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Can someone explain the FX loop? (solved! Culprit: Global settings, in/out, return value)


grdGo33
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TLDR:  How does the FX Loop work relative to the other blocks?

 

I have a looper connect to the PGO:   PGO FX out -> Looper -> FX in.

 

1) If the FX Loop is the last element of my effect block chain, it works normally, if I put on some reverb, distortion, etc., I can record with the looper, I can hear all effects, etc., works.

image.thumb.png.58af79e1b32a019d0ae0d88230828ed6.png

 

2) BUT, if I move the FX Loop to the 1st block, just before the say the distortion, then it doesn't work.  I'm getting totally raw guitar signal, it sounds like the FX Loop bypasses all the blocks including amp, cab, etc., so I'm not getting anything from the go with this configuration.

image.thumb.png.29949db4568a03b54b68e1d62601162a.png

 

3) If I put it at the end just before the cab, I'm getting a loud bright harsh sound.  And if I turn off the the FX loop and turn off the cab, I'm getting the exact same sound.  So it's like the FX loop bypasses the cab when it's on....

image.thumb.png.e9bed28a790cb79cbddb396db3965036.png

 

So basically, from what I can gather, is that unlike all of the above pictures show, the FX loop block doesn't work like a regular block.  The signal doesn't go through the block... The signal enters the block, and then seems directly routed to the output, bypassing everything that comes after it.

 

And what is strange, is that if I record something with the looper and I turn the FX Loop off in PGO, I can still hear the looper playing the music through the monitors.  So the FX Loop isn't even really turned off, it's just that the PGO is not outputting any signal from the FX Loop out, but is still processing signal from the FX Loop in.


Does this make any sense? 

 

More thoughts ...

Spoiler

 

The icon seems misleading because it make it look like the signal goes in/out from the same place, but as I said, it just seems to bypass anything after it...! 

image.png.f6df56d5ddd3e5059eb357501a8b01f2.png

 

But it really doesn't seem to make any sense to me that everything after it is bypassed...  Let's say you wanted to use a compressor pedal after a PGO distortion block, but before the PGO Amp and Cab, then it couldn't work, because amp/cab would be bypassed...  I don't know just seems super weird and limiting to me...  Can't understand why it just doesn't work like all the other blocks.  How it works isn't explained in the manual either.  At least if it had something to do with the cab; ex; FX loop In gets outputted before the cab, but bypassing everything between FX Loop block and cab, but straight to output...   I don't get it...  Seems too limiting to be really useful?

 

I think that's why I was getting all the strange behaviors with the FX Loop and having my Looper pedals sometimes clipping and sometimes not... 

 

And even, by default, it's never the last block.  Even in the presets, it's always one of the fist effect...  Why?  In what case would that be useful?  What pedal could you be using that would sound decent on its own, if it bypasses all the blocks which are after it?  You'd need like an entire pedal rig to go from a PGO patch to a totally dry signal -> FX Loop -> Pod Go Out to monitors/recording/PA system, etc., otherwise, if it bypasses the entire PGO patch, it's never going to be useful to add anything...  I really don't get it...

 

 

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To play with a looper for jamming, It must be at the end of the chain and stay there!

I f you want to make a sound, put it to the begin, play your sound in dry, let's play your looper, set your guitar on the stand , and now you can change anything like amp, cab, mods etc... and the sound of the looper gonna change everytime you change something

In short:

Jamming =looper a the end

Create = looper at the begin

 

But the best way to use an external looper is put it after your pod, not in the chain; I mean guitar>POD>looper>PA or amp.....

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1 minute ago, Punkyboy said:

To play with a looper for jamming, It must be at the end of the chain and stay there!

I f you want to make a sound, put it to the begin, play your sound in dry, let's play your looper, set your guitar on the stand , and now you can change anything like amp, cab, mods etc... and the sound of the looper gonna change everytime you change something

In short:

Jamming =looper a the end

Create = looper at the begin

 

But the best way to use an external looper is put it after your pod, not in the chain; I mean guitar>POD>looper>PA or amp.....

