I don't want to get done working on this setup and then regret it all. Both stages of the amp are capable of producing distortion. One remains unaffected, while the other is sent to your effects. We can make this buffer in any of our boxes, with almost any feature you would want. I got the new orange micro dark, which is an incredible sounding amp at about the cost of a good pedal. This charge that builds between these two conductors in your cord is exactly what a capacitor does. to the amp nice and strong. If you dont, there are plenty of places online to get good info. Really bad cords can suck away too much of your tone, even mids, and should probably be replaced though There goes the interaction with your Fuzz Face.). Normally we put it in one side (Input 1/Output 1), Mainly, this is because the amp is expecting certain levels here and, if it sees something else, it gets flustered and goes off the deep end. We can add a second buffer to the other side if you need stereo We use the same buffer circuit in our ARDX20 dual analog delay but it has true bypass, You could add any modulation effects in the effects loop, run your wah and distortion into the front end, and have, maybe, the best of both worlds. Van Halens Aint Talkin bout Love was delay right into the front of a savagely distorted Plexi. Some pedals allow you to change the settings so they will switch to being more compatible with this higher line-level signal instead, so make sure you utilise this if your pedal has it. But there are some common guidelines. Good Luck! Remember, its all FM.) Another element that is sometimes overlooked is ensuring your effects can handle the line-level output that is typically sent from your amplifiers effects loop. All very cool stuff that I thought I knew something about but I learned yet again that using your ears is the best way to figure it out. We also use the tube screamer's JRC4558D opamp
You may decide it is a fantastic way to unlock the full potential of your new tremolo pedal. I now own an acoustic guitar and several electric guitars including my personal favourite, a PRS SE Custom 24. There are two types of effects loop: series and parallel. A virtual cable! I am looking at a Freyette Valvulator VHT. I just put a Lovepedal Line Driver Mini Buffer in the front of my pedal chain and it brought the clarity and highs back to my tone. We can also put our buffer in the Boss FV500-L stereo volume/expression pedal. They should be ran through the Effects Loop so that the guitar signal stays intact throughout the signal chain. ***** (which is based on the Klon Centaur buffer circuit). We can build them into any of our switchboxes, might be nice to Though many iconic tones have been created putting them into the front of a driven amp, the presence and space they can add to your tone when in the loop is unmatched. to kill the delays if you want just the buffer, or turn the level down. Effects loops are very useful if you use the gain from your amplifier with reverb, delay and modulation pedals. Some are one transistor or FET with some similar simple power and coupling circuit. modifying them for true bypass, or putting them in a bypass loop is a good idea. after these pedals will help. the delay level down all the way on one side and that side will just be a buffer. It can help to reduce background noise and muddiness. Adding a "buffer" have high output impedance and cannot drive your signal well, causing a dull sound. There's always issues that come up with any buffered/ true bypass setup, because some of the requirements and combinations of pedals. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The input and output jacks for an amplifiers effects loop are usually located on the back of the amp and labelled send and return. Certain pedals as mentioned earlier Didnt Vox make one a few years back? ARDX20 is a great way to test pedals and cords - turn the DELAY LEVEL down all the way But many cheap buffers like that just don't sound and feel the Check out this diagram to demonstrate an example with a delay pedal. The power-amp amplifies the sound after the pre-amp and boosts the line level to speaker level where it can be played through the speakers. Okay, so the answer is some pedals like buffering and some dont. First, it is often advantageous to have some effects like reverb, delay, chorus, flanging and phasing, work their magic on your guitar tone after it has gone through distortion pedals and the like (that reside between your guitar and your amps input) AND your amps preamp. In reality, your guitar cord is a capacitor and, since the outer shield is grounded, some of your signal strength is being eroded and sent to ground, thus decreasing your signal level at the end of your cord (the amp). I am looking at the Radial PB-1 and the Klein-ulator. (You greybeards will know what RFE is you young guys, not so much.) Can anyone chime in and tell me how the xlr cable is going to work out regardless of length? If youre a cable geek (I think we have a couple of those at G-M), you might be in trouble and heres why: In order to play at a given level with no pedals engaged, you have the amp turned to 5, lets say. them with a buffer option or we can modify yours. Tags: klein-ulator, Read your pedals manual to find out if it can hang with that stronger signal. If youve read this article and have got really excited about effects loops but your amp doesnt actually have one, then there are a couple of options. the buffer will be on the left side of the pedal. same as the original best tone described above - a good cord direct into your amp. brittle. some pedals with poor sounding buffers. get a TUNER MUTE SWITCH to get your tuner and it's cable out of your signal path,
