This is the most useful and informative video lesson I have seen on youtube ever. Simple yet in depth , easy for anyone to understand and use to achieve their best tone. Thank you for your time and knowledge .
Awesome vid, I wish there were more people out there explaining relatively complex concepts this clearly and succinctly. THIS is what education should sound like.
Thanks for this video. More people should see it, it answers a lot of questions and especially misconceptions about what a buffer actually is and does!
Great job! I hope this makes it's way around the internet. As a guitar playing electronics tech over 25 years, I have been battling guitarist's for the past 10 years over these absurd myths and misconceptions about true bypass and buffers. I've encountered some that simply refuse to believe me even with demonstrations lining 5 Boss pedals in a row with a frequency analyzer.
This video has been helpful, and I've been struggling with this recently. I got a BONA FIDE buffer, and put it at the front of my pedal chain. The problem came when I posted a picture of my pedal board on a guitar forum. One person said that I did not need that first buffer, because my BOSS RC-3 [at the end] already has a buffer. Then, someone else indicated that my BOSS BC-2 distortion pedal also has a buffer, because ALL BOSS pedals have buffers. Some talked about how the tone suffers with multiple buffers. Others pointed to Robert Smith [The Cure] and Prince as using BOSS pedals and their tone not suffering. Some said they had the BOSS RC-3 at the end of the chain, but that they take it out of the chain when not in use and notice a difference. Others disagreed. My brain had officially melted by the time I found this video, so it was helpful. I think. Maybe it will be more helpful upon reflection, after a nap. It sounds like you don't see an issue with having multiple BOSS pedals in a chain. I know it comes down to whether or not I like the sound that I'm getting. Sometimes I think I'm hearing things as a result of reading too many conversations. The video, and this comment, are helping my blood pressure. Thanks.
Thank you for the video. You put it in a nice easy to understand way and now I understand the principles behind a buffer. Again, I really appreciate it
Great explanation. I watched a dozen Vids from you now and they are all great. Very well researched. You brought a lot of clarity to me - knowledgewise and tonewise!
Great video. It should answer a lot of questions. I have a rig that never leaves home. It's 5 pedals in front of the amp & 10 more in the effects loop. I don't use more than a couple at a time, but I like having them ready to go. The amp used most is a Carvin V3. It has a parallel & a series loop that is switchable. I noticed the highs and a bit of volume get lost when I switch the loop on/off.
Dude, great video... intelligently explained. I've been hearing the buzz word "buffer" for a while not really knowing how it's applied to us pedal junkies and this video really explained everything quite well.. I've been using (2) 20' cables for quite sometime so quite a bit of cable between me and my amp, and have noticed my amp took a lot of pushing to get it happening, an EP Booster at the end of my chain has helped but seems like a Buffer will help me as well as shorter cables.. thanks !
@MrUltraworld Con't: I used a MXR 10 band EQ. With all the effects switched off (but powered up) I adjusted the EQ's highs & gain just a bit until the signals matched with the loops on/off. The EQ is quiet if you just make small adjustments, it's working for me. It sounded best in the center of the effects in the loop, not at the beginning as I first thought. Moving some effects around helped as well. Again, great video. Peace
That was great. I really liked the 2nd part that begins at 6 min. He gives a great breakdown of the physics involved in the transference of tone from pick-up to cable to amp. I think of him as However, he did not answer my question which is will a buffer eliminate the buzzing & white noise that emerges as a result of my 4 pedal board? I believe that my drive pedal is the real culprit.
You're funny as hell Nick! ;-) Loved it, and as a BSEE, I approve. I would question your ability to draw a triangle (op amp symbol) though. Heh heh. ;-) Looked like a mini grand piano.. or New Hampshire... or something. ;-) Anyway.. very good explanation and I hope the 344 views you have thus far becomes 34,400 because it needs more views. Rock on!
Because your treble knob might boost frequencies at 3khz, and your LowPassFilter might have its resonance at 2khz. The effect will not be the same, since the knob on your amp is not made to compensate for your specific situation.
So tone loss is unrelated to gain. Instead, tone loss is a function of cable length, which lowers the resonant frequency of the high-pass filter caused by the RLC circuit constituted by the guitar pickup, instrument cable, and amplifier. Furthermore, tone loss only happens when the chain length exceeds 15 ft, and a buffer is best placed closest to the guitar in the chain.
