MULTI-FX Processor....is there even one worth owning?

A BETA postings .....June 11....may need some tweaks and updates but reads ok

DIGITAL MULTI-FX PROCESSORS

In 2006 I bought a Line6 POD rack mount multi FX unit for my studio.

We all know what it 'feels like' to play our slab of wood guitar thru a cranked tube amp...you can 'feel' every note and every chord you play. You can totally eliminate the whole world and you find yourself living in the moment.
Bliss!!!

YES....this is the world of analog.

Unfortunately playing a tune using a great amp etc.
produces results once recorded will have little or no
Improvement over a well modeled amp in a digital processor.

So back to the POD. I was impressed by the quality of the representations of the amps. What I could not get over was...the playing experience.

...lets say you play a verse of a tune. Then....put on your guitar...unplugged and play the exact same part note for note along with the recording. Yup...that's is what it feels like playing these things. You feel that removed from the playing experience.

OK...OK...I know it is not 2006. What is more important is that you can keep your 'dry' signal analog.
This way you only have your FX digital. Yes...this does work very, very well.

Line 6 offer many new and better multi FX pedals...and they even stick them into an amp.
I am not a fan. Why...they still sound like you are playing a recording...  

OK...is that the end of my rant? YES.
Would I ever buy a digital multi FX processor....BIGGER YES!!!!

Ok let me explain. In order to make anything great it can not be compromised. Most of the offerings by these companies are built to a price point. In short the power of the processing is limited to less then the best digital hardware in order to make an affordable product.

BUT WHEN THERE ARE NO COMPROMISES A DIGITAL PEDAL CAN BE A MIND BLOWER!!!

Let me qualify that. I am talking about FX...not digital amp modeling. Analog amp modeling is convincing. So when the best all digital modulating FX ...like the Phaser...Chorus...Flanger etc. are state of the art....they are mind blowing!

NOT THE BEST BUT SOME OF THE BEST USE IT  !!!

LINE 6 MM-4

All the standard modulation pedals in one box. This Digital Box has been around for awhile. When there wasn't something better it was a fav of many pros. Most pro's have moved up but many have hung onto these old 'friends' and got one of the new high end boxes sitting beside it.

$350.00 USD

The delay has n even higher status. It has been around since 2000 . A bit dated.  A bit gritty. A few good cheap analog pedals sound better.

$325.00 USD

THEY BOTH SOUND A BIT THIN AND TRASHY

I CAN SEE HOW THERE IS A BENT APPEAL TO THE TRASHY SIDE OF THEM.

THERE ARE LOTS OF GOOD CHEAP ANALOG PEDALS THAT ARE AS CLEAN...YET FULLER AND RICHER SOUNDING.

IF YOU LIKE THE FUNKINESS OF THEM THERE ARE LOADS OF USED ONES

GOING CHEAP.

THE VERY BEST OF THE BEST

THE STRYMON MOBIUS

This is the very best digital Modulation FX unit I have ever heard....perhaps the best sound FX period!

NOTHING IS PERFECT

I do not like that I cannot simply take a one FX and then stack it with another. I do admit...there are

dozens of great FX that are already so busy and complex...and for that matter amazing that I may not want to...or need to etc. But I would hate to find I needed 3 of these to get what I want. LOL

The first vid is just the chorus...I put it first just to demo something we are all familiar with...and can there fore evaluate the sound quality of the unit. The second vid is a comprehensive walk thru of the unit. The third is bit of everything from basic to the unlistenable.

Current Price $600.00 USD

THE STRYMON TIMELINE

The only obvious omission on the Mobius is a delay. Strymon do it separate as many all analog players make an exception with delay  Stymon like to maintain simplicity and to keep the price of both boxes credible. There is a fine line between expensive but worth the stretch....and "Are you F-ing crazy...Forget  IT!!!" LOL

Current Price $600.00

I have zero complaints with this delay...as in NONE!

So...$600.00 is a big OUCH!...

In comparison to buy the very best analog modulation pedals between $300.00 and $400.00.
Chase Bliss have this market to themselves.

I will do a post on these.

The bottom line is spending about the same money...gives you all the modulation pedals in one box...or 2 FX in 2 boxes.
One gives you choice and variety...the other gives you layering of 2 sounds.

tough call...

OK....now a step further

EVENTIDE X 9 MAX

One thing I like about Stymon...if you have owned the most modest of modulation pedals you can understand...even program a Stymon. It is what you have and know pushed to the limit.

Eventide is a whole different deal.

The company has been around since the 70's. The core business was to make the very best effects for the professional recording studio environment. The studio's had neither the time nor skill to go into multiple layers of programming to create a sound. They wanted these complex artificial environments but they wanted them as simple tweakable presets. I find that this is still the case with their pedals too.

So...what does this mean. Well you get for example a chorus sound that has elements of delay pitch change regeneration with a touch of reverb and phased alternatively from the low notes to the lower mids back to the highs then reversed then split into 2 different pitches and moved across the stereo field at ever increasing speeds. Yup ...no kidding.

