It might be worth mentioning matrix mixers in this thread. Relavant to fx loops.
Not a pedal with an added fx loop but rather multiple, variable loops can be created without unplugging anything. Any input can be routed to any output in any amount. A 4x4 matrix mixer can be thought of as a 4 ch mixer with 4fx sends.
Sounds great!
and the more affordable Deluxe Memory Boy does, too!
also square wave modulation of the delaytime if you like…
(probably my favorite pedal)
+1 for the Mixing Link. I just got one to add effects to a mic, for recording flute. It came highly recommended from horn players. Extremely versatile and sounds great. Worth the $$$.
I have one of these babies and they are great…
Actually there are some corny moments, and i have sat for hours listening to a synth telling me to die…die…die…
But there are ALOT of sweet spots, a cool envelope follower, cv control (works great controlling the vowel with the A4MKII) a neat warm distortion, and blend knob so it can be subtle or obvious, and yip…send and return…
For the noise/drone fans, Baby Box v 3.2 has an fx send/return:
Seconding the Superego (the + is something I’d love to try at some point too) as a great pedal, with or without the FX loop - but adding a digital or analogue delay on top of the freeze can make for some very drifting and/or dubby soundscapes.
Likewise, the first version of the Bugbrand PT Delay sounds even better with something like a filter (I’ve been using a Frostwave Resonator dual MS-20 pedal) on the send/return.
I was thinking about mentioning matrix mixers. Seems to fit with this topic. They take the effects loop and feedback loop concepts to dizzying new heights.
I’ve built a few over the years. Dead simple to make if you can solder. The tricky part is selecting pot values that will act favorably with all manner of sources/ destinations. Maybe that’s part of the charm. I recommend every experimentally minded musician build one.
what if you’re not looking for feedback per se or any harsh surprises…are there any matrix mixers that come with protection lol
Another option: Poly Beebo has 4 inputs and 4 outputs configurable as you wish.
Extreme stuff like that isn’t inherent to them, it’s just that people (myself included) often use them that way because the platform works well for that kind of thing.
The basic idea is that you have the ability to route and mix any input to any output. They are usually set up symmetrically (ie; 4 ins and 4 outs, 8 ins and 8 outs, etc) though they don’t have to be. For the case of a 4x4 you can send any or all of the four inputs to any or all of the four outputs. In this sense you can use it as a simple mixer with as many send channels as input channels or however you want to think of it depending on your use case.
As far as protection goes, sort of. They’re usually passive (though not always) so they don’t tend to have anything sophisticated to offer but they do have potentiometers at every intersection point. For example a 4x4 matrix mixer will have 16 pots to control levels.
It’s a very simple device but the structure is very open so it’s up to the user to decide how to implement it.
I can post a picture of one of mine when I get home from work but that’ll be this evening (pst). I understood them much better after seeing one.
Been eyeing that. Looks super user friendly. Probably going for an analog compressor first though
As mentioned this morning, here’s a picture of one of my matrix mixers (right). This one is a 4x4.
Since I mentioned it up thread I also included a picture of my version 1 modded tsa clone (left), not that the picture does much for explaining it.
so these let you send in parallel and/or any signal from your pedals into one another
Sure. You can use it for that.
Example: consider the vertical jacks on the left inputs and the horizontal jacks on the top outputs.
-Connect your source audio (synth or whatever) to the top left jack.
-Using the top row of pots to control level, connect the first three top jacks to the inputs of three different pedals.
-Connect the outputs of those pedals to the remaining three vertical jacks.
-Connect the fourth top jack to an amp/ mixer/ etc and use the four vertical pots below it to mix the dry signal and three parallel effects channels.
If you want to make it more complex you can use the remaining pots to send the pedal return signals back into each other or themselves too.
Our band’s guitarist got into using pedals with effects loops and we’ve used different routing setups for many of our songs, especially the ones we recorded back in 2019. Here’s two of them; I’ll write the signal chains and italicize the FX loops.
On this one, we used a Telecaster and ran into an EHX Attack Decay > DOD Ruberneck + Boss MO-2 + TC Electronic T2, EHX Superego+
In a more subtle application, this one only involves a Telecaster into a Boss BD-2 > DOD Rubberneck + DOD Boneshaker
Both of the above pieces used the Rubberneck’s effects loop to bring in repeated notes that are different from the initial pluck/hit. If memory serves, there might be a few pieces where use the fx loops on the Superego+ or the Attack Decay but I’d have to check my notes to confirm. Ultimately the beauty of an effects loop is that you can break with the linearity of a serial chain.
Thanks for sharing those! It appears to be most interesting on delay pedals, from most of the online stuff Ive seen. There is a lot to like about the Rubberneck.
Definitely. The Rubberneck was a very solid analog delay for the price. Solid tone, lot of knobs for control. Tap tempo is something I usually only see in digital delays, too. But the FX loop? Probably the most underrated feature.
just wish it was stereo