Latest Rig Update Sep 2022

My Latest Super-Rig

The seemingly, never-ending list of tweaks continues. So far this is the Daddy of any rig I have put together before! Based around the NUX Cerberus and Quilter Superblock.

Ready for Battle

The next gig with a full band will be when the latest additions and improvements to the rig are put to the test. I think this is an extremely versatile and high-performing setup, in a nicely-compact form factor.

Additions and improvements since the rig’s last outing in May 2022 are:

Improved noise reduction.
Improved, dedicated high-sustaining lead tone.
Better balance between different pickup settings and between quiet and loud settings.
Easy access to the Programming features of the NUX Cerberus.
Ability to send multiple signals to the PA (up to three).
A fixed-level DI output using an IR of my own speaker cab.

Noise Must Be Destroyed!

I am pretty obsessive when it comes to eliminating noise. I like to have my cake and eat it. I want gain for days, but I don’t want the noise that comes with it. The latest improvement is in the form of a DemonFX G-String noise reduction pedal (underneath the amp). I believe it’s a clone of an ISP G-String Decimator.

It works very well indeed, by “reading” the guitar signal at input and applying noise reduction to a separate signal chain where all the gain pedals and preamp sit. This enables me to dial in total noise reduction without it affecting my clean tone when all the gain pedals are off.

Screaming solos

After loving the sustain I was getting from a fuzz, but frustrated that it was never loud or clear enough on stage I decided I needed a distortion that could give a similar type of sustain as my fuzz pedal, but with more clarity and output volume. I seem to have found it in another DemonFX pedal – a rather blatant clone of the Horizon Effects Precision Drive.

What interested me in the Precision Drive initially was that it has a built-in noise gate. That works great, but it also has a decent amount of output volume, so I can have it first in my gain-chain, pushing all my other drives into more saturation whilst still providing enough of a lift in volume. I get everything I need, more sustain and louder, but not too much louder. So far it seems perfect for me. The real test will be how that works at stage volume.

But the lead tone has another element, which is the key to having some of that “fuzziness” I like. That is “The Sag” and old, home-made EP Booster clone I found years ago, which sounds great, but doesn’t have the headroom of a real EP Booster. The more level you push into it, the more it starts sounding like a fuzz. The Precision drive pushes plenty of level into “The Sag” to get the kind of sustain and tone I want. The sum of the parts is a lot of distortion, which is where the Precision Drive’s own noise gate assists in the whole thing being totally silent at rest, even at my most extreme gain setting (all pedals on). I can even set the Precision Drive’s gain and level to max and still have total noise reduction when I am not playing.

Headroom Management is the Secret

Using a solid state amplifier (the Superblock US) I have to work a little bit harder in setting up a rig to behave the way I have been used to in the past with a tube amp. The Quilter Superblock has a great tone and can be setup to sound close enough (to my ears), but when I need to switch between such a variety of tones in one rig, some extra considerations are necessary.

Not only do I have to make sure that the difference between my clean and distortion settings are compatible with each other, I also have to make sure that my sounds are balanced enough between my pickup selections… and both those factors together. The combinations of which can get a bit overwhelming.

Here’s my approach. Choose two main pickup choices to focus on dialing in the best tones. Taking one of my HSS Strats as an example, my choice is neck single coil for cleaner stuff and bridge humbucker for overdrive and above.

Step 1 (There is no Clean)
If I choose a pristinely clean tone as my clean setting then I cannot get all the other tones I need satisfactorily, so my clean has a fair bit of hair on it! I can dial back my guitar volume a bit, but generally I find that when the whole band is playing my “Dirty-clean” sounds clean enough. This kind of gain level means that my amp is already about to go into overdrive, so any boost or other gain increase applied pushes the output volume up less drastically. In fact just flicking the switch from neck pickup to bridge pickup is enough to cause a too-loud a jump in volume for me if I don’t dial in my “Clean” this way.

