Front - rear instrument input comparison

So, to be clear. If I have pedals between my guitar and the input of the AFIII, then auto Z does nothing anyway?
If it's true bypass, and the pedal is bypassed, it does have an effect. If the pedal is engaged, then the Auto Z will not have an effect. If the pedal has a buffer, the Auto Z will not effect the signal even if the pedal isn't "on."
 
Interesting... When I am out playing live the wireless is plugged into the back. When I bring the rack back to the space here, I plug into the front.

I've never given a thought to AutoZ / Secret Sauce whatever. Yeah, I guess I don't notice the difference in sound enough to care about it. I mean I can tell the difference between studio monitors, FRFR's and the PA. That seems to be more important. Maybe not.
 
I thought it would just not substract the noise in the highs.
Is it the AD/DA conversion that adds noise, or just picked up EMI?
Anything placed between the guitar and amp will add noise if it has any resistance or active circuitry and the temperature is greater than absolute zero. This is fundamental physics.
 
After reading all this, does the front input/Auto-Z/secret sauce have any effect if you run wireless into it or just when a guitar is directly plugged into it?

It should only have an affect when plugging a guitar directly in. A wireless will negate the automatic-Z.
Auto-Z and Secret Sauce are 2 different things.

Secret Sauce circuitry helps lower the noise floor per my understanding.

I imagine that helps some in all scenarios.
 
Everyone knows there is a difference between the front and the rear.
difference-clipart-20100521SAWG_fg19a.jpg
 
If you look for something wrong all of the time you will always find it something to bitch about. Reminds me of one of the reasons I closed the guitar. It seemed the winning was getting worse and worse and 28 yrs for me was long enough. Loved the pro guys!
I thought he made a legitimate point and backed it up. I’m glad he did. I’d hardly call that bitching.
 
This is kind of mind blowing for me. Like many others, I plug into the rear input. This to minimize cable clutter across my desk. I like my cables all back out of sight. It never occurred to me that the rear would actually be different from the front. I'm a little flabbergasted. I'll definitely try the front input and see if it does sound different, or even better. I don't like the thought of having cables right there in front if my stuff, but that might be what I just have to do. I'm glad I stumbled onto this thread, this never would have occurred to me otherwise.
 
Good to know, I was primarily using the rear cause I use a piezo equiped guitar with the Y lead so it just was easier to plug that way.
 
This is kind of mind blowing for me. Like many others, I plug into the rear input. This to minimize cable clutter across my desk. I like my cables all back out of sight. It never occurred to me that the rear would actually be different from the front. I'm a little flabbergasted. I'll definitely try the front input and see if it does sound different, or even better. I don't like the thought of having cables right there in front if my stuff, but that might be what I just have to do. I'm glad I stumbled onto this thread, this never would have occurred to me otherwise.
It’s thrown me too. I actually had been running mine wireless on the front input unless not needed, and staying plugged into the back consistently for desk space constraints while recording. I ran into the auto-z difference in tone about 2 weeks before this thread popped. I never had a reason or desire to record wireless, so in the past I’d pull the front input and go that way, none the wiser. But when I switched to using the front input instead of the back while I was reorganizing my recording rig, and trying to match my project tracks, the difference showed. As it should I guess. I was searching high and low for what was going on as things weren’t matching up well on all tracks. An Input Z (1F/1R) difference wasn’t on my radar.
 
So if you don't use any pedals that change the impedance (Master Fuzz etc) using the rear inputs is perfectly fine and won't change the sound?

I'm making up some Y mag/piezo cords and my spare offcuts won't let me get to the front input length wise ...
 
Last weekend, I played in a theater with my wireless system plugged into the rear input.
During the break a stage aid changed batteries in all wireless systems on stage. While doing that he accidentally unplugged the cable form the rear input. It was very dark on stage so he plugged it into the front input.

As a good technician, he knew where the output signal of a transmitter must go.

Believe it or not. I did not hear any difference. Neither did the audience (1000 guests) nor my fellow musicians.
And this although I dialed in 1M+CAP at front input.
I was sorely disappointed afterwards that I didn't hear the difference. But to my apology I must say that I was probably too much put off by the musical performance of the musicians, the singers and the dancers. And reading the music also additionally distracted my attention.

Fortunately, the show went fantastically, standing ovation, satisfied artistic director. Later, a fantastic meal in an Italian restaurant.

But I will work in the next few days to train my hearing so that I can recognize the difference between the various impedances.
Because we all know what really matters.
With a guitar with passive pickups directly plugged you will hear the difference because of the Auto Z feature of the front input, but with a wireless system you will not.
 
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With a guitar with passive pickups directly plugged you will hear the difference because of the Auto Z feature of the front input, but with a wireless system you will not.
Hi Mladen,

Of course there is a difference.
But what I wanted to say a little humorously is that it doesn't matter for the performance.
But ultimately it also depends on the guitar cable. With mine, the difference is not so dramatic.


https://www.audiosteps.io/shop/prod...neeD9UlhGvvhFMQEt9k73s1fC-NTYnlBoCxQgQAvD_BwE
 

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Hi Mladen,

Of course there is a difference.
But what I wanted to say a little humorously is that it doesn't matter for the performance.
But ultimately it also depends on the guitar cable. With mine, the difference is not so dramatic.


https://www.audiosteps.io/shop/prod...neeD9UlhGvvhFMQEt9k73s1fC-NTYnlBoCxQgQAvD_BwE
Interesting, they make an intentionally higher capacitance version too.
Ordinary instrument cables often sound a bit shrill in the highs when used with guitars, basses and amps. The capacitive design of the Van Damme Silver Series with a capacitance of 125 picofarads creates an increased high frequency drop. It is therefore suitable for creating a very natural, mid-weighted sound. The cable continues to sound extremely detailed across the entire frequency response.
 
Going back to old Hendrix live, he often used a really long coiled guitar cord, and those things are very high capacitance.
It takes ,pre than that to sound like he did, but still.
 
Interesting, they make an intentionally higher capacitance version too.
"Ordinary instrument cables often sound a bit shrill in the highs when used with guitars, basses and amps. The capacitive design of the Van Damme Silver Series with a capacitance of 125 picofarads creates an increased high frequency drop. It is therefore suitable for creating a very natural, mid-weighted sound. The cable continues to sound extremely detailed across the entire frequency response."

Thanks for sharing this information. This access have sense. I personally looking for low capacitance cables to get a higher bandwidth but this you explained is very intersting approach of things.
 
"Ordinary instrument cables often sound a bit shrill in the highs when used with guitars, basses and amps. The capacitive design of the Van Damme Silver Series with a capacitance of 125 picofarads creates an increased high frequency drop. It is therefore suitable for creating a very natural, mid-weighted sound. The cable continues to sound extremely detailed across the entire frequency response."

Thanks for sharing this information. This access have sense. I personally looking for low capacitance cables to get a higher bandwidth but this you explained is very intersting approach of things.
I agree, I try for low capacitance -- you can't really get back what's already been lost, so higher capacitance is like a permanent filter o your raw guitar tone, no thanks.

But it's interesting that a boutique cable maker offers that option.
 
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