Parameter pedal question

[Junior]

Parameter pedal question - regading home making a multieffect

What's it used for? Is it like - you have a distortion pedal, and you want to change the gain level but you can't 'cause you're playing, so you just use the parameter pedal, right? But then again, I only see one parameter pedal at a lot of pedal boards, and people have lots of effects... BTW If I'm wrong, how do you change the level of your effect?

 

[SteveB]

Junior,

You're right. A parameter pedal is used to control some aspect of the sound. On a multi-pedal board like a Digitech GNX, Vox Tonelab, Pod XT Live, etc. you can assign one (maybe in some cases more than one) parameter of the sound, like 'delay time' on the delay effect, for example, and use the pedal to tweak that parameter on the fly.

Some individual effects pedals from Boss etc. also allow you to plug in a volume-type pedal as a 'controller' for the same purpose.

Usually, you pick one aspect that you want to control with the pedal and that's all you get. Some of the multi-units have a switch in the pedal so that if you stomp on it hard, it changes from one function to another, and then back again when you stomp hard.

For example, on my Digitech RP2000 pedalboard, I can use the 'volume pedal' controller on some patches like this:

Act as a volume pedal until I step the pedal all the way to the toe position really hard, at which point the pedal becomes a wah-wah. When I step it firmly all the way to the toe position again, it reverts to a volume pedal.

Usually in digital systems, you're really just controlling some MIDI data (MIDI continuous controller) with the pedal. So if you route that MIDI signal out to other MIDI units, you could control some other MIDI-capable unit down the line with the pedal. (Synth, lighting rig, rack gear.. you name it.)

 

[Junior]

Thanks a lot. BTW If you have a multieffect and the reverb was the last button you pressed, will the parameter pedal aply to the reverb?

The reason why I'm asking is just for information. I would like to know how it would be to build a multieffect. I'M NOT GOING TO ACTUALLY BUILD IT It would consist of the following:

Distortion - a few already preseted types, + the main one where you would control the gain level (with the parameter pedal). BTW switching to clean wouldn't be by pressing the button again, but by pressing the 'clean' button next to it. Sort of like on a pedal board that switches between different amps.

Acoustic simulator - there would be 4 types: standard, jumbo, enhance and piezo

Reverb - a few types (hall, stage, room etc.) and the level would be controled with the PP

Chorus - also a few types - the level would also be controled with the PP

Delay - here's the tricky part - I would want to be able to control the delay time and level. Maybe another button on the board would solve it.

Harmonizer - you could be able to select any minor scale (so - Cm, C.m, Dm, D.m, Em, Fm, F.m, Gm, G.m, Am, A.m, Bm - the # would be represented with a dot (.) on a digital display) and the tone that you want it to "play" (so - lower third -3, lower fifth -5, lower octave -8, higher third +3, higher fifth +5 and the higher octave +8 - represented as + / - 3,5 or 8 on the display). The volume would also be controled with the parameter pedal...

Solo - it would make you louder when you want... on a solo or something similar.

And it would have two more buttons "Bank - DOWN / UP" that would switch the effect types (reverb hall, stage, room etc.)

So that would be it. It would look something like this, nothing fancy - simple as it can be:

 

[Junior]

+ another question about volume pedals.... they're used to control the volume that comes out of the amp, right? 'Cause that would be good for the amps that need to be crancked up to get the good sound. 'Cause then you'd have the good sound turned down. Or does it go out form the guitar to the amp?

 

[blackspy]

From guitar to amp, though I've seen some guys putting them in their effects loop... it didn't seem to get the desired result though.

 

[Junior]

thanks, guys. Aha I see - so I don't need another button for changing the delay time with the delay level if the pedal has the abillity to do those 2 things thanks very much

 

[SteveB]

Junior,

Let me explain this to clarify a little.

A multieffect pedalboard generally has programmable 'patches', which are made up of one or more effects and potentially other setting like amp simulation, pickup simulation, speaker cabinet emulation, etc.

So, let's say you design a patch with delay, reverb, distortion, and chorus.
The onboard pedal can be programmed to be a controller for ONE parameter of ONE of the effects in that patch. (Delay time, chorus depth, reverb decay, etc.)



You can put a volume pedal before the amp input or in the effects loop.
Mine is in the effects loop because I feel like I get better control with it there.
Your mileage may vary.

 

[Adwex]

+ another question about volume pedals.... they're used to control the volume that comes out of the amp, right? 'Cause that would be good for the amps that need to be crancked up to get the good sound. 'Cause then you'd have the good sound turned down. Or does it go out form the guitar to the amp?

You're thinking of an attenuator. They go between the amp and the speaker. They allow you to turn your amp up a little more so that the power tubes are driven harder, but the sound coming out of the speaker isn't so loud.

 

[SteveB]

You're thinking of an attenuator. They go between the amp and the speaker. They allow you to turn your amp up a little more so that the power tubes are driven harder, but the sound coming out of the speaker isn't so loud.

+1

They come with names like "Power Soak" , "Power Brake", "Hot Plate".

 

[Junior]

3 questions

1. Who makes those EB looking parameter pedals? I've seen some and they look just like the EB volume/pan pedal. (seen 'em with JP and Morse)

2. Can I plug a parameter pedal to the Boss ME-5?

3. If I can, how do I assign the parameter of the sound to the pedal?

So basically, if I want to control (if I can) the distortion on the Boss ME-5 with the parameter pedal, where do I plug it and how do I assing the gain level to the pedal?

Here's a pic of the back panel of the Boss ME-5

http://www.guitare-village.com/matos/04_05_2005/bossme5dos.jpg

I'm guessing either exp. pedal or send/return loop...

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

It will connect to the exp pedal input.

 

[Junior]

Funny. I was told (not here) that I would need a rack unit that supports expression pedals. Well, if I could just plug it in the exp pedal input, I would be able to control lets say, the gain level?

BTW Who makes those EB looking parameter pedals? And why do they only have outputs? Its kinda strange for me, 'cause - wouldn't it be logic: the pedal gets the signal to its input, it changes the parameter of the sound then send it back through its output... ?

 

[Junior]

^^ Please help ^^

*bump*

 

[DaveB]

AFAIK - they are standard EB Volume pedals. I used my Vol pedal as a CC input into my TC Electronics G-Major.

Usually multieffects units have an option to calibrate the continuous controller - in your case volume pedal. In this way you get full control over the effect over the full range of travel in the volume pedal.

Dont get confused here - all the volume pedal is doing in this case is providing a value which gets converted internally into a number (IIRC midi controllers go from 0 - 127) - this then gets fed into the DSP as a parameter for one of the effects.

HTH

Dave

 

[Junior]

I don't get it. (too much proffesional names for me )

If I got it right, you can use a EB volume pedal as a parameter pedal?

So, I buy a EB volume pedal and plug it's output into the exp pedal input of the Boss ME-5 and I'll be able to control, lets say, the gain level or reverb decay?

And the 0-127 is the level right? So 63,5 would be gain level at 5/10 ?

 

[Junior]

So I just read the part of the B0$$ ME-5 manual. You're right. I just buy something like a R0lAND EV-5 expression pedal and plug it in the exp. pedal input. So, with this thing I can tweak the parameters of the sound on the fly?