Using External Effects On Model 12
THERE ARE NO DEDICATED EXTERNAL EFFECTS LOOPS ON THE MODEL 12.
OTHER THAN THE INSERT JACKS, ALL EFFECT RETURNS MUST COME INTO THE MODEL 12 ON AN OTHERWISE-EMPTY CHANNEL, WHETHER MONO OR STEREO.
There isn't much else to say on this front: Other than channel 1&2 inserts, don't waste your time looking for effects returns as they do not exist. Choose a send method (below) and return the effect to an empty channel, whether mono or stereo depending on your needs. Or use an insert jack.
USING THE INSERT JACKS (CH. 1 &2 ONLY) FOR EFFECTS:
Channels 1 & 2 have "insert" jacks. These require an "insert cable" a/k/a "Y cable". The cable has one 1/4" TRS end, which goes into the insert jack. The other end of the cable is a "Y" with two 1/4" TS ends, one for send and one for return. That single cable carries both the send and return signal (both are mono, unbalanced.)
Note: The signal from the insert jacks will go out of the insert cable on one side of the "Y," and return on the other side of the "Y". The return will substitute for the original "clean" signal; the clean signal will not be available for mixing/processing/recording.
You can also use an Insert jack as a send only; see below.
THE **FIVE SENDS, FROM BEST TO WORST**
AUX1 (selectable pre/after fader):
Mono channel with a single send on a per-channel basis. Individual controls per channel. See Manual, Page 46, for how you can select whether Aux1 will send pre-fader or after-fader. If you only need a single send and if you're OK with mono, this is by far the best bet. Trust me.
HALF-PLUGGED INSERT JACKS (pre-compressor, pre-fader; channels 1 & 2 only)
Mono sends, only available on ch. 1 and 2; no level adjustment. But they don't interfere w/ anything else, and they leave all your other ports open, so they get second place.
Plug a normal 1/4" TS instrument cable, into the Insert Jacks on Channels 1 or 2. Pull it out slowly ONE CLICK, which is about 1/4 inch out. (The end result is that it is NOT fully plugged in. This is not a typo.) That will provide a post-preamp, pre-compressor duplicate signal of whatever is coming in to that channel.
SUB BUS (after-fader): Sub bus is a stereo channel which is basically a duplicate of the MAIN bus, but not nearly as handy as AUX1.
SUB is stereo, which can theoretically be useful. But Sub bus is POST-FADER for individual channels, so harder to balance--though at least SUB also has its own master fader. You can send individual channels to SUB w/ the buttons near the faders. You can also send things like the internal effects return to the SUB bus, if you'd like. You can send about anything to SUB.
Note that if you send directly to the SUB bus and use multiple channels, your relative channel-to-channel volume is set by the channel fader. Therefore, unlike Aux 1 or Aux 2, you cannot normally play with the main signal without also affecting the send.
Mono/stereo kludge of Sub Bus: If you are just outputting mono, and don't care about stereo placement, you can create relative channel-to-channel levels using the PAN controls and a single SUB channel. You can similarly treat the Sub bus (which is stereo) as two independent channels, again w/ PAN control.
AUX2 (after-fader, direct send): This is a mono channel similar to Aux1 but much less useful due to two major issues: First, Aux2 is used for internal effects--plugging anything at all into the Aux2 jack will DISABLE internal effects. Second, Aux2 is after-fader and (unlike Aux1) the PFL/AFL is not selectable. If you really need an additional PFL send, you can kludge this by using solo (see below) and routing SOLO output to the AUX2 jack, though I believe you will then lose any per-channel level control.
SOLO bus (selectable pre / post fader): A stereo channel, similar to SUB but much less useful. There is no real reason to mess w/ the SOLO bus for sends, unless you're pretty desperate. It lacks any of its own per-channel volume controls. Also, there IS NOT any separate output for the SOLO bus, other than the headphone jacks (which go through the headphone amp.) At least it is PFL / AFL selectable, unlike SUB, but that's about all you can say for it.
You can send the SOLO bus output to AUX1 or AUX2 jacks, but why bother? You wouldn't be this far down the list unless those were used up already.
