Is there a 1 stop shop fx processor for me?

Matt300ZXT

Matt300ZXT

Well-known member
Let's say I wanna use either like my Budda Superdrive or Landry Lexi to play in my 80s-00s hits cover band, but I don't wanna buy multiple stomp boxes and be playing footsie all night with them. Is there a good 1 stop shop processor I can buy that I can run through my fx loop and just build patches for overdrive and delay for the rhythm part of a song, then a second patch to play the solo. Then go to another bank and have a nice chorusy clean as the base tone, then click another button and it adds just the right amount of overdrive to emulate the recording pretty close. Then another bank for the next song, so on and so on?

I was going to build something like this years ago with my Hafler Triple Giant preamp that was midi controllable so I could also switch channels from the pedal, but I sold that preamp.

I checked on Sweetwater and they have Neural DSPs, Line 6 Helix variants, so on and so forth, but I don't need amp modeling. I don't know if you can run them as just a multi fx unit with bunches of banks and patch storage or not, but they seem pretty high since I don't want to model amps straight into a daw for recording at home, I just want a nice multi fx setup with bank/patch storage.
 
Fractal is awesome but might be overkill- I’d try to find a used helix- people are dumping them at stupid prices since the new one was announced
 
TC Gmajor II

Don’t sleep on it, it will do the job and doesn’t sound bad. Relatively easy to get up and going, just be mindful of level matching patch to patch.

Go find a rack helix v1 now that new stuff was released which will tank the value of these and make them much more affordable.
 
The quickest way to destroy the sweet sweet toy robot mids of your Dimarzio tone is to plug it into a computer. Friends don't let friends play digital.
 
glpg80 said:
TC Gmajor II

Don’t sleep on it, it will do the job and doesn’t sound bad. Relatively easy to get up and going, just be mindful of level matching patch to patch.

Go find a rack helix v1 now that new stuff was released which will tank the value of these and make them much more affordable.
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I regret selling my G Major 2. That was an incredible unit.

Im about ready to sell my pedals and buy a fractal VP4. As crazy as it sounds I actually prefer digital to analog delays and reverbs
 
Emg77 said:
This! Solid unit for an all in one solution of fx and controlling amp functions.
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The amp functions are the selling g point for me. I'd rather change channels on an amp than try to find a digital distortion equivalent. It really is the perfect utility tool. I'm bummed the VP4 doesn't have those features (stereo and control functions).
 
So for just a single button switch to switch from clean to dirty, is that a universal switch that the FX8 would control? I don't think any of my amps have multi button switches to turn the effects loop on/off, a reverb on/off or anything like that; just the 1 switch on the pedal for clean or dirty.
 
I know a lot of people have been using the Line6 HX Effects for what you are wanting to do. Or you could use your existing setup with a switcher. I use the Musicom Lab EFX MKIII. However, there are plenty of other units that do the same thing.


Pedalboard.jpg
 
I have an HX-Effects which is very good IMO.

Have a look at the effects in the Boss GX-100; I got one on sale last year, and it's great IMO. I just use it for effects, it has many Boss effects which is why I got it; buying the Boss pedals and everything else to make a board would cost 3x as much.

https://static.roland.com/manuals/gx-100_parameter/eng/index.html

the Boss GX-100 is very easy to use compared to HX-Effects, H90 (sold mine), etc.
 
Honestly IMO cant go wrong with a Boss GT-1000 or a current production Headrush but thats me :dunno:
 
I'm watching a video the Studio Rats put out on YouTube on the GX100 and does it look ridiculously easy to set up! I wonder if the GT1000 is just as easy to get into and build some patches. I'll have to do more research. The Studio Rats channel is always so good at explaining stuff they're demo'ing.
 
Despite the sounds, I would really look at devices that have good computer editors with librarians. If you want 20 banks of 20 sounds or similar, you are really going to need a way to dial that in, keep track of the sounds, and be able to back up and modify easily.
 
I think there are a lot of cool things around from new fresh out of the box to slightly less new and vintage.

It really depends on how complex your sound is going to be.
Are you planning to play only in mono, stereo wet/wet or wet/dry/wet?
How much control you would like on your effects? Some surface parameters or full deep ones that can be also controlled by external sources (e.g. signal input intensity, external LFOs, internal randomisation etc.)?

My personal 2 cents:
- the h90 from eventide is a killer machine that cover a lot of ground. In combination with a tc 2290p you are set for good. They are both midi controllable so you can build your own patches. The 2290 is still the machine that produce one of my favourite choruses around.
- the latest fractal has great effects but for effect only I would go with an FX II
- helix fx, as other mentioned above is fx only and seems fitting the case.
- the lexicon mpx-g2 is a fantastic machine, great in 4 cable method since integrate an analog gain section for overdrive, distortion, preamp. Unless you pit an effect block pre-insert, your signal path to the amp is full analog. The Version 1.10 has slightly more efficient processing so you can fit more effect in a single patch. Reverbs have a separate engine, so you can always have them independently you have maxed out the effect processing power. It allows deep controls or just stays at a more surface level. It is not strictly plug and play but the reward is very gratifying! Italo de Angelis one of two year ago spent time programming it so you can buy his presets for an easy life. Draw back? Program Changes are not immediate.
- korg AM8000 great great piece, quite overlooked but I really like it. Now, bear with me programming it is tedious, borderline frustrating if the encoders are playing a bit (and the stock ones unfortunately tend to not have a long life span) but nonetheless fantastic machine!
- Eventide Eclipse: this is the h90 older brother and personally the best 1 unit multifx I own. Dual engine with possibility of two effects at time(Eventide effects are made of multiple algorithms don't get tricked by the name) in multiple routings. It does a lot of things and very well. The converters despite not being of the latest generation are still good to through it without a mixer (but I usually recommend one for any digital machine new or old). The price is still hefty compared to an axe fx ii but still cheaper then 4/5 top tier pedals. Slightly complex to program but again you can buy Italo's preset for an easy life.
- tc electronic g-force is a great sounding machine (reverbs are not its strength and the converters are not my favourite). Great routing capabilities and effects building. Never owned one per se but played a friend's one for a bit. Prices on the second hand market are very very good!

The list could go on and on from cheaper machine like the boss se-70 (but great in sound!) to uber expensive one like the H8000 or the latest iteration H9000 from eventide (the H9000 has some integration and processing power to program your effects as you would program a VST plugin - INSANE machine).

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I used a Line 6 M9 for that very purpose for years & was quite happy with it.

The HX effects platform is a pretty solid improvement on that, and is probably where I’d look today.
 
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Matt300ZXT said:
So for just a single button switch to switch from clean to dirty, is that a universal switch that the FX8 would control? I don't think any of my amps have multi button switches to turn the effects loop on/off, a reverb on/off or anything like that; just the 1 switch on the pedal for clean or dirty.
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Yes. I'm running stereo with mine and programmed the control switch to switch both amps simultaneously. It's a simple parameter, and it's TRS, so if you had a 5150 (or variant), you could use the ring to change channels and tip to control the FX loop. Not sure why Peavey did it that way, but I made a cable just so if I have to use mine, I could just plug and play. I used my other band's guitarist's Uberschall for an early practice, and that footswitch is backwards from everything else. If I had an amp blow on stage (I watched happen to a band last night), I can edit the parameters on the fly to flip the control switch on all the patches at once and use a Bogner.

It's pretty straightforward, and it's a feature that seems to be fading away with the current generation of products.
 
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