Using Pedals When Mixing

You’re deep into a mix session, and you’re looking for new textures to give your mix a unique sonic signature. You want drums with character, guitar effects that paint a complex backdrop, and a vocal sound that cannot be ignored. You’ve gone through your plug-in collection, and it failed to “wow” you. But you don’t have a rack full of expensive hardware effects processors — or maybe you do but they aren’t creating the vibe you’re searching for, either. What to do? Try using your guitar effects pedals in your mix — each of these inexpensive hardware processors offers its own unique flavor and can open up creative possibilities you haven’t yet considered. Here is how to start mixing with guitar effects pedals.

Why Use Pedals Instead of Plug-ins?

Have you noticed that there are thousands of plug-ins that go to great lengths to model the sound and character of hardware effects processors? There’s no denying that there’s a certain vibe that goes along with using real hardware. And there’s a reason guitarists get addicted to building their pedal collections — every single pedal is its own unique circuitry and sound, and therefore its own character. Because guitar pedals are inexpensive compared to rackmount processors and even many plug-ins, they are an affordable way to add new sonic options when you’re mixing.

Adding guitar effects pedals to your mixing workflow can be a huge creative inspiration, as it encourages you to get hands-on with your sounds and turn some knobs. And there is something unique and addictive about creating a pedal collection for mix sessions. The change in your workflow can be as creatively invigorating as the actual sounds you’ll be producing, and the significance of that shouldn’t be underestimated.

How to Hook Up Your Pedals

1. Connecting your interface to your pedal

Assuming you already have an audio interface or mixing console, you’re nearly ready to start mixing with guitar pedals — you just need to convert the line-level* output from your interface or mixer to the instrument-level** signal your pedals expect to receive. The technical reasons for this conversion are a topic for another article. To maintain the highest signal quality possible, you need a solution to convert your low-impedance, line-level signal from your interface to a high-impedance, instrument-level signal for your pedals.

* Line-level signals in the studio are typically either -10dBV or +4dBu, which can be 0.3 volts (300 millivolts) to 1.2 volts, respectively.

** Instrument-level signals, by contrast, are much lower, such as 0.1th of a volt, which is 100 millivolts.

For less than the price of most guitar pedals, a simple re-amping box, such as the Radial ProRMP, will get the job done. You connect an output from your interface or mixer to its line-level input, then send the instrument-level output to your pedal with a standard instrument cable.

2. Send audio to the pedal

Set up an auxiliary send (Aux Send) in your DAW’s mixer and assign it to the output that you’ve connected to your re-amping device — label it “Pedal Send” or something similar in your DAW. Also create a new audio track and set its input to the return path on your interface — either the Hi-Z instrument input or the appropriate microphone input if you’re recording the pedal chain with a mic on a guitar amplifier. Label this track “Pedal Return.” To send a track through your effects pedals, simply select that channel in your DAW and raise its Pedal Chain Send level. To hear the output from your pedals, select your Pedal Return channel and enable input monitoring (or enable input monitoring on your audio interface). When you hit play in your DAW, audio will be sent via the Pedal Chain Send output to your pedal chain, and the processed audio will return to the Effects Return input, where you can record it for editing and mixing.

NOTE: Make sure you’re sending an appropriate signal level to the pedal so that you’re not overloading it.

3. Returning the processed signal

To get the audio from your pedals back into your session, you have two options: connect the pedal output into the Hi-Z instrument input on your audio interface or send it to a guitar amplifier for recording with a microphone. Many re-amping boxes, such as the Radial EXTC-SA, are also capable of converting the output of your pedals back to a line-level signal — with a box like this, you’ll connect that signal into one of the line-level inputs on your audio interface.

4. Recording the results

When you like the sound you’re getting from your pedals, you can record it to an audio track for mixing. Simply record-enable your Effects Return channel, and hit record in your DAW. Whatever audio you send through your effects pedals will be processed and then recorded, ready to be edited and mixed with your other tracks.

Pro Tip: Be sure not to send the Effects Return track back into the Pedal Send bus when you have input monitoring enabled — that will create a feedback loop.