Everything you love about Sweetwater in the palm of your hand. electronics and is kept strong. (for just dry sound), and turn the delay on (buffered) and off (bypass). When placed in the effects loop, the volume control will act as a master volume. Everything you enter into the loop will be amplified, usually, with no ability to control the noise that might be added by cabling, ground loops or just plain noisy pedals. Click here to login, The ability to reply to and create new discussions, Access to members-only giveaways & competitions, Interact with VIP industry experts in our guest Q&As, Access to members-only sub forum discussions, Get INSTANT ACCESS to the world's best private pro audio, Promote your eBay auctions and Reverb.com listings for free. For example, modulation and time-based effects (reverb and delay) often sound best when placed after distortion/ overdrive pedals as otherwise things can sound quite muddy. Buffers change the input and output impedance of pedals so they play nicely with what comes before and what comes after. With the buffer, it will no longer work as an EXPRESSION PEDAL. You are using an out of date browser. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. Look up the Stratkat Switcheroo here on G-M. Also, searched the internet for many hours without finding an answer. following them. I have some 70's pedals like a Maestro MP-1 Phaser, along with some buffered pedals and true bypassed ones, and I don't hear much of a difference. There is a correct way to use your effects loop to attain the clearest, most noise-free, and most responsive character from your effects. Thanks everybody for the replies so far. keep the circuit connected to your signal even when they are OFF (not true bypass, or Usually the input and output jacks for the effects loop are located on the back of the amplifier. Yup, I'd look at the Lovepedal Buffer or Axess Electronics which I have and use last in my chain with my Carol-Ann Tucana. I find that for only $10 more, I can go from 30' to 50'. With both, you run a 1/4 instrument cable from the loops send jack, through your stomp or rack effects, then back into the loops return jack. You can use them as buffers for pedals after or before them in your chain and this works pretty well. If you use any time-based guitar effects (chorus, delay, reverb, phase, flanger) they should never be plugged into a guitar amps input. In the decades before guitar amplifier effects loops, guitarists plugged their favorite tape delays and spring reverb effects directly into the front of their amps. This is a great article. Noise gate pedals can be placed in the effects loop or in-front of the amp. Heres where this gets a little interesting. That happens because the amps overdriven preamp is distorting and compressing the sound of the effects, choking the tone from them. which is the side that has a TUNER OUT jack. It's far more common to get sound changes when a series loop is inserted in the amp's signal path (especially when the signal level is dropped to fit stompboxes, and then re-amplified back up to line level before the power amp stage). I have tried a number of things and it all boils down to a need for a good buffer in my loop. If you only have a couple of pedals and use short cables, youre home free. Many players never explore this powerful option on their rigs, so they miss out on some massive tonal sweetening as a consequence. Even the term "true bypass" has been exaggerated by some companies..sometimes it's not completely. The more capacitance, the more degradation of your signal occurs mainly in the high frequency range. Identify where the additional background humming is coming from and place your noise gate pedal immediately after it. effects loop buffer, Powered By OpenCart | Guitar Amps USA 2022. All you can do is give it a shot and see if it works for you. In this article, Ill explain exactly what an effects loop is and how to use it to get the most out of your amp and pedals. Otherwise the pre-amp stages of the amp also boost the affected signal, coloring it, sucking the tone out, deadening it, etc. Depending what youre doing, you may have a huge drop, or a huge gain in level at the amp. Many fuzzes, for example, use the guitars pickups and volume knob as a part of their circuitry (the germanium Fuzz Face comes to mind here) and the buffer will remove this ability so the fuzz just doesnt work well. See our SWITCHBOX PAGE for some samples and more info. Series FX loops send the entire signal through the loop and back into the amp. and keep your pedalboard size under control.
