Boss LS-2 question

solar

I have been Googling and found conflicting information on this, so I thought I'd ask and see if anyone had one and could check..

Basically, I want to know if the switching modes (A <-> B or A <-> Bypass etc) switch just the sends or whether they also switch the returns. In other words, are the returns always mixed into the output?

What I'm trying to achieve is the ability to put pedals that generate sound without continual input (ie loopers, delays) into one of the loops, and then be able to play over them, but still have their output mixed into the resulting signal.

I guess this could be most easily tested by putting the pedal in A <-> B mode, plug a guitar directly into return A, plug the output into an amp, and then see if stomping on the pedal makes any difference.

I know I could achieve this with multiple pedals (eg an LS-2 plus a killswitch or a A/B box) but I wanted to know if I can do it with the LS-2 alone.

Hope that makes some kind of sense.. thanks

TheBigDipper

From reading the manual, it looks like the answer is "No". If you have your input going through send A, only the signal in return A gets sent to the output. And the same for send B and A+B. So, if you use send A, you'll not get to hear what's coming in from return B.

I no longer have one to actually check for you. I don't actually know why I've still got the tatty piece of paper for it. 

ICBM

I don't have one at the moment but I'm almost certain that both send and return are switched. More importantly, if it isn't the case then it's the *returns* that are switched and not the sends. The only way to mix the returns is to use the 'A+B Mix' setting.

(Edit - doh! Took out something unnecessary.)

TheBigDipper

According to the Boss manual, the sends and returns are switched together. Return B isn't live unless send B is in use.  I'm also pretty sure that if you have A+B, then the signal from the input goes into loop A and loop B in parallel, before the returns are mixed together and sent to the output. It's not clear if the level control for each loop is on the send side of the loop or the return side.

Will that do what's needed? 

ICBM

TheBigDipper said:

I'm also pretty sure that if you have A+B, then the signal from the input goes into loop A and loop B in parallel, before the returns are mixed together and sent to the output. It's not clear if the level control for each loop is on the send side of the loop or the return side.

The level control is definitely on the return side.

clarkefan

Not sure if this helps or muddies the water, but the volume controls for both loops definitely affect the output; even with nothing in either loop both vols work on the output.

Which makes the LS-2 a very handy clean mega-boost, but I digress.

ICBM

clarkefan said:

Not sure if this helps or muddies the water, but the volume controls for both loops definitely affect the output; even with nothing in either loop both vols work on the output.

Which makes the LS-2 a very handy clean mega-boost, but I digress.

That's because even with nothing in the loops, the sound is sent through them and hence through the level controls.

And yes, that means you can use it as a two-stage clean boost - although you have to cycle round off > A > B > off etc.

solar

Thanks for the help, all. I think I've found the thing that will do what I need: http://www.one-control.com/mosquito-blender-trail.html