Help me choose a multi FX unit?

Mkjackary

Been looking at all of the ones mentioned, had a zoom g1u a while ago and never got on with it if I'm honest.
The two I'm looking into are the nova and the m13. The m13 looks like a very intuitive easy to understand setup. And the nova (from what I've been told) has the best sounding delays and reverbs of any fx unit before axe fx. I trust tc and know their delays and reverbs and mods will be very very good.

The general consensus I can take from google is line 6 is easier and has more stuff, and the stuff is really good. The nova has less stuff but the stuff is better quality, it is harder to use and is awkward because it has to be either in front or in the loop, it can't be both like the line 6 (4cm)

Would anyone add (or take away) anything from that?

littlethoughts

If I didn't want drives the line6 m5 would be the one I'd go for, or even the zoom ms-50 multistomp.

sweepy

What about an old Boss ME50, built like a proverbial brick outhouse and very cheap on ebay

Wolfetone

sweepy said:

What about an old Boss ME50, built like a proverbial brick outhouse and very cheap on ebay

I was going to suggest an ME-50. They go for around the £80 mark and are fully adjustable to create any sound required

strtdv

Nova system is great. You can pick them up for well under £200 used, the effects sound good, the unit is well built, and it runs straight on mains without any silly adaptors. 

I bought mine so I would be able to leave my pedalboard at home for smaller gigs. Does it do just as good a job on overdrive/distortion as dedicated individual effects? - No, but for everything else it's 99% of the way there and very portable.

monquixote

I really wouldn't buy a Nova system. 

It's massive, really hard to program, and has a few nasty inconsistencies like switching when you take your foot off the switch rather than when you press it. It also lights up like a bloody christmas tree in a very distracting way.

If you want it for mods, delays and verbs then you won't use half of the features. Mine was pissing me off progressively more and more and then decided to get stuck in tuner mode at a gig until I rebooted it which was the straw that broke the camels back. 

I'd only really advise using one into the front of a clean amp if that was all that you were using, but not to add mods and delays to an existing board.

Personally I'd suggest you go for either an M9 or a G3 they are both loads easier to use, more flexible and smaller. The reverbs are possibly better on the TC, but other than that there isn't a lot in it. 

Mkjackary

strtdv;400438" said:

Does it do just as good a job on overdrive/distortion as dedicated individual effects? - No, but for everything else it's 99% of the way there.

For the od/ds front I'm sorted with my amp and boosts, so that isn't what I need I need a good compressor, delay, reverb, pitch shifting, and some mods. (The boost wouldn't hurt I guess but the od isn't needed atall). So the only thing I'd be not using is the distortion settings.
With the line 6 I don't have to waste a footswitches with an od I could have all 12 as the individual pedals I need and switching would be a lot easier(4cm, right in front of your eyes etc).
But part of me always would rather go for something with a better sound even if it is harder to use.

siraxeman

Just stick with pedals.

Evilmags

Second hand G System.

57Deluxe

If you like vintage pedals and BOSS pedals then get a BOSS ME-5...it has all those vintage pedals actually contained inside - just the interface is different! Then you can get some great analogue tones and smattering of BOSS Digi delay thrown in...

see my link...

Voxman

Another "no for TC Nova". I bought one withe the additional foot pedal on 30 day trial and returned it. Even with the extra pedal the switching was cumbersome and the distortion was dreadful. I tried it because of the hype re professional effects but I was massively underwhelmed by the effects and with one or two exceptions I much preferred the effects in my Vox Tonelab LE.

If you are only looking for effects I can't recommend the Vox Tonelabs simply because without amp modelling engaged the output level seems a little low. I'd recommend the Line 6 m13. I was very impressed with the effects quality and you can also use it very much like a conventional stomp box but if you don't need presets its overkill particularly in view of its cost.

Based on what you say you need the Boss non modelling MFX units will be a good option and possibly the Zoom G3. I say possibly because on the G5 the switching between stomp mode and preset mode is beyond cumbersome and lets the unit down and IMHO renders it virtually useless for gigging. I don't know how the G3 fares here.

