Multiple preamp setup

[dawesy1986]

Sounds cool man, so they're mono preamps running into each of the channels of your poweramps?
What are the GCX's for in this configuration?

Cheers for the input by the way -- i thought this forum would get flooded but no one has seemed interested in sharing their set ups! ..can't give away the secret to their sound i guess hahah

[The Blue Letter]

Sort of...
My guitar signal is split via a Boss DD6 with 40ms of delay. So the guitar feeds into the "A" input on the DD6, and then the "A" output is split and feeds the right side of my rig which is a Marshall JMP1 into the "A" side of a Rivera TBR3 power amp, and a Mesa Triaxis into the "A" side of a VHT 2/90/2 power amp. From the "B" output of the DD6, it feeds the left side of my rig which is split to feed a Soldano SP77 into the "B" side of the Rivera TBR3, and into an ADA MP1 into the "B" side of the VHT 2/90/2. The way I have it set up is that I have two 4x12 cabs stacked on either side of the stage, and the Rivera TBR3 powers the bottom cabs on each side, and the VHT 2/90/2 powers the top cabs on each side.

I use the GCX's for a/b/c/d-ing all the amps, switching in effects and channel switching on the SP77. Pretty standard. But, with the way I have it wired, I can have any one or all 4 of the amps on at the same time.

Now this is just a stripped down explanation of it all; and I just left out all the other effects and stuff that I am running to make it easier to explain the basic signal chain. But like I said in a previous post, I'll post some wiring diagrams soon.
Hope this helps explain things a bit more.

[The Blue Letter]

So here are the wiring diagrams that I promised. Let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns. I'd especially be curious to hear if you have anything to say too John Clark?









Loops 3 &7 on GCX 2, and loops 1 & 5 on GCX 3, that I have open and labeled for "future" are in case I decide to add a couple of noise suppressors like an ISP Decimator or something. And then loops 2 & 6 on GCX 3 labeled "future" are left open for an Eventide Pitchfactor. (the next item I plan to purchase)

[dawesy1986]

Brutal.

i'm gonna have a better look at that beast of a rig when i get home, looks mighty scary mate! good job!!!!

dawesy

EDIT: also, have you got any tracks where i can hear you playing through just the JMP?

[JohnClark]

Above diagrams of the 4 Preamp Rig of DOOM!

That is an impressive setup there! There is a lot of stuff going on. You certainly fall under the "Advanced User" category.
There is some room for simplifying this a little... First, Loops 1 and 6 on GCX #1 don't look to provide anything that isn't already being done elsewhere. Each preamp has it's own loop to turn it on or off later in the signal path. Basically on GCX #1 the DD-6 outputs can be fed directly to the Inputs of Loops 2 and 7.
Second, in order to minimize any pop, it is best split the signal to always drive the inputs of the preamps then use GCX loops to switch only the outputs of each preamp. In this case you can run GCX #1 loops 2 and 8 Outputs, each split two ways, directly to the inputs of the four preamps. The preamp outputs can go to the Inputs of four different loops and the Sends of these loops would run to the power amps or through some effects first as shown on GCX #3.
These suggestions should provide all the same functionality, yet it would open up a lot of loops for other additions... a lot of additions It looks like everything you are currently using could be done with 15 GCX loops by omitting some redundancy and switching the preamp outputs only.

[The Blue Letter]

Hey John,
Thanks for the input. I totally didn't realize the redundancy of the GCX #1 loops 1 and 6. Thanks for pointing that out. As far as switching the pre-amps in and out of the signal, I just followed the example on pg.9 of the GCX manual for combining multiple amps... so I thought that I was on the right track. But is switching the outputs really that much better? I haven't experienced any "pops" that I have heard and read about, so maybe I lucked out in that area... but it's good to know in case I do start hearing some pops, that I'll know what to look for.

Until a few months ago when I joined the VL forum (and HRI), I was on a solo mission trying to figure this all out. With that being said, I take the "advanced user" comment as a compliment for sure. Thanks I am still curious about switching the outputs of the pre-amps though. Can you explain the benefits of doing it this way other than the "pop" that can happen? To me it seems like switching the signal before it is amplified might help keep the switching more quiet, where switching the amplified signal could pose to be the noisier option. But like I said, I'm totally still learning, so forgive my ignorance. For now, since I am not experiencing any problems with switch "popping" I'll probably leave that aspect of my wiring the same, and just address that GCX #1 Loop 1 and 6 redundancy. Thanks again for all your advice and direction. Voodoo Lab rules!!!

[JohnClark]

Any noise before a preamp is going to be amplified by the preamp, that is the main reason for switching the outputs when possible. Your setup ultimately is like selecting any of 4 amplifiers due to the preamps each running to their own dedicated power amp section so either way will work... I think I just see a preamp and automatically want to switch only the outputs. Hopefully we can see some pics of this rig some day!

[The Blue Letter]

I have 4 more cables to solder and then pics will be coming soon. So get ready.