Anyone abandoned individual pedals and gone back to a multi-FX?

RocknRollDave

EricTheWeary said:

RocknRollDave said:

@EricTheWeary

Agreed. I have a zoom multi-FX stompbox sized effort which has great sounds and is easily good enough for all my trem, autowah, delay, phaser etc etc needs. It also has decent enough amp simulations to get me through a "NO AMPS ALLOWED!" gig. Only problem is that since my Boss DD-whichever-it-was died, I need the Zoom for my delay pedal and switching other patches/ effects in/ out mid-gig on the Zoom is something that still eludes me - I have sat with the instruction book to try and programme patches and can't get it to do what I think it is supposed to do - so it remains a "one effect at a time" unit for me. I'd love to have some tremolo on, but that means having to squat down and change it to delay later in the set...

I'm always saying that multi fx do too much. The answer is always 'you don't have to use it all' but I want them to be as user friendly as possible - editing stuff out of presets or scrolling past unused options just makes life harder. I know that for many people setting up a preset on multi fx is no more challenging than sending a text but there is, I think, a reasonable group of people who like the idea of a multi but find them hard to get on with and little is meeting that demand.  If you look at the flyrig type stuff (including the T Rex ones) that's close but again so much of the real estate is an overdrive that you don't necessarily want and they don't have the flexibility of a 'proper' multi.
Oddly enough my favourite multi ( sort of)at the moment, based on YouTube content, is the Keeley Dark Side. A pedal aimed at getting David Gilmour sounds - fuzz, modulation, delay in one box. Much as I don't really like Pink Floyd Keeley seems to have inadvertently designed a great pedal for 70s reggae!

I find that by far the easiest multi-fx user experience is on virtual software when you plug into an ipad or computer and you can select various different stompboxes but the controls are exactly as and where you would expect them to be. You can drag and drop them to move them around etc... Of course, this is no good for a live situation where you want to stomp on the pedals, although I am sure there are suitable bits of kit you can plug them into....but then it starts getting bulky, expensive and more complicated again

Jetfire

Tbf, I'm prob the only one using a line 6 m5 for drives because it's midi enabled and gives me a couple of drives and a compressor into my h and k which makes it sound 1000xtimes better than before (not that it was bad before).

The amp itself has multifx built into it and I use the delay and reverb but the others are just as a good to my ears. However, I have never been a pedal guy so I wouldn't know boo-teek pedal sound from a el cheapo one in  a blindfold test (unless the cheap one was really noisy)

english_bob

jaytmon said:

english_bob said:

Where I wished I had multi-fx style switching back again was when we wrote a song that required me to go from a clean sound with delay, reverb and compression, to a dry sound with overdrive and octave down, back to the clean/delay/reverb/comp sound, then to an overdriven sound with delay within about 32 bars. While singing backing vocals. Ideally without distracting too much from our singer by doing a full Fred Astaire routine too.

Another option to consider (that I tried for a while) is using a pedal switcher and programming that, with the added advantage of (hopefully) less signal degradation by bypassing unused effects. One that can be switched between manual mode and programmable mode. You still have the downside of considerable rearrangement if you decide to swap out pedals mind. 

I considered it, but the cost goes up considerably if you want a programmable one, and more again if you want one that can allow delay spillover etc. Before you know it you're in serious mid-price multi-fx money. 

ICBM

Bugger… just discovered a possible fatal flaw in my plan. On the GT-5, the Manual mode functions cannot be set per patch. It does give on/off control of individual saved effects in any patch, but you can't set it so the different pedals operate *different* effects depending on the patch. ie you can't have button 1 operating the compressor in one patch and the feedbacker in another, for example. That's quite restricting, since the whole point is to not necessarily have the same five virtual pedals each time.

I might see if I can live with it though - the effects do genuinely sound very good, and the editing is very familiar since it's so similar to the SE-70, in fact many of the parameters are exactly the same.

earwighoney

ICBM said:

I'm beginning to find the current 'retro' type effects boring and I long for non-rock sounds. 

What do you mean by current 'retro' type effects and non-rock sounds?

***
I've been put off by using a old Zoom unit (maybe about 20 years ago?) which was insanely difficult to program and get a good sound out out of and I have a fear (maybe irrational) that multi fx are that convoluted to use! 

What are 'modern' multi fx like to program for ease?  I've been getting a bit frustrated with my pedals recently, a few I really like the sound of but seem to work when they want to and suck huge amounts of tone.  

ICBM

earwighoney said:

What do you mean by current 'retro' type effects and non-rock sounds?

I mean effects that all seem to be based on various classic-rock sounds, basically most of the boutique pedal world. I do like those sounds too, but in many ways the whole 'rock guitar' thing bores me.

By non-rock, I mean sounds that are deliberately *not* like the sound of an old guitar into a couple of pedals into a vintage valve amp. Nor 'modern rock' which seems to be a variation on that usually. I like sounds that don't sound like amps at all, really - more synthy, DI'd type stuff - both clean and distorted. Mike Oldfield is a very good example, although his sound is so distinctive and unique I wouldn't want to copy it exactly.

Gassage

I know what you mean re the old pedal thing.

I have to say, I've tried a lot of new things recently and the one pedal I bought that made me go WOW was the CE1. I've never heard a rack or digital FX system that replicates the depth of chorus in that (the TC1210, for all its awesomeness, is a different deal totally- it's all about stereo splitting.)

