Finished The DG30's Pedalboard (finally)

[László]

So today the H9 came, and the board I have been assembling for the DG30 is finally complete. I've tried a lot of stuff with the amp, and these pedals seem to work the best with a variety of styles, and keep everything very simple.

By the way, the H9 is so cool the way it works with the iPhone! No more getting on my knees with a guitar strapped on to select presets or adjust them. Though I'm not 100% sure the H9 sounds exactly like the dedicated Eventide pedals (I realize this distinction could be my imagination at work, but I sold the ModFactor so I can't directly compare them).

EDIT: Yeah, it sounds the same, which the bonehead author of this thread learned when he read the part in the manual about setting the input level!

Signal flow is Guitar >> Suhr Buffer >> Xotic BB Preamp >> Bogner Burnley >> Suhr Jack Rabbit >> True Bypass Switch Box (loop goes to Eventide H9) >> Amp. The tuner is not in the signal path, it is fed from the Buffer's aux out.

The Switch Box keeps the signal path all analog when I want to - I can switch the digital H9 in and out of the signal path. The H9 has true bypass as a setting, but I have it set to allow the effect tails to continue after it's switched off, thus the signal path stays digital. Hence the switch box to allow the signal to be completely analog to the amp when not using the H9.

Cables are all PRS/Van Damme, except to and from the H9, which are Lava Ultramafic because I need to make the connection to the Switch Box with smaller connectors. A single Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 4x4 powers everything. The board is dead quiet, no hums, buzzes, or unwanted noise.

I know, I'm really fussy about it, but my rig is for close-miked recording, and small details make a difference.

Obligatory pic:

 

[andy474x]

Les is more.

 

[László]

Les is more.

In this case, I think Les is less.

It's a pretty spartan setup, all things considered. Not a ton of pedals. However, I think what's there are good sounding and useful in the context of what I do. I sometimes miss having a wah on the board, but my clients never let me use one on a track, so there isn't much point in having one except for my own amusement.

 

[toothace]

Looks great Les! I've appreciated the reviews as the pedals have been added. What's the next project?

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Is it the Eventide of my dreams?

 

[László]

Looks great Les! I've appreciated the reviews as the pedals have been added. What's the next project?

I'm honestly not sure. It'll probably depend on whether a project comes in that requires something I don't have.

Is it the Eventide of my dreams?

Yes. And no.

Yes because it sounds great and has the incredible advantage of using the algorithms from every single Eventide pedal, plus a new algorithm that comes with this one.

Yes because you can easily control it from an iPhone or iPad or computer, and edit every parameter without having to step through menus, etc., including the menus that control how you use the pedal, such as the bypass modes, the switch functions, etc.

No because it'd be better if Eventide would make a single box like the TC G-System that incorporated the electronics for 2 or 3 of these, so you could run more than one algorithm at a time and not have to buy a second or third one!

Seriously, it's a great sounding pedal and the remote software control is very simple to operate and brilliantly implemented. It took me less than 5 minutes to learn how to use the software. Downloading new algorithms from the app store to your device is instantaneous. Even though the full version of the pedal comes with enough useful algorithms to be worth the price of admission, you'll want more. I downloaded a couple I used a lot on my TimeFactor and ModFactor.

It's amazing to use a bluetooth device with a guitar pedal, and the changes you make are absolutely instantaneous real-time events -- there is no lag. And switching presets is also instantaneous. You can of course do all this on the pedal itself, but this is sooo much better.

I worried that putting a device like the iPhone within arm's reach near my guitar would induce pickup noise, but it doesn't.

Plus you can load the pedal with presets you like, put them in any order you want (such as a song list), and simply step through them at a gig without needing the phone or iPad.

It even comes with a little cloth carry bag (to put your weed in).

 

[Mike Duncan]

Greg Koch has taught me that I need a BB Preamp...very nice set up!

 

[László]

Greg Koch has taught me that I need a BB Preamp...very nice set up!

I like the BB for crunchier rhythm playing, and for soloing on the neck pickup, where its concentration on the midrange and high end adds clarity in a mix.