If you’re using a mixing console to route signals instead of a DAW, the concept is the same — connect an aux send to your re-amping device, then connect its output to your pedal chain. Use aux sends on the console’s channel strips to send signals to your pedal chain. If your re-amping device can convert your pedal chain back to a line-level signal, you can return that to a spare channel on your mixer. Or you can send the pedal chain to a guitar amp and capture it with a microphone.

Pro Tip: When using a DAW, be aware of the latency of your interface. Some effects such as delay or reverb won’t be adversely affected by a 2-millisecond converter delay. Other effects may. Zoom in close and look at the dry (original) vs. wet (processed) signals. Make sure the wet signal is time-aligned with the dry signal. You may have to nudge the recorded wet signal earlier in time to make the two signals align correctly.

Where Do You Start?

Rule #1: Abandon all hesitation. Seriously, try everything. Run drums through an envelope filter pedal. Push string pads through a deep vibrato. Send vocal tracks through a reverb pedal, and turn knobs in real time as you record for extra animation. See how a compressor pedal adds a certain character you won’t get with your compressor plug-ins. Bring virtual instruments out of their digital birthplace into your pedal chain, then through an amplifier (or maybe a Leslie cabinet) and record it with a mic.

Once you’ve had a chance to play around and get a feel for the workflow, the next logical step is to consider what processors you already reach for on a regular basis. Do you use reverb plug-ins on every mix, but sometimes have trouble getting the texture you want? Get some reverb effects pedals, and you’ll always have a few different flavors to choose from. Are you addicted to delay plug-ins, and find yourself selecting the analog setting more often than not? Then you’ll probably like using delay effects pedals even more.

Just as important as the effects you’ll be creating is how you layer them within the mix itself. To create a rich backdrop for a solo guitar part, consider recording multiple passes with slightly different effects settings, then mixing them together at low levels with different panning positions. For a big sonic impact, replace just one bar of a dry vocal track with a bar of the completely effected track. To add sizzle to dry drums, blend in a fully distorted drum track underneath at low level, just enough to be barely audible. As with any type of effects track, how you blend it with the rest of the track is just as important as the sound of the effect itself.

What Are My Options?

Re-amp like a champ

Luckily, Sweetwater carries a wide range of re-amp devices, ensuring you’ll easily find the best features for your projects. For example, whether you have a tight budget or know you can splurge on the best gear, we still help you find the right option. For starters, if you don’t already own a DI box, then you can buy re-amp devices that combine the functions of a DI with re-amping capabilities. That way, you can utilize one piece of gear to take care of your signals during recording and re-amping, and you won’t have to worry about keeping tabs on extra gadgets. Second, you can decide how many channels you’ll need; do you want a stereo or a mono re-amper? In most cases, mono will work fine to route a signal to an amp. But, if you want to bring a secondary amp into the picture or stereo instruments like keyboards, a stereo re-amper is calling your name. Last, you’ll need to keep an eye out for differing features; some re-amp devices offer things like polarity switches, wet and dry blend knobs, ground lifts, and even preamp and tone-shaping sections. Check out this list of Sweetwater’s favorite re-amping accessories.

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Put the pedal to the metal

The sky’s the limit when it comes to pedal exploration. And, while that’s true, it’s also good to start with some core processors to get a balanced mix that doesn’t run away from you. For this purpose, you can get your hands on EQ, compression, delay, reverb, and modulation effects — these will keep your focus on hammering out the basics before flying off into Floydian exploration. Here’s a list of some of our favorite pedals for re-amp mixing!

TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2 x4 Reverb Pedal

The Hall of Fame from TC Electronic can up your reverb game, thanks to wide-ranging features, even allowing you to craft your own reverb sounds. Also, with multi-reverb switching, you can truly get a unique sound for guitar, vocals, keyboards, or anything else you want to re-amp. With this pedal, you can run the gamut of reverb — 10 types of reverb are at your disposal, and four footswitches let you toggle on the fly. What’s more, you can connect TonePrint-enabled expression pedals and utilize the MIDI connection for even more control. And, for something a little out of the ordinary, try the Hall of Fame’s Shimmer reverb that’ll add complex ethereal effects.

