Digi pedalboard or Analogue pedals?

[Monckyman]

Hello all.
I have a Boss Gt6b which I use on all my gigs.
I always use the tuner, I sometimes use the overdrive, though I'm never really happy with it, and I sometimes use the Octaver, whichI love, but isn't needed in my set all that much.
The expression pedal is useful for turning the delay send on the vocal channel on the desk up and down via midi.
I take my desk D.I feed from the pedal direct and it sounds pretty good.
But..
I'm dreaming of a small 4to 6 pedal board with a psu,tuner,sans amp/Tech21,overdrive,Octaver.
Would it be a waste of time?
I would lose the ability to change patches for diff songs, which I rarely do but it's still a nice option to have,
But would I gain a better tone and FX from the lovely separate pedals?
Comments gladly accepted.

[uncle psychosis]

The answer is....depends. I think a board of really good separate pedals will [i]probably[/i] sound better than a multifx and is very straightforward to use. However, the multifx will cost considerably less, be more flexible, and be more convenient. It just depends what you want, really.

Modern multi-FX have some very capable sounds on them, especially for live use where many of the nuances can get lost. I've often thought that the overdrives on them are the weakest effects, so if thats what your'e after you may be better going to single pedal drive units.

Personally, I prefer separate pedals but thats because I don't have the patience for menus and sub menus and patches and so on. Sometimes I wish I did, because the sheer convenience of a single effects unit really appeals.

[benthos]

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1377251863' post='2185265']
Hello all.
I have a Boss Gt6b which I use on all my gigs.
[b]<snip>[/b]
I'm dreaming of a small 4to 6 pedal board with a psu,tuner,sans amp/Tech21,overdrive,Octaver.
Would it be a waste of time?
[/quote]
I did exactly this and I prefer the pedal board set-up, probably because:
- I'm too lazy to explore the near-infinite configuration of the GT6-B
- I have exactly what I (think I) need on the board, but see [b]Warning [/b]below
- I spent a lot of time and effort selecting the pedals and I'm really happy with my sound

I may very well be in a complete state of denial!

[b]Warning:[/b] Simple pedal board setups are a gateway to more complex/expensive ones if you're as weak-willed as I am.

I now run Radial Bigshot I/O into a Nova Dynamics compressor
then SFT, Big Muff, BassBalls (these three via a Wounded Paw Blender)
then BassOctave Deluxe, CEB-3 Chorus, SansAmp

YMMV, etc.

[cheddatom]

I like multis because you can turn lots of effects off and on with one button. You can do this with a pedalboard but it means spending quite a bit of money.

I hate multis because it's easy to get lots in menus and they're rarely simple to use. I hated the Boss GT6b for this. I think the Zooms are much better, but it still takes a lot longer to set up a sound using this when compared to setting up a few seperate pedals.

[Ziphoblat]

I avoid multieffects because it's very rare that I like all the sounds on them. I may like the octaver, but hate the chorus for example (or vice versa). When you can pick and choose the particular effects you want you just have that bit more freedom. Not to mention the distortions tend to be downright dire.

[xilddx]

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1377251863' post='2185265']
Hello all.
I have a Boss Gt6b which I use on all my gigs.
I always use the tuner, I sometimes use the overdrive, though I'm never really happy with it, and I sometimes use the Octaver, whichI love, but isn't needed in my set all that much.
The expression pedal is useful for turning the delay send on the vocal channel on the desk up and down via midi.
I take my desk D.I feed from the pedal direct and it sounds pretty good.
But..
I'm dreaming of a small 4to 6 pedal board with a psu,tuner,sans amp/Tech21,overdrive,Octaver.
Would it be a waste of time?
I would lose the ability to change patches for diff songs, which I rarely do but it's still a nice option to have,
But would I gain a better tone and FX from the lovely separate pedals?
Comments gladly accepted.
[/quote]

I've had boutique pedals and a Fender twin for guitar. I sold it all and got a POD X3 Live that I use for guitar and bass. I love the sounds I can get from it. I loved the sound of the effects and an amp too, but the weight, cost, lack of versatility, transportability, connectivity, reliability etc means that for me the POD wins hands down. I've done numerous guitar and bass recordings with the POD - I'm currently flying in guitar and bass tracks for a pro album with a signed artist and the producer/engineer loves what I've done, had great feedback from the artist too.

BUT, there is a big learning curve and the interoperability of the effects, drive, and eq takes patience and experimentation, but then that doesn't involve swapping valves and making circuit mods on an amp, trying loads of effect pedals, getting the right overdrive pedals (Blackstar HT Dual was the best I had, the Fulldrive was quite nice too).

You have to go with what thrills you though, my mind changes often so a POD is ideal for me. You may find the right amp and the right cab combination, and a few good effects is what gets you off.

Hope you get your holy grail.

[BigRedX]

As a synth player I will take recallable memories over supposedly superior sound live every single time.

