Tell me about Floor mounted multi effects

[sprocketflup]

….please

I'm in a tribute band with quite varied material, that spans several decades, and as such getting an authentic sound for one song means its totally wrong for another. In the new year I am thinking of expanding things a bit, so I'm looking for a floor mounted effects unit that can cover numerous bases ( sic)

Up to yet I've been using a Zoom multi unit, but mainly to assign certain volumes to the 4 (!) basses I have been using on stage, a P on flats, a J on rounds, a fretless and two variants of an upright, bowed and plucked.

What id like to do next year is start to assign patches for each individual song, we run around 25 songs per show so would need at least that many.  Id like to introduce a bit of chorus where its needed, compression etc etc so looking for something with a good voice and lots of scope for tweakery . The current Zoom pedal is a bit....grainy if you know what I mean.

 

What do you think I should be looking at buying?

[BigRedX]

Line 6 Helix. 

It might be expensive, but you'll never need another multi-effects unit again.

I run mine in Snapshot mode with one patch per song and then 4 variations on the patch assigned to the lower 4 footswitches. I've not needed more than 4 different sounds per song so far. Anything that the Helix can't do can be patched in via one of the effects loops and turned on and off for each patch/snapshot.

There's two instrument level inputs, plus a mic input and with a bit of lateral thinking you can use the effects returns as inputs too (so long as you aren't actually using them for external effects), so there would be no need to even swap cables on when you switch basses.

Finally changing the set order is done by drag and drop using the computer editor in under a minute.

[Newfoundfreedom]

Line 6 M13 is lot cheaper than the Helix and features a lot of the same sounds. I love it because it's a true stomp box where you set every switch / patch up just as you would if they were individual pedals. It's really easy to use and is very configurable with stereo inputs, outputs and line in and out you can easily split it from different basses or to more than one amp. I use mine in combination with a fender AB-Y pedal so I can use 2 different basses without every bother having to unplug anything mid session. 

In your case I would combine it with something like this, a 4 way true bypass switch with each bass being on one switch going into the M13 and one FX bank in there pre set for each individual bass. That way you're only ever maximum 2 quick clicks away from selecting each bass and it's corresponding effects chain. 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183558218430

Edited December 19, 2018 by Newfoundfreedom

[sprocketflup]

Two good leads for me to check out, thanks guys. 

I already run a Morley switch for inputting the signal to the Zoom, so that's covered already, but thanks for the info Newfoundfreedom

 

[Newfoundfreedom]

Just spotted this and it's a cracking price. 

I'd take his arm off if I was looking for a multi FX unit. 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F173694698910

Of course if you can stretch to the price of a Helix then it's s no brainer, but they're not cheap. I certainly couldn't justify the price. 

Edited December 19, 2018 by Newfoundfreedom

[BigRedX]

IMO the Helix is only expensive because much of the competition is now in real terms stupidly cheap.

My first multi-effects unit, a Roland GP8 plus foot controller and volume/expression pedal (which was a separate unit) cost as much as the Helix when it came out in the 80s and in real terms would have been considerably more expensive for something that does a fraction of what the Helix is capable of now.

Also unless you are going to mount your multi-effects permanently in a proper pedal case, I would be very wary of getting anything that uses an external PSU to power it.

[sprocketflup]

2 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

IMO the Helix is only expensive because much of the competition is now in real terms stupidly cheap.

My first multi-effects unit, a Roland GP8 plus foot controller and volume/expression pedal (which was a separate unit) cost as much as the Helix when it came out in the 80s and in real terms would have been considerably more expensive for something that does a fraction of what the Helix is capable of now.

Also unless you are going to mount your multi-effects permanently in a proper pedal case, I would be very wary of getting anything that uses an external PSU to power it.

Whys that BigredX?

 

[BigRedX]

20 minutes ago, sprocketflup said:

Whys that BigredX?

Because IME unless the unit has a cable retainer at the PSU in socket they can quite easily come out mid performance. And even if you do use the retainer it will eventually wear out the PSU cable causing it to fail (as happened recently with a guitarist I play with). If you mount the whole lot permanently on a pedal board then you are less likely to run into problems.

