Winston Psmith Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I have to agree with @Caevan O’Shite regarding Fuzz & Filter effects in most MFX; they lack something critical, a certain tonal quality that just doesn't come through. I have, however, been able to sculpt some very nice OD & Distortion effects from Digital MFX, even some very . . . dare I say it . . . "warm" sounds. Couple of thoughts here. A Digital Pedal, like the Iridium, wherein all the DSP is dedicated to one type of effect is very likely to outshine a similar effects model within a Digital MFX, because the Digital MFX has to divide the total processing power of the DSP among a legion of different effects models. Many MFX are still configured such that you can only stack effects up to the limits of the DSP, so adding the Stereo Pitch-Shift Effect means you might have to give up the Gated Reverb, or the Ping-Pong Delay? Others are configured so choosing any given effect from within an effects type means that you can't have another effect of that same type; you can have Phaser or Flanger, not both, and forget about redundant effects, like CHO+CHO. OTOH, some Digital MFX also offer more exotic, even bizarre, proprietary effects that you probably won't find in a pedal . . . which is fine, IF you really need or want those sounds. I'm sure I've said it before in this thread somewhere, but there is no ideal "One-Size-Fits-All" rig; either way, there are trade-off's and considerations, flexibility, portability, dependability, affordability, and even repairability, or replaceability. FWIW, I play Mix-&-Match depending on what I need at any given time. My Ambient Pedalboard has a handful of individual pedals feeding into a compact MFX, which doubles as an Amp Modeler. A Voodoo Labs 4X4 power brick powers everything, so I only need one power outlet to plug into, and I can go direct to FOH front the MFX. 5 Quote "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfergirl Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 53 minutes ago, p90jr said: And when I think of the younger players I know who are devoted to digital sims, they're kind of the same way (they pride themselves on not bending strings like "some 70s boomer") and they kind of play guitar like they're synths... touch dynamics are not part of what they do... but then, if I feel like being a jerk, they've grown up listening to horrible digital music formats compressed to hell with music recorded to be soft one moment then kick to really loud with no subtlety in between... Not me, I learned from a boomer. I really prefer pedals, I feel like I have more control. Besides they have some very cool graphics🙂 3 1 Quote Jenny S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p90jr Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 1 hour ago, surfergirl said: Not me, I learned from a boomer. I really prefer pedals, I feel like I have more control. Besides they have some very cool graphics🙂 I was being jerky... but it is all about what style people are playing. Americana/country/blues/roots/classic rock-influenced people will want traditional response and sounds. Modern rock-influenced people will want a different thing, usually more saturated. My brother had a Dual Rectifier half-stack... I used a Dual Rectifier combo for a bit when a bandmate left it in my van when he left the band and then promptly moved away... you can get sounds I like from them, but the way I hear most people dial them in the clean sound is lifeless then the overdrive sound is just a loud indistinct roar... tastes... just not my personal thing. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfergirl Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 27 minutes ago, p90jr said: I was being jerky... but it is all about what style people are playing. Americana/country/blues/roots/classic rock-influenced people will want traditional response and sounds. Modern rock-influenced people will want a different thing, usually more saturated. My brother had a Dual Rectifier half-stack... I used a Dual Rectifier combo for a bit when a bandmate left it in my van when he left the band and then promptly moved away... you can get sounds I like from them, but the way I hear most people dial them in the clean sound is lifeless then the overdrive sound is just a loud indistinct roar... tastes... just not my personal thing. I hope you didn't take what said personal, I would never think of you as "being jerky". The digital music thing has never caught on big time here. I think it's the tradition of slack key and surfing. I don't know a surfer who doesn't have a guitar, maybe just a beat up Yamaha like my mothers, but some kind of guitar. 3 Quote Jenny S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 3 hours ago, Winston Psmith said: A Digital Pedal, like the Iridium, wherein all the DSP is dedicated to one type of effect is very likely to outshine a similar effects model within a Digital MFX, because the Digital MFX has to divide the total processing power of the DSP among a legion of different effects models. Indeed, my thoughts there mirror yours. There are individual digital pedals that can and do [offer superior dynamic and frequency-dependent response and interaction], but their processing power and design are pretty dedicated and focused, unlike the 'Jack-of-All-Trades' that DM/MFX units attempt to be. 36 minutes ago, p90jr said: Americana/country/blues/roots/classic rock-influenced people will want traditional response and sounds. Modern rock-influenced people will want a different thing, I'm kinda in-between there... 3 Quote Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 6 hours ago, surfergirl said: I think it's the tradition of slack key and surfing. I'm a HUGE fan of slack key. So glad it's still going strong there. 