 

Thanks yeah I understand how the looper works, I'm trying to figure out how the Pod Go's FX loop works!

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Depends the pedal that you put on the FXloop, In your case it's a looper and you have just  2 possibilities:

Begin or end of the chain.

 

If you put your looper at the end of your preset and make a loop, when you change the preset, I supose that your loop sound change too?

If yes, change the looper and set it after your pod, in this case you can change your preset without affect your loop sound and can add other preset sound on your loop!

 

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48 minutes ago, Punkyboy said:

Depends the pedal that you put on the FXloop, In your case it's a looper and you have just  2 possibilities:

Begin or end of the chain.

 

If you put your looper at the end of your preset and make a loop, when you change the preset, I supose that your loop sound change too?

If yes, change the looper and set it after your pod, in this case you can change your preset without affect your loop sound and can add other preset sound on your loop!

 

Yeah I understand how my looper pedal works, you don't have to try to explain it to me!  lol  I used the looper just as an example.  My question has nothing to do with the looper pedal itself.  It could be a distortion pedal, chorus, compressor, phaser, EQ, reverb, etc., I'm trying to figure out why the Pod Go FX Loop block doesn't seem to work as you would normally assume it to!   Please reread or read the original post, even just the 1st TLDR line of the message for what I'm asking!   Thanks!   :p

 

Visually:

Spoiler

 

How this:

image.png.2e57497ce6d85f4c4ff64213b03ffc65.png

 

corresponds to where the FX Loop is located in the block chain, ex, why none of the effects on the right of the FX Loop block are 'on' when the FX Block is activated.  You would think that even if it is on, all the effects that are after it would still work, but they don't... If you turn ii on in that case, it's like you've turned all the other effects off, which make little to no sense to me...  And even when you turn the block off, what the looper plays doesn't go through the distortion, eq, amp, compressor, etc., as it should from the pic blow.  It's like the FX LOOP return points to the last block, the (->) arrow totally on the right.

 

image.png.18469b8961a10e896c0c15df9bf1b28c.png

 

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, grdGo33 said:

TLDR:  How does the FX Loop work relative to the other blocks?

 

I have a looper connect to the PGO:   PGO FX out -> Looper -> FX in.

 

1) If the FX Loop is the last element of my effect block chain, it works normally, if I put on some reverb, distortion, etc., I can record with the looper, I can hear all effects, etc., works.

image.thumb.png.58af79e1b32a019d0ae0d88230828ed6.png

 

2) BUT, if I move the FX Loop to the 1st block, just before the say the distortion, then it doesn't work.  I'm getting totally raw guitar signal, it sounds like the FX Loop bypasses all the blocks including amp, cab, etc., so I'm not getting anything from the go with this configuration.

image.thumb.png.29949db4568a03b54b68e1d62601162a.png

 

3) If I put it at the end just before the cab, I'm getting a loud bright harsh sound.  And if I turn off the the FX loop and turn off the cab, I'm getting the exact same sound.  So it's like the FX loop bypasses the cab when it's on....

image.thumb.png.e9bed28a790cb79cbddb396db3965036.png

 

So basically, from what I can gather, is that unlike all of the above pictures show, the FX loop block doesn't work like a regular block.  The signal doesn't go through the block... The signal enters the block, and then seems directly routed to the output, bypassing everything that comes after it.

 

And what is strange, is that if I record something with the looper and I turn the FX Loop off in PGO, I can still hear the looper playing the music through the monitors.  So the FX Loop isn't even really turned off, it's just that the PGO is not outputting any signal from the FX Loop out, but is still processing signal from the FX Loop in.


Does this make any sense? 

