Mark IV: What's the point of having Left & Right Effect Returns?

[SonVolt]

I get that the whole satellite feature is to achieve a stereo rig using a 2nd poweramp/speaker, but I don't understand they the Mark IV has 2 FX returns - L and R. What is the benefit of sending both returns of your Stereo FX Processor back to the Mark IV? Why wouldn't you send Return Left to the Mark IV and Return Right directly to the 2nd poweramp? Sending both stereo returns back to the IV requires yet ANOTHER cable between the Satellite Send and the 2nd poweramp. So it's basically the same thing but requires one more cable. Why?

Is there a benefit I'm missing?

 

[ifailedshapes]

Check the manual on this one, since it's been a while since I owned a Mark IV and never used that feature. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the stereo loop was designed to be used in conjunction with another product they once sold - the Simul Satellite.

 

[SonVolt]

Right, but if I understand correctly, the Simul-Satellite is just a Mesa branded Poweramp + GEQ + Speaker packaged into a combo format. Still not sure why a stereo fx processor wouldn't just route one channel directly to the Satellite, instead of sending both channels back to the IV, then going back to the Satellite. Seems like an extra hop in there for no reason.

 

[Eevil]

Right, but if I understand correctly, the Simul-Satellite is just a Mesa branded Poweramp + GEQ + Speaker packaged into a combo format. Still not sure why a stereo fx processor wouldn't just route one channel directly to the Satellite, instead of sending both channels back to the IV, then going back to the Satellite. Seems like an extra hop in there for no reason.

Output level knob affects both sends?

 

[ifailedshapes]

The MkIV footswitch has a switch to engage/disengage the loop. If you leave the loop active all of the time, then patching one output of your effects directly to the other power amp will work just fine. However, if you bypass the loop, then the second speaker would turn off with that wiring. I'm assuming that the MkIV is wired to send output to the second speaker at all times.

Again, this is a wild assumption. I've never used that setup, and I could be totally wrong.

 

[SonVolt]

The MkIV footswitch has a switch to engage/disengage the loop. If you leave the loop active all of the time, then patching one output of your effects directly to the other power amp will work just fine. However, if you bypass the loop, then the second speaker would turn off with that wiring. I'm assuming that the MkIV is wired to send output to the second speaker at all times.

Again, this is a wild assumption. I've never used that setup, and I could be totally wrong.

That makes total sense. I didn't think about loop bypassing.