HT 40 Effects Loop

[Evil z006]

Hey guys I have a question about the effects loop in my HT 40.....I usually run all my pedals through the front of the amp but just tried running the time based effects through the loop and yes I have the loop switch set to -10dbv.For instance when I put my delay through the loop it does not sound the same as if it was in the front of the amp.It is not as intense or colorful ....what I am saying if my delay is repeating 7 times in the front of the amp it will only repeat like 3 times in the loop with the exact same settings and sounds horrible compared to the front....I tried this on my brothers Marshall and my delay sounded the exact same in the loop and in the front....I guess this is what they call a transparent loop? Is this normal for Blackstar and maybe all loops are not created equal? Thanks

[Enlive]

Try putting the loop to +4. In my experience, though it may seem quieter, it will sound much better over both distorted and clean tones. It will be different but no mistake it's meant to be in the loop. I think it's just louder in front because it's hitting the preamp. I would say stick with it

[Evil z006]

Thanks for the reply but the +4 button does nothing but make it slightly louder which is not my issue. My issue is when I put it in front of the amp it has one sound which is great but when I put it in the loop it does not sound good at all it is not as intense what I mean by intense not volume... If the delay repeats let's say 10 times in the front why does it only repeat three times in the loop? When I put it in my brothers Marshall there is absolutely no difference between the front and rear I guess that's why they call a transparent

[Enlive]

It's louder because it's going through the preamp. Trust me I've had patches layering two different delays a chorus and long decay spring reverb and it sounded clean in the loop. In the front it sounded like a fuckin airplane passing by. No articulation but like I said those effects are meant to b in the preamp so it doesn't muddle your tone coming directly from your guitar. That's why only gain related effects are meant to be in the front

[Enlive]

Also it sounds like there's a misconception between louder and better. Louder is not always better which is the case here. Hope this helps and good luck!

[thephantum]

what I am saying if my delay is repeating 7 times in the front of the amp it will only repeat like 3 times in the loop with the exact same settings and sounds horrible compared to the front....I tried this on my brothers Marshall and my delay sounded the exact same in the loop and in the front....

This has been reported more than once and it's never really been sorted out. At least not that I've seen in the forums. It's something with a small subset of Venue amp effects loops; specifically with time based effects and, if memory serves, pretty isolated to a few HT20's and HT40's (I might be wrong about that last bit though).

If you're running the clean channel, there should be almost no difference between having a delay/reverb in front of the amp or in the loop. It should work like any other effects loop wired in series and sound virtually identical. There may be very subtle differences, but nothing even close to your symptoms.

However, on some Venue amps that's not the case. Instead the loop behaves like it's wired in parallel and stuck on a low mix setting...which is exactly the symptoms you're describing.

How old is the amp?

[Evil z006]

It's about six months old.Also I always hear about the word transparent loop what does that exactly mean?

[thephantum]

Transparent means the same thing as it does with effects pedals....that it doesn't impact the tone.

When you are talking about effects loops though, it's more marketing hype than anything. Just like a pedal, no effects loop is truly transparent unless it's completely bypassed. Even if you just hook a patch cable between the send and receive (so no pedals, just a cable), you are sending your signal through an extra circuit that has a buffer which cuts and boosts the signal in a way pre-determined by the amp designer...in this case Blackstar.

It doesn't matter if it's a solid state loop or if it uses a tube. Serial or parallel, if you plug something into it, it will color that sound in some way shape or form...it's just a matter of how much that coloring is minimized. For the record, most modern amps are very good at minimizing that coloring.

Getting back to your problem, effects loops are fairly simple...there's usually a few resistors, capacitors and diodes in the circuit (I think B*'s actually have an IC in there...but don't quote me on that). If any one of those components are out of spec, the loop won't buffer the signal as it's designed/supposed to. For example, an open diode in the loop could be sending part of your effect signal to ground which would cause the symptoms you're experiencing. I'm not saying that's what the problem is....it's just one possibility.

It's still under warranty, so the question is 'how important is the effects loop to you' coupled with 'is there an authorized service center close to you''? If you don't have a center near you, then you have to send it off...and warranty repairs take 8 weeks when sending it in. If you have one near you, it's usually closer to 6.

The other option is to say screw the warranty and bring it to any reputable amp tech.

Don't let anyone tell you "it's acting normally" either, I can tell you for a fact that the loop works just fine on my HT-20....so it should work the same on your HT-40.

[Evil z006]

Very cool and thank you for your valuable information I really appreciate it. I don't know what I will do right now but for the meantime I will just run everything to the front as I have always done

[baddmann28]

are you running other pedals in the loop? is the delay the last in the chain? Check the quality of the cables you are using when running in the loop as well. It all will make a difference.