MPX-1 programming advice needed

john lemay · From: Ainsworth NE

I need to be able to set up an MPX-1 so it is in parallel, full "wet" mode. A little tough for me to do since I don't have one in front of me. My preamp treats reverb like a studio console does. It splits off a portion of the main signal, processes it then sums the reverb output with the main signal. If the reverb has the slightest amount of "dry" signal along with the wet, the delay inherent in the digital processing for reverb forms a comb filter and adds a nasty midrange flavor to the reverb. The solution is to make sure that dry signal never appears on the output of the reverb.The other reverbs I have encountered don't have this problem. I think it's all in how it's set up.
Any help setting this beast up to do this would be greatly appreciated.

BTW the head of Lexicon reverb said that the newer MX 200 has better reverb algorithims that the MPX-1 and is far easier to set up.

Randy Beavers · From: Lebanon,TN 37090

John, I think you can download the manual online. It is a beast to figure out. The hardest part for me was that their terminology is different. When you see the diagram in the manual of upper and lower blocks, you'll see how they explain parallel routing. You should be able to do what you need with making the output signal 100% wet, but then control the amount of output from each effect.

Dave Diehl · From: Mechanicsville, MD, USA

Randy is right John. The manual does outline the procedures regarding path slitting and it's pretty easy after you go through it once. The MX 200 is easier to work with because it does not allow you the flexibility as the MPX1 does and there are limits to what you can do. The MPX1 does seem to be a little intimidating but when you finally get the hang of it, it's pretty simple. Like working on a Push Pull guitar!

Rob Segal · From: New York NY

1. press ‘mix’ button
2. using the left-right scroll buttons, scroll to the mix settings for each effect and dial those mix settings to 100%
3. save the changes you’ve made

That’s it.

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

http://www.lexiconpro.com/Product_Downloads/MPX1_User_Guide_Rev2.pdf

john lemay · From: Ainsworth NE

Thanks everyone for your help!

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

John,

I deal with this very same issue because my preamp also uses a parallel effects loop. I believe that Buddy Castelberry has finally figured out how to program this particular topology, so maybe he'll chime in here.

Also, the problem I saw with the MX200 is that while you can set it for 100% wet, the second you try to make it have relatively more delay than reverb, or more reverb than delay, it automatically starts to mix dry signal back in. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this. But when I checked out that unit, that was the main problem I saw with it for use with my preamp.

But John, it's a great point to remind people about. Any dry signal present at the output of the unit will wreak havoc to the overall tone since that dry signal coming from the effect unit is just slightly late or latent due to the processor. Mixing a late signal with the original dry signal in the preamp is a really bad thing to do. GD Walker's preamps also offer this parallel topology.

I sure with the MPX-1 was easier to wrangle.

Brad

Buddy Castleberry · From: HAWKINSVILLE GA USA - R.I.P.

I TALKED WITH JOHN ON THE PHONE
I HAVE DONE THE PARRALLE THING
AND GETTING DECENT SOUND .
BUT I STILL SAY THE BEST SOUND YOU WILL GET IS
BY NOT USING THE EFFECTS LOOP .
I SENT RANDY A PM MAYBE HES DOING SOMETHING IVE
MISSED .SOME OF THE SETTINGS I HAVE JUST CANT GET MUCH BETTER. AND LIKE BRAD SAID ITS COMPLICATED
TO DO THE PARRALLE THING.THE WAY YOU SELECT AND WHERE YOU SELECT THE YOUR EFFECTS FROM IN THE FACTORY SETTINGS MAKES A LOT OF DIFFERENCE IN TONE
SOME MAY SOUND GOOD WHILE OTHERS WILL SOUND LIKE CRAP
THATS WHY I DO THESE THE WAY I DO .I HAD RATHER HAVE SEVERAL CHOICES THAN JUST TURNING A KNOB UP OR DOWN
I HAVE AND ORGAN EFFECT THAT WOULD BE HARD TO DO IN PARRALLE.IVE JUST ABOUT GOT A DOBRO SOUND NEEDS A LITTLE MORE WORK.
BUT ILL HELP ANWAY I CAN Very Happy

Randy Beavers · From: Lebanon,TN 37090

If I had a new unit in front of me now I'd still have to go to the manual to figure it out.

