Some questions about Pedal Power supply and Volume Pedals ..

[revolucion7]

Hey bros.. I got a few questions.. I hope I am at the right place posting these questions.

Sorry if it's very newbie questions, but yeah, I started with multi effects.. I want to try stompboxes.. Hope u all can help out?



1) I am wondering what pedal power supply are good? That won't dampen my tone and eliminate hum?

I know about the voodoo labs pedal power 2 / 2 plus .. But that's kinda expensive.

There's another type of pedal power supply that's sold at shops nearby, it's way cheaper. But I'm kinda skeptical about the quality of it.. What's the difference?

The cheap one selling at my nearby guitar shop is called "1spot Pedal Power Supply" --> http://namm.harmony-central.com/SNAM...PR/1-Spot.html

So what's the difference with 1spot and Voodoo Labs pedal power? I mean, they're there to supply power to few pedals at once right? Will this "1spot pedal power supply" do the trick for live gigging?



2) The only volume pedals I know around are the BOSS's FV volume pedals.. There's like FV1 , FV50, FV100, FV300 .. Low/High impendancy.. What're the differences?? .. And whats the diff with Low/High inpendance? Am I better off with Low or High impedance?



3) Is a Noise Suppressor pedal really needed? I was advised that a BOSS NS-2 pedal isn't needed if you set your effects/amp settings right. I just hate those hum when u like, pause your playing .. Yeah.. Would I be better of with, or without the Boss NS-2 pedal?



I THANK YOU GUYS!

[revolucion7]

And dear Jemsite-ians.. Hope you guys understand I am totally new at stompboxes .. I just hate the idea of tap dancing .. Sigh.

Maybe I could use a Boss LS-2 pedal to help me out a little with that ..?

So, if you guys have any other suggestions/advise, anything at all . Please feel free to speak away! That is, if you're free to type.

Cheers!

[waylay00]

1) The 1Spot essentially requires you to daisy chain all your effects to get power. As a result, they are not isolated, and this can lead to extra noise, as well as potential ground loops, etc...The Pedal Power 2 Plus is pretty much like having eight 1Spots all in one box. The benefit of the Pedal Power is that each output is isolated.

I use the 1Spot when I'm bringing only about two pedals, but when I'm bringing my pedalboard as a whole (8 pedals), I definitely use my Pedal Power 2 Plus.

2) As far as volume pedals go, there are also the ones from Ernie Ball, which seemed to be liked a lot by many users. High impedance (250k, 500k, etc...) volume pedals are meant to be used straight after the guitar in your signal chain. However, if you want to use a volume pedal in the effects loop (or after a buffered effect, such as a Boss pedal), then you want the low impedance one (25k, 50k, etc...). If you try to use the high impedance volume pedal after a buffered signal, it will still work, but the sweep of the swell will be messed up.

Here is what the Ernie Ball FAQ says:

"A: Passive vs. Active: Whenever there is a passive signal leading into an EB pedal, the 250K or 500K pedal is recommended (mono VP & VPJR 250K and stereo 500K VP pedals available). Whenever there is an active signal (powered preamp in the instrument, effects loop, etc.) leading into an EB pedal, the 25K pot is recommended (stereo VP and mono VPJR pedals available). If an active signal is placed before a 250K or 500K EB pedal, or if a passive signal is placed before a 25K EB pedal, then the consequence may be that the swell of the pedal does not act as designed. Either way, as stated above, try whatever combination you desire, and determine if it works for you. All of our volume pedals are designed to be as transparent as possible in a signal chain. However, whenever you add any component to a signal chain, the signal will change whether it is audible or not. Keyboards are generally served best by the 25k pedals as well."

3) I don't think a noise suppressor is all that needed. To me, the negatives of a pedal like that far outweigh the positives.

[revolucion7]

Originally Posted by waylay00

1) The 1Spot essentially requires you to daisy chain all your effects to get power. As a result, they are not isolated, and this can lead to extra noise, as well as potential ground loops, etc...The Pedal Power 2 Plus is pretty much like having eight 1Spots all in one box. The benefit of the Pedal Power is that each output is isolated.

I use the 1Spot when I'm bringing only about two pedals, but when I'm bringing my pedalboard as a whole (8 pedals), I definitely use my Pedal Power 2 Plus.

2) As far as volume pedals go, there are also the ones from Ernie Ball, which seemed to be liked a lot by many users. High impedance (250k, 500k, etc...) volume pedals are meant to be used straight after the guitar in your signal chain. However, if you want to use a volume pedal in the effects loop (or after a buffered effect, such as a Boss pedal), then you want the low impedance one (25k, 50k, etc...). If you try to use the high impedance volume pedal after a buffered signal, it will still work, but the sweep of the swell will be messed up.

3) I don't think a noise suppressor is all that needed. To me, the negatives of a pedal like that far outweigh the positives.

Hey waylay00 !!! Thank you very much for ur advise. I was thinking nobody was gonna help me out already

Damn, I was thinking of using the 1spot to power a few pedals, SansAmp GT-2, Holy Grail Reverb, Delay pedal, Boss GE-7 and BOSS NS-2. Do u think the 1spot daisy chain adapter will cause hum when powering those above pedals?

