brodietavares
New Member
Hey guys, not sure if this idea has been posted in the guts of any other posts but I think I may have come up with a workaround for being able to have W/D/W at FOH while using a physical amp with no cab sim AND an external reverb/delay to save on CPU.
When I first switched over to the AX8, I was really happy with running straight to FOH (we're all on IEM's), and having a Boss RV6 Mod in the FX loop for my kind-of signature "space" tone that is used for a few moments in the set. Our soundguy really wanted to have some stage air moving in the venue, and being able to have a dry signal to blend in to suit the room would be ideal. I figured it would be simple, scrap the RV6 in the loop and build a usable mod verb/delay to free up the fx send for an amp fx return. I spent countless hours working on modulated 'verbs and delays in the ax8 to emulate the RV6, but I couldn't get a tone that I was 100% happy with- there's something special about the tone that I couldn't quite replicate.
Now I was faced with the dilemma of having fx in the loop, cab sim on to FOH, AND needing to send a "no cab" dry signal to the return of an amp.
After a few hours of being frustrated and scrolling reverb for an entire new rig, I looked into my box of goodies and had the eureka moment, a simple aby box.
This routing isn't 100% perfect, but it gets the job done for me and keeps the audiences having a good time!
Basically it goes like this-
GUITAR ---> AX8 IN ---> AMP SIM (including whatever effects you want going to the dry amp) ---> FX SEND --->
ABY BOX --->
ABYOUT 1 ---> LIVE AMP FX RETURN (this path ends at the speaker)
ABYOUT 2 ---> OUTBOARD FX (PEDALS)--->PEDAL FX OUT > AX8 FX RTRN
---> WET EFFECTS IN AX8/CAB SIM > FOH
The trick is the routing inside the ax8, ie having mute blocks active for the correct scene. Placing the FX send block in PARALLEL to the signal path with a volume block AFTER the FX send and prior to returning to the regular path. To avoid doubling up the signal, put another volume block in series of the normal path, setting the bypass option to "MUTE" rather than "THRU". For every scene you want the FX loop in your signal path, simply enable the two blocks (fx send, and the clean block after), and mute the block in the series path. If you want a scene without the outboard gear, simply mute the block after the fx send, and unmute the clean block in the series. Be sure to keep the FX send block active, as it is the signal to your dry amp.
I'd imagine this would be even more powerful for you gurus using MIDI controllable FX (strymon), you could get some crazy switching happening.
The only downfall that I can really notice is because you're simply "blocking channels", there isn't an option for spillover. The opposite is true as well, when you turn the FX on, it will have already been picking up whatever you've been playing so you have to be aware of your timing a little bit.
If there is a scene where you wont be using the outboard FX, simply throw an fx loop in parallel with no link back into the series.
Here's a screenshot of a couple examples
Straight send to amp-
ABY- FX loop in action
FX LOOP muted but sending to dry amp
Again, apologies if this has been covered, I'm just super stoked with how this setup is working out!
-Brodie
When I first switched over to the AX8, I was really happy with running straight to FOH (we're all on IEM's), and having a Boss RV6 Mod in the FX loop for my kind-of signature "space" tone that is used for a few moments in the set. Our soundguy really wanted to have some stage air moving in the venue, and being able to have a dry signal to blend in to suit the room would be ideal. I figured it would be simple, scrap the RV6 in the loop and build a usable mod verb/delay to free up the fx send for an amp fx return. I spent countless hours working on modulated 'verbs and delays in the ax8 to emulate the RV6, but I couldn't get a tone that I was 100% happy with- there's something special about the tone that I couldn't quite replicate.
Now I was faced with the dilemma of having fx in the loop, cab sim on to FOH, AND needing to send a "no cab" dry signal to the return of an amp.
After a few hours of being frustrated and scrolling reverb for an entire new rig, I looked into my box of goodies and had the eureka moment, a simple aby box.
This routing isn't 100% perfect, but it gets the job done for me and keeps the audiences having a good time!
Basically it goes like this-
GUITAR ---> AX8 IN ---> AMP SIM (including whatever effects you want going to the dry amp) ---> FX SEND --->
ABY BOX --->
ABYOUT 1 ---> LIVE AMP FX RETURN (this path ends at the speaker)
ABYOUT 2 ---> OUTBOARD FX (PEDALS)--->PEDAL FX OUT > AX8 FX RTRN
---> WET EFFECTS IN AX8/CAB SIM > FOH
The trick is the routing inside the ax8, ie having mute blocks active for the correct scene. Placing the FX send block in PARALLEL to the signal path with a volume block AFTER the FX send and prior to returning to the regular path. To avoid doubling up the signal, put another volume block in series of the normal path, setting the bypass option to "MUTE" rather than "THRU". For every scene you want the FX loop in your signal path, simply enable the two blocks (fx send, and the clean block after), and mute the block in the series path. If you want a scene without the outboard gear, simply mute the block after the fx send, and unmute the clean block in the series. Be sure to keep the FX send block active, as it is the signal to your dry amp.
I'd imagine this would be even more powerful for you gurus using MIDI controllable FX (strymon), you could get some crazy switching happening.
The only downfall that I can really notice is because you're simply "blocking channels", there isn't an option for spillover. The opposite is true as well, when you turn the FX on, it will have already been picking up whatever you've been playing so you have to be aware of your timing a little bit.
If there is a scene where you wont be using the outboard FX, simply throw an fx loop in parallel with no link back into the series.
Here's a screenshot of a couple examples
Straight send to amp-
ABY- FX loop in action
FX LOOP muted but sending to dry amp
Again, apologies if this has been covered, I'm just super stoked with how this setup is working out!
-Brodie