Using a Pedal Board with my Series II

[ajdover]

I'm trying to figure out how to hook up my pedal board (A Furman SPB-8C) so I can use it with my Series II (and the associated power supply).  Ditto for my Boss GT-10B.  So far I've drawn a blank.
 
Currently, my rig is:
 
QSC-1804 Power Amp
F1-X
SF-2
Furman AR-1215 Voltage Regulator
Korg DTR-1000 Rackmount Tuner
DS-5R
X2 Wireless System (Obviously not used with the Series II).
 
Right now, I have the tuner in the effects loop of the F1-X.
 
Any insights would be helpful.
 
Thanks,
 
Alan

[lbpesq]

Alan:
 
I know it sounds obvious, but have you tried inserting the effects in the effects loop?
 
Bill, tgo

[ajdover]

Bob - as I said, I've got the  rack mount tuner in the effects loop.  If I do that, I lose the tuner.  Any other suggestions?

[lbpesq]

Alan:
 
I don't know if Bob has any suggestions, but why don't you just hook up the effects out>tuner>pedal board>effects in, or, alternatively, effects out>pedal board>tuner>effects in?
 
Bill, tgo

[willgunn]

Alan,
 
I concur with Bill regarding the use of the F-1X's F/X loop as the patch points for your pedal board, including the SF-2 (i.e regard the SF-2 as just another effects component). Additionally, if you're inputting the F-1X via the DS-5R's front panel output, then you could input your DTR-1000 via the DS-5R's BACK panel output. And while you're at it, try using the F-1X's XLR Direct Output to drive your QSC power amp. Besides providing a balanced line-level output (never a bad thing), you'll instantly gain the use of the pre/post EQ switch as a usable (and handy) additional amp control. Still need a balanced output to go to a console? Just tap off of the unused channel INPUT on your QSC (either the XLR or the 1/4 TRS) - it's in parallel with the one actually being used as the power amp input. AND, if you use one of those on/off switchable XLR female plugs (Neutrik makes a nice one) coming off the F-1X's Direct Output, you'll have a very handy mute control as well...simultaneously killing the signal to both the amp & the board. All of these things I currently do personally, so I know they work!

[ajdover]

I guess where I'm having trouble is that the SPB-8C has a bunch of jacks that are confusing me a bit.  It's a bit more straight forward with the GT-10B, but not with the Furman.  Here's a link to the owner's manual for the SPB-8C so you guys can see what I'm referring to.  http://www.furmansound.com/pdf/manuals/SPB-8C_manual.pdf.
 
BTW, thanks for all the suggestions.  I'll try a few today and see what happens.  I didn't know, for example that you could connect the DS-5R from the front panel to the F1-X.  I've been using the rear panel on the DS-5R to connect it to the F1-X ever since I got my Series II.
 
Alan

[ajdover]

One other thing - I biamp my F1-X.  How does that impact the set up?
 
Thanks,
 
Alan

[ajdover]

I've got the DS-5R hooked up on the front panel, and the tuner into the back panel, so that works (but for some reason, the mute via footswitch no longer works).  My SF-2 is connected into the F1-X and QSC, with the outputs going to the amp, and inputs to the F1-X.  The effects loop on the F1-X is now available for use.  Just wanted to let everyone know.
 
Alan
 
P.S. Bill - I typed my initial response to your message on the iPad - damned auto-correct!

[David Houck]

Here's one signal path based on what you've said you've got.
 
DS-5R > F-1X > F-1X effects loop send > SF-2 > DTR-1000 > stompbox 1 > stompbox 2 (etc) > SPB-8C in from pedals mono > SPB-8C left mono out to amp > F-1X effects loop return

[lbpesq]

Well my iPad never called me Bob.  I guess I'll have to bring it back to the store and complain it's defective!  lol  Actually, the auto-correct is a PITA and perhaps the only booger I can pick with my iPad.  (Yea, I know there must be a way to turn it off - I'll get around to it one of these days.  At least I feel proud that I figured out how to make my Droid X phone stop saying Droid all the time.)
 
