Update: Yuki the Synth Dragon made a more scientific test of the MXR' tone suck (that demonstrates what we heard in this video). You can check that out here: ua-cam.com/video/CFitpslUfVk/v-deo.html
I listened closely with my headphones (first blindly, and afterwards while watching the vid), and I can definitely hear a difference when the MXR Analog Chorus is in the chain. It darkens the sound slightly.
Yesterday, I discovered the same thing... when switching ON FX LOOP on my Marshall DSL 20, sound became weaker... by elimination, I discovered that my MXR Analog Chorus is the problem...
i just confirmed the same. i was seeing about 1.6dB of signal loss through 14 pedals in my board (bypass mode). i isolated it down to mainly the MXR Analog Chorus that was sucking 1.1dB of that total. that's a lot for a single pedal.
MXR should look into fixing this. I wish they had just done it right from the start, even if it means adding a few more bucks to the retail price. Does anyone whether there is an easy mod to fix the tone suck?
I have a buffer at the end of my pedal chain and I didn't notice any tone drop when I bypassed the signal from my MXR analog chorus pedal. Then again my chorus pedal is at the beginning of the chain placed after my Drop pedal and before that is my wah and then tuner. Plus the chorus pedal is always on to add a nice layer underneath the gain and clean tone. I like it better than putting it after the gain pedals because it's more subtle and when I switch off the distortion pedal it compliments the overdrive pedal, which is always on too but with the gain turned down extremely low and brings out more clarity to my clean tone, especially when switching to the neck pickup on my guitar. I took this method from Paul Gilbert who took it from Robin Trower. 🙂
Fun fact: The Analog Chorus was designed for Zakk Wylde, who keeps it on 100% of the time. The Analog Chorus (initially released as the Black Label Chorus) replaced the CE-5 on his board.
That is true.He also uses it as an a b box to run two heads.Secret is it's somewhere in his rig in guitar tech land(meaning where his actual heads are cuz the ones on stage are props),he is running a mxr/cae boost line driver.His chorus is always on so its again in tech land so the line driver is most likely in front of the chorus used as a buffer.It's recommended to use a buffer in front of an a b box or the chorus in his case.In short ,,,that helps with tone loss.
One could theoretically use a true bypass loop switcher to give the chorus a true bypass. I guess it depends on how much one loves that chorus and if they want to add space/complexity to their board.
Staggered by just how much tone is lost via the MRX. I was going to order one based on the Chorus effect but this demo has proved it to be a deal breaker. Thanks for demonstrating: you've saved a lot of people being disappointed with this product post-purchase, myself included.
@@alanaxel5403 you can use a buffer as a "signal correcter" to speak easy. Some fuzzes need that and some other pedals. The "bona fide" buffer is okay on a budget. There are many buffers out there.
Just watched this again. Its crazy how I had MXR Analog Chorus on my board for years and never noticed it, I just liked how the chorus sounded. Lol. I found myself not using chorus as much so I took it off. When I sit back and look at everything it's a WOW moment now. At this time, I was really using my Strat a lot and maybe I didnt notice it as much, cause it tamed a little bit of the chimey Strat tone? Now that I think about it, I also did change a couple neck humbuckers thinking they were too dark and one of these guitars was close to getting P90s in it. 🤷♂️ I'm sure it's not all the pedal, but this is eye opening for me looking back at my old pedalboard.
Yeah it's a shame really as it's a great sounding pedal when on, but sucks a lot of tone when off. Was eye opening for me as well! Anyways, hope you enjoy your holidays and I wish you a great New Year ;-) Thanks for watching and commenting! Mike
So wait the problem is that it only sucks out tone when bypassed? Seems usable still for recording and home use then. Live seems like a problem though since you don’t want to take pedals out of the board.
I just got a used MXR Analog Chorus in Mint condition and I love it, more than I thought I would. Love that I can dial up the low and high filters and pull back to carve out some bright sounds or get kinda moody with it. I am not noticing and drop in volume when it is off, maybe I got lucky, or maybe someone did the Bypass Mod to it already that I have read about.
It's a good pedal. It's not as bad as the video and some of the people commenting when you consider it's on the pedalboard of Pros like Lita Ford, Slash, Billy Joe Armstrong, and Eddie Van Halen.