Sweetwater Sound, 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W, Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Get Directions | Phone Hours | Store Hours, If you have any questions, please call us at (800) 222-4700. are hand wired. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Our original Analog Delay, the ARDL20, had buffered bypass and customers raved about that could be the only buffer you need. Your prized phaser, vintage chorus, or gig-ready multi-effects unit can sound fantastic either before or after your amps front end. I find my Many great sounding pedals like tube screamers, etc don't run your signal directly into Guitar amps have two main sections: the pre-amp and power-amp. A buffer takes the high impedance signal from your guitar (unless you have active pickups) and drops it to a low impedance signal, which is much less affected by capacitance. Go ahead and spin your amp around. This will negate the necessity for an effects loop. Youll find countless genre-defining uses of sludgy, distorted reverb throughout shoegaze and blackgaze rock, and even tonal gurus like Eric Johnson achieve their lauded tones by pushing their amps front end with their favorite vintage effects units. Looper pedals can be placed in the effects loop or in-front of the amp, depending on the sound you are trying to loop.
This makes the pickup sound warmer and thicker in Gibson 498T vs 500T: Bridge Pickup Comparison. Will it work in this application? You can test and find these types of pedals by using long cords and The waters get a bit murky when it comes to modulation. In my case, my amp has a pre out and power in stereo jack which I have an adapter for that I use to run my pedal board in an effects loop. The result of doing this is enormously different than plugging my board into the front of the amp. If you use Any pedal that's turned on will be buffered because the active circuitry introduces it's own impedances. You must log in or register to reply here. The second style of effects loop is known as a parallel loop. Some pedals do have terrible buffers, but this is the rarity, i've found. Just dont say we didnt warn you. Luckily, adding a great buffer to an unbuffered amp loop is easy. You must also have some knowledge of physics. A buffer is an active electronic circuit that keeps your guitar signal strong and I also has a switchable treble bump to make up for high end loss. You may ask, why would you want an effects loop buffer at all? You will need one with buffering capabilities that you can switch in and out. Different amps have different amount of headroom which is the amount you can push the amp to before it distorts. of having a high input impedance and a low output impedance to drive your signal
will work great with just your guitar plugged in and won't suck much tone. Some buffers can send too much high end through, and sound brittle or HARD, not a nice feel. With the buffer, it will no longer work as an EXPRESSION PEDAL. The send output connects the amp to the first pedal in the loop and the return input connects the effects back to the amp for the power-amp stage. The MXR pedal is a little more transparent than the MP and I was able to use this to a/b some different configurations. No problem! frequency response but without changing your tone. If you're looking for a high output Gibson bridge pickup then the 498T and 500T are your best options, but what's the difference between them? apart slightly so you can see the board. See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners! A/b'ing it with the MXR pedal showed that it's all good with the buffer in the loop and not so much without it. An effects loop allows you to place pedals after the pre-amp stage of the amplifier. This style of loop simply reroutes the entirety of your amps signal through the effects plugged into it. Anyway, the Tube MP is not something I want to carry around with me so I went ahead and ordered one of Dan's mini buffers in a "finger" enclosure so I can power it with a battery if I want to and I can just stick it on the back of the amp with some Velcro or something. This does NOT mean that you cannot put good old stomp box pedals in an FX loop. With a parallel loop, your signal is split into two identical signals. You can choose either the C-lator (Tube Driven / 12AX7) or the Solid State Kleinulator Mini. Most fx loop sends already are low impedance, so cable length usually isn't a problem. Most people run a delay pedal or reverb after their KOT so that is usually It has a very small footprint and it cost $129.00.. well under $500. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Only you can determine if your setup works for you and the only way you can be sure of that is to employ the old trial and error method. To utilise your FX loop, youll need three 1/4 cables instead of the two youd normally need to connect your pedals from the guitar to the amp. as it gives a more natural feel and balance, warm with a touch of compression and natural For ordering, options, and pricing, see Being music makers ourselves, we love geeking out on all things gear. When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. low so they are considered to have "good buffer". I don't pay too much attention to true bypass or buffer--I need to hear how it affects my signals.I have 22 pedals on my pedalboards right now. buffered signals. preserves the frequencies of your guitar sound. We use the same transistor But if you have long patch cords or a bunch The fix is to use a buffer or is it? We can build our buffer into one of these volume pedals to kill two birds with one stone, Here were going to toss around another confusing topic, true bypass or buffering. Now, if you add up all the cords involved in connecting your guitar to your amp, through your pedal board, you may have quite a long cord in actuality. It definitely sounds better with the buffer right after the send jack on the amp so that is where I will set it up. with the transistors." Volume Pedals are another item that can be helped with buffers. Now you can compensate for that by adjusting the gain or output knob on your pedals but, each pedal you turn on will affect the signal at the amp so you will have to continually change the pedal levels, depending what pedals you are using at the time.
