Generic Pedal Board Question

Benmurray85 · Post by **Benmurray85** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 8:09 pm

im getting confused with all this buffer, true bypass, tone sucking malarky. i confess i have pretty much no knowledge of what it all means at all

my board is:- boss tu2, behringer nr300 (in its loop ->boss cs3, boss sd1, musikding tubescreamer, mxr micro amp, big muff) eh small stone nano, boss dd3, eh pulsar, dano reel echo, behringer rv600

im also gonna be getting an aby box out two a second amp after the tubescreamer

is there anything a i need to consider? i can hear a VERY slight change in tone from when i just go straight into my amp but nothing thats gonna be noticable at gigs.

my patch cables arent they best so they all need upgrading.

there is a buzz (which i think is the tubescreamer) but the nr300 does a pretty decent job of clearing that up most of the time

any comments are welcome thanks,

ben

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 8:13 pm

you've already said it yourself mate. If its only a slight change then your buffers are doing what they do, and you're right, its nothing that will come through live per say. Also if you're steadily gigging go ahead and replace your cables with some nice ones that'll last and you trust.
Sounds like you're on top of your game, if everything is sounding good then keep doing what you are doing!

edittite - I didn't look at your chain before i posted that but heres some on that now that i've looked at it
The only places of concern I see is the Reel Echo and I'm not familiar on its bypass switching. Boss has a great buffer, and they are mixed in with your true bypass [EHX] pedals so no worries there. I've had some bleed-through and noise floor issues with the DD600 Behringer pedal I had, maybe you have had a better experience.

Bill Oakley · Post by **Bill Oakley** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 4:27 pm

If you like your sound/tone then all of your concerns are pretty much nothing to be concerned about.

A simple upgrade in cables to ones with lower capacitance can add treble back into your signal (well not add it, it just won't lose as much in the first place).

What are you using to power your pedals? The hum can be caused by the power supply if it's not regulated or doesn't have isolated outputs. It could also be single coil pickup hum amplified by the Tube Screamer.

Stuart · Post by **Stuart** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:16 pm

I love that unlike other places who will obsess and criticise and maligne over the most minor piece of gear or component, ShortScale's standard response is 'don't worry about it no one can tell at gig volume'

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:59 pm

Shortscale.org - for guitarists.

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 6:04 pm

Haze wrote:Shortscale.org - for guitarists not knobheads.

Bill Oakley · Post by **Bill Oakley** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 6:41 pm

Stuart wrote:I love that unlike other places who will obsess and criticise and maligne over the most minor piece of gear or component, ShortScale's standard response is 'don't worry about it no one can tell at gig volume'

I know. The first response you get at most other forums is to get a new amp, then a new guitar, then they tell you all your pedals suck because you didn't spend $400 per pedal to get some boutique or other overpriced brick of shit.

Benmurray85 · Post by **Benmurray85** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:04 pm

haha yeah cheers for the levelheaded responses guys. i dont really do much of this forum stuff but the advice and down to earth attitude of this site is absolutely cracking.

power supply-wise im using 3 daisy chain type things which i hate, proper messy. ive been looking into getting a better power supply soon, something along these lines

would this be better?

in regards of patch cables, have you got any specific recommendations? make/brand etc. whats the crack with the jack to jack connectors? are the better or worse? i dont like the look of em but i suppose theres less wire/cable for the signal to pass through so is this a better option?

cheers guys

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:09 pm

Benmurray85 wrote:haha yeah cheers for the levelheaded responses guys. i dont really do much of this forum stuff but the advice and down to earth attitude of this site is absolutely cracking.

power supply-wise im using 3 daisy chain type things which i hate, proper messy. ive been looking into getting a better power supply soon, something along these lines

would this be better?

in regards of patch cables, have you got any specific recommendations? make/brand etc. whats the crack with the jack to jack connectors? are the better or worse? i dont like the look of em but i suppose theres less wire/cable for the signal to pass through so is this a better option?

cheers guys

Those things are just daisy-chained power supplies just inside the enclosure - it'll look neater but still be really noisy. I'd go for the Johnnyshredfreak power supply and daisy chain, so much better than the DC brick I was using before.

Bill Oakley · Post by **Bill Oakley** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:18 pm

^ Yeah this. You have to watch out. Just because it's in an enclosure doesn't mean it's not a daisy chain. You want to look at different ones and look for it to say it has isolated outputs.

Before you go buy another power supply try the pedals with batteries. If it's the power supply causing hum, it should go away with batteries. Doesn't get any purer DC than that.

Now not all daisy chains are bad. Some work better than others. This is probably due to better filtering in the power supply.