Indianrock2020 Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I calibrated my volume pedal. Now I've tied it to the channel volume of the AC30 amp. With minimum at 80% and max at 100% there is almost no change in volume until the pedal is most of the way down. Duh: I have the volume pedal as the first effect in the chain. It should be near the end, or at least after the amp, right? :rolleyes: In most old-style pedal boards you find the volume pedal first. How would I set the volume pedal to actually control volume if not tied to the amp channel volume? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I calibrated my volume pedal. Now I've tied it to the channel volume of the AC30 amp. With minimum at 80% and max at 100% there is almost no change in volume until the pedal is most of the way down. Duh: I have the volume pedal as the first effect in the chain. It should be near the end, or at least after the amp, right? :rolleyes: In most old-style pedal boards you find the volume pedal first. How would I set the volume pedal to actually control volume if not tied to the amp channel volume? It depends on exactly what you want to do...if you just want volume swells, then as you said it would go first in the chain. You'll get the same effect as if you were manually riding the guitar's volume knob. Assigning the expression pedal to the amp's channel volume is basically like riding an amp's master volume...doesn't really give you the same effect as a traditional volume swell. However, it is useful for dual amp patches, where you have 2 very different tones (clean and dirty, for example) that you want to morph between without having to deal with the slight delay that accompanies switching patches. I have several patches set up this way...makes for seemless transitions between tones. Great for live use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 No volume swells. I just want to be able to boost my volume into the PA by 20% or so at some times. I just tried the pedal at the end of the chain and it still seems like it goes from very low to 100% with not much in between. I can see the amp channel volume knob move as I work the volume pedal -- just not what I'm expecting at all. I tried setting the volume pedal at Min: 80% Max:100% Min: 50% Max: 100% and Min: 0% Max: 100% Not sure what else to try other than tying the VP to something other than amp volume like an EQ or compressor. Its not working like the guitar volume knob that's for sure. The VP is calibrated from 0 to 255 as described in this video https://youtu.be/txAxDa7n6M4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radatats Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I may be missing what you are doing but I think I see a problem. If you just want the expression pedal to control amp channel volume you DO NOT need a volume pedal block in the chain. Just go to the controllers tab in HD Edit, select the amp, the CH VOL parameter and select Exp 1. By putting the Volume Pedal in the chain you are BOTH lowering CH VOL and lowering volume again with the pedal block! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Thanks Radatats. I'll try that. This is another reason why I tell everyone looking at pedal boards to NOT get a POD unless they are willing to read and tweak. I like doing those things but, as we know, many just want to reach down and twist a knob on a pedal. ( never mind that they may need to reach for that knob during a song ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I second what Radatats says. In fact, I was writing the same thing before even reading the responses to see that he said it. Volume pedal as an fx block is different than the expression pedal controlling amp volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 So why would you use a VP as an effect bock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 for volume control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Ha ha. Yes but I'm controlling volume without putting a volume control in the effects block by tying the amp channel volume to the expression pedal. So what is the advantage or reason for a VP in the effects block? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 So what is the advantage or reason for a VP in the effects block? When you want to use it as volume pedal... for volume swells, or to roll off a little of the guitar's volume to clean the sound up a bit...those are the things that the good old fashioned volume pedals are designed to do. You want a boost, which is fine...and that's what you get when you assign the exp pedal to the channel volume, but you're not using the modeled "volume pedal" in that case. What you're really doing is just using the exp pedal to boost your overall volume...you couldn't do that with an analog volume pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 well.... First, remember, in the real/old world, we didn't have a way to change the volume of an amp without taking our hands away from our instrument. Even then, you couldn't set and re-set the volume to exactly where it was. That would just upset a sound man who spent hours doing sound check to make sure your volume was right. And since the pod is trying to recreate real life, changing amp volume isn't the first thing people think about. But there are a number of reasons depending on the application. For starters, remember, the pod isn't exclusive to guitarists, nor does everyone use the amp models. But really, a list of reasons to use a volume pedal are just too vast to list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Sounds like could achieve my purpose either way, as long as I don't do both. In our church world, with volunteer sound people, there is absolutely no guarantee your guitar is going to be audible in the mix. So, unfortunately, I need to go through sound check with the volume pedal, say, half-way down. To be safe though I'm going to need an extra guitar cord so I can get out and hear FOH. I'm not trying to blast everybody, just not willing to put in the time unless the guitar is actually making a contribution. As far as volume swells ( and ambient sounds ) , it seems everyone in the church is world is trying to make their electric guitar sound like keyboard pads, so I don't need to add to that stampede. We already have a keyboard player who does that well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 ...with volunteer sound people, there is absolutely no guarantee your guitar is going to be audible in the mix. I actually twitched a little when I read that...you're a better man than I, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 without getting philosophical here.... seeking out personal glory by making sure your instrument stands out... doesn't that go contrary to the very ideology of the performance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Pianoguyy, I hear what you're saying and I know many praise/worship players who attend to their tone and chops and leave FOH mix to the sound people. I respect that, but time is precious. If the guitar is truly not needed, I can find something else to do. :-) In our case I feel that efforts to influence the music leader and other sound guys have run their course. I do sound here once or twice a month and make sure ( without sacrificing the overall sound and importance of vocals ) that the electric guitars are heard, at least when important. I ride the faders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radatats Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 my two cents, use the Volume pedal when you want a quick and easy way to silence your rig. Put it in front of the signal chain and it can also double up as a way to clean up your tone by reducing the signal level hitting the amp. Put it after the amp or last in the chain to use as a clean boost. Set your normal tone at say 60-70% and press down to bump up to 100%. Using the Channel Volume does the same thing but frees up an FX block if you need it for other FX. I use the Channel Volume to level volumes between amps. I set my quietest amps at 100 and lower the louder ones to match accordingly. Use the Master for overall set volume. You can use the mixer for leveling too but they say the Channel Volume is the cleanest way to do it. I think the mixer levels affect the signal hitting the next FX in the chain. Unfortunately if you are fighting the sound guy turning it up can be a losing battle as he will just keep pulling you down if that's the way he rolls... been there done that... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indianrock2020 Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 my two cents, use the Volume pedal when you want a quick and easy way to silence your rig. Put it in front of the signal chain and it can also double up as a way to clean up your tone by reducing the signal level hitting the amp. Put it after the amp or last in the chain to use as a clean boost. Set your normal tone at say 60-70% and press down to bump up to 100%. Using the Channel Volume does the same thing but frees up an FX block if you need it for other FX. I use the Channel Volume to level volumes between amps. I set my quietest amps at 100 and lower the louder ones to match accordingly. Use the Master for overall set volume. You can use the mixer for leveling too but they say the Channel Volume is the cleanest way to do it. I think the mixer levels affect the signal hitting the next FX in the chain. Unfortunately if you are fighting the sound guy turning it up can be a losing battle as he will just keep pulling you down if that's the way he rolls... been there done that... I'm afraid you're absolutely right about the sound guy. Looks like its back to the negotiating table for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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