First things first. Have you configured the input to mono left or right only? If you haven't, that may be the biggest problem.

After that my routing looks like:
I=p=c=m=D=====O
``````l____=R=E_ll
( finally got this to look more accurate)

The letters in lower case are not active effects, and upper case are active.
The = denotes stereo path, while __ is mono.
This particular routing is: Input-pitch-chorus-modulation-Delay-Output. This is the upper block as it's referred to. The lower block is split into a parallel signal after the modulation effect, then goes to the Reverb and EQ effects. It then joins back at the output.

Upper block:
Delay (M) with Mix: 100%, Level: -8db, Dly Time: 325 with the option tap/ms, Fbk: 20%.

Lower Block:
Reverb (Hall), Mix: 100%, Level: +6, Size: 60.0m, Link: on, Diff: 80%, P.dly: 20ms, Bass: 1.5X, Decay: 2.54s, Xover: 654, Rt Hc: 9.3k, Shape: 106, Spred: 172.

EQ 2-Band (S), Mix: 100%, Level 0db, Gain1: +3, Fc 1: 650, Q1: 1.1, Mode1: L Shelf,
Gain 2: -4, Fc 2: 7000, Q2: 0.7, Mode 2: H Shelf.

I have several variations of this program, but this is where I start from. I don't use a lot of reverb or delay, but I can get it very wet and lush sounding simply by turning up the mix knob on the effects loop.

To me the tell tale sign is to get your tone like you want it with no effects at all, then blend in reverb and delay to taste. I hear no degradation at all when I blend this in. If I can't hear any loss in tone like that, I don't know how it could get any better.

I sincerely hope this helps. I know I'm confused. Shocked

john lemay · From: Ainsworth NE

Thanks ever so much for that information Randy. I really appreciate it!

Buddy Castleberry · From: HAWKINSVILLE GA USA - R.I.P.

thanks randy ill copy that and see what i come up with

Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

The Stereo Steel pre has a selector switch to run in parallel or series.

Dave Diehl · From: Mechanicsville, MD, USA

Would you agree Brad/Buddy that it's not necessarily as simple as setting parallel paths in the chain. You really have to think about what it is you want it to do before setting the paths. You may first have to order the effects in the chain and determine where you want to make the split and where you want to rejoin it. There are cases where you want the split to occur after any EQ or Volume controls and then there are cases where you want them before. For example..I have experimented with ordering the same effects settings but switching the Delay and the Reverb from one pathway to the other and it does sound different. It all depends on what you want to accomplish but there are many more options in setting these chains up then simply setting a parallel pathway.

Eric Philippsen · From: Central Florida USA

I have an MPX-1 that I wanted to use in my Rev's parallel loops. But the programming was just plain daunting and intimidating. So, I put it after my Rev's output. That was OK - still great. Then I got a TC M-One which is a great unit, too, and easy to use in any configuration, especially parallel. But I still miss that Lexicon reverb.

Truth be told, I'm probably the only one who hears the difference but that's a subject for another post.

Anyway, looks like I'll just have to dive in and learn the programming for the Lexicon. Thanks to everyone for the hints, info and settings.

Randy Beavers · From: Lebanon,TN 37090

I've been writing some new programs this morning and one thing is for certain, even if you put the unit in series after your preamp, the effects routing map has to be parallel or you don't have control over the individual effects levels. If you leave the routing in series when you turn down the last effect in the chain, you're turning down all the previous effects as well.

