Fractal Talk

[metropolis_4]

Then just use one volume block, put it on the parallel chain, and use that as your effects loop on/off.

The main issue seems to me that you're not using those parallel effects with 100% wet mix, no?

Maybe it caused some confusion, but that first volume block is actually being used as a typical volume pedal, not part of the splitting.

The volume block in the top path is the one I'm using to turn the loop on/off. I just need to either mute the bottom path or use channels on the top Volume block and try to use the volume level of that block to balance the level when the loop is engaged.

Not a huge deal, but still clunky compared to having a dedicated splitter like a reverse mixer.

 

[fretworn]

I've been moving away from scenes and doing more manual switching because I like the additional flexibility it gives me to choose to engage/disengage certain things as needed depending on what I'm hearing.

 

[laxu]

Also because I have to add more blocks I had to compromise and get rid of a drive block and an EQ at the end that was functioning as a gain boost. I suppose I'll need to split to two outputs and jumper ins/outs on the back to pull it down to another row.

Use the send/return blocks if you want more space for your effects.

Also your parallel path should be set for only wet signal so you don't get that volume jump. Turn mix to 100%, then use level to adjust their actual mix.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The thing with FAS stuff is it has allllllll this power. But then you hit this weird wall where, despite all the power; you just want it to do certain things like the Helix does it. It's really best to keep each mindset separate, imo.

 

[metropolis_4]

Use the send/return blocks if you want more space for your effects.


View attachment 10342

Also your parallel path should be set for only wet signal so you don't get that volume jump. Turn mix to 100%, then use level to adjust their actual mix.

Thanks for reminding me about those! I was sitting here thinking there had to be some sort of send/return but I couldn't remember. That will help a lot.

I don't want all of the effects in that chain to be 100% mix. I think what will work though is using 2 channels of the Volume block at the start of the loop - Channel A Volume = 0 and Channel B Volume is set to a level that provides parity with the "off" state volume level. Set up a footswitch to toggle channels - channel A = "loop off" : channel B = "loop on"

 

[laxu]

The thing with FAS stuff is it has allllllll this power. But then you hit this weird wall where, despite all the power; you just want it to do thing like the Helix does it. It's really best to keep each mindset separate, imo.

Agreed.

I totally understand the frustration of not having something as basic as "go to A or go to B path". It gets weirdly complicated.

These things are so heavily built around a particular workflow (scenes) that anything else is often complicated.

 

[metropolis_4]

The thing with FAS stuff is it has allllllll this power. But then you hit this weird wall where, despite all the power; you just want it to do certain things like the Helix does it. It's really best to keep each mindset separate, imo.

I don't even need the Helix mindset, I just want this in Fractal:

 

[JiveTurkey]

I don't even need the Helix mindset, I just want this in Fractal:

View attachment 10343

I m going to ignore any posts before this and pretend you haven't been asked if you have tried the multiplexer block

 

[laxu]

Thanks for reminding me about those! I was sitting here thinking there had to be some sort of send/return but I couldn't remember. That will help a lot.

I don't want all of the effects in that chain to be 100% mix. I think what will work though is using 2 channels of the Volume block at the start of the loop - Channel A Volume = 0 and Channel B Volume is set to a level that provides parity with the "off" state volume level. Set up a footswitch to toggle channels - channel A = "loop off" : channel B = "loop on"

100% mix just means "kill dry" basically and the level control becomes your actual mix control. You could also go nuts and build something like this:

I haven't tested if this even works, but you could use the mixer (or multiplexer) block to control whether you are passing through phaser, flanger, or chorus - or all at once! Just set up channels A-C for different rows. No need to ever turn those modulation blocks off, just change the mixer channels.

Then on the delays and reverb you'd set the delays to 100% mix, level to taste and bypass to "mute fx in". This would mean that when they are muted, you would still hear trails but no volume jumps.

My approach is to just combine scenes and per preset switches. Scenes for "the usual" set of blocks and per preset switches assigned to toggle different effects manually. It would probably be easier to have a scene that acts as an "all fx off" type thing instead of these volume block shenanigans.

