Schmoo was the name Mike Landau had on his pedalboard for the chorusy, reverby delay clean sound he, Dann Huff and Michael Thompson made so popular in the eighties and early nineties.  Landau apparently had a series of cute nicknames for his patches on his Bradshaw switching unit instead of conventional terms like distortion or delay.  According to Dann Huff, Lukather had pornographic names for his patches...but anyway.  

The Schmoo sound is basically a series of effects that begins with compression, tri or stereo chorus from Dyatronics unit, then dual micropitch detune from the SPX90 (symphony patch), a Lexicon based delay (PCM 70 - Lukather had dual ping pongs going on) and finally reverb (also Lexicon based)  The delays and modulation were parallel processed to avoid too much loss in definition and mixed at the end with a dry signal straight from the gain stages.  The result is well defined stabs of plucked notes in a broad, stereo field followed by an immersive stereo wash of moderated ping pong repeats and soft reverb tails.  In the case of Huff and Thompson, well timed, ambient volume swells that envelope the listener. 

I've also investigated pedal equivalents of rack units that Huff, Landau and Lukather were using and listed below along with some general settings that can be applied to rack or pedals.

Firstly, the signal from the gain section goes into a compressor and is then split three ways.  Yes compression after gain, rather than before to preserve how the guitar interacts with the amp (aye, no worthy gain pedals in them days).  The first line is dry straight from the gain section.  A second line is modulation only so trichorus then micropitch shift.  The other line is time effects so delay followed by reverb.  To recombine the three signal chains, some form of mini pedal board will be required,

Chorus/trichorus - Free The Tone Tri Avatar is probably closest to the original Dytronics rack units but there are a few to choose from by Eventide and TC Electronic.  Landau used a slightly defective Arion SCH1 chorus unit which has been replicated by Vertex and can be had for fairly reasonable money. 

General settings: 

Rate: 0.3 - 0.6 Hz (slow, subtle movement)

Depth: 20-40%

Width: 70-100% (wide stereo image)

Pre-Delay: 5-15ms (helps clarity)

Mix: 25-35%

(Alternative pedals: Strymon Ola, TC Electronic Stereo Chorus, TC Electronic Corona, Boss CE-2W, Vertex Landau Stereo Chorus, Free The Tone Tri Avatar, Eventide Tricerasaurus)

Micropitch - This is pretty much key to getting the right colouring.  The SPX90 symphonic patch was used exclusively and has a distinctive yet essential colouring. The only true SPX90 equivalent is the Yamaha Magic Stomp UB99 BUT...it runs off AC only making it less than ideal for pedalboard applications. Other alternatives are available from Eventide (Micropitch and Pitchfactor pedals) and Zoom.  The Zoom MS70CDR can be programmed with four effects to replicate the entire modulation signal path but I've found it can tone suck a little if the tone settings in each patch are not carefully managed.  Dimension D and the TC Mimiq double tracking effect are also worth exploring for the same potential.  None of the micro pitch effects are directly controllable via MIDI apart from the Pitchfactor.

General settings: 

Detune 1: +5 to +12 cents

Detune 2: -5 to -12 cents

Mix: 20-30%

Pre-Delay: 10-20ms (to avoid phase issues)

Feedback: 0% (unless going for a thicker sound)

Delay - Much like the SPX90, the Lexicon PCM delays are essential for their algorithms and distinctively nuanced modulation on the repeats.  Unfortunately, there isn't a lot out there which is a direct emulation due to IP.  However, Eventide offer close approximations in the Timefactor and the Pigtronix Echolution 2 can achieve similar levels of stereo immersion with some tweaking.   The pedal now favoured by Lukather is the Digitech DL8 Looper/delay which supposedly has Lexicon algorithms but it's not MIDI controllable like the Time Factor.
 

General settings:

Time: 80-120ms (short, for thickening)

Feedback: 1-2 repeats

Mix: 10-20%

High-Cut Filter: ~5kHz (to darken repeats slightly)

Pre-Delay: 0-10ms

Alternative pedals: Boss DD-500, Strymon El Capistan, TC Flashback, Pigtronix Echolution 2/3

Reverb - Again Lexicon provided the goods.  It's rumoured that the Line 6 Verbzilla is based on a Lexicon algorithm but I can't confirm it.  Next best alternative is the Boss RV500 which has a dedicated 294 patch but the Timefactor and Strymon Big Sky may offer some suitable alternatives if you want to keep MIDI implementation.

General settings: 

Type: Plate or Hall (smooth decay)

Decay Time: 1.8 - 2.5s

Pre-Delay: 30-50ms (keeps clarity)

Mix: 15-25%

High Damping: Slightly rolled off (~8kHz)

Early Reflections: Low (if adjustable)

(Alternative pedals: Strymon BlueSky, Neunaber Immerse, UA Golden Reverberator)

Finally, if you're recording some Post-Processing eq may add a final touch.