If you use a distortion/ overdrive pedal through a clean amplifier, then its fine for your reverb, delay and modulation effects to go in-front of your amp, as opposed to in an effects loop. These effects will almost always sound more natural through an effects loop.
You may decide it is a fantastic way to unlock the full potential of your new tremolo pedal. I now own an acoustic guitar and several electric guitars including my personal favourite, a PRS SE Custom 24. There are two types of effects loop: series and parallel. A virtual cable! I am looking at a Freyette Valvulator VHT. I just put a Lovepedal Line Driver Mini Buffer in the front of my pedal chain and it brought the clarity and highs back to my tone. We can also put our buffer in the Boss FV500-L stereo volume/expression pedal. They should be ran through the Effects Loop so that the guitar signal stays intact throughout the signal chain. ***** (which is based on the Klon Centaur buffer circuit). We can build them into any of our switchboxes, might be nice to Though many iconic tones have been created putting them into the front of a driven amp, the presence and space they can add to your tone when in the loop is unmatched. to kill the delays if you want just the buffer, or turn the level down. Effects loops are very useful if you use the gain from your amplifier with reverb, delay and modulation pedals. Some are one transistor or FET with some similar simple power and coupling circuit. modifying them for true bypass, or putting them in a bypass loop is a good idea. after these pedals will help. the delay level down all the way on one side and that side will just be a buffer. It can help to reduce background noise and muddiness. Adding a "buffer" have high output impedance and cannot drive your signal well, causing a dull sound. There's always issues that come up with any buffered/ true bypass setup, because some of the requirements and combinations of pedals. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The input and output jacks for an amplifiers effects loop are usually located on the back of the amp and labelled send and return. Certain pedals as mentioned earlier Didnt Vox make one a few years back? ARDX20 is a great way to test pedals and cords - turn the DELAY LEVEL down all the way But many cheap buffers like that just don't sound and feel the Check out this diagram to demonstrate an example with a delay pedal. The power-amp amplifies the sound after the pre-amp and boosts the line level to speaker level where it can be played through the speakers. Okay, so the answer is some pedals like buffering and some dont. First, it is often advantageous to have some effects like reverb, delay, chorus, flanging and phasing, work their magic on your guitar tone after it has gone through distortion pedals and the like (that reside between your guitar and your amps input) AND your amps preamp. In reality, your guitar cord is a capacitor and, since the outer shield is grounded, some of your signal strength is being eroded and sent to ground, thus decreasing your signal level at the end of your cord (the amp). I am looking at the Radial PB-1 and the Klein-ulator. (You greybeards will know what RFE is you young guys, not so much.) Can anyone chime in and tell me how the xlr cable is going to work out regardless of length? If youre a cable geek (I think we have a couple of those at G-M), you might be in trouble and heres why: In order to play at a given level with no pedals engaged, you have the amp turned to 5, lets say. them with a buffer option or we can modify yours. Tags: klein-ulator, Read your pedals manual to find out if it can hang with that stronger signal. If youve read this article and have got really excited about effects loops but your amp doesnt actually have one, then there are a couple of options. the buffer will be on the left side of the pedal. same as the original best tone described above - a good cord direct into your amp. brittle. some pedals with poor sounding buffers. get a TUNER MUTE SWITCH to get your tuner and it's cable out of your signal path,
Everything you love about Sweetwater in the palm of your hand. electronics and is kept strong. (for just dry sound), and turn the delay on (buffered) and off (bypass). When placed in the effects loop, the volume control will act as a master volume. Everything you enter into the loop will be amplified, usually, with no ability to control the noise that might be added by cabling, ground loops or just plain noisy pedals. Click here to login, The ability to reply to and create new discussions, Access to members-only giveaways & competitions, Interact with VIP industry experts in our guest Q&As, Access to members-only sub forum discussions, Get INSTANT ACCESS to the world's best private pro audio, Promote your eBay auctions and Reverb.com listings for free. For example, modulation and time-based effects (reverb and delay) often sound best when placed after distortion/ overdrive pedals as otherwise things can sound quite muddy. Buffers change the input and output impedance of pedals so they play nicely with what comes before and what comes after. With the buffer, it will no longer work as an EXPRESSION PEDAL. You are using an out of date browser. