marshal dsl 401 footswitch

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ollie99

ollie99

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Okay, so at the moment I have a marshall mg50fx with a 4 channel foot controller, this, but I think I might buy a marshal dsl 401.

Now as I know, the 401 has 3 different channels but preferably I would like more. I don't know if there is a way to do this, but over time I will be adding pedals to the chain, and I am really confused as to how this all works to be honest.

In my perfect scenario I would be able to have many pedals to my chain and have something like and 8 channel controller changing exactly which pedals are on at which times. I believe that is easily possible, but will I be able to use the same controller so that when I change it to a different channel, not only will it change which pedals are active but also change the channel on the amp (clean, crunch, high gain). I fear that this is not possible but I really do not want to be switching more than one switch at a time.

If what I want isn't possible, at least not with that amp, then I'd be surprised because it is quite popular and I'm sure there are a lot of other guitarists that want to do the same thing I am doing.

Thanks for your help
 
Well to engage a certain set of pedals with one click (i.e. an OD, delay and Vibrato or something like that), you can just get a looper and put the ones you want in one loop. As for changing the amps channel from the same loop, I'm not sure how that would work. The best I can come up with is two clicks...amp and looper.
 
aaronmcoleman said:
Well to engage a certain set of pedals with one click (i.e. an OD, delay and Vibrato or something like that), you can just get a looper and put the ones you want in one loop. As for changing the amps channel from the same loop, I'm not sure how that would work. The best I can come up with is two clicks...amp and looper.
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Yeah, I may have to also come up with a way of getting the sounds I want by, for example, having the clean or crunch channel on for one part then wanting to quickly change to a high gain setting but using a pedal to do this
 
but actually, I really like the marshal mg50fx it's just I want a tube and I thought I would need to sell it to get one but at the price the dsl 401's are going at on ebay I won't need to! That way I could use both live and use different ones for different songs. And I will try and minimise the number of changes of tone I need in a song so that I can maximise the use of the dsl 401 :)
 
You're wanting way more than your budget allows. If a 1500 dollar (used) multi-channel amp like a JVM is out of the question, then exotic channel switching probably is too. The expression is something like "champagne tastes and a beer wallet". I'm not sure what you want is even possible. Sure, you can program and control your pedals with one controller using pro grade rack gear, but I don't know if it's possible for that same gear to change the channels on the amp as well. Maybe it is. You want all this fancy stuff, then get ready to pay....

Or just make do with what you have. You can get a digital processor like a Zoom or Line 6 or Digitech jobby and program all of your sounds on that and then run it into your amp. Then you'd just change channels on the processor from song to song. That kind of defeats the purpose of a nice amp though. You could run one of those things right into a PA. Not something I would want, but it's up to you.
 
Greg_L said:
You're wanting way more than your budget allows. If a 1500 dollar (used) multi-channel amp like a JVM is out of the question, then exotic channel switching probably is too. The expression is something like "champagne tastes and a beer wallet". I'm not sure what you want is even possible. Sure, you can program and control your pedals with one controller using pro grade rack gear, but I don't know if it's possible for that same gear to change the channels on the amp as well. Maybe it is. You want all this fancy stuff, then get ready to pay....

Or just make do with what you have. You can get a digital processor like a Zoom or Line 6 or Digitech jobby and program all of your sounds on that and then run it into your amp. Then you'd just change channels on the processor from song to song. That kind of defeats the purpose of a nice amp though. You could run one of those things right into a PA. Not something I would want, but it's up to you.
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yeah no I understand, that is the kind of answer that I feared but expected. If it is possible to do what I want then unless it is pretty advanced technology, which it doesn't sound that amazingly hard, then I'm surprised there are not many things on the market that do it. I'm just wondering what the big bands do like muse who I know have lots of different effects and sounds that change? Do they have people do it for them backstage most of the time? (obviously pedals like wah wahs the guitar player would control on stage)
 
Also, for recording, you don't have to worry about quick switching, you can just set the amp/pedals however you want.

For live, it might just be simpler and definitely cheaper to grab a few pedals, plug into the clean or crunch channel and get all your sounds from there. Trust me, almost nobody is going to notice...and nobody is going to tell you your tone sucked (unless it really does suck in which case your switching options aren't the problem).
 
aaronmcoleman said:
Also, for recording, you don't have to worry about quick switching, you can just set the amp/pedals however you want.