This is awesome thanks. Makes me understand it. Still I have the oposite problem. I play bass and need a mixer (unfortunately with a buffer) as first in my chain with a fuzz after it. Now the fuzz sounds nasty. What I need is a simple and small solution (maybe even to place inside my handmade fuzz) to change the signal back. Still my feeling is it will not exactly be as simple as a high cut or another low pass filter. What do you think?
Really good video. What is happening when I turn the volume control down on my guitar and all the highs go away. Some guitars can adjust volume and never lose tone. I've read articles about the addition of a capacitor somewhere between the volume pot and ground, but I have never understood how it works. Can you explain?
Question. I have my mad professor sweet honey od plugged in first and always on. My boss dd20 that has a buffer is last in my chain going to the amp. Does the dd20 buffer my mad professors signal or is the buffer useless cause the mad professor is dominating the signal?
i play bass...with vintage DOD PEDALS. I START WITH DOD FX10 BUFFER-BASS COMPRESSOR - EQ - CHORUS - PHASOR - NOISE GATE. SHOULD I RUN THE BUFFER AFTER COMPRESSOR OR BEFORE? THANKS
Okay I find this still confusing if the guitar amplifier is looking for a 1M ohm load and the guitar is a 1M load, then why would you want the buffer to isolate the guitar and then have the output of the buffer low impedance to the amplifier when the amplifier is looking for 1M ohm. In other words why is the input of the buffer 1M ohm and the output is low impedance?
i'm just going to comment my opinions. is their bad buffer pedals. since their is no list online of bad MODERN buffer pedals then no. if a modern pedal is sucking your tone, it probably because it's not playing nice with it's power supply or with another pedal in the chain, or it just defective. i have a crybaby 105q wah. it's said that wahs, biffered or not, are tone suckers. well i tested my modern 105q with a 10 ft and 50 ft cable. i did get the highs back, so the buffer worked. i then compared my regular rig, two 10 ft cables with the wah/true bypass pedal in between. i liked the true bypass sound more than the buffer. in a band situation the buffered sound was good, but while playing solo it wasn't too pleasing. maybe a buffered signal is not totally reconmended for bass. maybe it because i play a HOLLOWBODY bass. or maybe i could get a better buffer. well, in this video he says, if you don't have a buffer and your happy, then get a buffer. same goes with a buffer, if you have a buffer and your tone is not completely horrible, then play with it. you're just going to adjust your amp setting to your liking anyway.
It wouldn't work. All instrument cables (unbalanced) NEED to have two conductors, one for the audio signal and one for the ground. If one is missing you don't have a complete circuit. Now this is different from a balanced cable that will have 3 conductors (and uses "summing" as a way of canceling out noise, allowing for longer runs). But balanced cables only help with noise reduction, and do nothing to help your capacitance (measured in pF/foot). That's where using a buffer comes in.
Just cause i'm a dumbass. Are you saying that if ANY pedal is on, the signal is.. "rejuvenated", even tho the pedal might not be buffered at all ? Or, were you talking about a buffered pedal. (like, say, any boss)
why do people need to buy expensive shit in order to correct a problem that your presence/treble/tone knob can easily handle? I'm as much of a gear junkie as the next guy but jesus...
You got the gift to make complicated things understandable.
This is the most useful and informative video lesson I have seen on youtube ever.
Simple yet in depth , easy for anyone to understand and use to achieve their best tone.
Thank you for your time and knowledge .
"Inaccurate but essentially correct..." Excellent! Enjoyed this thoroughly :)
This guy is hillarious and makes a good video with a lot of knowledge to gain. worth watching!
I’m glad I stumbled upon this- you have the gift of teaching and you know your stuff
OK. so now i need a 'love' button on youtube. Thanks man, that was the most productive use of sixteen minutes thirteen seconds Ive had all weekend!
Awesome vid, I wish there were more people out there explaining relatively complex concepts this clearly and succinctly. THIS is what education should sound like.
Thanks for this video. More people should see it, it answers a lot of questions and especially misconceptions about what a buffer actually is and does!
Great job! I hope this makes it's way around the internet. As a guitar playing electronics tech over 25 years, I have been battling guitarist's for the past 10 years over these absurd myths and misconceptions about true bypass and buffers. I've encountered some that simply refuse to believe me even with demonstrations lining 5 Boss pedals in a row with a frequency analyzer.
This video has been helpful, and I've been struggling with this recently. I got a BONA FIDE buffer, and put it at the front of my pedal chain. The problem came when I posted a picture of my pedal board on a guitar forum.
