Home Forums Help/Technical Questions Output volume on Stereo Clone Theory

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  • #77795
    funbnme
    Member

    I have a new Stereo Clone Theory…only had it about a month. When I turn on the effect, the output volume is quite a bit louder than it is with the effect bypassed.

    Running through the effects loop in an early 90’s Mesa Boogie MK IV.

    It does this if it’s the only pedal in the chain or with others.

    Right now, I have the pedal order as:

    Clone Theory
    EVH Flanger
    Boss DD7

    Before the Amp, I have a Bad Horsie 2 wah and the EHX Soul Preacher compressor. Again, whether any other pedals are engaged or on bypass, the output signal from the chorus is a lot louder. On the clean channel, the amp will break up just a bit…not a clean as it should be with it on.

    Any way to tone this down? Is there any adjustment inside the pedal?

    #93888
    Ned Flanders
    Moderator

    For better results use it in front of your amp.

    #93894
    janusEffect
    Moderator

    The Clone Theory does boost the higher frequencies of your signal a bit in some circumstances, as it’s a bright chorus pedal. It’s not a bug – it’s a feature. ;)

    Inside the pedal, there IS one trimpot… but don’t mess with it. It’s incredibly difficult to reset, and the signal output drops significantly on other settings. Basically… don’t touch it. Bad trimpot. :nono:

    #116667
    lars
    Member

    The trimpot inside the XO Stereo Clone Theory is actually very easy to tweak, but it has a pretty small area of the turn radius where the chorus effect will work. Many people have complained about the background noise and volume boost that these pedals have. Mine suffers from the same issues. The background hiss really is unacceptable, especially considering that I’ve heard vintage Clone Theories with no hiss at all. It’s obviously not an unavoidable issue when using the MN3007 chip, but rather a design flaw in the new pedals. There’s no reason it should be as noisy as it is, when other MN3007 based pedals don’t have this problem (including the 2002 reissue Small Clone I used to own). After comparing the original Clone Theory schematic with the new XO Stereo version, there are some obvious changes that no doubt contribute to the noise. The 100K trimpot used to adjust the gain of the MN3007 has been removed, and it appears that everything is linked to a single 100K bias trimpot on the new version. As you adjust the bias of the MN3007, you’re also adjusting the gain, which I would imagine is not ideal and most likely explains the volume boost and extra noise. The gain trimpot on the original Clone Theory’s also appeared to be connected to one of the op amps via a capacitor, which most likely helped filter out some of the high frequency hiss everybody hears in the newer version.

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