Can I switch between Formula Pre and Mark IV....

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

Using the Mark IV's power amp?

So I'm going to be hooking up a Formula Pre to my Mark IV via the FX loop.

My question is can I switch between the Mark IV preamp, and the Formula, using the GCX?

If so, how?

 

[badguitarist]

I think you can. Just put the Formula into a loop of the GCX in the FX loop and once you turn that loop on it's gonna be the Formula being the preamp the IV is used as the power. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

I think you can. Just put the Formula into a loop of the GCX in the FX loop and once you turn that loop on it's gonna be the Formula being the preamp the IV is used as the power. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Sorry, I don't understand how I'd hook it up. Could you explain a bit more please?

 

[6L6C]

Yeah you can do it. Just think as the two preamps like two stomp boxes.

Guitar> GCX
Loop1 GCX send>Mark IV input
Mark IV preamp out (effects send)> Loop1 GCX return

Loop2 GCX send >Formula Pre input
Formula Pre output>Loop2 GCX return

Output of GCX to Mark IV Poweramp in (effects return)

If you have any stomp boxes that you would normally use before the preamp just push the preamps down further in the line.

EX:
Loop 1 (overdrive pedal) Loop 2 (compressor) Loop 3 (Flanger) Loop 4 (Mark IV or Formula Pre) Loop 5 (Mark IV or Formula Pre) Loop 6 (multi-processor).
Only thing I’m pretty sure (off the top of my head) when you are using the Formula Pre that you lose the Mark IV reverb, if you even use it at all.

 

[t0aj15]

At one point I used the above method to switch between six preamps and a tuner in a W/D/W setup. The whole thing got to be to much so it has been greatly simplified now.

 

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

Yeah you can do it. Just think as the two preamps like two stomp boxes.

Guitar> GCX
Loop1 GCX send>Mark IV input
Mark IV preamp out (effects send)> Loop1 GCX return

Loop2 GCX send >Formula Pre input
Formula Pre output>Loop2 GCX return

Output of GCX to Mark IV Poweramp in (effects return)

If you have any stomp boxes that you would normally use before the preamp just push the preamps down further in the line.

EX:
Loop 1 (overdrive pedal) Loop 2 (compressor) Loop 3 (Flanger) Loop 4 (Mark IV or Formula Pre) Loop 5 (Mark IV or Formula Pre) Loop 6 (multi-processor).
Only thing I’m pretty sure (off the top of my head) when you are using the Formula Pre that you lose the Mark IV reverb, if you even use it at all.

Great stuff.

Currently I'm running my Mark IV and TS-808 in the GCX loops.

I have aG Major effects unit just in my Mark Ivs Effects loop.

Will the TC work just as well in the GCX's loop? I can just select every preset to have it on all the time I suppose.

 

[6L6C]

Will the TC work just as well in the GCX's loop? I can just select every preset to have it on all the time I suppose.

No problem there either just leave it last in the chain so it’s always after the preamps. Or you can even put it right after the GCX

When putting this together there is allot of cables to run, I recommend one piece at a time and test, basically for noise. This way pin point a trouble area right away.

 

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

So it's possible for meto run my TC with both the Mark IV and Formula pre?

 

[6L6C]

So it's possible for meto run my TC with both the Mark IV and Formula pre?

Sure!
Liike I said just keep the TC last in the chain or if you run out of loops on the GCX just put the TC after the GCX

 

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

So it's possible for meto run my TC with both the Mark IV and Formula pre?

Sure!
Liike I said just keep the TC last in the chain or if you run out of loops on the GCX just put the TC after the GCX

After the GCX?

I'm not entirely sure what you mean.

ATM, I'm running as follows:

Guitar ---> GCX input ----> GCX 1 Tubscreamer ---> GCX 2 Mark IV rhythm1 ---> GCX 3 Mark IV Rhythm2 ---> GCX 4 Mark IV Lead ---> GCX 5 ---> EQ

I connect the GCx to my Mark IV input to, can't remember where though.

I run my TC Electronic in the loop of my Mark IV, with the loop always on.

Each of my 8 presets run in the order of the TC's presets (Eg, when I hit preset 1 on my footswitch, it automatically switches to the TC's preset 1, If I hit footswitch 2, it goes to TC's 2; not sure why it does this, but I just set my presets accordingly)

Any info again, on how to set the Formula in so I can switch that too?

Thanks again

 

[Silverwulf]

I used to use a pretty monstrous rack with a Triaxis and Recto, and I used the GCX to switch between the two. Here's a quick diagram of the wiring setup I used, along with all the other junk in the chain:

 

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

I used to use a pretty monstrous rack with a Triaxis and Recto, and I used the GCX to switch between the two. Here's a quick diagram of the wiring setup I used, along with all the other junk in the chain:

Is there ANY chance at all of uploading that to http://www.imagejar.com ?

I can't see Imageshack, Photobucket or Flickr for some reason

No worries if not!

