Switching between clean/dirty with external drive pedal always on

kobestory

Member
Now I have my external drive pedals connected thru OUT2 and IN2 of FM3. I want my drive pedal to be always on. I'm hoping that I can switch between my clean/dirty sounds through switching between scenes ("clean" scenes will have FX loop off, "dirty" scenes will have FX loop on). This way I won't have to tap dance.

But I'm not sure how to accomplish this. I tried the parallel chain method on the grid while bypassing OUT2 and IN2. But seems like the sound is affected with this parallel method (sounds louder). OUT2 and IN2 are connected, and are before AMP/CAB. Without going parallel on the grid, bypassing OUT2 will not produce any sound.

What am I doing wrong?
 
Run it in series, not parallel.

Out 2 block can stay active. It’s the In 2 block that will bring your external pedal in and out of the chain. When bypassed, the In 2 block acts as a shunt. When engaged, it ignores the grid input and uses the physical Input 2 connector source.
 
Thanks guys, with OUT2 active and IN2 bypassed, now I have sound coming out from FM3 (run in series).

But the volume level is totally different between two modes. FX loop off (IN2 bypassed) is a lot louder than FX loop on (with no external pedal powered on). All level settings in the OUT2/IN2 blocks are set to default. IN2 gate type is Classic, with threshold set to off.

Should I accept this as just natural due to difference in cable length? FX loop off is directly from guitar, whereas FX loop on has to go through 4 pedals.
 
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Where is your Out 2 knob set (the physical one on the top panel)? All the way up is unity, meaning no attenuation.

That's it! The OUT2 knob was not set at unity. All the way up the volume difference is gone.

I really appreciate the help guys, this is a great forum!!:)
 
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