Balancing my volume when using my Overdrive/distortion pedal

[jazzyvee]

As you may be aware i've started gigging on guitar again and having to relearn all my good habits from when it was  my first instrument.
In the past when I was gigging on guitar I only used overdrive/distortion for solos so when i set the volume from my pedal so that it was loud enough to match the music when kicked in.

So, here is what I'm trying to do now.
I have a couple of gigs coming up covering tracks by The Wailers where there is a lot of bluesy type guitar fills going on in and around the vocals, some with a wah pedal too and others with a creamy overdrive sound but still behind the vocals in volume and not like solo volume.


I am using a Radial Tonebone Trimode pedal which has a great sound and allows me two channels of overdrive so one can be for lead and the other for lines but not soloing. However when I set the balance between channels 1 and 2 and the clean sound they only seem to stay that way for the current volume of my guitar. If I increase the volume of the guitar, then when I kick in either channel of the pedal, the volume is too loud relative to the clean sound and if I reduce the volume of my guitar then they are too low when kicked in. (sort of seems to be exponential)


I do have an MXR compressor at the end of my board and was  hoping that would help but at the moment i'm finding it hard to get that set right too without things sounding squashed.


My Q-tron mini is another one that misbehaves with volume changes, but i kind of understand that because it works on the attack of the input and behaves more agressively with an alembic guitar.
For reference i'm planning to use my Strat Ultra and Alembic powered USA Strat, oh and the both behave differently to the above scenarios.



Does anyone have a rule of thumb i can refer to for setting these things up so that the relative loudness stays consistent with guitar volume.

[lbpesq]

Ah, that is why Jerry Garcia had his guitars modded with an OBEL (on-board effects loop), which can also be found on Alembic Furthers and Tributes.   The OBEL places the guitar’s volume control after the effects.  The idea is that the effects always see the same signal.   Since I prefer to go wireless I accomplish the same effect by putting a volume pedal last in my chain, leaving my guitar volume on “10”, and controlling volume with the pedal.  (The OBEL requires a stereo cord going from the guitar to the effects and back).  Perhaps a similar set up will address your issues.

Bill, tgo

[StephenR]

I was hoping someone who could explain the OBEL better than I could would answer Jazzy's question. Using a volume pedal at the end of the signal chain to emulate it is a great idea for those who do not have the loop built into their guitar.

[gtrguy]

Keep tweaking on it!