Effects before or after amp and cabinet

[jmillerc2]

What is the difference between putting an effect block after the amp and cabinet vs before them as they would be in a normal signal chain. I see many presets put the effects after. Thx!

 

[NMG]

first thing to know is this: amp blocks and cab blocks mono the signal inputing them. Secondly boosting of levels as a result of delay repeats being stacked or frequency peaking in a phaser/flange/wah block etc. for eg, will cause amps to distort. Apart from those 2 things, there is no difference in the results at your outputs jacks.

Regards,

 

[UnsungHeroGuitars]

It's something I've contemplated too...

I guess it's down to a virtual recreation of what type of set up you're used to - whether that be a stack of pedals prior to the amp, hooked up within an fx loop or maybe a mic'd amp in a studio with outboard delays & verbs added via desk afterwards

There are some clear benefits - such as Pitch block prior to, rather than after amp for harmony, so that you're amping two incoming notes, as opposed to shifting the full amp tone - but beyond that type of application, the beauty of the AXeFX is that you have all these options and more! None of them necessarily right or wrong either - just whatever works for you

 

[sprint]

Time based effects after cab instead of between amp and cab tend to make those effects slightly more pronounced from what I understand though I find it hard to tell the difference.

The main reason I put time based fx after cab is so that I can get STEREO time based fx at output while using a relatively cpu saving mono cab.

 

[javajunkie]

Time based effects after cab instead of between amp and cab tend to make those effects slightly more pronounced from what I understand though I find it hard to tell the difference.

The main reason I put time based fx after cab is so that I can get STEREO time based fx at output while using a relatively cpu saving mono cab.

No, delay and reverb before cab or after should be the same (with some caveats),as the stereo field is the same and there are no nonlinear effects afterward.

now before and after amp block is an entirely different thing. Before the amp, reverb and delay can be much more pronounced and less clear(depending on distorted the preset is). Some times that is exactly what a song calls for.

modulation effects like flanging, chorus, phasing can stand out more if after a driven effects like a drive pedal or cab.

The best thing you can do is get a distorted amp a listen to the effect before and after the amp block. You'll learn very quickly the differences.

 

[Bodde]

modulation effects like flanging, chorus, phasing can stand out more if after a driven effects like a drive pedal or cab.

some seem to prefer the Chorus before amp and cab. I always place it after the cab. Not really sure why some prefer it before the amp? maybe to get a more analog/pedal-like set up or sound?

 

[dpeterson]

I put my verb and delay before the cab, just like I would sitting with the real thing...last thing in the chain is the cab. Different strokes..

 

[javajunkie]

some seem to prefer the Chorus before amp and cab. I always place it after the cab. Not really sure why some prefer it before the amp? maybe to get a more analog/pedal-like set up or sound?

Different flavor of ice cream.

 

[Bodde]

I put my verb and delay before the cab, just like I would sitting with the real thing...last thing in the chain is the cab. Different strokes..

I guess you mean before the amp? putting the verb and delay before the amp is great for the Neil Young 'Dead Men' type of dirty sound.

 

[Rotti]

I guess you mean before the amp? putting the verb and delay before the amp is great for the Neil Young 'Dead Men' type of dirty sound.

Before cab would simply mean using a traditional fix loop. I think that's what he meant.

 

[USMC_Trev]

This is my understanding of it:

So really it depends on what you want to do. If you want to recreate the signal chain EVH used with an MXR Phase 90 into a Marshall in 1978, then you're going to get what you want by arranging the signal chain thusly. If you want to build a tone that's super technically advanced as would be done in a studio where it's just a miked up amp and cab and all the effects are done in post with really high end compressors, reverbs and delays and whatnot, then you put all your effects after the cab.

The reality seems to be that it's a mix of the two. I see a lot of presets where the things that go in front of the cab are effects that have nothing to do with time - overdrive, compressor and the like. The blocks after the cab are the time related effects like choruses, delays and reverbs. That leads me to think that the time based stuff relates best to what happens to the air once the speaker in the cab starts vibrating it. It takes time for the vibration to get from the speaker to the ear in the real world, and those effects that manipulate the calculation of space and it's effect on that moving air is where you want to do that manipulation, where the simulation of moving air starts - after the cab.

I think that makes sense anyway.

 

[luke]

Live, using a traditional rig, you are forced to compromise unless you slave your amp and re-amp.

In the studio, the normal signal chain is:

Guitar>wah>OD pedal>amp>speaker cabinet>time based effects

Live with no effects loop in the amp, you have to put all pedals before the amp and live with it.

Live with an effects loop you place the time based effects within the loop.

Pro-rigs of the 80s and 90s slaved their amp head down to line level, turning their 100 watt head into just another pedal essentially. That would look like:

Guitar>wah>OD pedal>slaved head>time based effects>stereo power amp>cabinets

Those wishing to retain some dry 100% analog added a third cabinet and "tri-amped", the ultimate refrigerator sized rack system. Those of us who were completely over the top slaved multiple heads. At one time I had a Mesa Road King, a Diezel VH-4, and original 5150 wired to access all three channels and a single channel fourth head I rotated in and out. So I had eight amp channels to choose from, which for the day was leading edge.