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. Look up the Stratkat Switcheroo here on G-M. Also, searched the internet for many hours without finding an answer. following them. I have some 70's pedals like a Maestro MP-1 Phaser, along with some buffered pedals and true bypassed ones, and I don't hear much of a difference. There is a correct way to use your effects loop to attain the clearest, most noise-free, and most responsive character from your effects. Thanks everybody for the replies so far. keep the circuit connected to your signal even when they are OFF (not true bypass, or Usually the input and output jacks for the effects loop are located on the back of the amplifier. Yup, I'd look at the Lovepedal Buffer or Axess Electronics which I have and use last in my chain with my Carol-Ann Tucana. I find that for only $10 more, I can go from 30' to 50'. With both, you run a 1/4 instrument cable from the loops send jack, through your stomp or rack effects, then back into the loops return jack. You can use them as buffers for pedals after or before them in your chain and this works pretty well. If you use any time-based guitar effects (chorus, delay, reverb, phase, flanger) they should never be plugged into a guitar amps input. In the decades before guitar amplifier effects loops, guitarists plugged their favorite tape delays and spring reverb effects directly into the front of their amps. This is a great article. Noise gate pedals can be placed in the effects loop or in-front of the amp. Heres where this gets a little interesting. That happens because the amps overdriven preamp is distorting and compressing the sound of the effects, choking the tone from them. which is the side that has a TUNER OUT jack. It's far more common to get sound changes when a series loop is inserted in the amp's signal path (especially when the signal level is dropped to fit stompboxes, and then re-amplified back up to line level before the power amp stage). I have tried a number of things and it all boils down to a need for a good buffer in my loop. If you only have a couple of pedals and use short cables, youre home free. Many players never explore this powerful option on their rigs, so they miss out on some massive tonal sweetening as a consequence. Even the term "true bypass" has been exaggerated by some companies..sometimes it's not completely. The more capacitance, the more degradation of your signal occurs mainly in the high frequency range. Identify where the additional background humming is coming from and place your noise gate pedal immediately after it. effects loop buffer, Powered By OpenCart | Guitar Amps USA 2022. All you can do is give it a shot and see if it works for you. In this article, Ill explain exactly what an effects loop is and how to use it to get the most out of your amp and pedals. Otherwise the pre-amp stages of the amp also boost the affected signal, coloring it, sucking the tone out, deadening it, etc. Depending what youre doing, you may have a huge drop, or a huge gain in level at the amp. Many fuzzes, for example, use the guitars pickups and volume knob as a part of their circuitry (the germanium Fuzz Face comes to mind here) and the buffer will remove this ability so the fuzz just doesnt work well. See our SWITCHBOX PAGE for some samples and more info. Series FX loops send the entire signal through the loop and back into the amp. and keep your pedalboard size under control.
Sweetwater Sound, 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W, Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Get Directions | Phone Hours | Store Hours, If you have any questions, please call us at (800) 222-4700. are hand wired. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Our original Analog Delay, the ARDL20, had buffered bypass and customers raved about that could be the only buffer you need. Your prized phaser, vintage chorus, or gig-ready multi-effects unit can sound fantastic either before or after your amps front end. I find my Many great sounding pedals like tube screamers, etc don't run your signal directly into Guitar amps have two main sections: the pre-amp and power-amp. A buffer takes the high impedance signal from your guitar (unless you have active pickups) and drops it to a low impedance signal, which is much less affected by capacitance. Go ahead and spin your amp around. This will negate the necessity for an effects loop. Youll find countless genre-defining uses of sludgy, distorted reverb throughout shoegaze and blackgaze rock, and even tonal gurus like Eric Johnson achieve their lauded tones by pushing their amps front end with their favorite vintage effects units. Looper pedals can be placed in the effects loop or in-front of the amp, depending on the sound you are trying to loop.