THERE ARE NO DEDICATED EXTERNAL EFFECTS LOOPS ON THE MODEL 12.
OTHER THAN THE INSERT JACKS, ALL EFFECT RETURNS MUST COME INTO THE MODEL 12 ON AN OTHERWISE-EMPTY CHANNEL, WHETHER MONO OR STEREO.
There isn't much else to say on this front: Other than channel 1&2 inserts, don't waste your time looking for effects returns as they do not exist. Choose a send method (below) and return the effect to an empty channel, whether mono or stereo depending on your needs. Or use an insert jack.
USING THE INSERT JACKS (CH. 1 &2 ONLY) FOR EFFECTS:
Channels 1 & 2 have "insert" jacks. These require an "insert cable" a/k/a "Y cable". The cable has one 1/4" TRS end, which goes into the insert jack. The other end of the cable is a "Y" with two 1/4" TS ends, one for send and one for return. That single cable carries both the send and return signal (both are mono, unbalanced.)
Note: The signal from the insert jacks will go out of the insert cable on one side of the "Y," and return on the other side of the "Y". The return will substitute for the original "clean" signal; the clean signal will not be available for mixing/processing/recording.
You can also use an Insert jack as a send only; see below.
THE **FIVE SENDS, FROM BEST TO WORST**
AUX1 (selectable pre/after fader):
Mono channel with a single send on a per-channel basis. Individual controls per channel. See Manual, Page 46, for how you can select whether Aux1 will send pre-fader or after-fader. If you only need a single send and if you're OK with mono, this is by far the best bet. Trust me.
HALF-PLUGGED INSERT JACKS (pre-compressor, pre-fader; channels 1 & 2 only)
Mono sends, only available on ch. 1 and 2; no level adjustment. But they don't interfere w/ anything else, and they leave all your other ports open, so they get second place.
Plug a normal 1/4" TS instrument cable, into the Insert Jacks on Channels 1 or 2. Pull it out slowly ONE CLICK, which is about 1/4 inch out. (The end result is that it is NOT fully plugged in. This is not a typo.) That will provide a post-preamp, pre-compressor duplicate signal of whatever is coming in to that channel.
SUB BUS (after-fader): Sub bus is a stereo channel which is basically a duplicate of the MAIN bus, but not nearly as handy as AUX1.
SUB is stereo, which can theoretically be useful. But Sub bus is POST-FADER for individual channels, so harder to balance--though at least SUB also has its own master fader. You can send individual channels to SUB w/ the buttons near the faders. You can also send things like the internal effects return to the SUB bus, if you'd like. You can send about anything to SUB.
Note that if you send directly to the SUB bus and use multiple channels, your relative channel-to-channel volume is set by the channel fader. Therefore, unlike Aux 1 or Aux 2, you cannot normally play with the main signal without also affecting the send.
Mono/stereo kludge of Sub Bus: If you are just outputting mono, and don't care about stereo placement, you can create relative channel-to-channel levels using the PAN controls and a single SUB channel. You can similarly treat the Sub bus (which is stereo) as two independent channels, again w/ PAN control.
AUX2 (after-fader, direct send): This is a mono channel similar to Aux1 but much less useful due to two major issues: First, Aux2 is used for internal effects--plugging anything at all into the Aux2 jack will DISABLE internal effects. Second, Aux2 is after-fader and (unlike Aux1) the PFL/AFL is not selectable. If you really need an additional PFL send, you can kludge this by using solo (see below) and routing SOLO output to the AUX2 jack, though I believe you will then lose any per-channel level control.
SOLO bus (selectable pre / post fader): A stereo channel, similar to SUB but much less useful. There is no real reason to mess w/ the SOLO bus for sends, unless you're pretty desperate. It lacks any of its own per-channel volume controls. Also, there IS NOT any separate output for the SOLO bus, other than the headphone jacks (which go through the headphone amp.) At least it is PFL / AFL selectable, unlike SUB, but that's about all you can say for it.
You can send the SOLO bus output to AUX1 or AUX2 jacks, but why bother? You wouldn't be this far down the list unless those were used up already.
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