MarkIV FX Loop Help Needed

[Antoine]

Well, i'm in need of your help once again :

i run a T.C Electronic G-Major in the FX loop of my MarkIV Head.
I only use the delay for my leads only, and always play the amp without FX (the loop's OFF) so, i just have to activate the loop when soloing, as my T.C Electronics is always on a Delay program i've made !
As i use only Delay, i've decided to buy a delay pedal, and i've choosen the T.C Electronic Vintage Delay !
Before buying this pedal, a friend of mine have told me to try his new Boss DD6 pedal, so here's the problem :

When i run the DD6 in the loop, the volume of the amp falls down very much ! with the FX loop OFF, the amp's got a huge volume (master at 3) and when i push the pedalboard switch to activate the loop, the volume drops as if i turn down the master at 1 !!!
it's not a cables concern, because all work perfectly in the same way with the G-Major in the loop !
The same volume drop off occurs when i plug others pedals in the loop (Choruses, Phaser...)
I would like to know if it's because the MarkIV FX Loop only accept Rack FX unit with higher signals levels than pedals, or if there's a way to use pedals without this volume drops off ? i would like to know before buying the TC Electronic Vintage Delay !

 

[paleamberglow]

i had a similar problem a few weeks ago, with a huge volume loss when FX loop was engaged. it turned out to be a preamp tube issue, replaced them and now works fine. i think V3 is the tube in control of this

 

[Antoine]

Thanks, but it's not a preamp tube issue, because everything is OK with racks FX unit in the loop, there's only a huge volume loss with pedals in the loop, i think it has to do with internal signals levels devices (maybe signal levels are higer in Rack FX units than in pedals, plus in Rack Unit you can set the Input and Output signal, not in pedals) and i wanted to know how to do to compensate this, for example, in Marshall amp there's a switch to set the loop signal between + 4 db or - 8 db and i would like to know if there is something like this on the MarkIV FX Loop !

 

[MetallicBlueAx]

I've noticed this same kind of thing. I believe it does have to do with the preamps in different devices... I have hardly any, if any knowledge about specifics about that kind of thing at all though. I have tried comparing stompboxes (Boss Delay, Chorus) to a rack FX processor (Roland DEP-5) in a Mark IIC+ FX loop and it does the same thing, drop in tone/volume. I think what I've realized is stomp boxes shouldn't go in the FX loop, but instead just in front of the amp, and rack equipment should be able to go in the FX loop fine. I'm pretty sure you can probably open up rack equipment and do adjustments to fix coloration of the tone/volume if there is any.. not sure if you can or if it'd be as easy to do with stomp boxes. Hope this gives a little more info on the subject!

- Mick

 

[Antoine]

Thanks for your help MetallicBlueAx, i've tried pedals in front of the amp, but if it's O.K for most time based FX such as Choruses, Flangers or Phasers, Delays sound more naturaly in the loop, i don't like at all the sound of a Delay between the guitar and the amp, plus pedals plugged between the guitar and the amp bring a lot of hiss...

 

[Shep]

do any of you guy's get a PoP everytime you turn the switchable loop on? it's pretty loud and anoying...

 

[Force]

I have a similar problem, just plugging in cables to the "switchable" loop and trying to play produces a complete volume drop to almost nothing. I can use the "normal" loop without any issues at all, but of course I cannot footswitch the normal fx loop on/off.