How do you......

Travisthedog

Set up your amp and drive pedals so that it's all about the same volume. 

I have a fender prosonic - TC Spark booster and Suhr riot (riot into TC) and I seem to struggle to get it so that I can play clean, then hit the spark booster and it just stays the same volume but dirtier. Same with the riot . Even when the volumes on the pedals are almost all the way off, there still seems to be massive jumps in volume when I stand on either dirt box 

I seem to be permanently fiddling 

any tips greatly appreciated 

Branshen

U want the later drive circuit to be on the verge of clipping or already clipping. Giving it a boost will then give u more drive, as opposed to volume boost. 

Do u use your amp clean or on the verge of breakup? You want it on the verge of breakup, and then u can boost it with either the spark or the riot. 

Alternatively, u can put the spark before the riot, set the riot to a crunch tone, and boost it with the spark to bring it into heavy distortion. 

Lestratcaster

I use a 2 channel amp so I don't have this issue lol. But I do use an OD on top of the dirty channel.

thecolourbox

Is there an fx loop as you could use the boost in that if so

ICBM

Sounds like you have the pedals the wrong way round. Having the booster after the distortion will give you a big volume boost unless the amp is already heavily distorted as well.

Personally I would use an overdrive rather than a booster if I wanted more dirt not more volume, as well - and make sure both pedals are set to give more dirt rather than more volume.

TheBigDipper

Is this at domestic sound levels or practice/gigging levels? 

Travisthedog

Gig levels 

Beexter

Sounds like the amp is not driven enough. If the amp is not already compressing,  you'll get more volume before you get more drive. 
From my experience,  there is a tiny window where you get more volume AND drive when using a clean boost in front of an amp - it's more usually one or the other unless the amp is set just right. 

Travisthedog

Trouble is it's a 60w fender dudes - if I get that to the point of break up - folks are gonna die

Travisthedog

I put the boost after the riot as I wanted a lift for solos but ended up using the spark as a mid drive pedal anyway - if I put before the riot I just get a gain increase but now audible "lift" for solos

Beexter

Travisthedog said:

Trouble is it's a 60w fender dudes - if I get that to the point of break up - folks are gonna die

OK, so it sounds like you're running the amp clean and getting all your driven sounds from pedals. 
In that case, it might be worth replacing the Spark with something that has a boost and drive in the same pedal - something like the T-Rex Moller. Alternatively, just get another boost or OD to run in front of the Riot.
There's a useful YouTube video from Voodoo Labs which might be of interest as it illustrates multiple sounds from a couple of pedals 

MikkiMcMurderer

I've got a prosonic too, great amps! 
So are u saying you have the riots volume on its lowest setting and the volume jump is still too much vs clean? What guitar pickups are u using? How hard do you hit the strings? If they are low output or you play lightly, the compression of the distortion will take the level up more than if you were thwacking away with humbuckers. I would suggest using a compressor pedal first in line always on for your cleans so that would bring that level in line with your gain and sound more smooth to boot. Set the compressor up with low threshold and level to be parity volume with hard strummed chords then the gain for your other pedals should be similar but your clean single lines will be boosted.

ICBM

Travisthedog said:

Trouble is it's a 60w fender dudes - if I get that to the point of break up - folks are gonna die

It has a master volume, doesn't it…?

Also modes that are lower than 60W - if I remember rightly the lowest is 30W. OK that's still loud, but it should also be more compressed being valve rectified.

Travisthedog said:

I put the boost after the riot as I wanted a lift for solos but ended up using the spark as a mid drive pedal anyway - if I put before the riot I just get a gain increase but now audible "lift" for solos

So it sounds like the boost after the distortion is too much, and the boost before the distortion is not enough?

If so you need a better boost with a more controllable volume range, if you can't dial the one you have in to be 'just right'. Or a proper overdrive pedal. I have to admit I really don't get this using a boost pedal as an overdrive, or an overdrive as a boost thing that everyone seems to want... they are for different purposes.

Personally I would go overdrive (eg Tube Screamer, Boss SD-1) into distortion (eg Rat, Boss DS-1) and then a clean boost (eg MXR Micro Amp, Boss LS-2) if you don't get enough volume lift for solos.

By that's just me!

Travisthedog

@icbm no - no master volume 

ecc83

Gaaahh! I am confused as to whether Trav' wants a CLEAN boost (of the distorted signal) A distorted boost (of a clean signal) OR a distorted boost (of a distorted signal)!

I shall just chuck in the idea of an EQ pedal set to (clean!) boost by 6-10dB or so at 2-3kHz.  WTF that boosts I am not sure!

Dave.

Travisthedog

Ha ha !!

what I want is for my clean, drive and distortion all to be the same (ish) volume

ICBM

Ah... so you mean you're just using the clean channel on the amp?

In that case all you need are an overdrive pedal and a distortion pedal which can be set to give the right levels.

I'm not familiar with the Suhr Riot but if it's more of a distortion, get an overdrive like a TS or SD-1, and run that in front of it. Set both as dirt pedals, not boosts. The combination of the two should still give you a solo boost.

If it doesn't work, buy a SD-1 and a DS-1... that will .

octatonic

Why not use the channel switching options on the amp?

The drive channel does have a master volume and you can get the dirty sound to be at the same volume as the clean.

Travisthedog

The drive (despite internet wisdom) sucks on the prosonic!!

Fez

I use a Spark mini after a Mad Prof LGW this gives me clean, louder clean, crunch & louder crunch. Even the Spark mini has a lot of boost available so I set it very low (about 9 O'clock).

Wazmeister

This issue of TPS is exactly about this;