Lita Ford has only 4 pedals on her board when she tours and performs and the MXR Analog Chorus is one of them. The others is a volume pedal, a wah, and a Flashback delay
I think putting a buffer like tc bonafide at the beginning of the chain solves this issue. That's what I did coz I have the same mxr analog pedal chorus on my board. So far no signal loss
It does. Not nearly as badly as a Crybaby but definitely noticeable. I'm using this pedal for several years now and I really like it for it's sound, but I can't deny that it definitely darkens your tone ever so slightly. It's especially noticeable when placed after distortion. But by fiddeling with the Eq on your amp you can easily compensate for most of it
Exactly I feel there is still a middle ground for tweaking it to find the sweet spot, and maybe even an EQ pedal would sort that out, it's an amazing pedal to be honest. And is known to slay a few classic (cough cough boss) chorus pedals
Excellent video! I fully concur; I returned my Analog Chorus for that very reason. It was one of the most wonderful sounding chorus pedals I heard with lots of adjustment to get the dark and brooding sound I was looking for. But when you turned it off, ugh.
Thanks for the comparison vid - this really pisses me off because I think the Chorus is excellent - I use it almost as an 'always on' at a really subtle setting but had no idea it affected the chain so much when turned off. I'm using it in the studio so easy enough to just pull it out of the rig and re-plug when I need it but what a disastrous design / build let down . . . until I find a decent replacement I'll fall back on my original Dimension D Rack altho the Chorus area in the Strymon Deco has quite a nice, natural 'ADT pushed to the limit' thing going for it. Time to look for something to replace the MXR - is the Stereo one any good?
Yeah so there is two sides to this story. IMHO if you have it always on and you think it enhances your sound - GREAT! Go for it and don't let this video tell you otherwise. But if you build a pedalboard and you just sometimes use a chorus I would really look for something else (alternatively you could always look for a ABY pedal or loop where you have "tone-suckers" in there). The thing about this MXR pedal is that it DOES sound gorgeous when engaged! But yes. it also sucks tone unfortunately. Decisions decisions...
Wow this is really good to know. My pedalboard makes my rig a bit dark when everything is bypassed and I thought it was due to having too many pedals, but now I’m gonna try taking out just the Analog Chorus and see if that alone helps significantly.
Fuzzes can behave different to different pedals and some of them need a buffer. With a buffer after the chain you would not have these issues with the analog chorus I think. Anyway, interesting video.
That's easy: The MXR Stereo Chorus - it can do dark, it can do watery and I have yet to hear a chorus pedal with a nicer stereo sound. Have it for years, always come back to it. 2nd place goes to a couple of pedals: MXR Analog chorus (it steals highs when bypassed, but lovely chorus sound), the Boss Waza CH one (lovely Nirvana Chorus) and...hmm...the TC Electronics Corona was cool as well I guess. Thanks for watching Scott!
Thanks for the video! Did you ever test behringer pedals buffer? As soon as TO800 sound the same as tube screamer I wonder what is about behringer buffer quality?
Woah I didn’t even use headphones I just turned up my phone but yea when distortion (or fuzz) is on you can hear it go a tad muddy. That sucks. Was really considering buying this. Anyone have a suggestion for a decent similarly priced or cheaper chorus pedal?
Good test and I can confirm these results as an owner of MXR Analog Chorus. I was shocked myself as well. While it is an excellent sounding unit when ON it kills a lot of signal when OFF in the chain. I used it in FX loop and it made sound darker, more muffled also with some volume loss. I ve tried it many other positions and even put buffers in front and behind it and mixed many position but it was the same results. Its a shame that they couldn’t do a better job with bypassing this thing. Since I am picky about my signal chain, I threw it up and its for sale.
Had this in the fx loop of an amp. And it sucked all the mids out of tone... take that for what it's worth. But the effect was so drastic I just had to return the pedal and get a chorus that was true bypass.
Just kicked this chorus of my board after noticing the same. Its like it strangles the tone which loses body. Such a shame as the chorus sound itself is awesome. Was considering a bypass looper but just not worth the hassle.
I literally had to pull out of FX Loop of my 5150 Iconic and put in front of amp (yuck) because it's slightly less tone suck but you lose some of the shimmer when engaged. Trading for the Boss CE2W soon
I like a mild chorus pre-drive. Heck, even pre-comp... which is exactly how I have my anacho on my lead board and always on. Having it pre-comp just changes the definition of the instrument, absolutely suck-free.
Maybe. But since I am not an electronics guy, I sold it. The MXR Stereo Chorus sounds just as good and doesn't suck tone, so that's what I am coming back to
Definitely throws some shade on the high end... I know the pedal is bypassed but I wonder if the tone loss has anything to do with the low & high cut controls?
