Avoid Using a Volume Block (and CPU) but still have a working Volume Pedal - Here's How

austinbuddy

austinbuddy

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One trick that works great everyone should be aware of. You don't need a Volume Block in order to control the volume of your AX8 with a footpedal.

My favorite way to do this is:

SHIFT > SETUP > Scroll to I/O option using the E knob (NAV), and hit ENTER

Then, hit PAGE button a few times to move over to the CTRL page in the I/O menu

You will see the first three entries under CTRL

IN 1 (INSTR) VOLUME 10
OUT 1 (MAIN) VOLUME 11
OUT 2 (FX SEND) VOLUME 12

You can change the controller number -- here the values are default at 10, 11 or 12 -- to be equal PEDAL 1 or PEDAL 2, etc. Thats' the trick. You use the A Knob to choose the PEDAL value

I like to put the Volume pedal control in front of the signal/input into amp. Sort of works like your guitar volume knob this way, you can get different gain sounds by moving the pedal from a higher gain amp. So I pcik ON 1 and set it to PEDAL 2 (I use Pedal 1 for Wah or Pitch).

Others like to control the overall level of the preset. That would be assigning the OUT1 and also OUT 2 to a PEDAL. You can assign both Out 1and Out 2 to the same PEDAL number (and do equal control over control say FOH through OUT 1 and your stage monitor through OUT1 -- all with one pedal). Or, if you use tyhe FX LOOP, just use OUT 1 set to PEDAL (x) and leave OUT 2 alone.

There are lots of other ways to do this too, such as assigning the volume level of the last block in your chain to a Pedal controller. I just prefer this method.
IMG_8499.jpg

Hope this helps!
 
Thanks for this reminder! My problem with this method is that I only have one exp pedal, and I want to have it as volume pedal on some presets and whammy / wah on others - AFAIK this method overrides all functions on those presets as it is a global setting. I suppose I should just use the Vol block for each preset and keep the default setting for the exp pedal?

Just bought your Naked Amps tonepack, by the way. Thank you for your work. Loving the ENGL Savage and the Diezel VH4 currently.
 
thalliam said:
My problem with this method is that I only have one exp pedal, and I want to have it as volume pedal on some presets and whammy / wah on others - AFAIK this method overrides all functions on those presets as it is a global setting. I suppose I should just use the Vol block for each preset and keep the default setting for the exp pedal?
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Thallium: Thanks for the props on the TonePack.

Yes - you need a dedicated expresion pedal to use this method, else you can do as you say and use a Vol Block and set it up to work that way with a pedal only when the volume block is active.

I actually use a Boss Ev500L and i put the pot taper at half way. So I don’t lose all signal, it just goes down enough to blend better with band as rhythm and not stick out...
 
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This only works if your happy with your volume being controlled either all the way at the beginning of the signal chain (similar result as a guitar volume knob like you said) or all the way at the end of the single chain (similar result as using the fader on a mixer or volume knob on a FRFR that the AX8 is plugged into). A lot of us like the volume pedal to NOT affect the amp tone (e.g. for solo boosts, volume swells, etc.) so neither of those settings work since the output level also affects delay, reverb, looper, etc.. Definitely a useful tip if you are okay with those aspects though.
 
Dave76 said:
This only works if your happy with your volume being controlled either all the way at the beginning of the signal chain (similar result as a guitar volume knob like you said) or all the way at the end of the single chain (similar result as using the fader on a mixer or volume knob on a FRFR that the AX8 is plugged into). A lot of us like the volume pedal to NOT affect the amp tone (e.g. for solo boosts, volume swells, etc.) so neither of those settings work since the output level also affects delay, reverb, looper, etc.. Definitely a useful tip if you are okay with those aspects though.
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I'm completely new to this...but wouldn't the approach of putting the volume pedal at the FX SEND be an alternative to "all the way at the beginning" or "all the way at the end" of the chain? I would think that this would give you the ability to shut down the signal on the way TO the effects, but whatever was coming BACK from the effects (e.g., trailing echo, reverb) would still come through, no?
 
As I said, I'm completely new to this, so I'm probably way off base, but I assumed that in post #4 above, under point 2, the reference to using OUT 2 (FX Send) implied that you could set your volume via an FXL block. So if you have the block after the cab, e.g., but before your reverb or delay, you'd be controlling the level of everything prior to the effects. (I'm also looking at the discussion of the FXL block on pg 61 in the users manual, FWIW.) I'm probably simply don't understand how some of this works yet, so sorry if I'm off base. Newbie issues, lol. That's kind of where I'd like to put a volume pedal, at any rate...after the cab but before any effects.
 
