live lead tones

[bryan_kilco]

I've been trying to come up with a simple setup for live solos/leads.

Currently I don't run any fx other than amp distortion and a TS in front of the amp along with a Boss NS-2.

What I'm looking for is reverb and delay, being able to switch both of them on with a single footswitch. Axe FX or whatever is not an option. I know a lot of people use multi-fx processors with midi controllers, but I really don't need all that. I just need verb, delay, and (somehow) a slight volume boost.

I figured an easy method would just be to run these FX thru my loop and switch the loop on/off for leads. But, I currently run my rack setup (basically power conditioner and tuner) thru the loop and I have my tuner set to MUTE so all I have to do is hit the Loop button on my pedal and my signal is muted so I can tune quietly between songs. So, a way to still have that same setup would be awesome, but how can I add the verb/delay/vol boost as well?

Curious as to what some of you guys do. I'm just tired of leads not jumping out of a live mix at all and just blending in with everything else.

 

[EffigyForgotten]

Id just get a carbon copy delay TBH other than that theres the Boss RE-20 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/boss-re-20-space-echo-delay--reverb-pedal and I just found this answer for you

"The other option is to get a delay pedal with programmable presets e.g. TC Nova Delay. You can then set one of the presets with a very short delay time (so that you can't hear individual repeats) and a high feedback so that it takes a while to tail off. It's not as sweet sounding as a proper reverb but it will get you in the ballpark."

 

[C-Martin]

If you want verb, delay and boost at the same time, TC Electronics G Major II and a midi foot controller can do all those and switch them on and off instantaneously. It's about the easiest and cheapest solution i can think of that just works. You can also have it switch channels on your amp so if you need clean tones with fx you can have it switch instantly with just 1 switch. Other than that you'd have to either tap dance multiple pedals or get a more complex routing setup with multiple pedals and a pedal switcher.

Carbon Copy is great btw, i use it all the time and it sounds nice on leads but it won't give you a boost if you need that. You'd have to use an additional boost pedal on top of that.

I've never found and easier solution for this. I've had the multiple pedals setup before and got tired of the tap dancing and got a G Major II.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Hmmm, yeah maybe I will have to look into something like that. What I'm not sure of though is, how would you get a volume boost since the signal is basically being "limited" by the amps master output? And something like the GMajor or TC Electronics would run in the FX Loop, correct?

 

[JonWormwood]

Hmmm, yeah maybe I will have to look into something like that. What I'm not sure of though is, how would you get a volume boost since the signal is basically being "limited" by the amps master output? And something like the GMajor or TC Electronics would run in the FX Loop, correct?

2-3db boost. My leads are eq'd as well. Lots of mids.

 

[if6was9]

Use something like this for turning on reverb, delay and boost pedal at the same time.

http://www.loop-master.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=30

Can you run the tuner between the guitar and amps input to maintain the silent tuning?

 

[Patrick (Nemesis)]

I use a Rocktron looper: delay, boost, chorus and 2 EQ (after preamp; one setting massively boosts the mids) at my disposal with a single press on a midi board. It also controls my amp (channel switching; although they are not really channels in my Engl Fireball, just one boost for preamp and one for power amp) using the stereo jack footswitch input.

 

[schismatic]

I use an ABY pedal with a momentary switch on it for this sort of thing.

I too have my FX loop tied up by something else, so I've got the ABY pedal in front of the amp. I use it for quickly switching a loop of effects on and off. When not pressing the switch in with my foot, it plays my A loop (a TS), then when I hold the button down with my foot, it switches to the B loop (I have a delay and chorus on this). When I lift my foot, delay and chorus goes, TS back on.

I use it on conjunction with my clean/dirty channel switcher pedal for my amp. This way I can be playing a clean sound with delay and chorus, and in one movement slam the dirty channel pedal, instantly removing delay/chorus, turning the TS back on, and moving from clean to heavy distorted sound.

The pedal also acts as a Y config as well, so you can hit a switch and get both the A and B loops working. In your case you could put such a pedal in the FX loop, then have the tuner loop as your A loop and the delay and reverb loop as the B loop. Keep the FX loop always on, then use the ABY pedal to switch loop B on and off as you please. Loop A (tuner) can stay on throughout. This way you can keep delay and reverb in the FX loop which is desirable.

Got mine from bright onion pedals, hand made in UK and very reasonable. He does custom stuff so perhaps ask his advice on what would be best for you?

 

[schismatic]

Forgot to add, a lot of suggested solutions rely on MIDI rather than simple electronics, so check your rig is compatible if you go down that route.

 

[Backe]

Get a floor tuner then. Boss TU-2 and TU-3 are both great and cheap. It's somewhat more personal to tune facing the audience also.

 

[Patrick (Nemesis)]

Get a floor tuner then. Boss TU-2 and TU-3 are both great and cheap. It's somewhat more personal to tune facing the audience also.

That's one interesting aspect. Never thought about this before.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

How does a true bypass FX loop stompbox with an adjustable active clean boost and remote footswitch sound?

 

[Sweetnothing]

Back to when I used to have fx going on, what I did was having a gmajor on the loop of the amp. Tuner and overdrive in front of the amp.

That way, when you stomp on the tuner, it muted the signal, and had the loop switch for the delay.

The bad thing was the 6505's architecture, setting the gain on the gmajor was a pita. Since the "send" level is determined by the channel's post gain, it was pretty hard to keep a consistent sound. If you had to turn down the volume, had to adjust the gmajor's input ( and most probably) and output to get it right. It wasn't also very transparent ( I had gmajor mk1)

The tuner on it was awful, so was the noise gate.

 

[hogan666]

6505s loop architecture is really a pain in the ass. ;-)
Thats why I got rid of my multifx units (same problem with the G-Major).
Right now I use the Musicom Lab Efx MkIII. One of the best ways to invest "Music-Money" ;-)

Carbon Copy (+Hall of fame Reverb) here too. Great delay.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Wow lot of good ideas here guys! I'll get back to each one of you soon, sort of busy at the moment and will be most of the weekend.

Bachelor party tonight. Oh boy....

Thanks, get back to you guys soon.

 

[Terminus]

how would you get a volume boost since the signal is basically being "limited" by the amps master output?

Sort of....in my last band when we played live I had a patch on my GT-3 (used only for verb, delay and slight eq changes) I'd just boost the mids via eq a little during a lead part, it just helps it cut through the band better, but it's not "louder" per se. Same difference when you have a different lead tone in a recording.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Still pondering over this. I have too many things I need/want and have a hard time making decisions!

I'm thinking about going verb and delay pedals in the loop and use a single switcher for leads. Or, I could easily just use the Loop ON/OFF switch on my amps pedal for this like stated in my first post, but I like having that set up so Loop ON is tuner which is muted so I can quickly tune between songs but I guess it's not a big deal to walk over and hit the mute button.

The Ground Control unit looks very promising but I really have no need for all those switches and not sure if I ever will.