But in view of your simpler needs I'm wondering why you think you'd want an MFX unit as individual pedals might actually suit you better. I have a TLLE only because I want preset patch capability and modelling as well as a good range of effects eg when playing covers in our duo where I can go straight into the pa. Where I only need a simpler range of tones at a gig, for simplicity I often just prefer to use my conventional pedal-board. Each has pros and cons so its nice to have both options.

Mkjackary

Ahh, okay! I'm looking for mfx because I figure after I have bought the essentials like delay verb comp that is already more than the mfx unit. And it doesn't have things like a pitch shifter which for a good one is expensive, and modulations and tremolos and all the other fx I might use now and again and can't justify spending money on a decent one and don't want to resort to buying a cheap one and being unhappy with the results?
The m13 is looking like a good option. It is weird on some sights people are all for the nova and say it is the best thing besides axe fx

monquixote

The Nova does sound fairly good (but not really better than stuff by Boss, Line6, or recent Zoom), but you struggle to get the best out of it because it's so hard to program and it has far fewer sounds available.

It's also really inflexible. If you want to use it as a panel of stomps you have to have one of each thing. For example if you want to add Vibe, Chorus, and Trem to your rig with a G3 you can set it to the 3 switches and then have access to them with one click and even have all of them at once if you want. The Nova is always going to have one button for mod and you are going to have to set up a new patch to change to before you can change from phaser to trem for example. If you want to have trem and phaser at the same time then you can't. Something like the G3 you can have 6 delays running at the same time if you want to or phaser, flanger, chorus, vibe and trem all at the same time. 

If you want good pitch shifting then you might want to try the ME-80 as it has Overtone polyphonic octave shifting. 

If you don't really need the patch features of a multi you might want to try something like the soundblox Orbital Modulator. 

What effects do you need?

If you don't want loads of particle verbs and reverse delays and stuff you don't really need a fancy delay, or reverb. 

drwiddly

Have a look at the Digitech RP500 and RP1000, they're very flexible in use and the FX are good quality. A friend had the RP1000 for FX with his Mesa Road King and it sounded great. He was so impressed with the amp modelling that he used a Rectifier patch into the FX return of the amp and it was really hard to tell the difference.

Voxman

Yeah its all very much down to personal taste and budget. I hear you re cost consideration. For me its gigging ease of operation that is the most important. Lots of nuances you hear at home or need for recording simply do not come across or are even needed in a full band mix. So whilst my TLLE is no longer state of the art and the quality of modelling and FX in newer units such as the Zoom G5, Boss GT100 or Line 6 HD series is superior, the TLLE still sounds plenty good enough and is very easy to use and control on stage.

So I strongly recommend you give thought to exactly what your core needs are and you choose something that meets those needs first and foremost. Everything else then becimes a more peripheral consideration.

For example I really like the modelling and fx quality in the Zoom G5 but its poorly designed switching process makes it a non starter. I bought a used TLLE over the latest TLEX because the TLEX has no patch naming and you have to press two buttons for stomp switching which is clumsy. Also you dont get the control parameters of the TLLE. I found the HD500 was just too complex for me and too noisy.

Very often its all a process of elimination to help you filter out the right unit for you - opinions can be helpful but at the end of the day opinions are like bottoms....everyone has one!

Mkjackary

The main 3 things are delays reverbs compression, The octave is actually fairly important to get a good octave, and preferably with the option of an expression pedal to get a cheap whammy pedal, which I think the nova and the m13 have.
Also if in ever doing a cover of a song it is nice to he able to get atleast close to the effect from a mfx unit. For instance a u2 song or a rage against the machine guitar solo.xD

Initially was looking at a me-70 but only having one of each setting isn't really what I'm after I don't think. I do love the simplicity though, just select a type and change the three parameters.

Any bad points for the m13?

monquixote

With the me-70 you are only limited to the type per patch. You can have everything in different patches.

Mkjackary

Does anybody know which of the boss line 6 and tc etc can do polyphonic octave settings?

monquixote

The TC can't the Boss can. 

I don't think the Zoom can, I don't know about the Line6, but my suspicion would be no.

vasselmeyer

@Mkjackary if you're looking for an M13, I have a flightcased one with PSU and an expression pedal sitting around not being used. PM me for details.