Using effects pedals with BR800

[wyvernwood]

This is probably a bit of a stupid question - but thought I had better check before purchasing some.

Can you use effects pedals between the guitar and the BR800 ?

At the moment I just use the guitar->BR800->Headphones with no amp and have been solely using the COSM for effects/amp modelling.

I would like a bit more flexibility in the effects, along with the ability to quickly switch between them.

Do you simply add the pedals, and then select a BR800 Amp model and run it clean ?

Thanks
Martin

[Geir]

The quick and simple answer is YES.

I have used both bad horsie wah and digitech whammy. No problem at all. Just make sure the input levels are ok !

Just go for it!

[wyvernwood]

Thanks for the super-quick response.

Looks like I'm placing some orders tonight

Martin

[na_th_an]

They work nice. Distortion/overdrive pedals are a different beast though - they work, but most of the "nice" sound when using a distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedals comes from the sound cone in your amp and how it behaves and its spectral response. When recording digitally, the response is plain and maybe the sound you get is not the sound you wer expecting. That's why amp simulators are very common in digital recording.

[sanfi4u]

They work nice. Distortion/overdrive pedals are a different beast though - they work, but most of the "nice" sound when using a distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedals comes from the sound cone in your amp and how it behaves and its spectral response. When recording digitally, the response is plain and maybe the sound you get is not the sound you wer expecting. That's why amp simulators are very common in digital recording.

Most often this is not the limitation of the digital recording itself but rather its implementation in particular device. For BR-800 I have found two factors that substantially limit the quality of recorded sound: it's Guitar input and its stock power supply. So I changed the power supply and I use 4-track mode (preferably Input 4) to record guitar with an external Overdrive. I also usually put a tube preamp after the OD instead of going directly into the line. The resulting sound quality is way better compared to the one I can get going right into guitar input with the stock Boss PSA adapter.

[Tnguitar]

I also use a different preamp, my Mackie 402 mixer and then in toone of the inputs.  So  couple questions, what power supply have you switched to and exactly why, what things have you noticed about the original that you don't like?   I already have other power supplies in my closet that would work and wondering if I should give one a try. 

Also, what do you mean 4 track mode, and why channel 4?  All four inputs on top are the same besides channel 4 having phantom power, but if you are already using a tube preamp I assume it has phantom already, which means that it shouldn't matter which of the four inputs you connect to, you would turn down the inputs to zero and let your tube pre drive the signal, correct?

Also, what tube pre do you use?  I have one of the ld Tubepac Art units with the built in compressor but I never can decide if I want the tube sound with a bit more noise or the cleaner and quieter Mackie pre sound.

[sanfi4u]

I also use a different preamp, my Mackie 402 mixer and then in to one of the inputs.  So  couple questions, what power supply have you switched to and exactly why, what things have you noticed about the original that you don't like?   I already have other power supplies in my closet that would work and wondering if I should give one a try.

I've spent much time on PSUs. Let me avoid going much into details. Just some results. All switching PSUs I've tried (including Boss PSA-120S) deteriorate the sound quality. Details, dynamics, tonal balance. Compare Boss PSA-120S to any linear 9V 500 mA PSU to hear the difference. Alternatively you can use the batteries for the test.
Linear PSUs are different as well. My PSU won't help you much 'cause I made me custom power supply using universal linear PSU with a decent transformer as a platform. Here's an example of a good PSU from TeraDak:       

http://www.teradak.com/products/74.html

The best I've found among the guitar pedal PSUs is Voodoo Lab Digital. BR-800 spec says the unit needs 280 mA (DC In) so VL Digital must be enough.

Also, what do you mean 4 track mode, and why channel 4?  All four inputs on top are the same besides channel 4 having phantom power, but if you are already using a tube preamp I assume it has phantom already, which means that it shouldn't matter which of the four inputs you connect to, you would turn down the inputs to zero and let your tube pre drive the signal, correct?

Go to Menu -> Input Select -> Input 1-4 (last option). I think it sounds the best due to minimal processing in the path in this mode (see the manual). As for the reasons why Input 4 is the best I've no idea. I don't have BR-800 schematic. It could be slight variations of the schematic or probably part tolerance. I don't know. May be in your case different input will be the best. I use this mode for the final recordings only. It's very inconvenient 'cause I have to use 4 spare virtual tracks to record just 1 track. But it assures the best sound. 

Also, what tube pre do you use?  I have one of the ld Tubepac Art units with the built in compressor but I never can decide if I want the tube sound with a bit more noise or the cleaner and quieter Mackie pre sound.

I use AMT SS-11A as a preamp. I wasn't quite happy with the stock sound. After some tube rolling I ended up with NOS RCA tubes and a custom PSU. It sounds very good now. Yeah, it adds some white noise. But it's substantial overall improvement anyway. I keep preamp output level reasonably low and adjust INPUT SENS knob at the recorder to avoid clipping.
I think you can get even better results with Kingsley Squire. Hope to try it one day. 

[rbfigueira]

Hi Friend,

I also, at the moment, just use the guitar->BR800->Headphones with no amp.

I want to ADD one Overdrive Pedal like:
guitar->overdrive pedal -> BR800->Headphone

Anyone have used it? Do we get more dynamics "gain" power?

Thanks

[cuthbert]

Hi rbfigueira,

Sure, you can plug your guitar into an effects pedal and then record that in your BR800. You can certainly crank the gain from your effects pedal before it gets to the BR, if that's what you're looking for.

hth,
cuthbert

[rbfigueira]

Hi Friends,

Just to say that works great
Just bought an overdrive pedal and work just fine 
Thanks