One person said that I did not need that first buffer, because my BOSS RC-3 [at the end] already has a buffer. Then, someone else indicated that my BOSS BC-2 distortion pedal also has a buffer, because ALL BOSS pedals have buffers.
Some talked about how the tone suffers with multiple buffers. Others pointed to Robert Smith [The Cure] and Prince as using BOSS pedals and their tone not suffering.
Some said they had the BOSS RC-3 at the end of the chain, but that they take it out of the chain when not in use and notice a difference. Others disagreed. My brain had officially melted by the time I found this video, so it was helpful. I think. Maybe it will be more helpful upon reflection, after a nap.
It sounds like you don't see an issue with having multiple BOSS pedals in a chain.
I know it comes down to whether or not I like the sound that I'm getting. Sometimes I think I'm hearing things as a result of reading too many conversations. The video, and this comment, are helping my blood pressure. Thanks.
Thank you for the video. You put it in a nice easy to understand way and now I understand the principles behind a buffer. Again, I really appreciate it
This is the kind of pace of information I can deal with. Thanks for spelling it out dude!
Thank you Mr. Peabody !! You’re always informative!
Watched up to 1:44 and split!! God bless you for great advice!
Great explanation. I watched a dozen Vids from you now and they are all great. Very well researched. You brought a lot of clarity to me - knowledgewise and tonewise!
Great Video. Just got my Dan Bulldog love pedal buffer . Works great
Pete Cornish is the heavyweight proponent of buffered pedals. Hard to argue with his CV and Nick explains it perfectly.
Awesome video! Extremely helpful.
Thanks Nick! Great explanation
Really enjoy your vids!!
Great teaching skills,thanking you.
This is a great master class!!! Thxx
A very good and enlightening video, thank you.
Great video. Really brought me to the light with buffers. Im gonna go pick up one.
Very informative and entertaining! Thank you.
Great video! Thanks for the explanations. Very helpful
HA! Serious LOL at 7:32. Thanks for the outstanding vid!
Great video. It should answer a lot of questions. I have a rig that never leaves home. It's 5 pedals in front of the amp & 10 more in the effects loop. I don't use more than a couple at a time, but I like having them ready to go. The amp used most is a Carvin V3. It has a parallel & a series loop that is switchable. I noticed the highs and a bit of volume get lost when I switch the loop on/off.
Thank you so much for this, now I finally get it!
Dude, great video... intelligently explained. I've been hearing the buzz word "buffer" for a while not really knowing how it's applied to us pedal junkies and this video really explained everything quite well.. I've been using (2) 20' cables for quite sometime so quite a bit of cable between me and my amp, and have noticed my amp took a lot of pushing to get it happening, an EP Booster at the end of my chain has helped but seems like a Buffer will help me as well as shorter cables.. thanks !
Great..Good understanding!!
Thanks for the enlightenment!
AWESOME! Thanks a lot!
Great video! This really helped. Cheers! :)
Dude you're awesome. I love your videos! KEEP THEM UP!!! +1
U da man Sir. Straight foward info.
Thanks, help me understand much better
@MrUltraworld Con't: I used a MXR 10 band EQ. With all the effects switched off (but powered up) I adjusted the EQ's highs & gain just a bit until the signals matched with the loops on/off. The EQ is quiet if you just make small adjustments, it's working for me. It sounded best in the center of the effects in the loop, not at the beginning as I first thought. Moving some effects around helped as well.
Again, great video. Peace
very well done video. funny, enlightening, accessible.
this should def have more views...!!!
A
great help! Thank you
Great video. Thanks.
GREAT advice
Great vid! Too many players are obsessed with having all true bypass pedals.
This guy is actually really good!
This video is fantastic- a great balance of common sense advice and scientific principal. Now I get it!
That was great. I really liked the 2nd part that begins at 6 min. He gives a great breakdown of the physics involved in the transference of tone from pick-up to cable to amp. I think of him as
However, he did not answer my question which is will a buffer eliminate the buzzing & white noise that emerges as a result of my 4 pedal board? I believe that my drive pedal is the real culprit.
great vid thanks!
You're funny as hell Nick! ;-) Loved it, and as a BSEE, I approve. I would question your ability to draw a triangle (op amp symbol) though. Heh heh. ;-) Looked like a mini grand piano.. or New Hampshire... or something. ;-) Anyway.. very good explanation and I hope the 344 views you have thus far becomes 34,400 because it needs more views.