For live, it might just be simpler and definitely cheaper to grab a few pedals, plug into the clean or crunch channel and get all your sounds from there. Trust me, almost nobody is going to notice...and nobody is going to tell you your tone sucked (unless it really does suck in which case your switching options aren't the problem).
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yeah of course.

yeah that's what I was thinking, and yeah the audience are going to be much more impressed with an a good tone but a really good player rather than a very good tone and an average player.....so all I need to do is get much better at guitar! haha
 
ollie99 said:
yeah no I understand, that is the kind of answer that I feared but expected. If it is possible to do what I want then unless it is pretty advanced technology, which it doesn't sound that amazingly hard, then I'm surprised there are not many things on the market that do it. I'm just wondering what the big bands do like muse who I know have lots of different effects and sounds that change? Do they have people do it for them backstage most of the time? (obviously pedals like wah wahs the guitar player would control on stage)
Click to expand...

Some big timers, like Slash, has a tech offstage that literally pushes his pedals for him. They have a set routine that I'm sure they've practiced and done live a billion times. You could always buy a bunch of pedals and have some buddy do that for you. Also, using huge bands like Muse as an example just further proves what I'm saying. Pro band, pro gear, lots of sounds, big budget. Look at U2's "The Edge". Lots of different sounds right? Have you seen his fucking rig? Not only does he use a different guitar for every song, he has a full sized 18-wheeler to lug just his rig around. His shit is like space exploration. That's what you're looking for, and it's gonna take mega bucks.

Just play well and use a good tone. If you want that DSL, get it and learn how to use a few pedals, the channel switching on the amp, and your volume and tone knobs. Like already mentioned, no one is gonna give a fuck. If you're good, you can play through one channel on one amp with no pedals and make it sound good.
 
ollie99 said:
In my perfect scenario I would be able to have many pedals to my chain and have something like and 8 channel controller changing exactly which pedals are on at which times. I believe that is easily possible, but will I be able to use the same controller so that when I change it to a different channel, not only will it change which pedals are active but also change the channel on the amp (clean, crunch, high gain). I fear that this is not possible but I really do not want to be switching more than one switch at a time.
Click to expand...

What you want is a midi switcher. Untitled Document
 
aaronmcoleman said:
Check this out...he doesn't even know what guitar he plays one each song...he has to have his tech tell him. Not dissing the Edge...I like him...but his rig is tremendous.

U2's The Edge demonstrating his guitar rig (1/2) - YouTube
Click to expand...

At one point in this he says how he thinks there are 2 types of guitarists, ones that play all the spotlight stuff and stand out, and ones that sit back a bit, support the singer and mesh around with it. However there are so many bands which have those spotlight guitarists who also mesh it together. He also says he doesnt think the spotlight guitarists are that interesting, the ones that according to his definition stand out and play all kinds of shit, as opposed to the ones that basically choose to hide behind the singer, I know it's a matter of opinion but I know which one I think is more interesting. Damn I'm jealous of his rig though :(
 
Greg_L said:
Some big timers, like Slash, has a tech offstage that literally pushes his pedals for him. They have a set routine that I'm sure they've practiced and done live a billion times. You could always buy a bunch of pedals and have some buddy do that for you. Also, using huge bands like Muse as an example just further proves what I'm saying. Pro band, pro gear, lots of sounds, big budget. Look at U2's "The Edge". Lots of different sounds right? Have you seen his fucking rig? Not only does he use a different guitar for every song, he has a full sized 18-wheeler to lug just his rig around. His shit is like space exploration. That's what you're looking for, and it's gonna take mega bucks.

Just play well and use a good tone. If you want that DSL, get it and learn how to use a few pedals, the channel switching on the amp, and your volume and tone knobs. Like already mentioned, no one is gonna give a fuck. If you're good, you can play through one channel on one amp with no pedals and make it sound good.
Click to expand...

Yeah I guessed that would be the case. I used muse as an example because I know matt bellamy uses lots of sounds, it would be pointless using a guitarist who only ever really uses 3 or 4 sounds as an example.
But that's my point, I don't think it's a huge thing to ask for marshal and other amp companies to start making foot controllers that are somehow compatible to use to control the amp and the pedals. Obviously I don't know how hard it actually is so no one put me down for saying this, but it doesn't seem like such expensive and advanced technology.

And yeah if it comes down to it I may have to ask a friend to change just one pedal or something. The mums of two members of my band help out with sound checks and stuff, and they might often tweek something near the beginning of a gig, but I think if I need to then one of them could do it. That would be the most likely probability anyway because they know the songs best.
 
Greg_L said:
You're wanting way more than your budget allows. If a 1500 dollar (used) multi-channel amp like a JVM is out of the question, then exotic channel switching probably is too. The expression is something like "champagne tastes and a beer wallet".
Click to expand...

I think the proper expression in this case would be "analog tastes on a digital budget".
 
ollie99 said:
Yeah I guessed that would be the case. I used muse as an example because I know matt bellamy uses lots of sounds, it would be pointless using a guitarist who only ever really uses 3 or 4 sounds as an example.
But that's my point, I don't think it's a huge thing to ask for marshal and other amp companies to start making foot controllers that are somehow compatible to use to control the amp and the pedals. Obviously I don't know how hard it actually is so no one put me down for saying this, but it doesn't seem like such expensive and advanced technology.

