one guitar - two outputs

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris Tondreau
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Chris Tondreau

Chris Tondreau

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This might seem to be a silly question, but I've always maintained that the stupidest questions are the ones that go unasked....

I've read a fair bit about recording guitars and such by running a single guitar into multiple amplifiers. I have gathered that this is done with a Y-type cable (or maybe a box of some description... one input with two outs....). How do some of you accomplish this? Can I make my own Y-cable by simply exposing a part of bare wire from a regular patch cord, and winding and soldering another patch cord to it? Is it easier to buy/build some sort of box with a quarter inch plug going in, and two quarter inch plugs coming out (where the signal will remain unchanged at either output)?

I COULD use the separate L and R outputs of my processor, but then I'm stuck with the same bank of effects. If I bypass all the effects from my processor, then I'm left without the ability to use them..... a bit of a dillemma....

Any suggestions?

Chris
 
This is often done with an a/b box. It has one input and two outputs. Many of them are switchable, so you can use amp A, amp B, or both.

Matty

p.s. I had to edit this twice for spelling, but don't let that dissuade you from believing me.
 
GOOD Q

There's no right way to do this but the best way to go is to have a splitter box. A way that I found a few of my favorite players do this is by using a stereo pedal such as a Boss CE-5 Stereo Chorus Box.
But another good question is WHY SPLIT YOUR SIGNAL FOR RECORDING PURPOSES?! The obvious (or maybe not so obvious) answer would be: For sending differently processed signals to different amps and thus getting a "fatter" sound.
I once tried this and it sounded cool for some leads: Guitar into a BOSS EQ-7 then into a CE-5 the I grabbed one signal and sent that into an OS-2 Distortion Box and into one amp in one room, mic'd with 2 SM-57's one about 5 inches from the cone of one speaker, one about 5" from the BACK of another speaker. Signal 2 from the CE-5 into a clean small amp (in another room) cranked all the way and picked up by an SM-57 about 6" from the cone and a Shure KSM-27 on a distant corner of the room picking up the ambiance and "rebounds". The leads sounded quite clear and "fat". And I doubled them panning each singal wide L & R.
Another thing that I've tried and works nicely is to send one to an amp and another direct to the mixer.
Yet another thing that works nicely is to mic the actual picking of the strings. Set a condenser kind of close to the electric... It'll pick up your breathing and movement!!!
Carlos
 
Beauty! Thanks, folks! I suspected there was probably some sort of box out there, or something, but had just never seen one.

I think exploring the possibilities of using the same signal through two different paths to a recording device opens up a lot of options for creativity, etc., which is exactly why I asked the question. I like the idea of micing the strings up close to get the pick attack. That's sort of a variation on what I was thinking about when I originally posted the question..... Mic an amp with one line, and then have another line going clean, maybe through the board or whatever, and then mix the two signals together. the clean one would be low enough that it wouldn't readily be "heard" per se, but would provide an extra dimension to the miced signal in terms of pick attack, etc.

Chris
 
Awesome Chris, glad we could help... and how about this one as food for thought... you send your guitar line to one amp, and then put a mic close to your picking and send THAT signal to an AMP, maybe even split it, one with Overdrive and another clean and Mic that...?! ;)

Carlos
 
Ah, yes... as soon as you open up the can of worms, the possibilities are pretty much endless, aren't they?

Chris
 
Well It's A One For The Money, Two For The Show

My BB King Lucille has two jack sockets. The first is a mono jack, the second is labeled a "stereo" jack.

When you plug a lead into the first jack, you get both pickup signals through it (depending of course on where your selector switch is positioned).

When you plug a second lead into the second jack, the first jack then becomes neck pickup only and the second jack becomes bridge pickup only.

Having the PU switch in the middle position enables both outputs to be heard through two separate amps.

Switching to the neck position kills the sound through the bridge PU amp (and vice versa).

Quite why you'd want to do this is beyond me :) You would be better splitting the signal with a Y-splitter and having processed and unprocessed sounds and mixing those signals to better effect, as has been suggested.

I only have one amp - so it's a completely useless feature so far as I'm concerned.

--
BluesMeister
 
one of the things I learned about this that it's ok to split outputs a couple of times, though each time the signal will be attenuated. What is not ok is to combine inputs, that is using the Y cable on reverse (like a DIY mixer).
Think of it as a triangle, with 2 guys (outputs) and 1 girl (input). You don't want to participate on that one. Now 2 girls (inputs) and 1 guy (you)... now that's another story.

http://www.whirlwindusa.com/tech03.html
Check that link, has a great (though a little tech at the beginning) explanation with some good analogies.

Andrés
 
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