How to use the TS9DX as a booster?

[XenoJin]

Hello guys, I've recently got a TS9DX.
I'm also using the AMT SS-11 Tube Pre-amp.

Here is my setup: Guitar>Tuner>Wah>SS-11>TS9DX>Delay>Reverb>Amp
When the TS9DX is switched on, the sound becomes somewhat "muffled" even after my tone knob is set to max.

After using it for awhile, my friend told me to place the TS9DX before the SS-11:

Guitar>Tuner>Wah>TS9DX>SS-11>Delay>Reverb>Amp
By placing it this way, I can hardly notice any changes to the sound when I on/off the pedal.

What's the most recommended ways of using it? Also I'm using a solid state amp, if that makes any difference.

 

[J.custom]

Well it depends. If you want gain boost, it's usually before your main drive, volume boost after it. If you're using it to boost your amp into overdrive, that's a totally different story.

 

[relinquish69]

@TS What amp are you using now? Let us know first before answering the other questions later.

You have to understand the characteristic of a Tube Screamer pedal. It makes your tone more "round". In your case, it could mean "muffled".

Try this first. Guitar>TS9DX>Amp to find out more about the characteristics of this pedal. It is not the cleanness / most transparent booster pedal around btw.

To me, the SS-11 is modern sounding whereas the TS9DX is steering more towards the vintage sound side. I think what would suit your needs better would be a modern sounding boost. You can look at the range of Xotic pedals or even try a Catalinbread. I'm using the first version of Catalinbread's Super Chile Picoso and that works well for me. If I wanted a Marshall kinda sound, I would use a Crunchbox and boost it with a TS-808.

Btw preamp pedals themselves pack a whole lot of gain. try messing around with the pre and post volume of the amp before considering a booster pedal. any more boosting would get you nothing more than mud.

 

[AbeGoh]

Hello guys, I've recently got a TS9DX.
I'm also using the AMT SS-11 Tube Pre-amp.

Here is my setup: Guitar>Tuner>Wah>SS-11>TS9DX>Delay>Reverb>Amp
When the TS9DX is switched on, the sound becomes somewhat "muffled" even after my tone knob is set to max.

After using it for awhile, my friend told me to place the TS9DX before the SS-11:

Guitar>Tuner>Wah>TS9DX>SS-11>Delay>Reverb>Amp
By placing it this way, I can hardly notice any changes to the sound when I on/off the pedal.

What's the most recommended ways of using it? Also I'm using a solid state amp, if that makes any difference.

Your friend is right. TS9DX > SS-11 to push the SS-11 over it's gain ranges. However, the TS9DX is supposedly a bit stronger than the TS7 that I used to use. I use the TS7 at vol about 10 o'clock with a bit of gain and tone in, about 8-9 o'clock for both for lead. Hot mode was sometimes engaged, but it depended on how much boost I needed.

I think you could be playing at low levels? Try playing at higher volume levels, the audio normally sounds different like that.

 

[theunknown]

if ure using max gain on the preamp, confirm ure not getting MUCH difference. cos od/boost before main drive is a gain boost. but if after, its a volume boost and alter the voicing.

so..what boost do you want? volume? gain? frequencies?

 

[XenoJin]

@TS What amp are you using now? Let us know first before answering the other questions later.

You have to understand the characteristic of a Tube Screamer pedal. It makes your tone more "round". In your case, it could mean "muffled".

Try this first. Guitar>TS9DX>Amp to find out more about the characteristics of this pedal. It is not the cleanness / most transparent booster pedal around btw.

To me, the SS-11 is modern sounding whereas the TS9DX is steering more towards the vintage sound side. I think what would suit your needs better would be a modern sounding boost. You can look at the range of Xotic pedals or even try a Catalinbread. I'm using the first version of Catalinbread's Super Chile Picoso and that works well for me. If I wanted a Marshall kinda sound, I would use a Crunchbox and boost it with a TS-808.

Btw preamp pedals themselves pack a whole lot of gain. try messing around with the pre and post volume of the amp before considering a booster pedal. any more boosting would get you nothing more than mud.

I'm using a Marshall 15HFX, the sound only sounds round when I place it after the SS-11, before, it's more of a gain boost.

Your friend is right. TS9DX > SS-11 to push the SS-11 over it's gain ranges. However, the TS9DX is supposedly a bit stronger than the TS7 that I used to use. I use the TS7 at vol about 10 o'clock with a bit of gain and tone in, about 8-9 o'clock for both for lead. Hot mode was sometimes engaged, but it depended on how much boost I needed.

I think you could be playing at low levels? Try playing at higher volume levels, the audio normally sounds different like that.

