true bypass

[smopo24]

what is the consequence of having a pedal or effects unit that does not have true bypass? what does true bypass mean? what is regular bypass?

[dagosto]

True bypass means there is a physical switch inside te unit that moves to close a bypassed circuit. The other type of bypass is commonly known as virtual or FET bypass. This is when there is some sort of transistor relay that will rout the signal through the pedal or to the output. In this case the signal is still passing through a transistor which can cause some coloration and/or signal loss (increasing the noise floor).

The advantage of virtual bypass as I see it is the silent switching. It can be engineered to produce no audible click in the signal and also the switch itself does not make a loud mechanical noise when switched (I learned this the hard way at a dance concert I played in).

The only other type of bypass I can think of is DSP bypass which will take place inside most multi-effects.

[Nubus]

A non-true (false?) bypass pedal can change your guitar's output impedance even when switched off. It would sound as if it weren't even inline if true bypass. In a chain of pedals it will probably distort the signal going into the next pedal and add noise. You can put it at the end of the chain, but sometimes that just isn't as fun. My old Ibanez Soundtank delay pedal is notorious for noise. Really cool combined with another delay pedal... but it goes SHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

[smopo24]

Originally Posted by Nubus

A non-true (false?) bypass pedal can change your guitar's output impedance even when switched off. It would sound as if it weren't even inline if true bypass. In a chain of pedals it will probably distort the signal going into the next pedal and add noise. You can put it at the end of the chain, but sometimes that just isn't as fun. My old Ibanez Soundtank delay pedal is notorious for noise. Really cool combined with another delay pedal... but it goes SHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

so would you gate the pedal to reduce the noise; or just live with it durring performances?

[Nubus]

I'd live with the noise. If you are serious and have a lot of effects pedals in a chain you have to be wary of that kind of thing. I know gearjunkie has a completely silent pedal set up, but I don't know how.

[smopo24]

Originally Posted by Nubus

I'd live with the noise. If you are serious and have a lot of effects pedals in a chain you have to be wary of that kind of thing. I know gearjunkie has a completely silent pedal set up, but I don't know how.

http://forums.gearwire.com/showthrea...ighlight=pedal

that's where gearjunkie reveals his secret to the silent pedalboard.......rock.

[GearJunkie]

SSSSSH!!! THEY'RE SECRETS!!!!!