Delays that work well in an effects loop with high line level

rawk100

My 90's JCM900 Marshall seems to have an effects loop with quite a high line level which upsets my Jacques Prisoner analogue delay (the volume drops and it sounds muffled). I'm looking for a nice analogue delay that can handle a high loop level, the only one I can find at the moment is the Maxon AD9 Pro which says if can take an input level up to +12db. I'm not sure but I think the small Moog delay can as well. Anybody recommend/have experience of any other suitable analogue delays that can handle a high line level?

mike_l

The Visual Sound Axle Grease works well in the loop of my DSL. It's an analogue-voiced digital delay.

The other option would be a Boss DD (there's more than one, take your pick), and use an appropriate setting.

clarkefan

I've tried DD-2, 3, 7 and 20.

No chance with the first three, same problem you described.

Even the DD-20 on line level setting isn't great. It's better but not clear, the repeats sound sort of squished.

One thing that helps is a pedal with a volume control, or volume pedal, in the loop before the delay, you can drop the level before it hits the delay.  Course then you have to crank the master volume of the amp to bring the level back up.

Thanks for the suggestions on other delays, if you make any progress please report back!

Gassage

A solution that will assist you is get a Lehle Parallel L, shove the delay into in the loop and then dial out all the issues using the send/return vols and the mix.

It really does work.

Flanging_Fred

I have a hazy recollection that the TC Nova Repeater has a switch/setting for line level use.  

clarkefan

The issue is how much level is coming out of the loop send, it can be high enough to defeat even "line level" units.

So, even the Boss DD-20, set to "line level" +4 dbu, can struggle with level that is more than +4 dbu.

Level isn't set in stone.

That said, if the AD9 Pro mentioned above really has a max input of +12 dbu then that should be fine!  Sounds a lot for a stomp box to be honest? The new Nemesis is +8.8 dbu for example.

bingefeller

The Boss DD-500 has line level options too and I would recommend it as it's very, very versatile.

steamabacus

How loud do you run the amp? If you have headroom to spare, the simplest solution would be to just attenuate the signal from the fx send before it hits the delay in the loop. Just get one of those 'pot in a box' 'attenuators' (that are popular for controlling the hair-trigger clean channel volume on a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe) - or make one youself if you're handy with a drill and a soldering iron. Then just run the Marshall's master volume a bit higher.

digitalscream

I've had this with all my Jet City amps. So far, I've found that these work well:

TC Flashback (all variants)
TC Alter Ego (all variants)
Strymon Timeline
Eventide Time Factor
Zoom MS70CDR (but none of the other Zoom pedals)

octatonic

Timeline and Timefactor work great here.
Fractal FX8 works best of all

rawk100

Thanks for suggestions, it sounds like the TC stuff will be suitable. It's surprising how few manufacturers actually quote the maximum input level that their pedals can take, I'm going to email a few and see if they can tell me.

The MXR site says that their new reverb pedal and  Echoplex delay pedal can take an input upto +5db so they're another possibility (really like the look of the Echoplex delay too...).