Needless to say the Helix has a built in PSU and uses an IEC mains lead for its power like a proper professional piece of equipment should.

[Newfoundfreedom]

I suppose there's logic in that but it's making an issue of a problem that doesn't really exist, at least no more so than any electrical problem can occur at any time with any equipment. Most stand alone stomp boxes have an external PSU with the same cable hookup.

I could just as easily say I wouldn't have a pedal with a built in PSU because if the supply fails then the whole thing his to be repaired rather than just buying another cheap PSU. 

I get what you're saying, but in reality it's not really a problem. For the record though, the M13 does have a cable retainer. I've had mine for over 5 years with no issues whatsoever. Unlike many cheap plastic feeling multi FX units these things are built like tanks.  

I did recently build myself a homebrew pedal board just to keep things tidy, but prior to that I've always used it straight on the floor. 

Edited December 19, 2018 by Newfoundfreedom

[BigRedX]

IME the thing that fails is not the PSU but the unnecessary extra connection between the PSU and the device that it is powering on the low voltage side of the assembly, because these connections and cables are simply not rugged enough to take the kind of abuse that gigging a device that by its very nature is going to be kicked about on stage, especially if you are plugging and unplugging the PSU every time you set up and break down your equipment. 

From experience I have found that any connector that isn't either an XLR or a 1/4" jack is going to fail eventually in a gigging environment unless it is a make once and never disconnect as well as being securely attached to either a pedal board or hidden away inside a rack case.

[fretmeister]

10 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Line 6 M13 is lot cheaper than the Helix and features a lot of the same sounds. I love it because it's a true stomp box where you set every switch / patch up just as you would if they were individual pedals. It's really easy to use and is very configurable with stereo inputs, outputs and line in and out you can easily split it from different basses or to more than one amp. I use mine in combination with a fender AB-Y pedal so I can use 2 different basses without every bother having to unplug anything mid session. 

In your case I would combine it with something like this, a 4 way true bypass switch with each bass being on one switch going into the M13 and one FX bank in there pre set for each individual bass. That way you're only ever maximum 2 quick clicks away from selecting each bass and it's corresponding effects chain. 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183558218430

The M13 is previous generation tech.

 

It does not remotely feature a lot of the same sounds.

 

Those sounds might be what a player wants, but they are not the same.

[Jack]

Considering the Zoom B3 can be had for £80 and the B3n for more like £100 they would be a great way to dip your toe in to something more serious. IME every multi-effect has the same problem: they're hard to edit quickly. Not so with those two Zoom units, they sound great too. Or, you know, Helix.

[Skybone]

Helix Effects (HX-FX)?

I suppose a lot would depend on whether you want the amp/cab modelling facilities, or just the effects.

If you want to recreate amp dynamics as well as effects, then a Helix or Helix LT would be ideal. If you just want to use your current amp, and just add effects, then the Helix Stomp would be ideal.

Very tempted by a Helix LT myself, but I'm currently using a HD500x, which more than meets my requirements, and would makes moving to a Helix an extravagance. Maybe one day I can justify buying one, at the moment, I can't really (still want one though!  ).

Edited December 23, 2018 by Skybone

[mrtcat]

Helix every day of the week for me. Function band set with loads of different tones needed and the helix nails it all. I was initially wary but it's so simple and logical and as Big Rex X says you can just drop and drag according to your set list. I have patches set up for every song we do and every bass I own so it doesn't matter whichever basses I decide to take on the day, its all just ready to go.

[HazBeen]

Yep, Helix!

[Aliwobble]

I picked up a boss ms-3 second hand recently. Not physically too large, sounds good (but not quite as good as my analogue pedals which cost 3x as much and take up twice the space), includes a tuner, and has 200 patches to store into.  I’m going to give it a gig as my only pedal this weekend to see how it goes in the real world.  My only real criticism would be that I only found 1 compressor that sounded good to me.