I prefer the Bogner pedal for bridge pickup solos. It's a smokin' pedal, and probably the better of the two for that kind of thing (at least for my own taste).

 

[László]

"Les?"

"Speaking. Who's this?"

"It's you."

"I don't know anyone named Hugh."

"No, man, I didn't say Hugh. I said You. It's Les."

"Um...ok..."

"Les, I've noticed that you have one more available power outlet on your Voodoo Labs 4x4, and I know for a fact that you have an Iso 5 model in your studio's storage cabinet."

"So?"

"So, dude, your pedalboard cannot be done. It's against the rules to have an unused outlet if there is any space at all on your board, and I'm seeing lots of space."

"Go away,"

"I can't go away, I'm you. I can think of a half dozen very cool pedals that you have never tried in your studio. You need to try them all."

"I said, go away!"

"Nuh-uh. Sorry. And you also have a free loop on your bypass switcher. Something needs to be in that loop."

"I'm hanging up!"

"You can't hang up on yourself. Dude, you can run 6 more pedals with this rig. Six. More. Pedals."

(SFX) Click. There aren't going to be more pedals...more pedals...more...pedals.....more......pedals...gaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

 

[Texas_minor_blues]

Les is more.

Totally

 

[László]

Tonally

Fixed it for ya.

 

[Boogie]

No more pedals??!! :iamconfused:

Bwahahahahahahhahahahahaha! :spit coffee: Nice try. Lemme know how that works out for ya.

oh, and I am rubber, you are glue. Your attempt at enabling bounced off me and onto you. Ha ha, ha ha, neener neener née...dammit!!! :violin:

 

[László]

No more pedals??!! :iamconfused:

Bwahahahahahahhahahahahaha! :spit coffee: Nice try. Lemme know how that works out for ya.

oh, and I am rubber, you are glue. Your attempt at enabling bounced off me and onto you. Ha ha, ha ha, neener neener née...dammit!!! :violin:

No more pedals for me. Ever! Never again!!



Well...except for a Suhr Koji Comp, and a Bogner Harlow, a Fulltone Deja Vibe, and a few others, but seriously, no I don't need any more pedals!!!

 

[Woundtight]

Seriously you should have a compressor on that board, right after that sweet buffer. Xotic SP vs. Koji Comp.

 

[László]

Seriously you should have a compressor on that board, right after that sweet buffer. Xotic SP vs. Koji Comp.

Well, I do have a compressor in the H9, it's part of the algorithm set it comes with, and something I only use with clean sounds, and not with any other pedals, so it's not like I lack compression. I just happen to like the Koji's sound.

I had an SP, and it didn't do what the Koji does, at least in terms of tone options and compression settings. I'll probably add one to the board soon if I'm not seduced by the Harlow. The Koji has a beautiful sounding sparkle, or a high mid boost, that can be selected, or a neutral more pure tone can be chosen.

The Harlow has a one knob compression circuit (the Bloom knob). It's also very good sounding and different from the one on the H9 and the Koji. Its tone knob is also very useful.

 

[Boogie]

I've always preferred a compressor (old Dyna Comp) at the front of the chain. But that was mostly because of that pedal's input buffer. The thought of a compressor at the end of the chain is compelling. What did you find?

 

[László]

I've always preferred a compressor (old Dyna Comp) at the front of the chain. But that was mostly because of that pedal's input buffer. The thought of a compressor at the end of the chain is compelling. What did you find?

I agree that compressors should be at the beginning of the chain to minimize noise, since the action of a compressor in boosting low level signals tends to increase whatever noise there is. However, the only time I ever use a compressor pedal is playing purely clean, so I'll bypass everything else in the chain when using it, hence it'll be the first pedal after the buffer box, which is noise-free.

Unfortunately, there is a bug in the H9's iPhone app that grays out the option to buy the compressor/eq algorithm, so I can't buy it yet. I'm waiting to hear back from Eventide's tech support. I've bought a few of the other algorithms and they sound great.

Edit: There was no bug in the H9 app, I just needed to update my pedal's internal software version, which can be done from the phone app. Simple, done. Comp and EQ sound very good indeed!