Do I need a mixer??

[johnnyg88]

Hey guys,

I've owned the Axe for a while but I've been busy with school and work and haven't had much serious tweak/gig time with it.

Anyway, my setup consists of the Axe Ultra feeding a power amp into two cabs. In between the Axe and the amp is a mixer. The Axe goes into a channel and the master out feeds the amp. I use the FX loop of the mixer to feed a Boss RC50 Loop Station and return the signal back to the Mixer and from there I balance the levels between loops and my playing.

Do I really need the mixer?? How can I use the FX loop of the Axe in this situation? I definitely don't want to feed the Axe straight into the loop station and then into the amp because I really don't want the RC50 to color the tone of the Axe at all.

Thanks guys

jg

 

[johnnyg88]

...bump??

 

[s0c9]

Do I really need the mixer?? How can I use the FX loop of the Axe in this situation? I definitely don't want to feed the Axe straight into the loop station and then into the amp because I really don't want the RC50 to color the tone of the Axe at all.

Thanks guys

jg

Not sure why the tone color would be any different when using the RC50 in an Ultra "loop" versus looped into the mixer? Same signal path, just one more device in the signal chain with the mixer being used. End result should be the same either way. No, I don't think you "need" the mixer.

 

[jon]

you certainly don't NEED a mixer, but in terms of flexibility and ease of use i'd keep it there. it's much easier to adjust your final mix and make quick tweaks to the overall sound. Also, if you want to add other stuff in your loop, like say, a drum machine or a synth or something like that you can just plug in another mixer channel.

 

[johnnyg88]

Not sure why the tone color would be any different when using the RC50 in an Ultra "loop" versus looped into the mixer? Same signal path, just one more device in the signal chain with the mixer being used. End result should be the same either way. No, I don't think you "need" the mixer.

Well, I wasn't saying that putting the RC50 in any loop would color any tone. What I was referring to was that I don't want to plug the main out of the Axe straight to the RC50 and then out from the RC50 straight to my power amp because I don't like what the RC50 does to color what goes into it (no matter how "transparent" Boss says it is). This is why I would like to put it in the FX loop of either the Axe or a mixer so that my main sound remains unaffected.

jon, I like the flexibility that's possible with the mixer but I'm not sure I will be taking full advantage of it (at least now or in the near future). I can control Axe levels from the Axe and RC50 levels from the RC50. Perhaps I'll take it out of the rack for a while to see how it goes and wait to sell it or whatever.

So would I just plug the RC50 into the Axe FX loop and insert an FX loop in my patches? I'll probably tap off the last thing in the layout and give the loop it's own row and output, panned hard to one side. I'm assuming that I will be able to loop anything I play (including amp sounds, FX etc) and give the loop station its own channel in my stereo rig. Does that make sense? I think I read somewhere on this forum that the FX loop in the Axe is attenuated somehow. What's the deal here?

Thanks guys

jg

 

[LMO]

...So would I just plug the RC50 into the Axe FX loop and insert an FX loop in my patches? I'll probably tap off the last thing in the layout and give the loop it's own row and output, panned hard to one side. I'm assuming that I will be able to loop anything I play (including amp sounds, FX etc) and give the loop station its own channel in my stereo rig. Does that make sense? I think I read somewhere on this forum that the FX loop in the Axe is attenuated somehow. What's the deal here?

Thanks guys

jg

If you are going to use one channel of your stereo rig for dry (no RC50) and the other for wet, just use the effects loop as an aux out and run everything in mono. Output1 left to the dry input on your rig, Output2 left to the RC50 to the wet input on your rig.

To do that you connect to the input of the effects loop block only, and make sure the block is not in the last column. IOW, place the effects block in a parallel row and connect the input to to the main chain after the last block. Don't hook up the output side at all.

 

[johnnyg88]

If you are going to use one channel of your stereo rig for dry (no RC50) and the other for wet, just use the effects loop as an aux out and run everything in mono. Output1 left to the dry input on your rig, Output2 left to the RC50 to the wet input on your rig.

To do that you connect to the input of the effects loop block only, and make sure the block is not in the last column. IOW, place the effects block in a parallel row and connect the input to to the main chain after the last block. Don't hook up the output side at all.

Thanks for the advice! I think I understand how to do this. However, I'm hoping to use both channels for stereo effects. So one channel will be my main sound and the other will be for RC50 loops and both for occasional stereo effects. Do I follow the same procedure?

thanks again, you guys are awesome!

jg

 

[LMO]

Thanks for the advice! I think I understand how to do this. However, I'm hoping to use both channels for stereo effects. So one channel will be my main sound and the other will be for RC50 loops and both for occasional stereo effects. Do I follow the same procedure?

If you are saying that you want to be in stereo with and without the RC50, then I think you need to use the effects loop as a loop. You can put the effects loop block at the end of your chain and run output1 L+R to your amp. When you don't want the RC50 just bypass the effects loop (with bypass mode set to THRU). You can adjust the mix using the front panel volume knobs.

You'll figure out how you want it set up as soon as you try it out.

 

[jon]

Well, I wasn't saying that putting the RC50 in any loop would color any tone. What I was referring to was that I don't want to plug the main out of the Axe straight to the RC50 and then out from the RC50 straight to my power amp because I don't like what the RC50 does to color what goes into it (no matter how "transparent" Boss says it is). This is why I would like to put it in the FX loop of either the Axe or a mixer so that my main sound remains unaffected.

you're entirely correct there, it DOES color the sound, I've noticed that with my rc-50 as well. I also think the sample rate is too low if you want to drop the temp etc

 

[johnnyg88]

If you are saying that you want to be in stereo with and without the RC50, then I think you need to use the effects loop as a loop. You can put the effects loop block at the end of your chain and run output1 L+R to your amp. When you don't want the RC50 just bypass the effects loop (with bypass mode set to THRU). You can adjust the mix using the front panel volume knobs.

You'll figure out how you want it set up as soon as you try it out.

Great! Thanks. I'll try it out asap and report back.

 

[shotgunn]

Wouldn't the best place to put the loop w/RC-50 be before any amp/cab sims? I think the recorded loops would be better off driving the amp/cab sims an then the FX.

Btw, using the Axe's FX loop is the best option. This allows you to bypass it with no coloration at all. With the mixed as you had it before your tone was affected by the mixer as well as the RC-50.

Do you keep the RC-50 in your rack or on your pedal board? I would keep it near the rack to keep the cables short. Then, if you have a MIDI controller you can assign 3 or 4 buttons for Rec, Play, Dub, Reverse or whatever functions you'd need.

shotgunn

 

[johnnyg88]

Wouldn't the best place to put the loop w/RC-50 be before any amp/cab sims? I think the recorded loops would be better off driving the amp/cab sims an then the FX.

Btw, using the Axe's FX loop is the best option. This allows you to bypass it with no coloration at all. With the mixed as you had it before your tone was affected by the mixer as well as the RC-50.

Do you keep the RC-50 in your rack or on your pedal board? I would keep it near the rack to keep the cables short. Then, if you have a MIDI controller you can assign 3 or 4 buttons for Rec, Play, Dub, Reverse or whatever functions you'd need.

shotgunn

I'm thinking of putting the FX loop after the FX and amp sims so that I can record something with one patch and then switch patches so I can play something over the loop with a different sound. If I put the FX loop before the amp sims/FX, then the sound of the recorded loops will change when I change patches because I've only recorded the dry guitar sound, get my drift?

I'm leaning towards taking the mixer out. I thought about controlling the RC50 via my MIDI controller (ground control pro) but I don't have enough IA switches :/ So long cables it is!

Thanks for your help

jg