Pedalboard before amp input or on effects loop?

[Twigman]

Do you have your board before the amp input or on an effect loop?

What are the advantages of each?

I generally use mine before the amp input...the problem with this is if there's a failure then the sound will cut.
It also can make the input to the amp a little hot.
I have been debating whether to get myself a couple of long leads and use the effect loop.

What differences would I experience?
I run a TecAmp Puma900 head.
At what stage in the signal chain is the line out/return ?
Would a failure in the pedalboard mean the loop is bypassed?

Educamate me.

[BigRedX]

Depends on the effects and the amp and sorts of sounds you hope to get out of the effects and amp. Some pedals benefit from being before the amp and others in the effects loop.

With your set up since the amp doesn't have valves, it's contribution towards changing the sound is in the EQ section as most amps have the EQ section before the effects loop (although I would check your manual to be certain), so consider where in the your signal chain you would place an EQ pedal and then wire in your amp appropriately.

[elephantgrey]

I would be careful of putting effects in your amps FXloop, as it's a higher sinal level and this could perhaps damage them. RTFM at least before trying it.

[lefrash]

I've got a preamp pedal at the end of my chain so that I can go to DI prior to hitting the amp.. however I always kust plug straight into the front. I'll set the eq flat on the amp. Can't say I've had much joy from going through the effects loop. Plus i I like to have a consistent tone going out front... if I were to start using the pedal eq to sort my On stage sound then it affects the signal sent to the foh.

In fact, even if I had just delay and reverb I think I'd still just pap them out front... on bass Any way, 6 string might be different. Personally I think you'll be hard pushed to hear differences like this in a (loud) band setting on bass.

[BigRedX]

The differences in level between instrument (before the amp) and line (in the effects loops) shouldn't be such that they will damage your pedals. It might not sound very good if your pedal doesn't have sufficient headroom to prevent input clipping, but unless it has been poorly designed with low tolerance components, it won't break.

Edited November 23, 2016 by BigRedX

[elephantgrey]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1479891072' post='3180011']
The differences in level between instrument (before the amp) and line (in the effects loops) shouldn't be such that they will damage your pedals. It might not sound very good if your pedal doesn't have sufficient headroom to prevent input clipping, but unless it has been poorly designed with low tolerance components, it won't break.
[/quote]
I guess i might just be over cautious about this kind of thing. Just seen too many peices of equipment go up in (literal) smoke after someone put the wrong signal into it.

[pete.young]

If your effects loop is a parallel loop, which many of them are, you will get a blend of the effected signal from the loop and the clean signal from your bass plugged into the input of the amp. Some amps have a blend control for this, others fix it at 50:50 . This might not be what you want.

The effects loop is normally designed for line-level voltage studio rack equipment, as elephantgrey says. My rule of thumb is that if it's in a 19" rack format put it in the loop, otherwise put it in front of the amp.

If you put your pedalboard in the loop and it is a parallel loop, you will get the clean sound in the event of a failure. If it's a serial loop, silence.

[Tuco]

I have my pedalboard before my amp and a DC24 and TC Electronic G Major in my Trace heads fx loop , works for me EXTREMELY well.
Peace

[chrismuzz]

I always use my amp input. That way I can, for example, roll back the low end for certain rooms without having to touch my pedal settings.