I have MXR Chorus too and can conform it tone sucking bypass :( It is especially noticible if put pedal after dirt. By the way with fat dark humbuckers this pedal also may sound very muddy. I prefer old analog Boss choruses over it.
I was testing in person Corona, Boss Waza and Boss CE5. CE5 had the worst buffer and Waza the best it almost improved the sound of the guitar. Corona buffer was still very good but not as good like Waza.
I actually called Jim Dunlop about this, because I have the Stereo Chorus. I can tell you that w ith or without headphones I'm not hearing it and would like to see a reading from an ohm meter. Nevertheless, I was fooling around and noticed that I lost the signal in my chain when i unplug my Stereo Chorus. This tells me that, at least the Stereo Chorus is not True Bypass. The tech there told me that the MXR Stereo Chorus has a buffer, not unlike your digital pedals. I would assume that the Analog Chorus has a buffer as well. I will say this, however, I do notice when i turn my Stereo Chorus on and off, I notice a change in gain, but I wouldn't call that a drop in tome, but you and you followers might. I guess I define "tone" differently than you do. I think think both pedals would benfit from a leveling control.
It’s a stereo chorus so of course it has a buffer. If it didn’t then if you had it connected to two amps there would be a very noticeable drop in output and rolling off of high end.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news for you and your test. READY...! The MXR ANALOG CHORUS must have the Two Tone knobs on 10 to be flat response. That's right you have the Bass & Treble cut in your audio test. MIGHT have an effect on the tone of the pedal even when it is off; You may want to re-test with EQ s SET to 10.
I don't have this pedal anymore, but forums all over the web are full with the same complaints about it. Maybe someone who has this pedal can test that?
I have the M234, and even with the two tone knobs at 10 (no cut), there is a considerable effect on the tone. The pedal is simply a tone suck, even when the effect is on.
That muff pedal its horrible, everything would sound bad with it. The buffer inside chorus pedals colours the tone shape. My Mxr Zw sign its made for active pickups so when bypass its noticeble the sound in compare when pluged off. But in a certain way its good because some sort of compression or maybe more o less db on the chain can be a good thing. Depend where you put it on, i usualy put it on the fx loop on the amp, it doesnt pass on the pre amp section togethet with reverb and delay. That way it doenst mess with lead signal. Guitar >>> boost >>> overdrive >>> amp >>> fx loop send >>> chorus >>> delay >>> reverb >>> fx loop return
The MXR M234 certainly has tone loss in bypass from the buffer. I painstakingly traced my SMD M234 and true bypass modded it and now theres zero tone loss. But ive only known 1 other guy who's True bypassed the modern SMD version. It's not for beginners but if you've been building awhile and are confident in your soldering and tracing skills you could probably pull it off. Theres no schematic and nobody at MXR will give you one. I tried a few times to no avail lol. Anyways if your good with a soldering iron and are familiar with electronics repair/design I'd be happy to answer questions. Please dont bother asking if you've never even soldered before. Not trying to be rude but this isnt a standard true bypass mod. You'll have to drill a new hole over the analog chorus lettering for the new 3pdt. But my way doesn't require cutting away any pcb. In fact I just soldered my wires to the dpdt pads/plated through holes. Once you know where everything is it's a lot easier, in fact at that point it's fairly easy. But tracing was the biggest headache and working around tiny SMD components that love to wick into your solder if your not really careful with a steady hand. But with all that said it was certainly worth doing. At first I built a loop box to bypass the effect which worked but added a lot more patch cables to the signal chain and took up space and my OCD didnt like that at all. I'm going to build a Boss ce2 with mods in the next couple weeks. Not because I feel like the mxr doesn't cut it but just cause I've built pretty much everything except a chorus and I'd love to have a ce2. I think the MXR M234 can approximate the boss ce2 pretty well but if I had to have one and they were equal in price I'd probably get the Ce2 just cause it does what it does just a bit better (a very very small bit better). Now the Ce2W vs the MXR is no question the CE2W. But if you, like me have an MXR m234 your really not missing out on very much if anything. They are only slightly different. The main difference is the wave shape seems more lopsided with the MXR and the boss is more symmetrical and sine like (even though in reality they ate both using a filtered triangle LFO waveform which is more triangle like at lower rates and smooths out to almost a sine wave at higher rates). Neither sound is better or worse but I think most people prefer the Boss cause of the perceived sine like nature of its wave shape that more leslie chorus and less sea sick like the lopsided sounding LFO wave of the mxr (but again just to clarify in reality their LFO's are most likely filtered triangle waves that behave like triangle waves at lower rates and more sinewave-like