Rock on!
Because your treble knob might boost frequencies at 3khz, and your LowPassFilter might have its resonance at 2khz. The effect will not be the same, since the knob on your amp is not made to compensate for your specific situation.
So tone loss is unrelated to gain. Instead, tone loss is a function of cable length, which lowers the resonant frequency of the high-pass filter caused by the RLC circuit constituted by the guitar pickup, instrument cable, and amplifier. Furthermore, tone loss only happens when the chain length exceeds 15 ft, and a buffer is best placed closest to the guitar in the chain.
best 1 take of purposeful talking on youtube. thanks
This is awesome thanks. Makes me understand it.
Still I have the oposite problem. I play bass and need a mixer (unfortunately with a buffer) as first in my chain with a fuzz after it. Now the fuzz sounds nasty. What I need is a simple and small solution (maybe even to place inside my handmade fuzz) to change the signal back. Still my feeling is it will not exactly be as simple as a high cut or another low pass filter. What do you think?
Your raidiator is true bypass. :P Thanks for supergreat video!!
Really good video. What is happening when I turn the volume control down on my guitar and all the highs go away. Some guitars can adjust volume and never lose tone. I've read articles about the addition of a capacitor somewhere between the volume pot and ground, but I have never understood how it works. Can you explain?
Last in the chain mate, but before delays and reverbs... Otherwise they'll be cut off by the gate as it closes
Question. I have my mad professor sweet honey od plugged in first and always on. My boss dd20 that has a buffer is last in my chain going to the amp. Does the dd20 buffer my mad professors signal or is the buffer useless cause the mad professor is dominating the signal?
i play bass...with vintage DOD PEDALS. I START WITH DOD FX10 BUFFER-BASS COMPRESSOR - EQ - CHORUS - PHASOR - NOISE GATE. SHOULD I RUN THE BUFFER AFTER COMPRESSOR OR BEFORE? THANKS
so what if the cable didnt have that shield on the outside of the conductor?
buffer vs. fx loop?
not really related, but where should I put a noise gate in my chain?
This video describes pedal buffers extra good.
Okay I find this still confusing if the guitar amplifier is looking for a 1M ohm load and the guitar is a 1M load, then why would you want the buffer to isolate the guitar and then have the output of the buffer low impedance to the amplifier when the amplifier is looking for 1M ohm. In other words why is the input of the buffer 1M ohm and the output is low impedance?
ProGuitarShop
Andys Corner sent me !
i'm just going to comment my opinions. is their bad buffer pedals. since their is no list online of bad MODERN buffer pedals then no. if a modern pedal is sucking your tone, it probably because it's not playing nice with it's power supply or with another pedal in the chain, or it just defective. i have a crybaby 105q wah. it's said that wahs, biffered or not, are tone suckers. well i tested my modern 105q with a 10 ft and 50 ft cable. i did get the highs back, so the buffer worked. i then compared my regular rig, two 10 ft cables with the wah/true bypass pedal in between. i liked the true bypass sound more than the buffer. in a band situation the buffered sound was good, but while playing solo it wasn't too pleasing. maybe a buffered signal is not totally reconmended for bass. maybe it because i play a HOLLOWBODY bass. or maybe i could get a better buffer. well, in this video he says, if you don't have a buffer and your happy, then get a buffer. same goes with a buffer, if you have a buffer and your tone is not completely horrible, then play with it. you're just going to adjust your amp setting to your liking anyway.
You could bleed your radiator :)
It wouldn't work. All instrument cables (unbalanced) NEED to have two conductors, one for the audio signal and one for the ground. If one is missing you don't have a complete circuit.
Now this is different from a balanced cable that will have 3 conductors (and uses "summing" as a way of canceling out noise, allowing for longer runs). But balanced cables only help with noise reduction, and do nothing to help your capacitance (measured in pF/foot). That's where using a buffer comes in.
you rule
you are so funny
Just cause i'm a dumbass. Are you saying that if ANY pedal is on, the signal is.. "rejuvenated", even tho the pedal might not be buffered at all ?
Or, were you talking about a buffered pedal. (like, say, any boss)
XL-cellent video. Debunking the lack of fundamentals of some self nominated doctors out there.
why do people need to buy expensive shit in order to correct a problem that your presence/treble/tone knob can easily handle? I'm as much of a gear junkie as the next guy but jesus...