Line 6 Flextone Cab 212S user manual Series VS. Parallel

Flextone Manual Rev E; bookfile Page 41 Tuesday, September 8, 1998 10:31 AM

InsideYour Head: EFFECTS LOOP

So, your HD creates the basic tone, and then that tone is sent out to the effects loop for further “seasoning,” and finally the seasoned sound is returned back to the amp for final output. In the HD, that seasoning can be applied in two ways: series or parallel...

SERIES VS. PARALLEL

In a series effects loop, all of your guitar signal goes out the “effect send” and into whatever effect you may be using. The signal is processed by the effect, and then the signal comes back into the “effect return” for final amplification and output. The effect is “in series” (comes after) the sound generator (your amp). If you turn the output volume of your effect to zero, you hear nothing, because all the sound is leaving the amp and then the effect processor is giving nothing back.

Now, in a parallel effects loop, only a part of your tone goes out the “effect send” and
into whatever effect you may be using. It’s sort of like you’ve tapped a bit of the signal
off from the main flow, to send it elsewhere (just like a typical effect send on a mixing
board). But in the meantime, the main flow is still going, too, passing through the amp
uneffected. The effect unit processes its parallel signal, and returns it to the amp, where
it gets mixed back in with the uneffected signal.	7•3

Why have both? Some effects have to be in series to be effective. Compressors, for instance, work by taking all of your signal and adjusting its volume as you play. Similarly, noise reducers need to work on all the signal. Generally, you’d also use EQ or “exciter” in a series loop.

Other effects can work with only a portion of the guitar signal – in parallel. Reverb, for instance, or delay, can be driven with just a portion of the guitar signal. Same goes for chorus.

One reason some people like to use parallel effect loops is that not all of their guitar tone has to go through the effect box. This can be especially important if you are using an old, low-resolution piece of gear that tends to suck out the warm details of your tone. By using a parallel effect loop, you get to keep plenty of your pure, unadulterated tone right inside the amp where it’s safe, and then just mix a bit of the processed sound in on top for extra flavor.