Equally, the better the amp I am using and the cleaner/more toneful the amp is, then you find bizarrely that there's very little sonically between most OD pedals. I can't tell the difference in tone between a Jester and a Tube Driver- the only difference is how much gain I dial in- the resulting tone is pretty similar.

Luminous

@ICBM have you considered a GT8? that will do what you want ( as far as I remember )

guitarfishbay

I'd caution against the GT8, it is not easy to program.  I think you might as well go all in and get a used GT100 if you're going Boss and all digital.

skelf

I bailed out on separate pedals and got a Helix and am very happy with the choice. So much easier to use and re-call sounds. I use it primarily for bass but also need it for demo purposes and it looks to be ideal for my uses. I will also get round to using it as a recording interface so no down sides for me except the constant mucking about with effects order and rewiring which I actually enjoyed.

Wazmeister

I must be bloody mad...

I had a huge sell off of my pedals last year, following the shattering arrival of the FX8. It really is an incredible device, which suits MY needs...

Ive since missed buying pedals cos i love em. That instant visual sight of where you are; the styling; how they look, the research, the videos etc etc

So, ive been building a mini board. This has got bigger. Then, maybe just a KOT. Oh, and a RYRA... now, how about a simple ES-8 to control it all ?

An El Cap ? Chase Bliss ? How about a midi powered H9 ?

Tried em. Nice, good, lots of wirimg hassle. New pedaltrain needed ?

Then, tonight I plugged in one Strat into one AX8 (no amp sim) into two amps (Rambler and Blues Cube).

I kid you not, the AX8 'kin blew the lot right out of the water. Magnificent.

And so, big pedal for sales happening again for me.

The circle of life.

Gassage

@Wazmeister

Honestly, I have now tried the FX8. My plus was nonned.

Forget all this fancy dan Strymon and Chase Bliss- go try a CE1 or an original Elec Mis; or an Effectrode Tube Vibe- as much as my plus was nonned your gast will be flabbered, I assure you.

Hootsmon

does the FX8 machine do overdrives and are they any good?

my only experience with digital ODs are via the Zoom G3 machine and they are far too fizzy and......um,digital

John_P

You're not mad Warren,  it's a natural process that I've become used to over the years.  
Multieffrfts are practical and can sound great but there is a certain charm to pedals that makes them fun.   
Mad much as I love my ax8 rig I'm slowly putting a little board of singles together - I try to justify with suiting different bands but really it's just because it's fun.  

earwighoney

ICBM said:
I mean effects that all seem to be based on various classic-rock sounds, basically most of the boutique pedal world. I do like those sounds too, but in many ways the whole 'rock guitar' thing bores me.

By non-rock, I mean sounds that are deliberately *not* like the sound of an old guitar into a couple of pedals into a vintage valve amp. Nor 'modern rock' which seems to be a variation on that usually. I like sounds that don't sound like amps at all, really - more synthy, DI'd type stuff - both clean and distorted. Mike Oldfield is a very good example, although his sound is so distinctive and unique I wouldn't want to copy it exactly.

Ah, I see what you mean. 

Wazmeister

hootsmon said:

does the FX8 machine do overdrives and are they any good?

my only experience with digital ODs are via the Zoom G3 machine and they are far too fizzy and......um,digital

Mate, the ODs need more work to be fair, but ive managed to minic most pedals with the FX8/AX8... 

But you cannot mention a Zoom G3 in the same breath as the mighty Fractal stuff.

Teetonetal

Gassage said:

@Wazmeister

Honestly, I have now tried the FX8. My plus was nonned.

Forget all this fancy dan Strymon and Chase Bliss- go try a CE1 or an original Elec Mis; or an Effectrode Tube Vibe- as much as my plus was nonned your gast will be flabbered, I assure you.

I'm taking the opposite view. All this chasing after the mythical best tone is a nonsense. 2 questions are all that matter. Does it function as I need. Is it inspiring. 

Old, new, vintage or digital is irrelevant. If a pedal or mfx fits those two questions you are golden.

RandallFlagg

I am really thinking about it again, the luxury of programmability and much lower noise floor is very appealing. While I never could get the Axe-FX tp give me as strong a signal changing and powerful flange as by old 1981 Boss BF-2, losing the huge hiss and noise is a plus. That old BOSS flanger sounds like the north sea on a windy night

Wazmeister

Teetonetal said:

Gassage said:

@Wazmeister

Honestly, I have now tried the FX8. My plus was nonned.

Forget all this fancy dan Strymon and Chase Bliss- go try a CE1 or an original Elec Mis; or an Effectrode Tube Vibe- as much as my plus was nonned your gast will be flabbered, I assure you.

I'm taking the opposite view. All this chasing after the mythical best tone is a nonsense. 2 questions are all that matter. Does it function as I need. Is it inspiring. 

Old, new, vintage or digital is irrelevant. If a pedal or mfx fits those two questions you are golden.

Wisdom. Spot on mate

ICBM

Luminous said:

@ICBM have you considered a GT8? that will do what you want ( as far as I remember )

But doesn't it have all-COSM sounds? One of the attractions of the GT-5 is the analogue overdrive/distortion.

guitarfishbay said:

I'd caution against the GT8, it is not easy to program.  I think you might as well go all in and get a used GT100 if you're going Boss and all digital.

One of the things that most attracts me about the GT-5 is its great similarity to the SE-70, so I won't need to learn a whole bag of new tricks. Many of the effects appear to be exactly the same, with the same parameters and value ranges. Now that I'm a much older dog than last time I used a multi-FX, that is very useful .