Home › Forums › Help/Technical Questions › My new Mel9 sounds great BUT…
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April 30, 2016 at 8:44 pm #84371GregJaquaMember
I have been waiting for the Mel9 to come out ever since I heard about the B9 & C9. I KNEW you guys would modify the technology to emulate strings and horns. It’s been a long time coming. I have used EHX products since I was kid. I had one of the original Big Muffs, a Bad Stone, and a Mike Mathews Freedom Amp – you should bring that one back.
I Just received my Mel9 and have been experimenting with it for the past few days. Here are the issues I’m having:
#1. It needs a trem control. Sometimes the tremolo is just plain irritating.
#2. The effects output puts out a clean guitar signal when the effect circuit is not engaged- this causes a problem for me. Since the Mel9 has two outputs (guitar thru and effect out) I can play my guitar with whatever sound/effects I have on my guitar while using the Mel9 for horns, strings, or whatever. But when I disengage the mel9 effect, a clean guitar sound comes out in addition to the guitar sound I actually want. So I can have a nice distorted rock sound on my guitar, but if I’m not using one of the Mel9 effects, I have a clean guitar sound accompanying my rock sound. I then have to either keep the Mel9 engaged and manually turn the effect volume up and down, turn down the amp (or PA channel) that the Mel9 effect output is going to in order to eliminate the clean guitar sound or get an A/B switch to just turn it off completely.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Greg Jaqua
May 2, 2016 at 2:10 am #121484alnico357ParticipantYes Greg I have the answer thanks to Dave Rupert. Run your guitar to an A/B box. One out goes to your regular effects and to your amp. The other goes to the Mel9. Turn the dry signal on the Mel9 all the way down and effects up. Always leave the Mel9 on and switch it and/or your guitar signal in and out with the A/B box. You already mentioned that in your post.
At electric gigs I have run the Mel9 to a Carvin Micro Bass amp with [em]compressor[/em] to an elevated PA speaker. This allows the ethereal sound of the Mel9 to fill the room.
May 2, 2016 at 2:29 am #121485GregJaquaMemberThank you very much! That does seem to be the logical way to go. You could even use the Mel 9 on the “A” out and another – say the B9 or the C9 on the “B” out while having your constant guitar signal routed to a “thru” out – or in the case of the EHX Switchblade +, the “tuner” out – same diff – still leaving me the freedom to effect my guitar any way I want – brilliant!
You mentioned using a compressor – is that going in to the Mel9 to boost the signal, or coming out of the Mel9 to smooth out the signal?
May 2, 2016 at 4:15 am #121486EHX STAFFKeymasterHi Greg.
1. The trem or actually vibrato is what is the actual(REAL)vibrato speed produced by the real musicians that recorded the original tracks. To change it makes it something it was not designed to be.
There was no vibrato control on the Mellotron as it was impossible to do.
If you had the REAL thing in front of you now, it may irritate you just as well!
If you changed it ,it would not be a Mellotron and you would strip away the human part of the sound.2. Yes the Dry/ Wet issue can be a problem but there are many work arounds for it.
If you use an A/B box you send the dry out to your amp and the fx to the A/B box.
The one output of the A/B goes to the PA (or where you want the effect sent), and the other out open.
Then leave the Mel9 on and switch the effect on and off with the A/B box.Quote:I have been waiting for the Mel9 to come out ever since I heard about the B9 & C9. I KNEW you guys would modify the technology to emulate strings and horns. It’s been a long time coming. I have used EHX products since I was kid. I had one of the original Big Muffs, a Bad Stone, and a Mike Mathews Freedom Amp – you should bring that one back.I Just received my Mel9 and have been experimenting with it for the past few days. Here are the issues I’m having:
#1. It needs a trem control. Sometimes the tremolo is just plain irritating.
#2. The effects output puts out a clean guitar signal when the effect circuit is not engaged- this causes a problem for me. Since the Mel9 has two outputs (guitar thru and effect out) I can play my guitar with whatever sound/effects I have on my guitar while using the Mel9 for horns, strings, or whatever. But when I disengage the mel9 effect, a clean guitar sound comes out in addition to the guitar sound I actually want. So I can have a nice distorted rock sound on my guitar, but if I’m not using one of the Mel9 effects, I have a clean guitar sound accompanying my rock sound. I then have to either keep the Mel9 engaged and manually turn the effect volume up and down, turn down the amp (or PA channel) that the Mel9 effect output is going to in order to eliminate the clean guitar sound or get an A/B switch to just turn it off completely.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Greg Jaqua
May 2, 2016 at 12:19 pm #121487alnico357ParticipantGreg, I run the Mel9 into the bass amp with compressor. I don’t have a free standing compressor to go before the Mel9.
May 30, 2016 at 1:49 am #121574QuartusMemberWhat I really found working well is to place a foot control volume pedal between the Mel9 effects output and the amp/desk. While the Mel 9 is always on, this allows you to stop, start and swell the mel effects.
May 30, 2016 at 1:52 pm #121575alnico357ParticipantQuote:What I really found working well is to place a foot control volume pedal between the Mel9 effects output and the amp/desk. While the Mel 9 is always on, this allows you to stop, start and swell the mel effects.Great idea! I’ll try it.
March 2, 2017 at 7:11 pm #122655surge129MemberI just bought this pedal(Mel9) used from a friend of mine who recently bought it. He gave it to me withought the EHX power supply, so I bought a universal AC/DC power block adaptor. Input: 120V AC 60hz 0.15A Output: 9.6V DC 200mA. I’ve had it for 5 days now. Worked fine until yesterday. The pedal turns on as in the light turns on, but there is no signal going to the amp from the input. I tried switching from Effect to Dry and vise versa to see if it was that. I checked my guitar lines and they are fine. I checked my guitar jack and the amp jack and they are fine. I troubleshot everything. It’s been 2 days. The pedal doesn’t work even though the light turns on. The previous owner tells me he never had problems. I need help.
March 3, 2017 at 1:40 am #122658EHX STAFFKeymasterThe problem is the brick supply. It starts to slow and stalls the Mel9. If you unplug the power to the Mel9 and plug it in it will work.
Best to use an EHX supply OR a separate boss 9 volt supply.May 7, 2019 at 12:45 pm #125175olivierlgpMemberI’ve got the same issue on my Mel9 : dry guitar on the effect path.
It’s pretty annoying… is there an option to modify simply the pedal ?
(I know how to use a soldering iron
May 7, 2019 at 10:00 pm #125176EHX STAFFKeymasterBest to use an A/B box as stated above or contact service at info@ehx.com
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