 

[metropolis_4]

I m going to ignore any posts before this and pretend you haven't been asked if you have tried the multiplexer block

The problem is both the mixer and the multiplexer are placed at the end of the chain where you merge the paths back together. That means you lose spillover from time based effects.

What makes so much more sense to me is to have that happen at the start of the split so you keep spillover.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The problem is both the mixer and the multiplexer are placed at the end of the chain where you merge the paths back together. That means you lose spillover from time based effects.

What makes so much more sense to me is to have that happen at the start of the split so you keep spillover.

 

[la szum]

Damn, all of you cats and your convoluted ways..... creating "issues" for yourselves where 99.9% of people
would never dare to go..... and where even Angels probably fear to tread.

This will all happen again with some other outlier issue that mere mortals haven't a clue about.

Except laxu.

 

[GTR37]

Damn, all of you cats and your convoluted ways..... creating "issues" for yourselves where 99.9% of people
would never dare to go..... and where even Angels probably fear to tread.

This will all happen again with some other outlier issue that mere mortals haven't a clue about.

Except laxu.

Lol you don’t know JT well enough then , he and Watts Mcoey used to have contests to see who can run the most miles of cables
I don’t recall who won
I do remember Watt packaging his FM3 in a Mesa weight approved combo , with a lid that opened
To get access to the 1 Bassman preset he used

 

[JiveTurkey]

Watts Mcoey

I read this name in the same singing voice (and cadence) as the Hong Kong Phooey theme song

 

[metropolis_4]

Damn, all of you cats and your convoluted ways..... creating "issues" for yourselves where 99.9% of people
would never dare to go..... and where even Angels probably fear to tread.

This will all happen again with some other outlier issue that mere mortals haven't a clue about.

Except laxu.

The thought that originally led me down this path was thinking about amps I used to have with just a simple footswitchable effects loop. With an amp + pedals setup this would be trivial to set up. Unfortunately it seems really complicated in Fractal world

I just wanted this:

 

[JiveTurkey]

Laughs in AuntieDiluvian

 

[metropolis_4]

Ugh... I had hopes that the Feedback Send/Return was really going to help but there is a big change in the tone for some reason when that path is active

I'm trying to figure out why the Send/Return blocks color the sound so much. It looks like the Returns sum to mono... wondering if that could be why

 

[laxu]

Ugh... I had hopes that the Feedback Send/Return was really going to help but there is a big change in the tone for some reason when that path is active

I'm trying to figure out why the Send/Return blocks color the sound so much. It looks like the Returns sum to mono... wondering if that could be why

View attachment 10348

They should not change tone at all, but they default to the return level down so you don't blow your head off with a feedback loop. So check that part.

 

[iaresee]

I don't like the "if it's possible to hack a janky workaround then you don't need it" mentality. Is that really the standard we want with this gear?

I guess I come at from a place where all my tools are complex. So a complex tool in my musical life doesn't phase me that much?

I get a volume jump if I add more than one signal path. So with this signal path for example, if I have the volume block channel A set to Volume = 0.00 and channel B set to Volume = 10.00, and I toggle channels to turn the secondary path on/off I get a jump in volume. The only way to avoid that is to either add another Volume block at the start of the other signal path and mute that path when the FX path is active.

Post your preset?

It's likely because you're not running your effects in the parallel line 100% wet (mix set to 100%).

I also don't understand why you're using a parallel chain like this. It's not sonically advantageous and, as you're learning, it requires extra care to ensure you don't do things like add dry to dry when you engage the parallel line.

At the very least I'd move phaser, flanger and chorus to the main line and just run delay and reverb in parallel. I'd also not run reverb into delay like that -- that's going to be a very big amount of pad to fight with.

What I want to do is set it like an effects loop where I can have any combination of those effects turned on or off and then use a single footswitch to engage that signal path and disengage it.

That's what scenes are for. Or control switches mapped to the bypass state on many effects

You're making it hard than it needs to be.

 

[GTR37]

I read this name in the same singing voice (and cadence) as the Hong Kong Phooey theme song

Lol , Was that even his name , I know it was something like that