Just kidding but you get the idea.
NOW... although it will be the most exciting sound you ever heard. They will give you a few tools to tweak it...but you will be working with an elaborate preset.

So what's wrong with this.

Simple the first time someone uses it noticeably on a big hit record...that sound becomes part of that record and belongs to that artist.

Think of some insipid pop star whose music you hate. If that super jumbo extra big chorus sound was on their record. Could you...or would you ever use that sound. Worse yet what if that sound was used by you just recently on your Indy record.

How many of you have heard of A Yamaha Dx7 keyboard Synth...surprisingly few...how many of you of heard of the Mini Moog...or are aware of Analog synths?

You can buy a nice analog synth today...you can not buy a DX 7 Frequency Modulation synth.. My point is...when the DX  came out it wiped out the market for the analog synth...but no one could program it...everyone who had an analog synth could do enough gut level good guess tweaks and come up with what was often a great sound. So once the exiting new presets on the DX7 went no further then everyone using them...it all became very boring.

My point is......is the Eventide a DX7 ????

There are many lesser pedals each with it's own box...the x9 series. The H is both the 'best of' and it is expandable. For a fee you can download new algorisms. You can even buy the H9 with less then the 47 algorithms and 99 presets. You can expand the entry level or mid priced one up to a MAX.

This thing is impressive...but first does the music you play support the use of it. Do you love a bit of tech...or does that kind of thing leave you cold. Musical tools are there to support and help your creativity. For some this might...for others it will only smother their music.

This is the only unit I have run into that I feel the need to sit on the fence. Those that read here regularly know I am an overbearing self appointed judge of what pedals are great...and what are crap!!!

I will stop here. I will explore and add more here later. At the moment all other multi-units I have heard are waste of your time...they cannot do every separate pedal they do right. They do not get better by cobbling both the good the ok and their crap in one box.

CODA

So what is the verdict.

I bought the Mobius and sold off all my effects.

THE SOUNDS

WHAT'S IS GREAT!

The tonal quality of the sounds is superb. I can not fault them. The pedal is big but not even close to buying a sepate box for all it does.

WHAT IS THE DOWNSIDE. 

Well first the cost. But you get what you paid for.

The pedal is so full of functions for every sound but you only have a tiny 'window' display to see what is going on.The pedal should have an attachment to link it to a PC so everything is laid out on a big screen so you can quickly do and undue anything you change to program you patch (sound).

In short it is a bitch to work with.

Although the sounds are great there are many pedals out there for as little as $35.00 USD that are analog and sound as good. You can cover the basic classic modulation pedals...a phaser , flanger and chorus in a mini pedal format for $100.00 USD each. All 3 are stellar sounding with zero compromise in their classic function

Any unit by any company has  'A Sound' to it. There is an overriding EH sound to a EH pedal...an overriding MXR sound to an MXR pedal etc. If you can buy for example 3 different pedals by 3 different manufacturers your overall tone is much more varied. So with one pedal making all your sounds you can not escape this. Also with the Mobius you can not stack the sounds. With 3 separate pedals you can stack them and use all 3 at once if you wish.

The other problem is that 9 times out of 10 you usually want a simple and usable sound but with

the Mobius and Eventide type pedals you have dozen of things to wade thru just to get a great basic sound. For recording these pedals are great for a crazy sound here and massive noise there. But if you already wrote a nice tune and then thought wouldn't a little nice ambiance be terrific then anything more then a bit of average 3 knob modulation little pedal is unusable.

Live it is just not practical to lean over and give your sound a quick tweek. With a standard stomp box this is a 2 second fix between tunes or even during a tune.

VERDICT

I have my Mobius for sale on Reverb. LOL

I will by 3 small basic modulation boxes...an MXR Phase 95 (buttons and one knob) it is the 

Script writing MXR phase 90... good enough when Eddie uses it to impress any one LOL.

A TC Electronic Corona chorus .that has been pushing past ones costing double the price because it is so good...and the mini sounds exactly the same and the TC Electronic Vortex Flanger that has been doing likewise.

For as often as I use them these are quite adequate.
Sonically they are cutting edge analog...which makes them rubbing shoulders with the clarity of digital but with the richness of a good analog pedal.

What Else???

Well I have been using my TC Electronic Flashback Delay consistently. It is the delay that works for me ...not the brand.

The best delays...or 5 Star candidates are again the Strymon and Eventide products.

fortunately Empress products have entered the picture. Pricing is about the same. Empress has 2 things going for it. User Friendly ...no silly windows to deal with. Just 8 memory spots to store your fav's not hundreds...so thy are easy to flip thru. Last but not least the sound is as detailed but it has a near analog warmth to it.

.

CONCLUSION

Stick with the separate pedals where possible. Trust in analog.

For reverb and delay...use digital... but unless your music dictates

a sonic abstract to convey it or you are a whiz with manipulating software ...keep it simple.