at higher rates).Thae MXR sounding more seasick and lopsided at higher rates is also one of the reasons the mxr doesnt sound as good with a vibrato mod (although i personally love the lofi vibrato effect/lori effect I can get with my modded mxr) unless you dial back the depth to at least below about 50%. And the passive eq and level will kill the vibrato level so in vibrato mode you have to keep level all the way up and only lower high or low if your going for a lofi vibrato sound. Chorus is just vibrato with the dry signal mixed in so on the mxr if you do a vibrato mod those passive controls are taking away effect but without the dry signal to back it up so you have to keep level high and low all the way up to keep the vibrato mode the same volume. On the ce2 theres no way (in stock configuration) to lower the effect level so chorus and vibrato mode sound the same in volume. Anyways the only REAL problem with the m234 is the high end loss in bypass and for me tone loss from a chorus pedal is a nightmare. So if your OCD like me and don't have the skills yet to true bypass it then I'd recommend a different chorus that might cost a little more but wont me so with your signal in bypass. Or for a good cheap option the small clone is true bypass. I should add I love buffered bypass pedals, when they are done right they are an invaluable tool. But lots of chorus pedal buffers are copying the older designs that have the same bypass tone loss issue. So taking that into consideration I prefer true bypass chorus pedals. Before anyone trys to tell me they have an MXR m234 that's stock with no tone loss let me just stop you there. It's there whether or not you've noticed it yet and I've yet to meet a person I couldn't prove that to with a simple a/b test. Play your rig without the MXR m234 then keep everything the same but put the mxr back in the chain..you'll hear it for sure. It's even more apparent if you have a loop box that you can bypass it with a switch. Being able to go back and forth like that really makes the tone loss undeniable and once you hear it you'll never unhear it lol.
Mxr analog chorus clearly making the tone a bit dull and dark. Out of question. I love most mxr pedals (great sounds with reasonable price) but tone sucker buffers and hardwire bypass in most of them making me look somewhere else.
And Myth is repeated, Buffers, You get serious tone suck from compression, overdrive, distortion, fuzz. ...... the real tone sucker is the Big Muff. thanks for sharing your opinion.
New Song Guitar Collaboration one buffer in your dedicated buffer pedal is great, because you get to choose how it affects your tone. Buffers do that, affect tone. I truly hate when a random effects pedal has a buffer, because no matter how much I like the effect on, I can’t change the way the buffer sounds when it’s off. And this particular mxr pedal has an egregious buffer in it, that subtracts a lot of frequencies from the bypassed tone. Bad design.
They all suck tone, but the worst was the "true bypass" from the Corona ... ouch ... the mxr darkens the tone a little, you loose a little top end shimmer. the Boss CE-5 is probably the most transparent of the lot but at this point it's nit picking. If you have a bright rig, mxr is fine, if not, then go with a Boss of your choice. Case closed, no bad pedals here except for the TC Electronics, it all a matter of rig and taste.
@@MadebyMiike was just wanting to find out what if. Does it such tone only when in true bypass or when on as well.. I would like to use it always on as a mild setting. Just to thicken the tone a little bit
it's a great video. I can clearly hear the difference! BUFFERED PEDAL reduces some high frequencies. I think... But Boss buffers are fine, the problem was much more noticeable with digitech grunge so I had to sell it.
The Analog chorus did change the tone. blame it on the buffer (myth was disproved by Josh of JHS) if you need to, the analog chorus actually creates an certain of compression, which does suck tone. The Big Muff also has compression, which enhances the tone loss, on all the chorus's.
how did Josh disprove it was the buffer? What is it then surely its just a buffered circuit in bypass or is the tone rolloff and bad compression intentional? Sounds like a badly made buffer to me.
Dunlop/MXR buffers all kind of suck some obviously more than others, the quality boss buffers (waza pedals and some of the older stuff like the FZ-2) are great
MXR uses passive switches not buffers, but they are wired in a way that even when they are off the circuit is still connected to the jack, sucking some tone
This is probably because you have the tone settings at 12. The lows and mids are cut from the signal wheras if they were all the way to the right there would be no tone cut. I know the pedal is off but still that might be the reason why it's like that
Wrong! What is happening is the Boss pedals you are using have internal buffers which help push your signal and retain clarity. The MXR pedals are true bypass so you will need a buffer on your board to help push the clean signal. So basically the demo was a cheat and unfair contest because the Boss pedals were pushing signal and helping to retain clarity. Boss pedals stay buffered even when the pedal is off. The TC Electronic Corona also has internal buffers so you basically compared two brands with buffers to a brand that does not.