High-Pass Filter: 80-100Hz (remove mud)

Low-Pass Filter: 8-10kHz (smooth highs)

Small Mid Dip: -1dB around 800Hz (if needed)

I'm looking for some advice on whether a multi-effects unit would actually be worthwhile for my setup, or whether I'd be better sticking with what I already have.

My current gear (on a budget) is:

- Fender Champion 20

- Marshall MG15CF 

- Squier Classic Vibe '50s Strat

- Gear4music Telecaster

- Gear4music Semi Acoustic 

- Harley Benton SC-DLX Gotoh

I mostly play at home and enjoy Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits, blues, classic rock and clean tones. I don't gig or record professionally.

I'm considering buying a budget multi-effects unit (around £75–£100), such as the M-VAVE Blackbox or the SONICAKE Smart Box, to use mainly with the Fender Champion 20 on a clean setting.

My questions are:

- Would a multi-effects unit be a worthwhile upgrade for my setup?

- Would it give me noticeably better amp tones and effects than the Champion 20 on its own?

- Would I be better off using it with the Fender or the Marshall?

- Are there other multi-effects units under £100 that you'd recommend instead?

- If you owned my gear, would you spend the money on a multi-effects processor, individual pedals, or save up for something better?

I'd really appreciate advice from anyone based on my current setup. Thanks!

(Bonus points if it can also be dialled back for a Hendrix-y Fuzz Face type sound - but by no means essential, as I'm well set for bluesy overdrive tones from my existing gear.)

Is this a thing? I obviously don't expect everyone to like the same OD pedals I do, but I was always under the impression they were quite ubiquitous, pretty inoffensive, and generally accepted to be something you bought if you wanted to play Blues.

Or is this a case of people just trying to get some video views out of attention-seeking titles? (I'm sure I heard somewhere that Rhett Shull isn't keen on TS9s, so I could believe some people might be trying to capitalise on that...)

are suing Behringer, for the Behringer Centaur:

It's going to be interesting seeing how this pans out. I think they'll win - or Behringer will back down - change the name and colour. Most legal cases settle before they get close to court. This one is interesting because the Klon hasn't been in production since 2008. They now routinely sell for four to five grand when they do come up for sale, hence the vast army of Klon clones that have been on the market for a long time. The Behringer pedal is just the very latest version of this, albeit  - depending on opinion - blatantly or just more honestly a knock off of the original. I'm not entirely sold on the ethics of this lawsuit, given it's a product that has been unavailable for so long, and they appear to have no intention to bring it back into production. But it is what it is. The intriguing knock-on is what it has done to the second hand market for the Behringer pedals, which are now all over ebay for £500 and upwards. 

Full disclosure, the lawsuit announcement a couple of weeks ago finally prompted me to get around to ordering my own Behringer Centaur from Thomann. It was on back order, and has now shipped today, so it's going to be interesting to see what I get. Will it be the original knock-off style, or a new, altered version? TBH, if I was sure it was the original, at the prices they're now going for used, I'd have ordered half a dozen and sold most of them on... Could have funded a very nice new guitar that way! Eh, well. 

Welcome to the era of Lawsuit pedals!

Was thinking of adding a wah.

Any recommendations to go with a Jag?

Any tips on technique?

I'm looking for something for funk adjacent rhythm playing style rather than Hendrix style solo stuff.

Thanks in advance!

So I am thinking maybe an archaic Zoom or similar would be an easier introduction.  Something old, elementary and cheap. 

Or would it?  Are the older multi-effects any easier to untangle?  Should I just grasp the nettle and deep dive into the G-Dec manual?

Two things to bear in mind are a/ I am a cheapskate and dont want to spend much money and b/ I am not very good with technical things.

Many thanks.

Paul

My latest version, for a new bluesy/rock/soul band.

Now I have two effects/modellers that I use:

1) Line 6 HX Stomp XL

2) Ampero Hotone Stomp 2

I find being a seventy year old that I need simplicity in my life, yet I also demand versatility

I was contemplating getting a Tonex One and reluctantly selling the Ampero to replace it.

Heres my dillema, I currently use the Ampero in the fx loop of the line 6 and obtain

very good results, would I gain anything by replacing the ampero with a Tonex one. as yet

I havent heard a demo of the Tonex but the reviews/hype seem to give it a good recomendation.

Any help on this would be aprechiated, especially from anyone who uses a similar setup.

I wondered if there are any multi-effects units that give seamless changes between patches.  I know some units claim to have no 'dead spots' but they still change abruptly from one patch to the other.  For example you may have a clean sound with reverb on the current patch and want to change to one with distortion but no reverb.  What happens is the reverb chops off dead instead of 'lingering' naturally for a couple of seconds or so.

The only unit I've read about is the old 'purple-faced' Digitech 2120 Artist from the 90's I believe.  It had controls for "Hold" and "Ramp" which allowed you to blend the two patches gradually together, for a time duration you could set.

