Slaving a combo amp to a MT or MD

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BigBadWolfe42
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Slaving a combo amp to a MT or MD

Post by BigBadWolfe42 » Thu Mar 21, 2019 8:25 pm

Hello all,

I was hoping one of you might be kind enough to help with a technical question. I am looking at buying a MT or MD as my combo amp (behringer vtone gmx210) just isn't cutting it tone wise. I am also planning on saving up for a decent 1x12 or 2x12 cab but in the mean time I wanted to know if I could use the current combo as a slave. The combo amp has a slave in and slave out inputs, can I run the speaker out on the MT or MD into the slave in on my combo?

I have attached the spec sheet on the combo amp, just noticed the 2x10 is 4 ohm so I guess I am limited to the MT if this slave idea actually works

Thanks in advance and cheers

-Wolfe

PBA
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Re: Slaving a combo amp to a MT or MD

Post by PBA » Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:06 am

I'm not 100% clear on what you are planning to do. In the old days, to slave and amp, you took a slave out signal from one amp and put it into a dedicated slave amp. A slave amp was basically a power amp usually with volume control and sometimes with tone shaping too. Now, I think slaving is mostly done using effects loops and the preamp of one amp is paired with the power amp of a second. I have no idea if the signal level in the old amps matched in any way the preamp out in a modern effects loop.

If your Behringer has slave out and in that suggests it could also function as an effects loop? It could then be possible to take the effects loop send from a MD (the MT doesn't have a loop iifc) to the slave in and do exactly as you say... HOWEVER You would need to check if the MD can be used without a speaker connected to it in this configuration. I think it probably can as it's a transistor based power amp circuit but it would be a shame to break it to find out...

BigBadWolfe42
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Re: Slaving a combo amp to a MT or MD

Post by BigBadWolfe42 » Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:21 pm

I think it has a separate effects loop in and out, it labeled as insert in/out.

I am trying to use my combo amp as a cab until I buy a dedicated cab for the MT/MD. If this isnt possible I guess I can just sell the combo and use the money for a used cab.

Here is a photo of the back of the combo amp
Image

Jondog
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Re: Slaving a combo amp to a MT or MD

Post by Jondog » Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:39 pm

You could run the phones out jack on the MT into the Aux In on your combo using a TRS cable. I wouldn't use the speaker output on the MT, unless you plug directly to the combo speaker, which also needs to be a minimum 4 ohm speaker. If you're lucky the speaker has a jack plugged into your combo, otherwise you'd have to cut and solder. The Micro Dark has an effects loop, so with that amp you could run a cable from the effects send on the MD into the Aux in or insert return on your combo. You will not be using the Micro Darks power amp however, and will be using the behringers power amp.
Image

BigBadWolfe42
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Re: Slaving a combo amp to a MT or MD

Post by BigBadWolfe42 » Fri Mar 22, 2019 4:32 pm

Jondog wrote:
Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:39 pm
You could If you're lucky the speaker has a jack plugged into your combo, otherwise you'd have to cut and solder. The Micro Dark has an effects loop, so with that amp you could run a cable from the effects send on the MD into the Aux in or insert return on your combo. You will not be using the Micro Darks power amp however, and will be using the behringers power amp.
I think these are my only two options.

If go the effects loop route with the MD wouldn't I need a speaker load?

Also the speakers are 4 ohm, the MD is a 8 ohm will that be a issue using the effects loop option?

If I can access the speaker jack I think I'm just going to buy the MT and do that, although I think I like the MD better.

I'm starting to lean to just pawning the combo and buying a 2x12 cab

Thanks for the reply's

Jondog
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Re: Slaving a combo amp to a MT or MD

Post by Jondog » Fri Mar 22, 2019 7:40 pm

Best scenario is a separate cab with proper impedance.
Image

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