Step 2 (The Ceiling)
However, the amplifier is not the only point at which I have to set up this base or core setting. “The Sag”, Bass Limiter and most of the time, the Cerberus Drive are active before the amp: Sag > Drive > Limiter. The sag applies saturation and with it, some natural compression all the time, as does the the drive (a little) and the limiter clamps down when the level increases enough (normally once the boost and/or the Precision Drive is on).

Step 3 (The Rolling Boil)
The gain on the amp is set very high with the limiter of the amplifier set also very high. This keeps the signal simmering at all times, close to boiling at my “cleanest” setting and a raging boil at max without “bubbling over the side of the saucepan and putting out the flame”, so to speak.

So far with the noise reduction and headroom management covered, this pedalboard consists of about 30% utility, that is always on and not what you would call sound effects. They are all part of what I would call the amplification engine. It’s more important to me than the actual tone of my various gain settings. At this point it’s about all my sounds fitting with the sound of the band, so the audience can enjoy the music!

Computer Connectivity

The NUX Cerberus has a USB port for some programming features. Occasionally I need to hook it up to my computer at home to change or adjust a setting. Normally I use it to access the Impulse Responses, so I can select the one I want to use live. That process is simple, but accessing the USB port on the back of the Cerberus, while in place on the board was always inconvenient. I have installed a USB extension cable, so I can connect the cable to the computer on the top of the board without having to partly disassemble the board!

Output Signal Routing

I have three available outputs with this system. The amplifier speaker output to a cabinet on stage, the Superblock’s DI out (with or without the cab sim selected) and a 2nd output on the Cerberus (the 1st output goes to the Amp’s FX return). The second output from the Cerberus has an Impulse Response applied to it (currently my own 1×10 Tonetubby Alnico cab). There is no level control for that output, so I made that IR quiet (about -20dB), so it’s not likely to ever overload the line input of any PA console. It is more likely to need some gain applied at the desk. With my cab on stage, pointing up at me like a monitor I can adjust the master volume on my amp however I like it and it will not affect the signal on Output 2.

Stereo!
I can also send a mic signal from my cab (or the cab-sim DI from the Superblock) to the PA as well, which means I can go stereo. Whenever I switch on the Cerberus chorus, reverb or delay I’ll be in stereo and it sounds great, especially the chorus! If I wanted to I could send three signals to the PA, although I can’t think of when that would really be necessary.

All the above covers the utility aspects of the board, which is really all the important parts. The stuff that is working behind the scenes to give all the “Show-off” stuff a platform to do its thing.

It sounds complicated, but the result is a compact and simple-to-operate system for performing live. I’m rather proud of it to be honest. Here is the signal chain of the entire rig.

INPUT BOX: DIY. Wireless receiver goes in here.
TUNER: Korg Pitchblack. Mutes signal when activated.
LEAD DISTORTION: Precision Drive.
NOISE REDUCTION (detection): G-String – guitar input > guitar output.
PITCH SHIFTER: Aroma Harmonist, subtle octave FX and detuning guitar for certain songs.
THE SAG: Always on, turned up full. Headroom restriction.
DRIVE > DISTORTION > CLEAN BOOST: NUX Cerberus Drive Section.
LIMITER 1: Aroma Bass Limiter. Always on.
AMPLIFIER INPUT (preamp): Quilter Superblock US. Gain > Limiter 2 > EQ.
AMP FX LOOP >
NOISE REDUCTION (decimator channel): G-String – dec input > dec output.
DELAY 1/VIBRATO: TC Electronic Flashback Delay Mini.
CHORUS > TREMOLO > DELAY 2 > REVERB: NUX Cerberus FX Section.
RIG OUTPUT >
OUTPUT 1: Cerberus out1 > Superblock FX return > Speaker cab / Amp DI out.
OUTPUT 2: Cerberus out2 (IR) > DI out to PA.