Will having a Noise Suppressor pedal help with the hum created by the 1spot ? (if there's hum)


Hmm, I actually thought the volume pedals should go almost right at the end of the FX Chain, like Noise Gate pedal --> Volume Pedal --> Reverb --> Amp?
My sole usage of the volume pedal is only to control the volume. Where should i place it? Right after the guitar, or at the end of the chain, before the Reverb?
And from my usage, I should get the LOW impedance one right?

THANKS BRO!!!

[waylay00]

You might be able to get away with the 1Spot for that setup, but you might as well not buy the NS-2 and use that money towards a PP2+.

As far as the volume pedal goes, it's up to you to experiment. I like to use a volume pedal in the effects loop, as that way, I keep the same amount of gain throughout the swell. If you place it before the amp, it acts just like your guitar's volume knob. As a result, when you decrease the volume on the pedal, you also decrease the gain. Some people prefer this, and some people don't. It's just personal preference.

Just remember, if you are going to place the volume pedal after a buffered effects unit (basically pedals that aren't true-bypass) or in the effects loop, you need the low impedance pedal.

If you are running it directly after the guitar (first in signal chain), then you want the high impedance (250k or 500k) version.

[revolucion7]

Originally Posted by waylay00

You might be able to get away with the 1Spot for that setup, but you might as well not buy the NS-2 and use that money towards a PP2+.

As far as the volume pedal goes, it's up to you to experiment. I like to use a volume pedal in the effects loop, as that way, I keep the same amount of gain throughout the swell. If you place it before the amp, it acts just like your guitar's volume knob. As a result, when you decrease the volume on the pedal, you also decrease the gain. Some people prefer this, and some people don't. It's just personal preference.

Just remember, if you are going to place the volume pedal after a buffered effects unit (basically pedals that aren't true-bypass) or in the effects loop, you need the low impedance pedal.

If you are running it directly after the guitar (first in signal chain), then you want the high impedance (250k or 500k) version.

Oh yeah, why not! Good suggestion.. May consider it!

Hmm.. Sorry about ur earlier post, I didn't really understood.. "but the sweep of the swell will be messed up if I were to use a HIGH impedance volume pedal at the end of the chain" ..part.

Did you mean the tone of my guitar will be greatly dampened?

Bro, but I was going through the BOSS website.. And they said the FV-50H (high impedance) volume pedal are for guitars , and the FV-50L (low impedance) are for keyboards..

http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/products/en/FV-50H/

http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/products/en/FV-50L/

Argh, confusing.. Sorry @_@

[al.]

morley and ernie ball make decent volume pedals


the dc brick is a decent power supply and cheaper than the pedal power and does the job grand

and the isp decimator is the bees knees of simple pedal nosie gates,,,, the boss one sucks

[waylay00]

Originally Posted by revolucion7

Oh yeah, why not! Good suggestion.. May consider it!

Hmm.. Sorry about ur earlier post, I didn't really understood.. "but the sweep of the swell will be messed up if I were to use a HIGH impedance volume pedal at the end of the chain" ..part.

Did you mean the tone of my guitar will be greatly dampened?

No, I mean that the actual sweep won't be gradual. It's hard to describe. For example, it'd be like turning the pedal from 0% open to 85% open without much change in volume, but when you get to 90%, all of the sudden there is this huge increase in volume. It's not gradual like a volume pedal should be for swells, etc...

Originally Posted by revolucion7

Bro, but I was going through the BOSS website.. And they said the FV-50H (high impedance) volume pedal are for guitars , and the FV-50L (low impedance) are for keyboards..

http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/products/en/FV-50H/

http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/products/en/FV-50L/

Argh, confusing.. Sorry @_@

I agree, if you didn't know any better, that would be a bit confusing. BOSS assumes that all guitar players will put their volume pedal directly after their guitar in the signal chain.

The signal from a keyboard isn't passive, so it's low impedance. Likewise, for guitar, the signal after a buffered effects unit (or in an effects loop) is also low impedance, hence why you would want to use the low impedance volume pedal. Allan Holdsworth and John Petrucci use a low impudence volume pedal for their swells too.

Basically, the only time a high impedance volume pedal is preferable occurs when it is placed first in the signal chain with a guitar with passive pickups. Otherwise, if you intend on placing it after any effects/buffers, in the effects loop, or after active pickups (EMGs, etc.), then you want the low impedance model.

[GLG421]

Originally Posted by al.

morley and ernie ball make decent volume pedals

I've got a Lil Alligator that I like quite a bit, but I use right after the guitar in the chain to roll back the gain like Waylay said. Simple enough and the construction is super solid. Has a minimum volume knob, so you can adjust the the amount it rolls back. Never tried it in the effects loop for swells, so I can't comment on that.

[Dantesstudio]

I have been shopping for volume pedals alittle bit and i have pretty much decided on the ernie ball. I was thinking about the boss pedal but its really big and it doesnt seem to be as widely liked.

A friend of mine wont use those ernie ball volume pedals however. He claims that one day during a show the string that controls the sweep of the pedal broke. I have tested the string a few times and it seems very durable to me. Not to confuse you more but i guess its something to think about.