 

More thoughts ...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The icon seems misleading because it make it look like the signal goes in/out from the same place, but as I said, it just seems to bypass anything after it...! 

image.png.f6df56d5ddd3e5059eb357501a8b01f2.png

 

But it really doesn't seem to make any sense to me that everything after it is bypassed...  Let's say you wanted to use a compressor pedal after a PGO distortion block, but before the PGO Amp and Cab, then it couldn't work, because amp/cab would be bypassed...  I don't know just seems super weird and limiting to me...  Can't understand why it just doesn't work like all the other blocks.  How it works isn't explained in the manual either.  At least if it had something to do with the cab; ex; FX loop In gets outputted before the cab, but bypassing everything between FX Loop block and cab, but straight to output...   I don't get it...  Seems too limiting to be really useful?

 

I think that's why I was getting all the strange behaviors with the FX Loop and having my Looper pedals sometimes clipping and sometimes not... 

 

And even, by default, it's never the last block.  Even in the presets, it's always one of the fist effect...  Why?  In what case would that be useful?  What pedal could you be using that would sound decent on its own, if it bypasses all the blocks which are after it?  You'd need like an entire pedal rig to go from a PGO patch to a totally dry signal -> FX Loop -> Pod Go Out to monitors/recording/PA system, etc., otherwise, if it bypasses the entire PGO patch, it's never going to be useful to add anything...  I really don't get it...

 

 

 

Where are your speakers/monitors connected? What output are you listening to - the POD Go outputs or your external looper outputs? The correct setup is to connect the POD Go Send jack to your external looper input, and the external looper output to the POD Go Return jack.

 

The FX Loop block sends the signal to your external looper at the point in the signal chain where the FX Loop block is placed. Using your 3 pictures above:

 

1) Yes, as you describe your external looper is receiving the fully processed signal because the FX Loop block sits at the end of the signal processing chain.

 

2) The FX Loop block sits after the Vol and Wah pedals and before anything else. Hence your external looper is receiving only the effects of the Vol and Wah pedals. Specifically, your looper is NOT receiving any of the processing from any other amp, cab, or FX block. What you describe is exactly what I would expect. Since the Wah seems to be off your looper is receiving only the Vol-effected raw signal. If you are listening to your looper outputs that's all you will hear. Your POD Go outputs should give you the fully processed signal.

 

3) Your looper is receiving all processing except for the cab block, which is why it sounds bright and harsh. Again, If you are listening to your looper outputs that's what you will hear. Your POD Go outputs should give you the fully processed signal including the cab.

 

In all cases, your looper is recording exactly what it is being sent. Your Looper output should be connected to the POD Go Return jack.

 

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36 minutes ago, silverhead said:

2) The FX Loop block sits after the Vol and Wah pedals and before anything else. Hence your external looper is receiving only the effects of the Vol and Wah pedals. Specifically, your looper is NOT receiving any of the processing from any other amp, cab, or FX block. What you describe is exactly what I would expect. Since the Wah seems to be off your looper is receiving only the Vol-effected raw signal. If you are listening to your looper outputs that's all you will hear. Your POD Go outputs should give you the fully processed signal.

 

Exactly, but that's what not it does!  It's connected to 1) Main out left/Mono to guitar amp and 2) headphone out to stereo amp speakers.  But when the FX Loop is on, it gives me absolutely no processed signal, like the FX return goes straight to the PGO out... Exactly like this:

 

image.png.e184630ccd6ec713d7317e32ac257655.png

 

And yeah my Looper (in) is connected to Pod Go FX send, and my looper (out) is connecter to the Go's FX return, so I expected it to go through all the chain like you said, but it's really not what it does...

 

Ok I just figured it out...! 

 

Global settings, in/out

 

image.thumb.png.81c56efc696ed8ebbd315219392980b1.png

 

That was why as I said in this and the other thread I linked earlier, that the looper kept playing even if the block was off...  So it's actually an interesting option if you have a mono looper and are outputting sound from Go to Monitors/PA/whatever!

 

But yeah not sure why that option was set the way it was...  When I changed the option, the Go started behaving as you would expect... The more you know LOL   (optimally, there could have been some indicator that the option is on/off, since it really screws up the FX loop behavior, but I guess that when you know the option exist...)

 

Thanks!

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