 

[badguitarist]

So it's possible for meto run my TC with both the Mark IV and Formula pre?

Sure!
Liike I said just keep the TC last in the chain or if you run out of loops on the GCX just put the TC after the GCX

After the GCX?

I'm not entirely sure what you mean.

What he meant is that you should keep the TC in the last of signal chain, either in one of the GCX's loop or after the GCX if you run out of loops. Let's say you have the Mark pre in loop 1 and the quad in loop 2. Then you can put the TC in loop 3. This way you can take the TC in and out of the signal chain using the GCX. Or more simply just put the TC after the GCX's output, before the IV power (FX return), if your GCX loops are all occupied. This way you can't switch the TC on and off using the GCX and it has to be always in the signal chain. Hope that helps.

 

[Silverwulf]

Is there ANY chance at all of uploading that to http://www.imagejar.com ?

I can't see Imageshack, Photobucket or Flickr for some reason

No worries if not!

No worries. I don't have accounts at those places, so I just e-mailed it to you... 8)

 

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

Is there ANY chance at all of uploading that to http://www.imagejar.com ?

I can't see Imageshack, Photobucket or Flickr for some reason

No worries if not!

No worries. I don't have accounts at those places, so I just e-mailed it to you... 8)

Thanks.

I'm still confused as hell :lol:

When I get my preamp I'll try it the way I think

 

[badguitarist]

Is there ANY chance at all of uploading that to http://www.imagejar.com ?

I can't see Imageshack, Photobucket or Flickr for some reason

No worries if not!

No worries. I don't have accounts at those places, so I just e-mailed it to you... 8)

Thanks.

I'm still confused as hell :lol:

When I get my preamp I'll try it the way I think

BTW don't forget to let us listen to your Formula through the IV's power once you've all hooked up. Actually I'm thinking of getting a Quad pre and running it through my IV's power. Should be versatile as hell hehe

 

[Silverwulf]

Thanks.

I'm still confused as hell :lol:

When I get my preamp I'll try it the way I think

:lol: It's really not as bad as it looks. when I first started wiring up the rack, I started breezing through it and then realized "Wait a sec, THAT won't work because of XYZ." So I sat down for a few, mapped it out, and it starts making sense when you put it on paper and have it in front of you.

I'll try to answer any questions you have about the diagram. It's looks like wires are crossing everywhere, but it's actually pretty straight forward.

 

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

http://www.voodoolab.com/gcxdiagrams/05-Pedals_FXLoop_3Channel_Amp Switching.pdf

That's what I'm running at the moment, except my G Major (Not g Force) is just in my Mesa's effects loop, not the GCX.

Could you tell me where I should put the preamp on that set up, and how I should (i.e where to put the cables)

Sorry guys!

edit - Should it be:

Mesa FX send --- GCX In ---- Formula input ---Formula FX out ---G Major In ---- G Major out----- Mesa FX return

Help

 

[Dror520]

this is an interesting question: if you hook it up like some guys said here with the gcx ... can you choose both the pre-amps to run together ?
is so that will be so cool !!!!

 

[6L6C]

Mesa FX send --- GCX In ---- Formula input ---Formula FX out ---G Major In ---- G Major out----- Mesa FX return

Help

It won’t work the way you want. I think you are over thinking it.

Try to view it this way look at everything you have and just pretend it’s a stomp box including the Formula Pre & the G-major also the Mark IV preamp (this is harder to view since its built into the head) but for now the guitar input on the Mark IV and the preamp out (or effects send) is a stomp box don’t worry about channel switching for now.
Now keep this picture your head:
Say we took a bunch of patch cords and cabled all of our STOMP BOXES together so it looked like this.

Guitar> TS 808 > Formula Preamp > Mark IV preamp > G-Major > Mark IV power amp.
OK we are good pretty straight forward just linked together as bunch of “stomp boxes”
This is what the GCX is doing also, anything you put in the loops it’s just running them like you just put them together with a bunch of patch cords.

Let’s take the same order and put the devices in the GCX so we are going to put
TS 808 in LOOP 1
Formula Preamp in LOOP 2
Mark IV preamp in LOOP 3
G-Major in LOOP 4
The guitar will go to the input of the GCX and the output of the GCX will go to the Mark IV poweramp.

Cool so what is the GCX doing that I can’t do with patch cords?
Any loop that you have off on the GCX is physically removed from the signal chain.
EX
Just turn on loop 3 what do we have. Guitar > Mark IV preamp > Mark IV Poweramp, basically your Mark IV amp.

Turn on loop 2 & 4 now we have, guitar > Formula Preamp > G-Major > Mark IV power amp. Now lets do what we just did and add loop 1 now we have, guitar > TS 808 > Formula Preamp > G-Major > Mark IV power amp.

Check out “Silverwulf’s” worksheet but keep in mind his setup is a bit involved compared to what you want to do so don’t get freaked by it.