I'm sure I'm not playing at volumes low enough that would affect the sound Then again, maybe I'll try playing at higher volumes, when I'm in a studio though.

if ure using max gain on the preamp, confirm ure not getting MUCH difference. cos od/boost before main drive is a gain boost. but if after, its a volume boost and alter the voicing.

so..what boost do you want? volume? gain? frequencies?

If I turn down the gain on the SS-11, I would then need to increase the gain on my TS9DX to get the same effect

Well, I'd like a boost that would make my sound cut through when I'm playing in a band, as well as a boost that can thicken my leads to make it sound better

 

[AaronSoFat]

cut through would probably mean putting the ts behind the ss-11 and maxing volume and minimise tone. thats what i used to do. never really did sound nice to me though.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

cutting through usually means the mix of instrument frequency balance in music context.

for any piece of music, each instrument frequency has its own space along the frequency spectrum, when any of the instrument frequency is closed to each other, the sound will sound drowning out each other without a clear definition.

Even if pumping up the volume or gain, it will sound messy and as if each instrument is fighting a volume war, in order to be heard.

The placement of pedal for having a boost to cut through, in a way, is not only bout the placement, volume or gain but more of having a pedal which enhance the overall frequency change of that particular instrument to be more prominent in the mixture of a piece of music

 

[AbeGoh]

I wanted to buy a SS-11 to get tubes on my board. But I settled for a Matchless hotbox (another tube preamp) instead.

The Matchless requires a boost sometimes, so I use a Sahasrara (TS-esque) with it. The Sahasrara adds a bit of colour (in a good way) to what the hotbox does. When I reverse the order, I too, get this muffled sound (very unusable for lead tone).

I reckoned that you were playing at low volumes because tube preamps need loud tube amps to sound better (if solid state is any indication to what your SS-11 can do, which I assume is good).

The rule of thumb for TS type pedals is to use them as a booster (TS -> Main od/dist, in this case the SS-11).
Unless you decide to stack multiple ts9dxs w/ keely mods like some famous guitarist does...

 

[theunknown]

if ure already on highest gain on the SS-11, the ts wont add much effect. sure it'll give more gain more chugg. but thats just that. it wont make it louder or more cutting.

ure having the problem i had. i wanted to add gain, thicken and louder at the same time. and i ended tap dancing with a ts and an eq pedal. ts to thicken n more gain, eq to cut and louder. then i would want delay too! imagine to do a solo, i have to press 3 pedals.

now i have a multi effects, one press everything on! haha.

 

[XenoJin]

cutting through usually means the mix of instrument frequency balance in music context.

for any piece of music, each instrument frequency has its own space along the frequency spectrum, when any of the instrument frequency is closed to each other, the sound will sound drowning out each other without a clear definition.

Even if pumping up the volume or gain, it will sound messy and as if each instrument is fighting a volume war, in order to be heard.

The placement of pedal for having a boost to cut through, in a way, is not only bout the placement, volume or gain but more of having a pedal which enhance the overall frequency change of that particular instrument to be more prominent in the mixture of a piece of music

Wow, looks like it is more complicated that it seems >.<
In that case, will an EQ be helpful?

I wanted to buy a SS-11 to get tubes on my board. But I settled for a Matchless hotbox (another tube preamp) instead.

The Matchless requires a boost sometimes, so I use a Sahasrara (TS-esque) with it. The Sahasrara adds a bit of colour (in a good way) to what the hotbox does. When I reverse the order, I too, get this muffled sound (very unusable for lead tone).

I reckoned that you were playing at low volumes because tube preamps need loud tube amps to sound better (if solid state is any indication to what your SS-11 can do, which I assume is good).

The rule of thumb for TS type pedals is to use them as a booster (TS -> Main od/dist, in this case the SS-11).
Unless you decide to stack multiple ts9dxs w/ keely mods like some famous guitarist does...

I was wondering, since the SS-11 is a tube-pre amp, I suppose the TS will "boost" the tubes even though I'm not using a tube amp? What if I'm using a Tube amp and the SS-11 as well, does it give a "double" boost? lol

if ure already on highest gain on the SS-11, the ts wont add much effect. sure it'll give more gain more chugg. but thats just that. it wont make it louder or more cutting.

ure having the problem i had. i wanted to add gain, thicken and louder at the same time. and i ended tap dancing with a ts and an eq pedal. ts to thicken n more gain, eq to cut and louder. then i would want delay too! imagine to do a solo, i have to press 3 pedals.

now i have a multi effects, one press everything on! haha.

Haha, I used to use the Boss GT-10, after using it for sometime, I decided to try analog pedals since I had a friend who happen to be selling away his for cheap price, I had never looked back since. The only thing I miss is the convenience of multi effects and the ability to change effects easily with out tap dancing