Do you guys put a Null filter for solo boosts last in the chain? Volume for swells?

bgrizzmayne

Inspired
Just curious where you guys are putting the null filter for a volume boost in the chain. In my traditional rig, I run my solo boost last in my OD chain, then hit the amp.

With an Axe, should I be running the null filter after my cab block before modulation and time based effects? Or do you guys put it after your reverb blocks? (very last in the chain)

Where do you guys put your volume block? In my traditional rig, I run it after dirt but before mod/delay. With an amp/cab in the mix on an axe, where should I put it for swells? I do use it as a volume control, but would it be after my cab, but before mod/time?
 
I run it last, after delays, reverbs, ... have been thinking about putting it before though as it would increaes the volume of the trailing delays.
 
I have a volume block connected to ext 1 just before delay & reverb (for swells with tails) and a +6db null filter at the end, just before the FX loop & cab block
 
Since scenes came out I don't really use nulls any more. Between X/Y amps, X/Y Drives, and saving levels with scenes, haven't needed em. Haven't used it at volume yet but did assign an external to amp boost switch and may do that in each patch.
 
I guess with scenes, I could get around it. But I might prefer to do it the way that I run my setup with a tube amp- establishing my gain structures of drive pedals to cover all tunes, then simply boosting one up some like 4 or 5 DB's for solos. That way, I can not boost them and still have a lead tone. Certain songs that are quieter and cleaner, I don't always need that +5 boost.

I'll also add that I'm running a FRFR setup, so no cab block/fx loop at the end of my patches. Just a little unsure of whether to put the null after reverb or after the cab block.

Maybe if I'm running my delays and verbs in parallel, and run the null filter in parallel, the repeats of the delays wouldn't be increased in volume. But that might be wrong. Any advice?
 
That's right, if you run the null filter in parallel with the reverb and delay, the volume increase would only affect the dry signal.

"Might be wrong". Soundwise it's like Scott Peterson always seem to say, if it sounds right to you, it's right :)

I've experimented recently with setting my boost with a peaking filter to get it a bit of a mid boost as well as volume boost. I've attached it to two external switches, one momentary and one toggling. That means that if I hit the momentary, I only get the boost for as long as I'm holding down the switch. As soon as I step off it it will disable the boost. Perfect for those short 1-2 note accentures between verse lines. If I need to boost for longer, I hit the toggle switch on and off. On some presets I also at the same time add a filter before the amp to increase the gain a bit at same time as increasing the volume.

Boosting is fun!
 
Cool, thanks for the tips! I'm still a bit of a routing novice with the axe. So I would actually run the boost in parallel? I thought if I ran the time based stuff in parallel, but the null in series, that'd work. But I guess if I think about it...I'd likely merge my delays and verbs back to the series signal, so the null would then amplify that signal, increasing the volume of everything. If I split the signal and ran one to delays and verb, and the other split to a parallel null filter, I think that'd work, right ?
 
Since scenes came out I don't really use nulls any more. Between X/Y amps, X/Y Drives, and saving levels with scenes, haven't needed em. Haven't used it at volume yet but did assign an external to amp boost switch and may do that in each patch.

Totally agree. By far the easiest way IMO and doesn't take space on the grid. Scenes f'ing ROCK
 
I use a volume block at the end of the chain for level boost. I like it better than scenes because it can be switched on at any time and is not dependent on any of the other effects. Scenes are great and I actually use scenes to turn on the volume block most of the time, but if you want something different than is programmed in a scene (like the delay not be on even though the scene may have a boost and turn delay on), it is nice for me to have a button dedicated just to level boosts outside whatever is programmed in the scene.
 
you can use a null filter as a level boost for soloing
personally I'd go for a vol block as it is more flexible
use its level control to apply the amount of boost you need
assign the vol block's gain control to a modifier for volume swells
if you place the vol block after the amp, but before the reverb / delay you'll preserve the reverb / delay tails [which sounds very cool..
 
you can use a null filter as a level boost for soloing
personally I'd go for a vol block as it is more flexible
use its level control to apply the amount of boost you need
assign the vol block's gain control to a modifier for volume swells
if you place the vol block after the amp, but before the reverb / delay you'll preserve the reverb / delay tails [which sounds very cool..

Yep.

I use vol 1 for swells, volume control, vol 3 for boost. I usually keep vol 1 up front because I want it to effect gain.
 
Yep.

I use vol 1 for swells, volume control, vol 3 for boost. I usually keep vol 1 up front because I want it to effect gain.

Ah, so you use multiple volume blocks per preset? Interesting. I'm thinking ill just put a volume block after the cab for swells, and then maybe one at the end of the chain in parallel to the delays for an overall boost. Or in serial to delays, I'm not sure if I want the trails to be louder. Probably I guess, since I want the whole tone to remain the same, just louder
 
Yep.

I use vol 1 for swells, volume control, vol 3 for boost. I usually keep vol 1 up front because I want it to effect gain.

in this preset the two vol blocks at the front provide different levels into the amp [for different scenes] and one of them is used as a swell pedal
the third vol block [after the comp] provides 'cleaning' of the soloing tone [and is only active in the solo scenes]
the stack of GEQ blocks at the end of the grid provide scene specific levels and final eq [one of them is essentially a level boost for soloing + mild cuts to the extreme highs and lows]

 
I use a null filter for solo boost as the last block in my chain. It takes whatever my sound is (effects and all) and bumps it about +4db. I use a volume block after my cab but before my delay, reverb, etc for swells with effects still trailing off. I alos have a second volume block right before the amp. I use this to alter the signal hitting the amp. I have the volumes toggle off/on with a MFC button. When one is on the other is off.
 
Rather than a null filter I use a peaking filter. Values are around 650 Hz, and 4dB. Q depends on the patch. This seems to cut better than a flat lift across all frequencies. In the grid it comes after the CAB, but before effects like Chorus, Delay and Reverb.

I use a volume pedal, but I like delay and reverb to decay naturally, and I don't want to waste a block purely for volume. So, rather than attaching a volume pedal to overall patch level I attach it to CAB level.
 
I use CC#11 to control the volume.
I have two values:
minimum = 100
maximum = 127

I also attach a controller to that modifier so I can always control the volume with a pedal.
 
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