I have a DigiTech modeling pedal that is supposed to be connected to the amp thru the effect loop and not the main input.
I also have a couple pedals I just added that of course connect thru the main input of the amp.
Is it OK to connect the new pedals (Boss CS3 and TC Electronics Flashback Delay) in series with the DigiTech and use the effects loop input or do these type of pedals HAVE to be connected thru the main amp input?
Thanks for any help
 
Dave

I think you could easily run them in the fx loop without any issues. You won't blow them up, if that's what you're concerned about. So.... give it a try and see how you like it.
 
You could also run the modeler straight in as well.  Try the various combinations for connecting things, see what one you like the best and use that.
 
Of course, the only connection you do want to avoid is to connect the FX devices to the speaker outputs..... but you know that already..... that will very likely cause some stinky smoke.

   yeah best to avoid that...
 
I just wasn't sure if there was some impedance mis-match or something that would damage
either a pedal or the amp. I don't know much about that stuff.
I wonder why the documentation on the modeling pedal says to connect it thru the effects loop?
It also has a switch on it to change if you are plugging it in direct to an audio interface and bypassing an amp all together.
As long as the end result of plugging here and there is nothing more than the sound quality vs the stinky smoke, experimenting is good...
 
 

Dave, I'll give you my take for what it's worth.
 
All special effects like verb, delay, chorus, flange, and the like, are better when put in your effects loop because you want those effects to be clean.
 
Effects like eq, compression, pitch tranposer, wah, volume pedal, distortion, etc, are best in the front of the amp because they are primarily "dirty colored effects". If you put them in a loop, it would be like putting a distortion box directly into a mixing board.
 
Now with your current situation, if the modeling pedal is supposed to be in the loop, then that's where it should go. The Boss CS 3 could be placed in the loop or in the front. Though that contradicts what I said up there, I don't know how the modeler works and you may very well need to compress it through the loop. You'll have to experiment and see if you need that. The delay I would definitely run through the loop.
 
Your best bet is to experiment though because every pedal and situation is different. I'll tell you my reasoning for the above advice though just so you know the method to my madness. Let's look at the front of your amp as a channel in Sonar. Any effects that you put into the front of your amp would be equal to you putting effects into your FX bin on a track in Sonar. This often times makes the signal a bit dirty when you use verbs, delay, chorus and the like. You're better off when you put those effects in a bus, create a send and then insert a send on the track. With me so far?
 
Ok, when we go into your effects loop in your amp, it's the equal to creating that bus and inserting a send to a track. You're working off of two signals now. You have your dry/driven sound, and then your uncolored, effected sound. This makes reverbs, chorus, flange, phasor etc more lush/transparent without the dirty part of your signal chain dirtying things up, understand? So that's why I wouldn't normally put a compressor in my effects loop. It would be like using one as an effects send and I normally do NOT like to do things that way because 8 times out of 10, a compressor is going to sound its best in a guitar rig in the front input instead of the effects loop.
 
But because you have that modeling thing going on, I have no idea what your needs may be...so that's why I'm saying experiment a little. But a good rule of thumb for me has been what I've shared above. Good luck! :)
 
-Danny

What type of effects loop does your amp have? Series or Parallel? This is important. My amp has both,therefore different effects go in different loops.

I recently spent a whole day re-ordering my Fx chain, plugging them all into different positions in the board and seeing what works best "in front" or "in the loop".
 
Turns out my original configuration wasn't too far off.
 
Like Danny says, anything that affects your tone in the Time Domain (Delay/Reverb/Flange etc) are laways best in the loop
 
Distortion/Wah/Compression for me always work best in front of the amp.
 
The only real eye opener for me was the position of the Wah - everyone (on GS) says put it at the front of the chain, but this really messes up my distortion, so I now run Distortion 1 > Wah > Distortion 2, for maximum flexibility

@ Dude Ivey - Man I have no idea if it is series or parallel.
 
@Danny - Great explanation Danny. I did not know any of that stuff.
      The analogy to the track/bus send in SONAR brought it all together.
      Given the fact I have to plug my guitar in SOMEWHERE, and the recommendation
       for the modeling pedal is the effects loop, along with your recommendation for the delay
       being there, I guess the compressor just has to fall in line and go there as well.
 
This does lend itself to another question though. For you guys that have huge setups with
lots of pedals and such, how do you handle the 'where do I plug it in' situation given the
guidelines you mentioned above Danny?
Certainly there are mixtures of pedals, distortions, delays, reverbs etc in a lot of people's
rigs. How can you possibly follow the guidelines mentioned above with that combination?
Perhaps you don't and it's just the 'experiment and see where it sounds best' principal.
 
Thanks for the input. Always appreciated.
 
Dave 
 

@ Jonesey - That sounds like a fun day of experimentation. Curious, did you quantify the
differences in the sound by just playing/listening or did you record it and listen to the playback, or both?
Also, was there any alcohol involved? 
 

No alcohol involved, hell not even any weed, and I was purely switching pedal order & playing/listening, so I guess you could argue my results weren't entirely objective, but I had a fun time!

Bristol_Jonesey
No alcohol involved, hell not even any weed, and I was purely switching pedal order & playing/listening, so I guess you could argue my results weren't entirely objective, but I had a fun time!

 
objectivity can be over-rated at times...    
MAYBE you should redo the experiment with the  'proper frame of mind' in place....