This makes the pickup sound warmer and thicker in Gibson 498T vs 500T: Bridge Pickup Comparison. Will it work in this application? You can test and find these types of pedals by using long cords and The waters get a bit murky when it comes to modulation. In my case, my amp has a pre out and power in stereo jack which I have an adapter for that I use to run my pedal board in an effects loop. The result of doing this is enormously different than plugging my board into the front of the amp. If you use Any pedal that's turned on will be buffered because the active circuitry introduces it's own impedances. You must log in or register to reply here. The second style of effects loop is known as a parallel loop. Some pedals do have terrible buffers, but this is the rarity, i've found. Just dont say we didnt warn you. Luckily, adding a great buffer to an unbuffered amp loop is easy. You must also have some knowledge of physics. A buffer is an active electronic circuit that keeps your guitar signal strong and I also has a switchable treble bump to make up for high end loss. You may ask, why would you want an effects loop buffer at all? You will need one with buffering capabilities that you can switch in and out. Different amps have different amount of headroom which is the amount you can push the amp to before it distorts. of having a high input impedance and a low output impedance to drive your signal
will work great with just your guitar plugged in and won't suck much tone. Some buffers can send too much high end through, and sound brittle or HARD, not a nice feel. With the buffer, it will no longer work as an EXPRESSION PEDAL. The send output connects the amp to the first pedal in the loop and the return input connects the effects back to the amp for the power-amp stage. The MXR pedal is a little more transparent than the MP and I was able to use this to a/b some different configurations. No problem! frequency response but without changing your tone. If you're looking for a high output Gibson bridge pickup then the 498T and 500T are your best options, but what's the difference between them? apart slightly so you can see the board. See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners! A/b'ing it with the MXR pedal showed that it's all good with the buffer in the loop and not so much without it. An effects loop allows you to place pedals after the pre-amp stage of the amplifier. This style of loop simply reroutes the entirety of your amps signal through the effects plugged into it. Anyway, the Tube MP is not something I want to carry around with me so I went ahead and ordered one of Dan's mini buffers in a "finger" enclosure so I can power it with a battery if I want to and I can just stick it on the back of the amp with some Velcro or something. This does NOT mean that you cannot put good old stomp box pedals in an FX loop. With a parallel loop, your signal is split into two identical signals. You can choose either the C-lator (Tube Driven / 12AX7) or the Solid State Kleinulator Mini. Most fx loop sends already are low impedance, so cable length usually isn't a problem. Most people run a delay pedal or reverb after their KOT so that is usually It has a very small footprint and it cost $129.00.. well under $500. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Only you can determine if your setup works for you and the only way you can be sure of that is to employ the old trial and error method. To utilise your FX loop, youll need three 1/4 cables instead of the two youd normally need to connect your pedals from the guitar to the amp. as it gives a more natural feel and balance, warm with a touch of compression and natural For ordering, options, and pricing, see Being music makers ourselves, we love geeking out on all things gear. When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. low so they are considered to have "good buffer". I don't pay too much attention to true bypass or buffer--I need to hear how it affects my signals.I have 22 pedals on my pedalboards right now. buffered signals. preserves the frequencies of your guitar sound. We use the same transistor But if you have long patch cords or a bunch The fix is to use a buffer or is it? We can build our buffer into one of these volume pedals to kill two birds with one stone, Here were going to toss around another confusing topic, true bypass or buffering. Now, if you add up all the cords involved in connecting your guitar to your amp, through your pedal board, you may have quite a long cord in actuality. It definitely sounds better with the buffer right after the send jack on the amp so that is where I will set it up. with the transistors." Volume Pedals are another item that can be helped with buffers. Now you can compensate for that by adjusting the gain or output knob on your pedals but, each pedal you turn on will affect the signal at the amp so you will have to continually change the pedal levels, depending what pedals you are using at the time.
If you use a distortion/ overdrive pedal through a clean amplifier, then its fine for your reverb, delay and modulation effects to go in-front of your amp, as opposed to in an effects loop. These effects will almost always sound more natural through an effects loop.