5 Quote Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I have a couple of Peavey Vypyr VIP 1 amps, the small one with 20 watts, there is a mind boggling array of effects, amps and ways to adjust all of them plus a USB socket, an Aux In jack, a headphone jack and a jack for plugging in a Sanpera pedal on the back. There are 2 Sanpera pedals available, Sanpera 1 with 4 foot switches and a switchable volume/wah pedal and Sanpera 2 with has more switches and 2 pedals. I have the Sanpera 1. No need or reason for any other effects, it has more than I use already. I like the Rotary Speaker sound, if I run in stereo and have that on one amp and not the other it sounds "spacious". There are more features, a Tap Tempo button for the delay, a Looper (never tried it yet) and 4 banks of 3 switchable presets each. A single cord powers and allows switching on the Sanpera pedal. I've found that running the Post Gain hot and the Pre Gain low can provide some realistic "tube amp turned up a bit too high to be clean but not insanely distorted" tones. The low frequencies are a bit smoother and fuller than is typical with an overdriven tube amp, a little more "solid state" but I like that. I put Scorpion 10" speakers in each one to replace the small 8" speaker. They are amazing amps and all the effects I could ever use plus more. Used, I got them for about $70 each, huge bang for the buck. I got a Rivera A or B / A+B footswitch so I can run both amps. I like having one sound fairly "normal" and just one Sanpera 1 on the floor to do stuff with the other one. I'm keeping my Tech 21 Double Drive 3x pedal and a Boss ME-80 multi effects but that's about it. I'm thinking about trying the Boss instead of the Rivera AB box since it has mono in and stereo out. That would provide even more options (not like I need more!!!). So yeah, it's Crazy World around here and I've barely scratched the surface as to what is available. 4 Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparquelito Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 I have been all over the map on this topic over the years. A good multi-effects unit can do it all, and (this might sound like heresy) it can cause you to just leave the guitar amplifiers at home, and channel the fx processor straight into the PA mixer. I have done this on a few gigs, and it sure saves wear and tear on your back! The audience doesn't know the difference, and there is an easier set-up and tear-down, not having to deal with amps, Shure 57's, and all the possible feedback that might occur. But the allure of pedals. It's undeniably powerful. There are always new ones. Sparkly, attractive new pedals. And so we go down that road, again and again. 🫠 7 1 Quote Am I alone in this? Am I alone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Welcome, @Sparquelito! I've long been an advocate for the MFX-direct-to-FOH approach. Along with the ease of use, and much lower back strain, there's the fact that for most of us here in the Forums, few, if any, of the venues we perform at have the kind of space to justify hauling a 50 or 100-Watt Amp. Sure, I have fond memories of Rock Idols standing in front of Stonehenge-inspired backlines, but honestly, no one needs those things anymore, unless you're playing a stadium or an outdoor festival, and even then . . . 5 Quote "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparquelito Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 23 minutes ago, Winston Psmith said: Welcome, @Sparquelito! I've long been an advocate for the MFX-direct-to-FOH approach. Along with the ease of use, and much lower back strain, there's the fact that for most of us here in the Forums, few, if any, of the venues we perform at have the kind of space to justify hauling a 50 or 100-Watt Amp. Sure, I have fond memories of Rock Idols standing in front of Stonehenge-inspired backlines, but honestly, no one needs those things anymore, unless you're playing a stadium or an outdoor festival, and even then . . . I agree 100%. I think a lot of those "walls of amps" at large outdoor venues are actually facades. Watched one rig rundown with John Bollinger, and I can't recall the guitar player he was interviewing, but the guy played these huge venues with a fake wall of amplifiers. His actual rig was a small amp backstage inside an isolation box, with an old Shure 57 in there, cabled to the PA head. This was to control feedback and stage noise. Had a primary and a backup of those. Wish I could remember who that was. Heck, I wish I could remember where my car keys are. 🥲 3 Quote Am I alone in this? Am I alone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 45 minutes ago, Sparquelito said: I agree 100%. I think a lot of those "walls of amps" at large outdoor venues are actually facades. Watched one rig rundown with John Bollinger, and I can't recall the guitar player he was interviewing, but the guy played these huge venues with a fake wall of amplifiers. His actual rig was a small amp backstage inside an isolation box, with an old Shure 57 in there, cabled to the PA head. This was to control feedback and stage noise. Had a primary and a backup of those. Wish I could remember who that was. Heck, I wish I could remember where my car keys are. 🥲 I went to a show long ago and they had a wall of Marshall cabinets. I was hanging out with the soundman (a friend) after the show and I saw a roadie hook his hands into the corners of 2 cabinets, pick them up and walk off the stage with them. They were all empty. 4 Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 I must agree that in a gigging situation, individual units are easier to access on the fly. Never saw the need for dozens of sonic choices for a conventional gig. I rarely use more than 2 fx in a gig. When I use my wah, it becomes addictive and overused. Georgia on My Mind has no appropriate passage for a wah, but I have caught myself doing it. LOL 5 Quote Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.