Cooper Carter was 100% right!

S

scott.frank.b

Inspired
Since I bought my FM3 last year, I had been using a drive pedal as a solo boost. I had never thought of using a null Filter block with a 3.0 db boost to just increase the volume. It uses a lot less DSP than the drive block does, which is an added bonus, and it allowed me to add pitch detune back to my preset. I do use the drive block on some other presets, so YMMV, but it's a very helpful tool if you want a transparent boost with no coloration of the amp's tone.

 
yeah most of us have been doing that for years, lol. plenty of ways to do a simple volume boost.
 
Rane said:
For whatever reason people always seem to assume the worst possible intent behind even the slightest perceptible snark or dismissiveness in a comment. I don’t think people realize that the voice in their head can read something in a condescending or offensive way even if the actual comment wasn’t meant that way.
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Welcome to the Internet! ;)
 
I have a null Filter block 3.0db boost at the end of my preset chains and use an external stand-in switch to activate it on a "tap." Works well.
 
Ugly Bunny said:
You can also just use the boost parameter in the amp block via scene controllers and add zero additional DSP, right? Or am I missing something as to why you'd prefer the null filter?
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The word “boost” has multiple meanings and it bites us when talking about presets.
  • We can boost the input into an amp block to get more distortion. That’s what the “boost” parameter does. It can also adjust the incoming signal’s EQ. If the amp is running clean it will get louder because it has headroom; if it’s already distorting or right on the edge, it will distort more and not add more volume.
  • We can use a separate distortion ahead of the amp, similar to the previous bullet and that could add its own distortion to fatten the sound in a distorting amp, or add distortion to a clean amp, and, if the level was above 0db it’d push the amp harder, increasing its output if it’s running clean or increase its distortion.
  • We can boost the modeler’s output level in the amp block by increasing its level parameter, or increasing the output level of any subsequent block, if we want the signal louder without changing the current distortion. This is where the null-filter sits. And that’s all @jlynnb1 was saying.
It’s complicated.
 
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+1 for null filter praise - yes there's more than one
way to skin a cat for amp boost but I've used null filter for a dsp miserly boost in other ways also:
  • null filter before drive block to boost the drive.
  • null filter after drive block to boost drive output for those drives that still have a weakish output even with level at 10 (making the filter on/off cc the same as the drive block so the null boost goes on/off or switches channels in sync with the drive).
 
Greg Ferguson said:
The word “boost” has multiple meanings and it bites us when talking about presets.
  • We can boost the input into an amp block to get more distortion. That’s what the “boost” parameter does. It can also adjust the incoming signal’s EQ. If the amp is running clean it will get louder because it has headroom; if it’s already distorting or right on the edge, it will distort more and not add more volume.
  • We can use a separate distortion ahead of the amp, similar to the previous bullet and that could add its own distortion to fatten the sound in a distorting amp, or add distortion to a clean amp, and, if the level was above 0db it’d push the amp harder, increasing its output if it’s running clean or increase its distortion.
  • We can boost the modeler’s output level in the amp block by increasing its level parameter, or increasing the output level of any subsequent block, if we want the signal louder without changing the current distortion. This is where the null-filter sits. And that’s all @jlynnb1 was saying.
It’s complicated.
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Ha, yeah; I'm with you on all that. i was confused because OP mentions a solo boost, but then talks about the null filter being better than a drive because it's less DSP than a drive block, so I assumed he meant pre-amp boosting, in which case the amp block's boost would be better unless you wanted absolutely ZERO coloration from the boost. But totally: I use boosts in all all of the above scenarios :)
 
scott.frank.b said:
Since I bought my FM3 last year, I had been using a drive pedal as a solo boost. I had never thought of using a null Filter block with a 3.0 db boost to just increase the volume. It uses a lot less DSP than the drive block does, which is an added bonus, and it allowed me to add pitch detune back to my preset. I do use the drive block on some other presets, so YMMV, but it's a very helpful tool if you want a transparent boost with no coloration of the amp's tone.

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Thanks for posting this. It’s always good to get some discussion going about how to get the most out of a piece of gear. Especially since it’s been pretty boring and quiet around the FM3 section lately. Bottomline and as we see, there were about a dozen other ways to thoughtfully respond to your post.
 
^^^^^Yeah it's good to revisit things like this because it's something that's easily forgotten, even for experienced users.
 
Null filter obviously works but really just adding a controller to anything post gain stages to get a clean boost without needing to take up a block:
  • Amp Block Level
  • Cab Block Level
  • Output Block Level
And of course there's a Volume Block. Not sure why a null filter gets more mention than the actual volume block.

For a Pre boost, I'm just going to do it in the amp block everytime.
 
Ugly Bunny said:
Ha, yeah; I'm with you on all that. i was confused because OP mentions a solo boost, but then talks about the null filter being better than a drive because it's less DSP than a drive block, so I assumed he meant pre-amp boosting, in which case the amp block's boost would be better unless you wanted absolutely ZERO coloration from the boost. But totally: I use boosts in all all of the above scenarios :)
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There's a Neutral Boost type...

You could assign a controller to Input Trim, too.
 
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