Best way to setup a volume pedal?

S

s.fitzsimmons

Inspired
When using traditional amps, I've always played using an Ernie Ball volume pedal at the start of my signal chain.

Is there much of a difference between assigning an expression pedal to control Input Volume (cc10), or putting a Volume block at the start of the chain?

I messed around with the Volume block method, but couldn't find a good setting to control the final 20% of the pedals sweep. Seems to cut out the sound a little too early. I'm using a Boss FV500 connected to the MFC101, the Boss has been calibrated per the manual.
 
i think there is very little if any difference between cc10 and a Vol Block at the start of the chain. just more flexibility with the block method as you could move it after certain things if you wanted.

when you say "control the final 20% of the pedal's sweep" do you mean the lower 20% where you turn the volume off? and by "cut out the sound" early, do you mean that before you get the pedal down to fully heel down, the volume is completely off?
 
I've tried using my vol pedal thru expression. It just isn't the same. I've calibrated, tried a few different pedal types, and have tried to just live with it. Now my EBVPjr simply stays at the front of my chain.

If it isn't broke, don't try to fix it!
 
Yes, the lower 20% of the volume is too low and 'cuts out early' when compared with my Ernie Ball pedal. I've tried adjusting it, and can get the sweep to feel right but then the heel down position is never at full mute.
 
is the knob on the left side of your FV500 fully counter clockwise? that knob limits the lowest value your pedal will put out.
 
Just wanted to say that i have the same issues with my boss pedals , i now use it traditional with 2 guitar cables and havent found a solution either
 
i have zero issues with my boss fv500 pedals - i use an H and an L.

if you change its function from CC#10 to CC#11 (output volume) is the problem of cutting out too early still there?
 
I use a $30 M-Audio expression pedal from Guitar Center meant for Keyboards. zero problems. Very light weight too. Smooth function across the full range of the pedal. Doesn't cut out or change sensitivity when it approaches the final few degress of travel at the toe down or heel down - it just works like it should. It has a little toggle switch on the bottom to reverse the polarity, so it can be used with many different pieces of gear. the switch is recessed into the bottom panel and velcro now covers it completely so it won't get switched into the other mode. It does have a pot on the side if you wanted to run it at a range of less than turning completely off at heel down. I used to have 3 set up as volume (cc10), the wah, and delay wet/dry. Now I just run one and reassign its midi CC to function as a volume or as a wah, depending on what the song dictates. At one time, I wanted to go all "premier" gear by getting Eball or Mission Engineering pedals. But for $30, and the fact that I now have 2 spares, if the primary one falters, I have no need.

YMMV.
 
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Here's a typical volume curve that I prefer:
vol_curve.jpg
In this patch I target the Output of a Gate block - but, as Chris said, it is more "future proof" to use a Volume block because it leaves you the option of moving it to a later stage in the processing chain if you decide. Doing so can change the tone and feel of the volume pedal a lot. I've been targeting other parmeters as well for volume pedal functionality; like gain, volume or output of an amp block and I've even tried a Cab block's output and found it worked ok. Different sounding though, since the amp input still gets to deal with the full guitar output. It's a matter of taste.

I heard Jerry Garcia had his volume control very late in the chain, after all fuzz boxes and stuff, and he didn't use a pedal per se but the volume pot knob on the guitar so he had an engineer build a special signal loop going back to the guitar's volume pot and then return to the pedalboard.

I use Roland EV-5 pedals and boy was I confused many times before picking up the habit to check that the knob on the pedal's left side is turned up all the way. It often gets tilted during transportation.
 
rodzimguitar68 said:
I use a $30 M-Audio expression pedal from Guitar Center meant for Keyboards. zero problems. Very light weight too. Smooth function across the full range of the pedal. Doesn't cut out or change sensitivity when it approaches the final few degress of travel at the toe down or heel down - it just works like it should. It has a little toggle switch on the bottom to reverse the polarity, so it can be used with many different pieces of gear. the switch is recessed into the bottom panel and velcro now covers it completely so it won't get switched into the other mode. It does have a pot on the side if you wanted to run it at a range of less than turning completely off at heel down. I used to have 3 set up as volume (cc10), the wah, and delay wet/dry. Now I just run one and reassign its midi CC to function as a volume or as a wah, depending on what the song dictates. At one time, I wanted to go all "premier" gear by getting Eball or those other boutique expressions you see guys using,(the name escapes me at the moment). But for $30, and the fact that I now have 2 spares, if the primary one falters, I have no need.

YMMV.
Click to expand...

M-Audio Model No. ______________?
 
Some here have reported a dead spot at the end of the sweep of newer Boss expression pedals. Some of them have had good luck putting a little piece of something under the pedal to stop it before it hits bottom.
 
Just experimented and found there is a dead spot around 20% from the heel down position!
In the Edit Modifier: Cab 1 - Level
I increased Min Max Start Mid Slope with my pedal just a little forward until I could hear a faint sound being dialed in, makes the volume swells much smoother on my FV500L or H.

A screen shot would've been better
 
I have zero issues with my boss fv500l that I use for volume. I put the vol block right after my amp and cab blocks
 
I'm placing mine in front to mimic a volume pot on a guitar, so putting it after amps wouldn't get the result I'm looking for.

Tried to tie it to CC10... didn't have any control over the sweep and wasn't what I'm looking for.

On Per Boysen's suggestion, I messed around with the settings for a bit today and got it close.... Volume doesn't cut out at completely at heel down, at my highest gain settings, but the sweep feels much better. Set to Linear.

I looked in to the deadspot, and essentially the Boss hits zero for a midi signal when calibrated on the MFC before the heel bottoms out. May just stick some rubber under there to make the heel down actually zero......

Rexx... put up a screenshot, curious how you set yours.

Boss Volume.jpg
 
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