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Source Audio Atlas Compressor Pedal

Forget about using plug-ins for compression. Why spend the extra money for a plug-in when you can outfit your pedalboard and your mixing station in one go? The stereo Source Audio Atlas Compressor pedal will hold your musical world on its shoulders with excellent compression for expert-sounding mixes. Classic compression sounds abound with everything from optical to RMS to VCA. A companion app, the Source Audio Neuro, even gives you detailed controls over crafting your perfect compression tone. Squash, smash, and slam to your heart’s content and rock out with it on your pedalboard for your next gig, as well.

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Wampler Terraform Modulation Multi-effects Pedal

Having the right slew of effects pedals can paint your sound with unique earmarks that designate your musical style. Instead of dropping your dough on several pedals, why not just grab the Terraform modulation multi-effects pedal from Wampler and have all the best in one unit? Eleven modulation effects including tremolo, autowah, rotary, chorus, phaser, and flanger — to name a few — as well as a true-stereo signal path outfit this pedal with the power to handle any project. A range of five knobs gives you diverse control over each modulation, granting you the power for hands-on twiddling during the re-amping process. The cherry on top? MIDI and expression-pedal connections for external control capabilities.

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BOSS EQ-200 Graphic Equalizer Pedal

With a 10-band range of equalizing intricacy, it’s easy to see why the BOSS EQ-200 graphic equalizer pedal ranks high on our list of re-amp mixing pedals. This level of detail, with 15dB of cut or boost for each slider, will provide your mixing with a comprehensive EQ section. In fact, the EQ-200 sports two 10-band EQs running simultaneously; and, thanks to this undercover feature, you can choose to run them in series, parallel, or stereo. That means whatever musical performance you need to re-amp and mix, the BOSS EQ-200 has you covered. The tactile sliders offer you a hands-on approach to EQing that you can’t get with a plug-in; a graphic display even shows the EQ curve. Four memory slots and a range of selectable frequencies set you up for success in your re-amp mixing endeavors. Sweetwater tip: It can craft incredible sound design with synthesizers.

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Strymon Deco Tape Saturation and Doubletracker Delay Pedal

Rich harmonics, sound doubling, full-on tape delay — you’ve got it all at your fingertips with the Strymon Deco Tape Saturation and Doubletracker delay pedal. Offering two fully detailed tape-deck emulations, it can achieve gritty tones on keyboards and rich harmonics on guitar tracks; but that’s barely scratching the surface. Like back in the days when 2-inch tape ran wild, you can harness double-tracking effects like flanging, chorusing, delay, and tape echo with that vintage flair. Stereo and mono modes give you the power to harness this pedal with any of your setups. The two footswitchable sections provide you with direct control over the parameters, ensuring you can twiddle to your heart’s content.

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J. Rockett Audio Designs Clockwork Echo Delay Pedal

We’ll start off telling you about the J. Rockett Audio Designs Clockwork echo delay pedal by revealing its secret: the design is courtesy of bucket-brigade monarch Howard Davis. The Clockwork serves up boatloads of bucket-brigade-inspired delay with the help of modern technology. From manic self-oscillation to ultra-short delays, you can pick your delay-pedal poison, thanks to a wide range of controllable parameters, a modulation section, and even tap tempo. Your re-amped tracks won’t know what hit them!

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Never Stop Experimenting

Instead of giving you a list of pedal combinations to try, the point of this article is to show you how simple it can be to add a whole new workflow to your mixing process. Once you’ve added re-amping capabilities to your studio, you’ll be able to quickly and easily explore more sonic possibilities than we could ever list here. You’ll start to see every guitar pedal as a unique hardware processor, not just a tool for guitarists. And as your pedal collection grows, you’ll be better equipped to add your own signature sound that no one else can exactly replicate.

Want to know more about re-amping and mixing with effects pedals? Give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call anytime — we understand the recording process inside and out, and we know what a powerful tool re-amping can be during mixdown. Whether you need to know more about setting up the signal chain, or want some advice on pedals to try, we’re here to help at (800) 222-4700!
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