Rack Gizmo / Mini Line Mixer config setup questions

emayhew

Member
Hello RJM fans!
I am in need of assistance with my setup. I am trying to setup a stereo (Wet/Wet) or a W/D/W guitar rig using the below equipment. I have been using my Bogner Ecstasy along with a Rack Gizmo to switch the amp functions and effects via a GCP midi controller which has been working great. Recently I've added a RJM Mini Line Mixer and a Revv G8 Noise Gate and want to dive into setting up for a stereo or Wet/Dry/Wet configuration. Up until now I've been running 3 or 4 pedals (boosts/overdrives mainly) in the first 4 loops of the RG and then into the front of the XTC. Then loops 5-8 are running through a couple of rack processors that are going through the effects loop of the amp and that works great. Now I want to expand it more by adding in the MLM in a stereo or W/D/W config. I have a separate stereo power amp and 3 speaker cabinets to add to this setup as well.
My two questions are:
1)
With the Revv G8 Noise Gate, how should I wire it to take advantage of the 4CM capabilities of the pedal? I would like to be able to turn it on and off and have seen that I will need to use two loops to do so. One loop in the front of the amp and one loop in the effects loop. Is there another way? Where would I place it in order of my pedals and processors? I have opened up a loop (loop 1 on the RG) which would be in front of the amp and one (loop 8 on the RG) that's going through the amps effects loop so I should be able to do it if that's what's recommended.
2) How do I set up a W/D/W setup using the MLM? I've looked at the wiring diagrams in the manual for the Rack Gizmo and the last diagram includes the MLM which seems to make sense but would I not use the effects loop from my XTC in that scenario? The Bogner does have a line out so should I use that instead of the effects loop send of the amp? Currently I'm using the first diagram from the manual which uses the first 4 loops as in front of the amp and the last 4 are in the loop of the amp If I'm using my effects loop on the amp then I'm not sure how the signal path of the MLM gets back into the return of the EFX loop? Or maybe that's it, it doesn't and I'm over thinking this. The amps loop in not in the equation anymore with a W/D/W setup?

Here's my setup:
Bogner Ecstasy 101b w/ 4x12 Marshall cab
Stereo Power Amp with two 2x12 cabs
RJM Rack Gizmo with GCP foot controller
In Front of amp: (Guitar to front of Rack Gizmo)
Loop 1: Empty (Revv G8 in front?)
Loop 2: Friedman Buxom Boost
Loop 3: Xotic BB+ Boost
Loop 4: Phaser (Then to input of amp)
Amp effects loop (send goes to loop 5 In)
Loop 5: Eventide H9
Loop 6: TC Electronic G Major
Loop 7: Lexicon PCM 81
Loop 8: Empty (Revv G8 in the loop?)

* Where should the Revv G8 noise gate be placed in this setup? I want to clean up noise from my guitars and from the preamp of the Bogner. Should I use loop 1 for the noise gate in front of the amp and loop 5 for the noise gate where the effect loop of the amp comes into the RG and move the effects processors to loops 6, 7, & 8?? Not sure on placement of the gate.

Sorry, lots of info here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much,
Eric
 
In this case, don't use the effect loop, connect the line out to loop 5 in. Put the second half of the noise gate in loop 5, move the other pedals down one loop. The first half of the noise gate goes in the first loop as you guessed.

Send 6, 7 and 8 go to the pedal inputs, the pedal outputs go to the line mixer and the line mixer outputs go to the power amp inputs.
 
Awesome, thanks for the quick reply. That all makes sense. Just curious, what happens to the "wet" cabinets if for example I were to turn off loops 6, 7, and 8 because I was using a dry rhythm tone for a song? Do the two wet cabs get a dry signal still feed to them or nothing comes out of the wet cabs at that point? Sorry never done a W/D/W setup before.
Also, with the configuration you suggested, will I still get the trailing tails of delays and reverbs when switching patches?

Thanks, Eric
 
Depends on how you wire it, and how you want it to sound. If you connect Out 8 to one of the line mixer inputs, you'll get dry signal from the cabs. If not, you'll only get wet (assuming your effects are set to 100% wet, which they should be)

Yes, with a parallel routing like this, you will get trails.
 
Perfect! Thank you very much! I forgot about the dry signal going into the line mixer. This is awesome, can’t wait to try it.
 
Question: I purchased 3 Hosa insert cables that I've recently wired the TRS ends to the sends of loops 6, 7, and 8 and the other mono ends of the cables to the pedals inputs L&R. I am only getting the left side input to the pedals. I don't think it's the cable because I swapped it out with another one and also know it's not the right input to the pedal because I took the left side input and plugged it into the right and I see signal on the input. Is there a setting or some kind of programming to initiate the "stereo" feature on the rack gizmo? Does loops 5-8 ship with the stereo option engaged? Thoughts?
 
I just did a continuity check with a multimeter and can confirm the wiring is correct with the insert cable. I'm confused on the Rack Gizmo side of the sends for loops 5-8.
 
The Gizmo doesn't do any mono to stereo or stereo to mono conversion, you have to do it yourself using cables. The signal coming in to loops 5-8 needs to be stereo, and I'm guessing you're giving it a mono signal. You need to use a mono to stereo converter cable go into In 5.
 
Uh crap!! That makes sense. Yeah I was using the line out "mono" off my Bogner into loop 5 in. I guess at least for a test I could use a mono splitter/ABY box I have and then take the two mono outputs and do the opposite with another insert cable. I'll give that a try.
 
Ok that seemed to work. The way I got it to work is to do what you described above and then also remove the jumper cables between loops 5-8. So for example I removed the mono jumper between loop 5 out to loop 6 in. Should I leave those out or do I just need to buy "stereo" jumpers and put them back in and that will keep the stereo signal path from loop to loop?
 
The jumpers need to be stereo (and they need to be there), mono jumpers will cause problems.
 
Perfect! I ordered stereo jumpers yesterday and one more insert cable. Just for fun I've attached a drawing of what this all looks like now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the support!! You guys are top notch in customer support and your products are the best.

Eric
 

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It's been a week or so and things are going really well with my rig so thank you. The only thing that has been bothering me has been delay/reverb effect spillover. I know this is probably a limitation of the effects I'm using so it may be a dead issue. For reference I have an H9 Max, G-Major, and PCM-81, in loops 6, 7, and 8 of the rack gizmo using the sends to the effects and effects outs to the MLM on to my power amps. When I switch from preset to preset I loose delay or reverb trails. But not all the time. I have been able to get them going from a lead preset with delays from the H9 to a dry preset without the H9 loop turned on. But if I go from a preset with delays to a preset with reverb the delays get cut off. I'm assuming this is a limitation within the effects box and not something I'm doing wrong with programming. I have kill dry turned on for all effects boxes. The loop that has the delays doesn't need to stay engaged between preset changes correct? I've heard if you have an effect with delay or something and just turn the delay off the trails should remain as long as it's capable of trails. Just wanted to make sure there's nothing else I can do with my routing using the rack gizmo and MLM with my setup.
 
When using a line mixer, the loops don't need to be enabled for the trails to continue. But, your effect devices need to keep their trails going. I don't think the H9 is able to carry over trails from one preset to another.
 
Ok, that's what it's looking like from the research I've done on the net so far. Thanks again for the quick response.
 
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