Bill, tgo

[ajdover]

Dave - what input/output on the SF-2 do I use?
 
Bob - my iPad hasn't called me Bob either.  But it has called me Dave, as in you can't do that, Dave.. (apologies to 2001: A Space Oddessy) ;-)
 
Alan

[lbpesq]

Daisy, Daisy .......

[dfung60]

Alan -  
 
The reason this is complicated is that you're suffering from stereo/mono schizophrenia here. The Furman board is designed to take a mono or stereo input, route it to the stompboxes, and maintain independent stereo channels back to your (two) amps.  This is really important if you've got a stereo chorusing device and want to maximize the effect at the amps.  
 
But from the general info you have here, you're mostly running a mono signal path.  So, life will be easier if you ignore the upper row of patch points on the Furman pedalboard.
 
So, I'd actually do something a little different.  I think you want to go from bass->DS-5R, then take the DS-5R BASS/MONO OUT and put it into the IN of the tuner.  You definitely want the tuner ahead of any effects (obviously, tuning will be messed up if you had a chorus!), and putting it here lets you use the mute footswitch for tuning as well.  
 
From the OUT of the tuner, go to the F-1X front panel INPUT.  From the F-1X EFFECTS LOOP SEND, I'd go to the chain of pedals in your pedalboard.  The end of this chain connects to the LEFT IN FROM PEDALS input on the SPB-8C.  
 
Connect the LEFT OUT TO AMP output to the SF-2's CHANNEL A INPUT on the back panel.  I think you want to set the SF-2 to mono too.  It's not completely clear how this guy works from the website description, but it looks like connecting on the A channel will give you the ability to blend the original signal with two filtered outputs.
 
Take the CHANNEL A OUTPUT from the SF-2 to the EFFECTS LOOP RETURN on the F-1X.
 
And finally, take the LOW-PASS and HIGH-BASS outputs of the F-1X to the appropriate amp inputs.
 
I think this would work pretty well.  The main option that you have is whether the SF-2 is before or after the pedal board.  Unless you'd like to apply sound shaping before an effect, you'll probably find that after will work better just in terms of keeping your routing simpler.
 
If you decide to go (even more) gear crazy, then of course you'd want to come out of the DS-5R in stereo to both of your F-1Xs, which would feed both channels of your pedal board, then come back and feed both the stereo bi-amps and speaker stacks...  
 
Hope this helps,
 
David Fung

[David Houck]

David's suggested signal path is a good choice too.  However, I think David didn't have the SF-2 owner's manual in front of him when he wrote how he thought the connections should be made.
 
On the back of the SF-2, flip the little switch to Mono mode.  Use the Channel A input and the Channel B output.  This effectively gives you a three channel mixer; the channel A input signal is split into three channels and then recombined at the channel B output.
 
On the front panel you now have:
 
- the master Input Gain level control (above the words channel A)
 
- the Channel A filter with it's Filter Gain, Frequency, Damping Ratio, and Filter Type
 
- the dry signal whose level is controlled by the Direct Gain knob (above the words channel B)
 
- and the Channel B filter with it's Filter Gain, Frequency, Damping Ratio, and Filter Type.
 
I have Channel A set as a low pass filter and Channel B set as a high pass filter.  This lets me shape the low end of the curve and the high end of the curve, and mix that shaping with the dry signal.

[dfung60]

Dave -  
 
The B out on the SF-2 sounds like the right way -   thanks for the correction!  I couldn't puzzle that out from the website product description.  I have an F-2B, but no matter how many times I asked it how an SF-2 worked it just didn't say anything at all!
 
I'm kind of curious about the internal overall gain jumper too...  It's interesting that the SF-2 can operate both at instrument level and line level which are typically an order of magnitude difference in electrical level.  If this block has  effect when you're not using the front-panel instrument input, it seems like this should probably be set to the 0dB setting, especially if you were placing the SF-2 in front of or amid a chain of effects that expect instrument level.
 
David Fung
 
(Message edited by dfung60 on December 11, 2010)