Hello,
I recently just started using my ML5 and I love how simple it is to integrated into your board. One problem tho. I'm using it as a switcher for my drives and some of my drive pedals are buffered bypass pedals and for some reason, whenever I engage the loop with the buffered bypass pedal, it boosts my signal quite a bit. It doesnt matter if the pedal is on or off. As long as it is in the loop, the signal is boosted when that loop is engaged. I've never had this problem without the ML5. My drive pedals react normally when in series but when I put it in the ML5 loops, the buffered bypass pedals boost the signal when the loop is engaged. I think it has something to do with the buffer in these pedals so I tried testing it with my Strymon Riverside which lets you choose between buffered and true bypass. When I switch the Riverside to true bypass, it sounds like it should. When I engage the loop it is in, signal is not being boosted at all. On the other hand, when I switch the Riverside to buffered bypass, the signal is boosted when the loop is engaged. I checked the manual and there doesnt seem to say any feature about this.
Please refer to the video below for demonstration:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=10oVEKv2CTB-TvMzYagUbNxquJW2rp0Lf
To give some context, the Klone is hooked up to loop A and the Riverside is in loop B of the ML5. Both the Klone and the Riverside are buffered bypass. The signal flow is as follows:
Guitar -> SP Comp -> Spark Mini -> ML5 -> Volume -> HX Stomp -> Timeline -> Big Sky -> HX Amp+Cab -> out to mixer
As you can see it is quite unusable as a switcher if buffered bypass pedals boost the signal only when the loop is engaged. Because in a live setting, I would like my drive pedals not to be boosted whether they are engaged or not. Please help me solve this problem! I would appreciate the help.
Thanks!
There is no circuitry in the ML5 that enables it to boost the signal. The ML5 signal path is 100% clear and hardwired. I think what you are experiencing when switching between your drive's buffered bypass vs true bypass is that the drive's buffered bypass is the thing that is boosting your signal when compared to true bypass.