I’m lucky enough to have a TRex Replica Delay which outputs a dry and wet signal, so I use that as a splitter between the two amps - saved me having to buy an ABY pedal.

Tonally speaking, I enjoy wet-dry more than stereo - in fact, the Andy Timmons approach - effects send from one amp split to two power amps, one half of which has all the time and mod effects - works really well - the core tone is in both amps but one stays clean, so retains attack.

All that said, my bottom line is that, while it’s nice to mess around with at home - and for recording - for live it’s “everything into the front of the amp and enjoy the gig”!


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Re: Stereo Rig Question

I've been playing all my gigs in stereo for the last year or so. It started off being a bit of a pain..because of ground loops. There were invariably buzzing problems. But ever since I bought my TC Electronics Mimiq Doubler Pedal a few months ago (the full sized/stereo one) that's been a thing of the past. Just plug into the pedal's input, split the output to your two amps & mic both cabs (if you're going through the PA).

I use a long cable and get down facing the stage at sound-check to check that the volume levels from both amps are balanced..ask the sound guy to save the settings ..and that's it. The added bonus is that the Mimiq actually mimics the sound of two guitar players playing in unison (ie, your left & right tracks are'nt identical) ..so there's even more separation & it sounds even better than just playing through two amps in stereo :bigthumb:
 
Re: Stereo Rig Question

I'd say don't bother thinking outside the box; just stick to what everybody else does - a pedalboard full of stomps through a single amp with the volume at "1". :naughty:
 
Re: Stereo Rig Question

I try to run through enough pedals that the signal never comes out at the other end. That way it doesn’t matter if I’m playing in stereo or not.
 
Re: Stereo Rig Question

LLL said:
I'd say don't bother thinking outside the box; just stick to what everybody else does - a pedalboard full of stomps through a single amp with the volume at "1". :naughty:
Click to expand...

I'm really not trying to think out side the box and don't really care about "stereo" for the sake of having stereo separation like for ping pong delay or whatever. I just want to experiment with blending two tones .... not wet and dry or anything like that. Maybe a hot clean tone with a slightly hotter and different flavored (cathode biased) tone blended - maybe 50/50. That's what I want to play with. For starters, and to keep it simple, both amps would receive the same signal/effects and so on.
 
Re: Stereo Rig Question

You want a decent ABY box. That way you can choose either amp or both together. But get a decent one that is powered, has the ability to adust the phase and has a ground adjustment so you don't wind up with a ground loop. I think Radial makes a decent one.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk
 
Re: Stereo Rig Question

Lazarus1140 said:
I'm really not trying to think out side the box and don't really care about "stereo" for the sake of having stereo separation like for ping pong delay or whatever. I just want to experiment with blending two tones .... not wet and dry or anything like that. Maybe a hot clean tone with a slightly hotter and different flavored (cathode biased) tone blended - maybe 50/50. That's what I want to play with. For starters, and to keep it simple, both amps would receive the same signal/effects and so on.
Click to expand...

For a two amp setup like you describe, get an active amp switcher with x-former that allows either/or/both.

I believe a product from Lehle or Framptone (or similar) would do the trick... but do it right as well.
 
Re: Stereo Rig Question

I want to try that TC Electronic Mimiq doubler. I would stay in my room and play songs off Justice all day.
 
Re: Stereo Rig Question

That's why I mentioned the active box by Radial, I think that it's called "X" (cross) Bones.

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Re: Stereo Rig Question

Radial has:
Radial BigShot ABY True-bypass Switch Pedal (passive)
and
Radial Bones Twin City A-B-Y Amp Switcher
and
Radial JDX Direct-Drive - Active Guitar Amp Direct Box
and
Radial Switchbone V2 ABY/C Amp Selector and Booster

And if I can believe everything I read, they have an extensive line of tires as well.
 
Last edited:
Re: Stereo Rig Question

Speaking for myself, if I had a pressing need (I don't anymore) for a "pro" amp switcher unit, I'd do the Lehle based on my research.
 
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