And yeah if it comes down to it I may have to ask a friend to change just one pedal or something. The mums of two members of my band help out with sound checks and stuff, and they might often tweek something near the beginning of a gig, but I think if I need to then one of them could do it. That would be the most likely probability anyway because they know the songs best.
Click to expand...

Lol. Or you could just stomp the buttons yourself. It's not brain surgery.

Most amp companies do implement sophisticated channel switching options and MIDI on their multi-channel amps. You just can't afford them. That JVM I mentioned would blow your young mind. 4 channels, 3 modes each - that's like 12 channels in one amp - and it does MIDI and shit. And most importantly, it fucking kills with awesome sound.

Think about it.....most modern guitarists have a pedal board with stuff on it. You can pretty much bank on almost every modern guitarist using a multi-channel amp and various pedals. No one has any problem pushing the buttons with their feet. You won't either unless you are extremely uncoordinated. Only the extremely successful and/or rich have the type of gear and option switching that you strive to have for yourself. There's nothing wrong with your lofty gear goals, but get real dude. Play some gigs before you worry about this stuff. And in my humble opinion, that level of technical gadgetry is just for entertaining yourself. It's tech geekiness for guitarists. Completely unnecessary and generally overkill for anyone not famous or playing giant venues with massive sound systems and a support team of techs to keep everything running. Again, no one in the crowd knows or cares about the difference between a phaser or flanger and the sweep range of a wah pedal. They neither know nor care about whether you use a Tubescreamer or a Boss SD-1. They don't care about the bells-and-whistles associated with guitar gadgets. Just play well. That's all that matters. You can do that without all the mumbo jumbo.
 
Greg_L said:
Lol. Or you could just stomp the buttons yourself. It's not brain surgery.
Click to expand...
Hahaha yeah obviously I meant that bit for when I would need to change more pedals at a time :)
Most amp companies do implement sophisticated channel switching options and MIDI on their multi-channel amps. You just can't afford them. That JVM I mentioned would blow your young mind. 4 channels, 3 modes each - that's like 12 channels in one amp - and it does MIDI and shit. And most importantly, it fucking kills with awesome sound.
Click to expand...
Oh right I see, wow that does sound pretty awsome :) well I guess what I mean is then, to start introducing this at a cheaper price, although obviously the prices of those kind of amps might come down over time anyway.

Think about it.....most modern guitarists have a pedal board with stuff on it. You can pretty much bank on almost every modern guitarist using a multi-channel amp and various pedals. No one has any problem pushing the buttons with their feet. You won't either unless you are extremely uncoordinated. Only the extremely successful and/or rich have the type of gear and option switching that you strive to have for yourself. There's nothing wrong with your lofty gear goals, but get real dude. Play some gigs before you worry about this stuff. And in my humble opinion, that level of technical gadgetry is just for entertaining yourself. It's tech geekiness for guitarists. Completely unnecessary and generally overkill for anyone not famous or playing giant venues with massive sound systems and a support team of techs to keep everything running. Again, no one in the crowd knows or cares about the difference between a phaser or flanger and the sweep range of a wah pedal. They neither know nor care about whether you use a Tubescreamer or a Boss SD-1. They don't care about the bells-and-whistles associated with guitar gadgets. Just play well. That's all that matters. You can do that without all the mumbo jumbo.
Click to expand...

Either I haven't said, or I haven't said clearly, or you haven't understood (probably one of the first two haha) but I understand that all this stuff costs a hell of a lot, but I'm not aiming to buy all this stuff, I'm just seeing if there is cheaper versions of it, as I do for everything ;)
Other than that I totally understand what you mean, most people wouldn't notice the difference between the mg50fx and the dsl401, and the performance is worth far more than the gear. And you completely got it right with the entertainment thing haha, I mean I only have a wah wah at the moment but it's a hell of a lot of fun, even though I only use it in one or 2 songs haha :)
 
I think people would notice the difference between the MG and a DSL. One has tube goodness, one has ear searing solid-state taiwanese parts assembled by mexican children. Lol. But good amp to good amp, people won't know the difference.

I hate to say this, but you might maybe should look into a modeling amp. The DSL is great and I like all things tube Marshall (they're pretty much the only amps I really like across the board) but if tonal options on the cheap is your goal, then one of those Line 6 things might be right up your alley. Or like I mentioned earlier one of those digital processors that will allow you to do a lot of pre-programming. Someone with more experience should probably chime in though. I'm most likely gonna steer you wrong. :laughings:
 
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