Is there anything today that can do the same?

Cheers,

Old Codger.

So treat this like a box of lego - what are you gonna build? And what's it gonna sound like? Bonus points if you can point me to a recording of the kind of sound you're aiming for. You can also add in one or two missing pedals if you think there are others I should be adding into the mix here.

Pedals include:

• Sansamp BDDI
• MXR blow torch fuzz/overdrive (NOT PICTURED)
• EHX bass big muff
• Boss ODB-3 bass overdrive
• MXR sub octave bass fuzz
• MXR blue box octave fuzz
• EHX octave multiplexer
• Boss OC-3 super octave
• 'Dumble' homemade overdrive*
• TC Electronics skysurfer reverb
• MXR smart gate
• Neewer noise gate
• Marshall ED1 compressor

(*Seller's description of the Dumble: Based on the NE5532 chip. Can go from full distortion to light overdrive with the drive knob. Has a smooth sound that works with single coils and humbuckers. Mid-focused overdrive tone.)

i tried a friends briefly & was impressed. Several years back, I’d tried something similar with a Boss ME-80, and wasn’t happy with the sound or feel.  Seems like the GP200 is worlds better.

does anyone have significant performing experience with the GP200? My band plays a mix of 60s through 80’s rock (Doobie Bros, Steely Dan, Rolling Stones, CSNY, James Taylor, etc.).

I currently have about 6 pedals in my pedalboard setup.... all of which are midi enabled.
I recently purchased a midi controller to speed up live performances, as I currently use a setlist sheet and adjust settings manually between groups of songs.

So my question is.... I currently have my pedals setup as i need, how can i best just transfer these settings to the midi controller? Is there a way of copying setting from pedals to controller, or do i need to individually try and work out midi cc's etc for each individual pedal? (Especially for HX Stomp etc, I can see this taking some time and prone to mistakes).

Any assistance would be greatly received.

Best wishes,

Matthew.

I have owned a Diezel VH4-2 Pedal for some time now and I've been running it through the clean channel of my Boss Katana 100 MKI since I bought it. The pedal can be plugged into the effects loop of the amp so it can effectively act as a Diezel VH4 preamp but when I connect it this way to the Katana I get a very muddy sound that lacks bite and character, and I also get a lot of unwanted noise which doesn't seem to clear up too well with a noise gate. Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue or am I just being a noob? Any help would be great.

Ideally it would be a pedal with earphone/line output to plug directly into a line input and not need a mixer and Di box (again i already have those bit no access).

I was checking out the LEKATO Guitar Pedal With IR 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/365012139343

It seems to tick all the boxes then some. The problem for me is I'm scared of digital cheap Chinese stuff I would like it all to be as analogue as possible. Just have a feeling it's gonna sound bad. I wouldn't be using the distortion as I have this in analog pedal form and digital distortion sucks.

Otherwise there is a Di pedal with cab SIM, most of them seem hugely over priced and also don't have headphones/line out only xlr DI which would require a mixer.

Such as this mooer micro series DI (seen branded under different names for £16 but would be posted from abroad and take ages to arrive). 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155081515896

I have also seen a joyo pedal which has a headphone output and it's some kinda amplifier modeller but for bass... I also am not sure if the terminology is correct I want it to sound like it's coming out of a speaker so seeking a cab sim ideally.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335508382542

Anyway I'm kinda losing my mind trawling through Google, eBay, Alibaba and Amazon... Also the terminology is vague one thing is an amp simulator another is an amp modeller or cab SIM... I know I could get a cheap audio interface and just record in with it's Di function then add amp simulation afterwards.. just kinda wanted an outboard pedal or effect preferably analogue.. I might have to bite the bullet and just go for an IR pedal. Ideally I could get the sound I want with pedals and record into whatever I like not being restricted to a DI/xlr.

You think for a short term fix that Lekato thing will be ok? If I don't drive the amp simulator. I just want it to sound a bit like it's coming out of an amp without an amp. 

Anyway any suggestions would be great. 

Oh and I realise there are those headphone amps. I got one and sounded crap so would want a decent one. I also don't want it to add any distortion just to simulate the cab feel. 

Thanks if anyone can suggest something. Otherwise I'll have a amp modeller pedal going into a Di box with cab SIM then going into an audio interface just seems over the top and expensive!

Thanks  

https://www.technavolt.co.uk/greencathedral

Will post up a review and sound demo through a Mad Axe Amp once it arrives!

this way, I can get the most out of its volume boost and particular biting clarity. 
 

https://www.photobox.co.uk/my/photo?album_id=7526017418&photo_id=506340766368

…hopefully the image come out!

if not, my signal path is a Custom Audio Wah - OCD - MAR Black Math - Belle Epoch - Hudson Broadcast - Ditto Looper , Amp (Orange OR50)