LeonC said:
As I said, I'm completely new to this, so I'm probably way off base, but I assumed that in post #4 above, under point 2, the reference to using OUT 2 (FX Send) implied that you could set your volume via an FXL block. So if you have the block after the cab, e.g., but before your reverb or delay, you'd be controlling the level of everything prior to the effects. (I'm also looking at the discussion of the FXL block on pg 61 in the users manual, FWIW.) I'm probably simply don't understand how some of this works yet, so sorry if I'm off base. Newbie issues, lol. That's kind of where I'd like to put a volume pedal, at any rate...after the cab but before any effects.
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ahh i see.

Out 2 is a physical output. all the effects are internal, so you wouldn't be using that physical output to "go to the effects."

you're on the right track. but instead of using that physical output which would go to nothing, you'd put a Volume Block in the preset before effects like Delay and Reverb and set your pedal to control that Volume block.

but that's what this method described in the manual and by austinbuddy solves: you don't have to put the Volume block in every preset. however, this limits you to either Pre volume controlling the gain, or Post-everything volume, and you lose your delay and reverb trails.

you have the concept though.

i personally leave one of the Pedal ports set to Post-everything volume, so if i ever do need this for some strange reason, i can simply plug the expression pedal into that Pedal port. however, in the presets i create and use for myself, i set a different pedal port to control the Volume block that i put in each preset.
 
I use to do this but prefer the volume block (which does not use up any CPU btw) we had a huge discussion many years ago here about this and I found that, "for me" I emphasize that, the vol blk worked best . Honestly do not remember all the pros and cons except for the ones Austinbuddy, dave76 and Chris mentioned.
But like AB said, many ways to do this and to each his own.
 
Good discussion. . . if using the EV-1 which has in/out for volume, wouldn't this in/out approach be the same as @austinbuddy 's first option with adjusting global input to pedal 1? Plug guitar into pedal and pedal into ax8 instrument in?
 
Wigam2 said:
Good discussion. . . if using the EV-1 which has in/out for volume, wouldn't this in/out approach be the same as @austinbuddy 's first option with adjusting global input to pedal 1? Plug guitar into pedal and pedal into ax8 instrument in?
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that uses an Analog signal path like in a regular guitar setup. there is no advantage to that. it's better to use it to control the digital effects/blocks digitally with the Expression port.
 
I always use a Vol block (which as stated uses almost no CPU) unless I don't have room for it in the grid - that is, I have some other block in every column. If that happens, I set my EXP1 to control the volume of some other block that has a level control - usually the Cab block. That way I can still have it after the amp and before my verb and delay.
 
I experimented a bit and it seems that if you global default it one way - say before the amp (or "In 1" in the i/o menu as shown above), and then in a particular patch add a volume block after the amp and set it to the same expression pedal as the global default, the volume block overrides the global default. So you could default it one way, and then pick and choose if you want to override the default in any given patch.
 
Wigam2 said:
I experimented a bit and it seems that if you global default it one way - say before the amp (or "In 1" in the i/o menu as shown above), and then in a particular patch add a volume block after the amp and set it to the same expression pedal as the global default, the volume block overrides the global default. So you could default it one way, and then pick and choose if you want to override the default in any given patch.
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This is not accurate. The “Global” setup part means always - that’s what global refers to.

The volume block in the preset does NOT override it.
 
Wigam2 said:
I experimented a bit and it seems that if you global default it one way - say before the amp (or "In 1" in the i/o menu as shown above), and then in a particular patch add a volume block after the amp and set it to the same expression pedal as the global default, the volume block overrides the global default. So you could default it one way, and then pick and choose if you want to override the default in any given patch.
Click to expand...
What happens here is both volume controls are now in effect. Putting the global volume on the output would still reduce the volume of delay and reverb trails regardless of where it is in the chain. Putting the global volume on the input and the volume block after a gainy amp will end up with a combination of cleaning up the amp like turning down the guitar knob while also reducing the volume more aggressively than with a guitar knob. I guess this might be useful in cases where someone likes the global volume on the input but occasionally wants something more appropriate for volume swells and doesn't mind the change in tone as the volume is decreased.
 
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