Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Lisa<3 · Post by **Lisa<3** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 9:34 am

I personally don't like multieffect junks because it is too many features. You would have to spend a week trying to get a grip on it. They also can sound a bit cheesy, though I know more recent units are probably pretty good.

So my reasons are:
1. I like knobs more than memory banks.
2. With pedals you hand pick each one, and get only the sounds or voices you use, and want on your board. If you aren't using a sound for a time or a particular gig, you can take it off your board.
3. Multi-effect units have countless sounds I will never use, and I would have to sort through them all to find the ones I do like.

So why are you hooked on pedals?

Bassboar · Post by **Bassboar** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:12 pm

Wrong forum man.

Lisa<3 · Post by **Lisa<3** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:45 pm

Duly noted.

miguelbaptista · Post by **miguelbaptista** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:31 pm

Lisa<3 wrote:I personally don't like multieffect junks because it is too many features. You would have to spend a week trying to get a grip on it. They also can sound a bit cheesy, though I know more recent units are probably pretty good.

So my reasons are:
1. I like knobs more than memory banks.
2. With pedals you hand pick each one, and get only the sounds or voices you use, and want on your board. If you aren't using a sound for a time or a particular gig, you can take it off your board.
3. Multi-effect units have countless sounds I will never use, and I would have to sort through them all to find the ones I do like.

So why are you hooked on pedals?

I think its all the things you meantioned. Pedals have a visual appeal, they are like "little boxes of sound". And to a greater sense than multi-fx, you feel you are changing the sound with your hands.
But the most important factor in terms of popularity, I guess, is the common sense amongst musicians that pedals have better sound quality over multi fx, be it modulations, delays, distortions, you name it.

Having said that, I have heard shitty sounding musicians that use guitar pedals and have heard AWESOME sound coming from people using multi-fx.
I actually like a multi-fx unit because of their immediate portability, and with amp simulation its even more amazing for that, and I still feel like a little sound scientist tinkering with all those parameters.

So I love both ways of signal processing, It all comes down I guess to what suits you best for the sound you want to create, and for the circumstances you play in, and the circumstances you are WILLING to be in. I say this last part because there are situations that would be far more easier to take just a multi-fx, and some guitar players would rather carry around their guitar+amp+pedalbag and all that load upon their backs.

skullservant · Post by **skullservant** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:36 pm

Seriously though, this is in the Earthquaker thread when it should be in the Gear Thread. Just sayin'

miguelbaptista · Post by **miguelbaptista** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:46 pm

skullservant wrote:Seriously though, this is in the Earthquaker thread when it should be in the Gear Thread. Just sayin'

sorry. nice topic, just in the wrong "drawer"... oh well.

skullservant · Post by **skullservant** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:48 pm

I had a Zoom multi-effects once. It was cheap, but it got the job done for what it needed to do. I feel like multi-effects sometimes aren't as easy to manipulate on the fly like standalone pedals.

Lisa<3 · Post by **Lisa<3** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:09 pm

Miguelbaptista, that was sweet of you to respond. You nailed something I missed with the visual appeal. Yes, each effect is in it's own appealing chassis. You are also right about multieffects. With them getting better, some really respectable musicians play them. No longer horrific but I still prefer a stomp box.

Skullservant, it won't allow me to delete this thread (I tried) so maybe the moderator can pull the plug on it next time he is on.

skullservant · Post by **skullservant** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:10 pm

Agreed. No biggie

Lisa<3 · Post by **Lisa<3** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:11 pm

Not "On the fly" exactly! You have to get to know a multieffects unit for days. Heck with all that.

Blurillaz · Post by **Blurillaz** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 8:35 pm

So this still hasn't been moved yet, eh?

skullservant · Post by **skullservant** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 8:36 pm

Apparently not

Ghost Hip · Post by **Ghost Hip** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 1:58 am

Blurillaz wrote:So this still hasn't been moved yet, eh?

It'd be rad if someone reported it or something.

MOVED THREAD. :thumb:

Mudfuzz · Post by **Mudfuzz** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:19 am

Lisa<3 wrote:I personally don't like multieffect junks because it is too many features. You would have to spend a week trying to get a grip on it. They also can sound a bit cheesy, though I know more recent units are probably pretty good.

So my reasons are:
1. I like knobs more than memory banks.
2. With pedals you hand pick each one, and get only the sounds or voices you use, and want on your board. If you aren't using a sound for a time or a particular gig, you can take it off your board.
3. Multi-effect units have countless sounds I will never use, and I would have to sort through them all to find the ones I do like.

So why are you hooked on pedals?

#2. I have spent enough time messing with multis to know what you can and can't do with them, and the thing is this: when I put together a set of pedals I pick what actually gets the sounds I want and that work best with my instrument and amp. I would LOVE a multi that SOUNDED and RESPONDED like my pedals with presets but the only way to do that STILL at this point would be to rack pedals with midi switchers/patchbays

GardenoftheDead · Post by **GardenoftheDead** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:44 am

I use pedals instead of multi-effects units because I honestly think multi-effects units sound like ass.

ilovefuzz.com

Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks

Re: Why effect pedals are preferred over multi-effect junks