50/50 button on effects loop

[Smokepole]

On the Sansamp PSA-1 it has a 50/50 button on the effects loop. Is this something I would want to use while recording a track or is it something more commonly used in live applications?

I know most of the guys prefer adding effects after the track is down for more control so I thought I'd ask. The only effect I have at the moment is a stomp digital delay so it's more about understanding things right now than anything else.

If you use this in any application you now have two different signals coming out of the preamp. One will be direct and the other will have the effect. So you have to address the output signal now as two different ones. Am I understanding this?

By the way, it came in a really nice box!
Joe

 

[Wide Awake]

If you engage the 50/50 switch then 50% of the signal goes through the effects processor and the other 50% goes directly to the 1/4 or XLR outputs, but both signals arrive at the output(s) together. It's a way to use the effects more subtely. I think I don't engage the 50/50 switch, I just send 100% of the signal through the effects. Just experiment with it and see what sounds best.

The main thing is to realize that both signals arrive at the same outputs.

I use the effects loop with chorus pedals, vibrato pedals, flange pedal, or a rack processor (Lexicon MPX-500). I don't believe that you should neccessarily add effects after the fact. The effects are part of the sound and they affect the way you play. That's why I usually record with them while tracking.

How do you like the sound of the PSA-1 ? The controls are a little bit confusing at first but it all becomes second nature after a while and it only takes me seconds to tweak a sound into something usable. Not many people know what a great unit it is because they are put off by the high price tag.

 

[Smokepole]

Hey W.A, how you doin' today? Thanks for the quick response.
You may have been the one who originally suggested I research this unit. Thanks, it really fits my needs perfectly.

I already find it real easy to tweak; I got used to it right away. Storing new setups takes all of about 5 seconds. It has some great tones already so you get a close sound to what you want before you even start tweaking. I really needed those clean tones also, they are quality sounds.

I paid $380 on eBay with the intentions of relisting it if I didn't like it. Nobody has one to try around here, and after listening to some of the unaltered tones on one of the home pages and hearing some of you guys describe it I had to try one. Now I want to add a power amp to my rack and use that for all around playing. I guess I'm satisfied, huh?

What you are saying is that I can use one of the outputs and it will be a combination of the straight signal and the effect. I don't have to use both outputs when using the 50/50. What would be some uses for the second output then?

Thanks
Joe

 

[Wide Awake]

What you are saying is that I can use one of the outputs and it will be a combination of the straight signal and the effect. I don't have to use both outputs when using the 50/50.

Exactly.


What would be some uses for the second output then?

If you are using a stereo effects processor or you want to send the SansAmp to two tracks of a recorder or mixer. I usually record in mono so I only use one output, but if I want a big sounding part I use two outputs and then pan them.


Check this out- you can use both 1/4" outputs and the XLR outputs simultaneously. That's a great feature if you want to send one set of outputs to a mixer or recorder and another set to a power amp. It's a very versatile unit. The only thing they forgot is an on/off switch.

 

[Smokepole]

Great tips, That really leaves a lot of options to vary things. I'll definitely try dual track and pan on the right tune.

Do you like the bass amp section as well or do you prefer to run the bass through a plain preamp and/or compressor. I haven't experimented with a bass at all yet.

Also, while I'm on the subject, I've been coming out of the PSA-1 and into my RNC to compress a little (4-6 db). I can't really hear a difference but I'm thinking that it will trim some of the peaks off. Is that how you would do it?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm 44 and I feel like a little kid, "why, how come, how, when, do you, should I, would you"?

"ARE WE ALMOST THERE YET DAD"

Joe

 

[Wide Awake]

If I want some extreme sustain I use an ART Pro VLA compressor. It's an optical tube compressor. I rarely use compression on guitar but that just my taste. I do use overdrive pedals in front of the PSA-1.....Boss Blues Driver, Tech21 Double Drive, and a Boss SD-1 SuperOverdrive. Any overdrive/distortion pedal seems to work great.

I usually don't like any tube preamps with the SansAmp and I think it sounds great just going straight into my recorder. Using a "clean" sounding preamp is good but it only makes a very subtle difference. I use a PreSonus MP20 and I've used a Mackie 1402vlz in the past and they boast the signal but don't really improve the tone much.

The PSA-1 is good for bass but I also have the Bass POD and I like the B-POD better. The PSA-1 takes more tweaking to get a good bass sound than it does for guitar, at least that's been my experience. Sometimes I split the signal and use both, the PSA-1 for the upper mids and distortion, and the B-POD for the low end. That's a great set-up.

I was just reading last night in Bass Player magazine that John Entwistle (The WHO) used a guitar POD Pro for half of his bi-amped sound. I find that really interesting. You never know where the quest for tone will lead you and he was a pioneer in rock bass tones. I think his use of the POD live was a testiment to how great modeling is today and how it can be used creatively.

 

[Smokepole]

Hey Wide Awake, if you’re still lurking out there, I just got back from sitting in with a local band at their practice studio. It was a good full-blown jam with some good vocals to top things off.

Anyway, I had my first chance to use the PSA-1 in a live situation. What a pleasure! It took on a whole new life with a cabinet. Using clusters that I programmed with only the factory tones I really got great sounds. We did everything from jazz to hard rock and I had great tones no matter where they wanted to go. I'm a fairly versatile player, which helps in those situations, but I can't tell you how much praise I got about that unit. So many useable rhythm tones that don't sound like mush compliment the driving tones. Now I have that deadly arsenal that I always lacked and it was only really intended for recording use, which makes the whole deal even sweeter.

I had a chance to hear it side by side with other amps, which is the real test, and it really held it's own well. What a great tool.

Anyway, thanks for the above info and the turn on. I'm a very happy camper.

Joe