In the studio I'll use whatever it takes to get the right sound for the track. Live I want a useable sound with the minimum of fuss. Like xilddx I have a BassPod and I know that when I hit a particular patch button on the floorboard I will have exactly the right sound that I need at that moment and not have to worry that one of the controls on my pedals has been accidentally (or maliciously) moved giving me something unexpected. Also it means that if I'm rig sharing I always have my sound available at the touch of a button. Also IMO there's nothing that kills the momentum of a live set quicker than someone fiddling with their pedals between numbers in search of the correct settings for the next song.

The thing a lot of people forget about multi-effects is that the less expensive ones will cost about the same as a single boutique pedal (and often the boutique pedal is more expensive) so to complain that the sounds aren't quite 100% what you want is somewhat petty.

[SpaceChick]

I can't imagine having several effects pedals.

I have the Boss GT10b and it is amazing, it's also easy to programme when you get used to it.

I've never DI'd straight from it though. I always DI for my amp and have my amp and cabs as stage monitors. May be worth an experiment

[Sibob]

I think there's more of a geek element here than people care to admit sometimes.
Most people who use a lot of effects would probably benifit from Multi-FX. As mentioned, the Line6 stuff gets better and better, you have pro setups like AxeFX and even Boss is getting better. However......they bore me to hell. Just horrible grey or black boxes with digi-screens and uninspiring journeys to purchasing them (they're not rare or handbuilt).
Now, the former is perfectly acceptable, and usually the province of much better musiucians than me, but the latter is the realm of the geek, and I prefer it. It also means that I can help contribute to friends and colleagues who make cool pedals. Buying independant essentially

There's also that annoying thing that I've NEVER heard a decent bass overdrive/distortion/fuzz on a Multi-FX. Always horrible digital rubbish. I have a Boss ME-50B which is awesome, octaves, envelopes, reverbs, chorus, wah, even a slow gear....but is there a useable drive setting? no way! :-P

I also like that a modular pedal setup can get knocked and changed a bit settings wise, leads me to new sounds and interesting combinations.
Plus I don't think I could deal with gigging a setup whereby if one thing died....the whole thing died, not just one effect

Si

[Monckyman]

Thanks for the replies all.
I'll probably stick with the GT6b for a while and slowly put together a smaller separates board for those nice occasions.
MM

[lefrash]

I had the same dilemma last year when I joined a hip hop band. I at first needed just a bit of fuzz and some sort of synth. I then thought an octaver would be nice, and I'd love a DI. All of a sudden I had 5 pedals for just a few minor things. I then got a multiFX and although I'd agree that the individual sounds are perhaps not as good (OD and synth especially), I now have a much easier way to get the sounds I want. No fiddling between tunes, no worries about the levels being different on each pedal, no worries about connections. For many reasons I doubt very much I'd go back to seperates. In fact I counted out the different effects I use at the moment and I'd need about 12 pedals! That would be alot of money and alot of foot tapping!

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1377252793' post='2185275']
The answer is....depends.
[/quote]


this.

The average punter in the Dog and Duck isn't even going to notice let alone care. There could be an issue if you hear a noticeable difference in how you sound with your band, but it would have to be a pretty extreme difference for the rest of the band to notice what the bassist is up to

[hamfist]

I have built rigs based on both philosophies.

For ultimate tonal excellence, it's got to be single pedals all the way, especially if you are a dirt lover like me.

However, I used a Line6 HD500 for a while and it was really good, even the dirt on it. Complicated but still useable. A million times better than any other bass-specific unit I have tried.

I was very impressed with it.

Edited August 24, 2013 by hamfist

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1377338745' post='2186370']
Thanks for the replies all.
I'll probably stick with the GT6b for a while and slowly put together a smaller separates board for those nice occasions.
MM
[/quote]
Good call. Buy your pedals etc used. At some point, having gigged both setups, you will most likely think, 'I really prefer [i]this[/i] one' (can't predic which!), then you can retire the other, and optionally sell it without losing a load of dosh.

[Ancient Mariner]

I used a processor (Korg AX30G) for more than 10 years, playing out once or twice a week, and after having carried pedals loose in a bag it was completely wonderful to just turn up, plug in 2 cables and 2 mains plugs and play with all my patches sounding great.

But.

It never sounded *as good* as a *very well* set up set of good pedals through a great amp, and needed careful matching to the right amp. I ended up going to separate pedals because the amp I had used died irreparably, and I could never find another that worked as well. However I did buy a medium sized pedalboard with lid that allowed me to carry my separate pedals around, all wired together with a power supply, and keep all the favourite settings. It's the best of both worlds.

I think you've made the right choice for now, but if you do go down the separate pedals route then it's hugely better if you can put everything in a pedal case for transport.

[LiamPodmore]

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' timestamp='1377365430' post='2186807']
if you do go down the separate pedals route then it's hugely better if you can put everything in a pedal case for transport.
[/quote]

I completely agree with this. Whether you have 3 pedals or 30, a pedalboard is always useful. I have one even though i only have 3 pedals (Pedaltrain Nano) and it just makes life so much easier, and set up/tear down is a lot faster.

Liam