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Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 11:36 am
by HAVN
I play a Rickenbacker 650 through a custom Verellen head that unfortunately has a single input (I ran out of room when going down my list of requirements). In a nutshell, here is what I am trying to accomplish:
I have an Electro Harmonix LPB-2UBE tube preamp, which, when fed a mono signal, will split it into two separate paths. With one path I'd like to go: Moog MF Drive >> Akai Head Rush >> Strymon Big Sky; the other path will go to a kill switch >> Electro Harmonix Freeze >> [modulation] >> Mission VM-1 >> Big Sky. At the end I'm looking to combine both paths into a single one and then into the amplifier. [To be accomplished via Boss LS-2. Thanks for the recommendations, all.]
I play with drones a lot. My thinking is that I'd like an easy way to control the volume of the drone, and putting a reverb after the volume pedal in the drone path will help to taper it off really smoothly.
Can anyone recommend a product that would accomplish this? I was looking at the Morley ABY switches, but I'm wondering if maybe a simple Y cable would do the trick.
Thoughts?
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 11:43 am
by Ghost Hip
Check out the Holowon Solvent Blender. Technically its a true bypass blender, but you could plug signal A into the input and signal B into the return jack. You would have a master volume as well as separate volumes (Dry/Wet knobs) for signal A and B.
Edit: Now that I thought about it, you really just need a small mixer. You can pickup two channel mixers for under $50.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 11:53 am
by MEC
I'd try the "Y" cable first. I used one for years to go from 1 guitar to 2 amps.
It should do what you want If you're not concerned with having control like you would with a blender or mixer.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 12:02 pm
by HAVN
PumpkinPieces wrote:Check out the Holowon Solvent Blender. Technically its a true bypass blender, but you could plug signal A into the input and signal B into the return jack. You would have a master volume as well as separate volumes (Dry/Wet knobs) for signal A and B.
Edit: Now that I thought about it, you really just need a small mixer. You can pickup two channel mixers for under $50.
The Holowon looks cool, but seems like overkill for my purposes. Thinking about a "mixer" my only concern is footprint. Maybe this would do the trick, and tide me over until I have some extra change to buy another Mission:
https://reverb.com/item/6933-saturnwork ... itar-pedal
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 12:05 pm
by HAVN
MEC wrote:I'd try the "Y" cable first. I used one for years to go from 1 guitar to 2 amps.
It should do what you want If you're not concerned with having control like you would with a blender or mixer.
Seems like a relatively cheap gamble. I'll give it a try.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 12:45 pm
by Schlatte
I'd recommend a small mixer with phase inversion capabilities, meaning that you can invert the phase of one of your signals if you have to.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 2:33 pm
by bigchiefbc
Boss LS-2. Bulletproof, good buffer, independent volume controls for both channels, tons of routing options. Anything more is overkill for 99% of switching/blending questions of no more than 2 signals.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 4:54 pm
by trace
bigchiefbc wrote:Boss LS-2. Bulletproof, good buffer, independent volume controls for both channels, tons of routing options. Anything more is overkill for 99% of switching/blending questions of no more than 2 signals.
This. And you will end up using it for tons of other stuff you haven't even thought of yet and wish you had 5 of them.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 5:23 pm
by Pepe
The LS-2 is a swiss army knife. I would miss mine, although I don't use it too often. But when I do I'm simply glad that I have it.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 6:41 pm
by HAVN
Well I went today to pick up a Mission VM-1 and some casters, and by complete chance that music store had a Strymon Big Sky that had come in two hours prior. I tried it out and was in love -- immensely lush reverb and really quite versatile. I also managed to get it for a good price. By the time you figure in taxes here, that's what you pay for the Blue Sky.
Thanks to all for the recommendations. I'll do some thinking on it and followup with what I decided.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 7:02 pm
by HAVN
bigchiefbc wrote:Boss LS-2. Bulletproof, good buffer, independent volume controls for both channels, tons of routing options. Anything more is overkill for 99% of switching/blending questions of no more than 2 signals.
Is it the A+B Mix mode that I'd use for the purposes described above? I'll have to read a bit about this to make sure I follow how it's used.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 9:06 pm
by bigchiefbc
HAVN wrote:bigchiefbc wrote:Boss LS-2. Bulletproof, good buffer, independent volume controls for both channels, tons of routing options. Anything more is overkill for 99% of switching/blending questions of no more than 2 signals.
Is it the A+B Mix mode that I'd use for the purposes described above? I'll have to read a bit about this to make sure I follow how it's used.
Yes, A+B Mix mode is what you want. Plug one signal into the input (volume controlled by the red knob), and the other into Return A (volume controlled by the green knob) and it will blend them.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 9:20 pm
by D.o.S.
This is a very exciting thread -- and yeah, second the LS-2.
Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:51 am
by HAVN
I've quickly run out of room on my little board I made.

Re: Teach Me: Combining Two Signals
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:45 am
by tjlong
Boss LS2
I used it exactly for the purpose you described. Cheap, durable, and very useful for different applications. You can adjust the mix from both signals using A+B mode.
If you want to combine more than 2 signals, a small line level mixer will work, like those Rolls mini mixers.
This one is optimized for guitar signals and has a small footprint:
http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/DUE ... DUETTO.htm