Hi guys. New here. Just picked up my first MP-1. I remember these being all the rage back in the late 80s / early 90s. I want to build a rack system I never could afford when I was a teen.
Anyway, I'm curious as to what exactly is the point of having an effects loop for a preamp? Is it just to control the level of the output signal? In all my other amps, I know the effects loop puts the effects after the preamp stage but before the power amp. If the MP-1 is a preamp, wouldn't you just run the output of the ADA to your rack effects and then to your power amp? Why would you even need an effects loop? Thanks,
As Jarrod says, the MP1 loop was so you could program it on/off for a given patch and also to be line level friendly (better gain structure) and get away from annoying pedals (with varying gain/noise issues) and power supplies. Down side of the MP1 loop is it's in series so the (whole) signal is diverted to the loop (after the gain/tube stages BTW). This was not as big a deal way back then as line level effects were predominantly analogue with proper analogue pass through for your dry signal, and often mono (which MP1 loop is). More modern effects (typically) are stereo and all digital, the first thing they do is A/D your analogue guitar signal (Bad, no analogue pass through, direct signal now polluted/degraded). The only thing I would put in the MP1 loop is the ADA GCS-2/3 cab sim for recording direct. And no it's a bad idea to go MP1 A/B to digital effect > amp. While it's logical, and seems sensible again you pollute your direct sound (unless the effect has "true" analogue pass through for dry signal). I've tested this (see other posts) with MP1 > TC GMaj > amp compared to MP1 > Art split mix (mix in full wet TC GMaj to signal) > amp, sounds heaps better.
The idea of loops is never to change your output level, you want them to add/mix in some effects not increase/decrease the volume. Generally you want your loop to be "unity gain" i.e. what you put in volts wise, is what you get out volts wise (albeit with signal enhanced).
The MP2 addressed this by providing a stereo parallel loop, much more usable.
Carvin TS100 is a great amp with MP1/2 B200s is better and weigh heaps less. Both are very transparent, unless you are chasing power amp distortion (and I'm not sure why you would bother with an ADA MP1/2?
) it will probably make little difference in TS100 using EL34s or 6L6s. My TS100 came with 6L6's (they work great), I probably would have preferred EL34s, but they run transparent and clean and sound great (i.e. not there)
And yes tube power amps are heavy, I have my TS100 in it's own 2RU rack (the brick..). When my B200s was working properly it was in my main rack. Although the TS100 is lighter (half the weight) than the ADA T100s equivalent.
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Topic: Purpose of Effects Loop (Read 6594 times)
