Handling 11 Pedals - Take out comp or noise reduction?

[sjgam]

Hey just received my new PBC and yet to install it. I have 15 pedals and four don't have to be in loops. So I need to decide between 2 pedals to eliminate out of the 10 loops for the PBC. I have the Decimator 2 for noise reduction and I have a MXR compressor. I could keep the compressor out leave it as an always on sound sweetener but while its subtle I really would prefer to selectively include it in different preset chains. So that leaves the noise reduction pedal. I will always have to leave it on - the con of that is that I really only need it for my distortion pedal presets and as good as it is - it still cuts a bit of the tail off prematurely.

Any thoughts on this choice - do you typically use a noise reduction pedal as one of the loops for your presets?

Ideally like to include 11 pedals so dont have to make this choice - any workarounds on this.

Other thoughts?

BTW here is my pedal list in current serial chain order:

1. Ernie Ball Volume (dont need in loop)
2. Boss TU2 Tuner (dont need in loop or take out and just use PBC tuner)
3. Dec 2 Noise Reduction (deciding)
4. RMC 3 Teese Wah (dont need in loop)
5. Mutron III
6. Mutron Octave Divider
7. MXR Compressor (deciding)
8. Fuzzy Lady Fuzz
9. Tube Screamer
10. Blues Driver
11. CE2 Chorus
12. MXR Phaser
13. ADA Flanger
14. Ibanez AD9 Delay
15. Looper (Boss RC2) (dont need in loop)

 

[Kamil Rustam]

If you only use the noise reduction with your distortion, why not put in within the distortion pedal loop ?
Just my 2 cents

 

[sjgam]

If you only use the noise reduction with your distortion, why not put in within the distortion pedal loop ?
Just my 2 cents

Yeah good thoughts - sorry I think I used distortion presets term loosely - I have three "distortion" noise inducing pedals - fuzz, overdrive, distortion - each of them can cause noise and when combined in series (overdrive into distortion) even more noise.

 

[PianoMan]

Any reason why you can't put it in the effects loop between loops 6 & 7? Then it's after all your drive pedals, and is always working, but isn't taking up a loop and doesn't get in the way of any stereo effects.

 

[AndrewL]

Yeah good thoughts - sorry I think I used distortion presets term loosely - I have three "distortion" noise inducing pedals - fuzz, overdrive, distortion - each of them can cause noise and when combined in series (overdrive into distortion) even more noise.

Kamil Rustam’s suggestion seems the right direction to me as well. It might take a bit of experimentation, but perhaps try to figure out which 1 of your 3 dirt pedals produces the most noise that you want to reduce (whether on its own or in those combinations). Then put your noise reduction pedal in the same PBC loop.

I don’t use a noise reduction pedal myself, so can’t give any more concrete suggestions. I’d have thought, though, either before the fuzz or before the Blues driver.

Free advice probably worth what you paid for it...

 

[sjgam]

Any reason why you can't put it in the effects loop between loops 6 & 7? Then it's after all your drive pedals, and is always working, but isn't taking up a loop and doesn't get in the way of any stereo effects.

Thats a thought - again I have not even installed the PBC so ramping up on learning curve. One problem I see maybe is the fact that the Decimator 2 to achieve its magic uses 4 jacks - could this still be integrated like you suggested?

Here is the summary from their website:

The Decimator™ II G String has 4 ¼ inch jacks. Connect the guitar directly to the Guitar IN. Connect the Guitar OUT to the input of the amplifier. Connect the DEC IN to the loop send and DEC OUT to the loop return. For best performance place all gain pedals in front of the amplifier and DEC IN. You can put Delay and Reverb effects pedals after the Decimator™ II G String and before the loop return to avoid cutting off reverb and delay tails.

 

[sjgam]

Kamil Rustam’s suggestion seems the right direction to me as well. It might take a bit of experimentation, but perhaps try to figure out which 1 of your 3 dirt pedals produces the most noise that you want to reduce (whether on its own or in those combinations). Then put your noise reduction pedal in the same PBC loop.

I don’t use a noise reduction pedal myself, so can’t give any more concrete suggestions. I’d have thought, though, either before the fuzz or before the Blues driver.

Free advice probably worth what you paid for it...

Well your giving me hope to experiment and not unnecessarily use up a precious loop. Its really the blues driver and tube screamer that is the worse noise offender and its my favorite lead combination sound. But as I am sure you can understand I want the blues driver and the tube screamer in separate loops - distortion and overdrive or individual basic pedal food groups

 

[PianoMan]

Thats a thought - again I have not even installed the PBC so ramping up on learning curve. One problem I see maybe is the fact that the Decimator 2 to achieve its magic uses 4 jacks - could this still be integrated like you suggested?

Here is the summary from their website:

The Decimator™ II G String has 4 ¼ inch jacks. Connect the guitar directly to the Guitar IN. Connect the Guitar OUT to the input of the amplifier. Connect the DEC IN to the loop send and DEC OUT to the loop return. For best performance place all gain pedals in front of the amplifier and DEC IN. You can put Delay and Reverb effects pedals after the Decimator™ II G String and before the loop return to avoid cutting off reverb and delay tails.

Sure - I plan to use a 4-jack noise gate on my own board when I build it. Assuming you are running the full pedalboard before the amp, you just run the guitar directly into the first input of the noise gate before running it into the PBC. Then wire everything up normally as planned, and run the second insert loop into the noise gate DEC In.

If you're running 4 cable method, then do the same thing, but have the cable coming back from the amp run into the noise gate before hitting the input of the insert loop.

 

[sjgam]

Sure - I plan to use a 4-jack noise gate on my own board when I build it. Assuming you are running the full pedalboard before the amp, you just run the guitar directly into the first input of the noise gate before running it into the PBC. Then wire everything up normally as planned, and run the second insert loop into the noise gate DEC In.

If you're running 4 cable method, then do the same thing, but have the cable coming back from the amp run into the noise gate before hitting the input of the insert loop.

Ah thats seem straight forward and again not using a loop up for noise gate - I like it.

Yeah I am using a vintage amp - so no effects loop - running the entire pedalboard in front of amp. So if I have reverb, mod and delays after the second insert - then it should not mess with my tails right?

 

[PianoMan]

Ah thats seem straight forward and again not using a loop up for noise gate - I like it.

Yeah I am using a vintage amp - so no effects loop - running the entire pedalboard in front of amp. So if I have reverb, mod and delays after the second insert - then it should not mess with my tails right?

Yep! As long as they're all in loops 7-10, you'll be good to go!