What is Line Level

[bob barcus]

Hi I am new.I have alot of rack gear that I have slowly bought over the last 5 years But some of it has -10db +4 switch's in back I want to put at least 2 DDL and a Reverb inline but it sounds loaded down How did they use this stuff before switching systems like Voodoo Labs CGX or Bradshaws.To make thing worse all my amps are vintage non FX loops 1960's Marshall,Bandmaster and my 1484 Silvertone twin-12

[The Scum]

How they used to do it, before there were line level FX loops?

They either put the FX inline, and accepted to tone suck, or they miced the amp, and ran the FX from the mixing board.

[Milkmansound]

Line Level is either +4dB or -10dB.

Most consumer gear, like a CD player, is -10, and most pro gear, like what you might find in a recording studio is +4. Depending on what you are interfacing with, you'll need to set the inputs and outputs of your effects accordingly.

If you are using a guitar amp's effects loop - read the manual for that piece of equipment to determine what the output is.

If you are using guitar pedals, they are generally not line level - they are designed for guitar level signals. Also, their impedance is different than line level devices. Not to say they won't work - some of them are very forgiving - however, if you want to interface guitar pedals and +4 or -10 equipment, you must put something in between them. Radial and Rolls make a few products that do this.

If you are using rack equipment with a guitar amp, you'll need to do the same, just the other way around. The amp wants to see guitar level, and the gear wants to see line level. Maybe a preamp before the effects, and then a reamp type step down to guitar level into the amp. If you get the impedances right, you should be able to avoid the tone suck.

But you can never avoid the money suck! No cheap way to do it properly!

[bob barcus]

How they used to do it, before there were line level FX loops?

They either put the FX inline, and accepted to tone suck, or they miced the amp, and ran the FX from the mixing board.

I have a little Carven 16 ch.board Can I run the Rack FX All inline to the Return/send.

[Snarl 12/8]

You could DI into some sort of active DI that puts out a line level signal (one of my few uses for my PreSonus BlueTube) then go through your line level effects, then into a ReAmp (line level to instrument level converter) and then into your amp. You might not really be getting the most tone out of your guitar amps at this point though. Maybe one of those amps could be modded to have a line level effects loop after the pre?