The formula goes like MT15 x2 + 2x12 x1 ... anyone tried stereo with two MT15 amps?

[Goran Lorencin]

I was looking for a good reverb pedal an stumbled upon a UAD Starlight, which is a stereo delay. But I already had the Boss RV-6 in mind for reverb, but am also flirting with the mr.Black Supermoon Eclipse, which is also stereo and so on, my effect sex life is vibrant, I just don't get much action ... ... ... so ... ... ... I started wondering, as I really have one MT15 ... what if I bought a second one, hooked them both to the 2x12 in stereo mode?!? Sounds very tempting to my ears, but how does one hook up the cables using the 4CM? So that I can still use my pedal board to drive them both the right way.

The signal path that I understand and am using is:
- guitar -> tuner -> Sentry noise gate (input)
- Sentry output -> reverb, delay -> amp FX loop return
- Sentry send -> compressor, distortion -> front of the amp
- Sentry return -> amp FX loop send
... and this path works fine.

So do I for example go from amp1 FX loop send -> amp2 FX loop return ... and then ... from amp2 send -> Sentry return? Without using the front of the amp of the second amp? Can you do that and get stereo MT15's or must I have two pedal boards with two Sentrys and use both of the front of the amps?
Man this makes my head spin at the moment. Could someone explain this to me in Laymen's terms, how does one do stereo the right way with using just one pedalboard where you want to have stereo reverb and delay using two MT15 amps and wanting to use FX loop and noise suppression?

Hvala!

 

[andy474x]

Great question - I was actually just watching the recent TGP episode with the great Andy Timmons, and he was talking about how he does his stereo rig with his Mesa amps - he basically uses the second amp as a "slave" amp, just for the power section, running everything through the front end of just one amp, and then splitting the signal into stereo from the first amp effects send into the delay/reverb, and then into the effects returns on both amps.

For you, using the Sentry, I would say put the "second half" of the Sentry (the actual gate part) after the amp 1 effects send, then go into the delay and reverb and split to stereo, then to the effects returns of both amps. Running only into the return of the second MT15 will *likely* disconnect the preamp of that second amp from the signal, so a gate on that amp really wouldn't do anything anyways.

You may want to test the slave amp concept with the MT15 your already have... the one thing I'll say has been finicky on my MT15, and really all my PRS amps, are they have some grounding quirks when it comes to the effects loop. The amp may not like having only the effects return connected, and/or having a connection to a second amp, could create a grounding issue. I would test as much of the concept as you can with your current MT15.

I actually have two MT15's at home right now. My only stereo cab is a Mesa 4x12, which only does stereo at 4 ohms, and the MT15 doesn't support, plus I'm just too lazy to do the whole stereo rig thing. Would be really cool if it works, though.

 

[Goran Lorencin]

Great question - I was actually just watching the recent TGP episode with the great Andy Timmons, and he was talking about how he does his stereo rig with his Mesa amps - he basically uses the second amp as a "slave" amp, just for the power section, running everything through the front end of just one amp, and then splitting the signal into stereo from the first amp effects send into the delay/reverb, and then into the effects returns on both amps.

For you, using the Sentry, I would say put the "second half" of the Sentry (the actual gate part) after the amp 1 effects send, then go into the delay and reverb and split to stereo, then to the effects returns of both amps. Running only into the return of the second MT15 will *likely* disconnect the preamp of that second amp from the signal, so a gate on that amp really wouldn't do anything anyways.

You may want to test the slave amp concept with the MT15 your already have... the one thing I'll say has been finicky on my MT15, and really all my PRS amps, are they have some grounding quirks when it comes to the effects loop. The amp may not like having only the effects return connected, and/or having a connection to a second amp, could create a grounding issue. I would test as much of the concept as you can with your current MT15.

I actually have two MT15's at home right now. My only stereo cab is a Mesa 4x12, which only does stereo at 4 ohms, and the MT15 doesn't support, plus I'm just too lazy to do the whole stereo rig thing. Would be really cool if it works, though.

Gosh darnet, if only my GK 250ML was a MT15 ... to make a real world test I would have to buy a second MT15, to test the possibility of the grounding bugs you mentioned, but I can make a test with the GK just to see what gives.
Of course, as you mentioned, you have to go trough the front of the amp2 to have gain for the Sentry to tame it, I was not thinking straight, it was late at night when I come up with such ideas hahaha

 

[andy474x]

Gosh darnet, if only my GK 250ML was a MT15 ... to make a real world test I would have to buy a second MT15, to test the possibility of the grounding bugs you mentioned, but I can make a test with the GK just to see what gives.
Of course, as you mentioned, you have to go trough the front of the amp2 to have gain for the Sentry to tame it, I was not thinking straight, it was late at night when I come up with such ideas hahaha

Effects loops and noise gates make my head spin even when I’m wide awake!

 

[Goran Lorencin]

Effects loops and noise gates make my head spin even when I’m wide awake!

Think other brand forums talk about FX loop and grounding issues as much as we do?