Hello people, i would like to ask you how do you manage your pedalboard in terms of buffers, headroom etc…
Here is my question:
My pedalboard is configurated as follow:
Direct
I go from my guitar in
- Wah wah cry Baby from hell (True Bypass)
- Boss OD-200
- a Boss TU3 tuner (in the output 2 of the wah-wah)
fx loop
- Source audio Ventris
- Boss DD-8
- voodoo lab tremolo
- Walrus audio M1
- Nux optima air
- Lr baggs session
(the nux and lr baggs only for acoustic).
I don’t have a separate buffer pedal, i don’t even know if i need one and where to place it or even how much i need. Could you help me at this point ? I have read that if i use buffer i had to place it directly after the guitar and before the amp input.
In the fx loop, at the return position, is that correct?
My Power supply is a palmer PWT-12… I don’t even know if it’s a good Power supply and if i change it, i will feel some benefits.
I have a little bit lost of headroom in comparaison to straight into the amp (Victory v40) but it’s not dramaticaly…
Here are the specs of the pedals in terms of impedance and Bypass type.
several questions arise for me
-
do I really need buffers? how much and where?
-
it seems that the input impedance must be 1Mohms, but I realize that several of my pedals have exactly this impedance impedance…so which one to choose? which pedal do I go into first?
-
I saw in a vertex effects video that the output impedance must be as small as possible, ideally 100ohms, but again, how can I do this since the time based effects that I have are around 600ohms to 1kOhms ( ventris and DD8)…I can’t imagine connecting the M1 with its 200ohms after the time based effects…so I imagine that I need a buffer placed just before the “return” of the amp?
But the real question is:
Does my problem come from the buffer or the power supply? how to know?
I have no noise, only a little loss of headroom.
I don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that I’m not sure will give me what I lost.
what do you thin ?
Thanks for advices
Hi,
what do you mean by ‘headroom’?
As I understand this term ‘headroom’ refers to the ability of the amps poweramp section to stay clean when turning up the volume.
If you lose ‘headroom’ it’s either a pedal that gets a signal which is too hot and starts clipping (that would sound terrible) or the overall signal which goes into the poweramp section is too hot. Either way you’d need a limiter not a buffer.
A buffer usually is used if you lose ‘high end’ due to long cable runs. Since most of your pedals are buffered that wouldn’t help. Depending on the quality of the buffer it might get worse, because a buffer can alter the quality of your sound. Some buffers like the ‘Binson’ are used for this exact reason on purpose.
Try connecting one pedal at a time and see where the headroom suddenly changes. Have you checked each pedal is receiving the correct level of power it requires as this can affect how they operate. There’s also the possibility of an intermittent patch cable too.
@Hawkins76 has a point here. If a pedal gets not enough power it can also lose ‘headroom’. Also keep in mind that you have to sum up the total power consumption of your pedals to see if it fits the max output of your supply.
Thanks.
The first thing i’ll make is to disconnect the entire fx loop from the amp and See if the volume / dynamic drop i have (That’s What i man with headroom @GuitarWolf 
) persist.
I have 2 circuits, the direct and the fx loop. Turning one of them off will hopefully help me to found better in wich chain the problem appears.
All connections and dc cables are self made and trust me, at this point there is no problem.
I think testing one pedal after a other will not work good. Often it’s the sum of pedal that causes this headroom Problem, but you are right, i have to test it anyway
Assuming the patch cables and DC cables are fine, one or more pedals could still be under powered either by the limitations of a single outlet or by the total power consumption the unit can put out via the total pedal draw. Just because an outlet says X max, that will drop if the total power available is exceeded.
I’ll have to try to determine the cause of the problem.
I will try to make a video of my little problem.
The difference is not huge, but if I can solve this little problem I will recover some dynamics
Whilst it could be any pedal, I’d suspect either the wah or the Walrus Audio pedal might be the culprit.
as said, I just lose a little volume. For the treble I will check it this week.
I don’t know if you know the site “loopers paradise” Effektgeräte Saarbrücken Guitar-Racks Saarland Looper/Switcher
It’s near my house, but in Germany.
The boss is crazy about electronics; soldering irons everywhere, they specialize in pedalboards. They have all the best in stock…
The guy knows it really well. And he assures me that my headroom problem comes from the food supply. According to him, this type of problem almost always comes from the power supply. He explained it to me but I wouldn’t be able to retranscribe it here (too technical)
why this suspicion?
why these in particular?
Hardwire or buffered bypass wah’s tend to roll off the top end and the NUX has reports on the web that suggest it can be picky at times, causing similar issues you mentioned.
but the nux is not the walrus 
you were talking about the M1
Sorry, I meant the Walrus. Not heard any issues with the NUX
I got my MC8 from them. Online, though
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Hello People, i have made a video and i’m quite surprised, i though i have a volume drop , but it isn’t the case.
A few months ago it was the case, but very slightly. The pedals weren’t in the same order either.
It is one video separated in 3 parts.
1- guitar directly in the amp, no effects, nothing, nada. not even a jack in the effects loop, I took them out to be sure that nothing is connected
2- Here i go from the guitar into the cry baby, intop the Boss OD-200, and finally in the amp.
3- Here i have reconnectd the fx loop. All effects are plugged, but OFF
the effects are connected in the following order:
- NUX optima air
- LR Baggs Session
- voodoo lab Tremolo
- Walrus audio M1
- source audio Ventris
- Boss DD-8
I’m surprised, but i tell you later why, i would like to hear, at first your ilmpressions.
Here’s the video
I’m going to take a stab in guessing it’s the buffer at the end that helps the signal?
