Signal chain when using IR pedals

Villamarzia · #1 02-20-2021, 09:56 PM

I have this question specifically regarding the correct signal path when having an Align Session and a Voiceprint, however it is an universal question also for Tonedexter, Optima Air etc.

So, compressors or effect working on dynamics, can go before an IR pedal or the IR has always to be the first in the chain? And in case you have a pedal in front of IR, you should train the IR using the pedal in front too? Doesn’t this cancel some of the effect (think multiband compression..)?

Cuki79 · #2 02-21-2021, 12:31 AM

I would say IR should be first.

Any nonlinear fx should be after (compression, distortion, modulations ...)

Things that can go before must be linear (buffer, EQ, ir clean abd transparent gain)

Doug Young · #3 02-21-2021, 02:18 AM

I'd view the IR as something that is almost part of the pickup - it's a correction circuit for the pickup to make it sound good to start with. If you're using one of the Martin models with the Aura builtin to the preamp, for example, it's part of the guitar electronics. So it goes first. Doing something like compressing before an IR pedal will mean you're not presenting the IR processing with the same kind of signal it was train on - unless you used the compressor for training as well. Of course, rules were made to be broken, who knows what effect you might produce by trying odd ordering...

J2xOP · #4 02-24-2021, 10:26 AM

I have the session (align) and tonedexter on my pedalboard as well. After some trial and error I feel the session is best in the first spot, but excluded when recording the wave maps. Among things to consider are the headroom of the LR Baggs session. The output of the effectloop of the tonedexter is higher than the passive pickup. Also I feel the session tames the pickup's mids. It works really well in front of the tonedexter and I could not live without anymore now I have it on the board. The results when recording the wave maps are not so good so I leave it off then.

Petty1818 · #5 02-24-2021, 11:17 AM

I don't think it matters really. I use the Strymon Iridium and put it last in my chain. I could see putting an IR pedal first if the pedal was needing to interact with the pickup, but once your IR is created, I don't really think it matters.

J2xOP · #6 02-24-2021, 03:05 PM

I also use the source audio eq2 which has can be used in fx loop mode , so you have one channel in front of the tonedexter and one after. I still have to try it out a bit more, but my idea is to use the first channel to even out the incoming pickup sound to be have a more lineair frequency responce.

I got this idea since I have a gyspy guitar with great results. But It also has a lineair sounding pickup. My octave mando has some resonant frequencies coming from the pickup and I found the results less pleasing. Anybody else tried to EQ before recording wavemaps/voiceprints?

AeroUSA · #7 02-24-2021, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J2xOP

I also use the source audio eq2 which has can be used in fx loop mode , so you have one channel in front of the tonedexter and one after. I still have to try it out a bit more, but my idea is to use the first channel to even out the incoming pickup sound to be have a more lineair frequency responce.

I got this idea since I have a gyspy guitar with great results. But It also has a lineair sounding pickup. My octave mando has some resonant frequencies coming from the pickup and I found the results less pleasing. Anybody else tried to EQ before recording wavemaps/voiceprints?

Yea I often find it necessary.