I'm referring to the MPX-1's internal routing map, not the physical hook up of chords.

I just wrote a nice fat chorus and reverb effect. It sounds great in the loop.

Buddy Castleberry · From: HAWKINSVILLE GA USA - R.I.P.

RANDY I TOOK ONE OF MY HUGHEY SETTINGS AND PUT
IT IN PARALLEL ,PUT THE REVERB ON BOTTOM
IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE ,SOUNDS GREAT SEEMS TO CLEAN UP THE VERB.
I COULDNT TELL ANY DIFFERENCE WHEN I TURNED
THE LEVEL DOWN ON MY LAST EFFECT IN SERIES ,IT DIDNT SEEM TO MESS WITH ANYTHING ELSE
THANK NEW IDEAS ALWAYS HELPS

Buddy Castleberry · From: HAWKINSVILLE GA USA - R.I.P.

HERES THE SETTINGS
REVERB PLATE--MIX 25%
LEVEL +6%
RVB SIZE 47.0M
LINK OFF
RVB DIFF 100%
P DLY 22%
RVB BASS 1.2X
DECAY 2.50
RVB XOUR 90
RT HC 9.9K
RVB SHAPE 115
SPREAD 16

TAP DELAY (M) MIX +7%
LEVEL 6%
DLY TIME 1:1
FBK +10%
DAMP OFF

Stephen Silver · From: Asheville, NC

Hey guys

i purchased an MPX1 from Buddy Castleberry last year and have been using it in the Hughey config, ie between the Rev and the Amp. i was not all that happy that 1) I couldn't increase the effects through the effects loop 2) the Lex input and output were now in control of my over mix and volume and not my Rev.

Buddy had programmed in the Randy Beavers settings (well, they were close, but not quite what Randy did) and today I hooked it up finally to try that.

Now, my effects return knob on the Rev controls all of the volume of my preamp.....ie, if I turn the effects loop entirely counterclockwise, I have no volume.

Any ideas what's up with that?

Thanks

SS
_________________
Life is mostly Attitude and Timing

Buddy Castleberry · From: HAWKINSVILLE GA USA - R.I.P.

STEVEN THATS THE REASON WE SET JOHNS PROGRAMS LIKE WE DID EACH PROGRAM INCREASES THE REVERB MIX
UP A LITTLE MORE .WE HAD EACH PROGRAM LIKE HE WANTED IT .THEN HE JUST SELECTED THE PROGRAM HE WANTED
ALSO WE SET HAL RUGGS PROGRAM THEN HE WOULD
PRESS HIS MIX BUTTON AND ADJUST THE REVERB UP OR DOWN EVEN IN THE SAME SONG IF HE WANTED .
THATS WHAT THE MIX BUTTON IS FOR ,QUICK ACCESS TO THE MIXES FOR EACH EFFECT .THERES SO MANY WAYS TO USE THIS THING.BUT KEEP IN MIND EACH LITTLE THING YOU
DO MAY CHANGE TONE .IF YOU STORE A PRESET TO THE USER SECTION THAT HAS SEVERAL EFFECTS THE TONE MAY BE NOT GOOD.I GO GET EACH EFFECT BY ITS SELF AND BUILD THE PROGRAM .MOST REVERBS WHEN YOU STORE THEM WILL ALSO STORE A EQ WITH IT ,THAT EFFECTS TONE EVEN THO YOU CAN PUNCH IT OUT .SO YOU HAVE TO JUST PLAY AROUND AND GET THE BEST YOU CAN

mtulbert · From: Plano, Texas 75023

One thing that you guys should be aware of. I talked to Brad Sarno about this as well.. If you do not use the the effects loop of your Revelation or any Tube Pre-amp for that matter you have basically eliminated the reason why you bought it ie for the warmth of the tubes.

From what I can gather and Brad backed me up on this if you go series than the nice tube sound becomes converted to a digital sound as it goes through the Lexicon. Brad and I both think that there is no straight pass through on the Lexicon. So to have the sound of the tubes really present you need to go through the effects bus. Doing this you are mixing the reverb with the output of the Revelation and eliminate the Lexicon processing of your dry signal.

Sounds confusing and it is. But the end result is great reverb and other effects that can be gotten from the Lexicon.

Again just trying to help. The reason I went to Brad on this was a friend of mine was having some problems with his Lexicon and was not happy when he hooked it up in series. I wanted to make sure that the processing of the dry signal was indeed taking place in the Lex.

Regards,

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