Wrong! The MXR Analog Chorus is not true bypass, it's buffer is the reason for the tone loss. The MXR Stereo Chorus isn't true bypass neither, but has a much better and cleaner buffer.
@@MadebyMiike lol so many people need to know the basics before they say something. how can you be so confident without the knowledge. I have tone suck from a mxr chorus after my mxr evh 5150 od which led me here. i didnt notice to much on clean channels but i removed it from my board and my high gain pedals are so alive now. maybe buffer pedal will fix it ....some would say dont use a distortion pedal lol. good video thanks
Hey Miike, I'm sure you wouldn't make a demo without reading the manual or educating yourself on the workings of a given pedal. But, unfortunately, you seem to have done just that. The MXR Analog Chorus has a bass cut knob and treble cut knob. When these knobs are 100% clockwise, they are letting 100% of the bass and treble through. You are running both of these knobs at 12 noon. Therefore you are cutting half of the bass and half of the treble. So of course you are "losing tone", but it's due to 100% user error. RTFM.
This was a test about tone loss when DISENGAGED. If the pedal sucks tone whens it's OFF because of the postition it's EQ knobs, it's 100% manufacturing error.
I was thinking of this and recall reading somewhere that the tone controls on this are passive. Does that mean they are still working whether the pedal is on or off ? May be something to try out. But if you have to leave the tone controls turned up all the way all the time (to avoid tone suck), that pretty much renders those controls useless unless you leave the pedal on at all times. So it's tricky.
Update: Yuki the Synth Dragon made a more scientific test of the MXR' tone suck (that demonstrates what we heard in this video). You can check that out here: ua-cam.com/video/CFitpslUfVk/v-deo.html
Thanks for this!
I listened closely with my headphones (first blindly, and afterwards while watching the vid), and I can definitely hear a difference when the MXR Analog Chorus is in the chain. It darkens the sound slightly.
Yesterday, I discovered the same thing... when switching ON FX LOOP on my Marshall DSL 20, sound became weaker... by elimination, I discovered that my MXR Analog Chorus is the problem...
I had this problem with a dyna comp.
i just confirmed the same. i was seeing about 1.6dB of signal loss through 14 pedals in my board (bypass mode). i isolated it down to mainly the MXR Analog Chorus that was sucking 1.1dB of that total. that's a lot for a single pedal.
_"How many chorus pedals you want to make?"_
*Boss: Yes.*
How many chorus pedals do we want Boss to make? Yes!
How about just split the cable, so you have one going through the effects and the other dry plugged straight into your audio interface/mixer?
MXR should look into fixing this. I wish they had just done it right from the start, even if it means adding a few more bucks to the retail price. Does anyone whether there is an easy mod to fix the tone suck?
I have a buffer at the end of my pedal chain and I didn't notice any tone drop when I bypassed the signal from my MXR analog chorus pedal. Then again my chorus pedal is at the beginning of the chain placed after my Drop pedal and before that is my wah and then tuner. Plus the chorus pedal is always on to add a nice layer underneath the gain and clean tone. I like it better than putting it after the gain pedals because it's more subtle and when I switch off the distortion pedal it compliments the overdrive pedal, which is always on too but with the gain turned down extremely low and brings out more clarity to my clean tone, especially when switching to the neck pickup on my guitar. I took this method from Paul Gilbert who took it from Robin Trower. 🙂
Boss demostrates since 1978 to now to be the best buffer in the market. And sound s soo beautiful, soo musical!…
Fun fact: The Analog Chorus was designed for Zakk Wylde, who keeps it on 100% of the time. The Analog Chorus (initially released as the Black Label Chorus) replaced the CE-5 on his board.
That is true.He also uses it as an a b box to run two heads.Secret is it's somewhere in his rig in guitar tech land(meaning where his actual heads are cuz the ones on stage are props),he is running a mxr/cae boost line driver.His chorus is always on so its again in tech land so the line driver is most likely in front of the chorus used as a buffer.It's recommended to use a buffer in front of an a b box or the chorus in his case.In short ,,,that helps with tone loss.
@@christiancircelli8159 Zakk Wylde version is true bypass
@@olekpokorski9955 Black label chorus is not true bypass. Check the manual.
@@PointlessExistence I read few shops description that that it's true bypass. But it's the worst compared to ce-2w and EH neo clone
@@olekpokorski9955 yeah, shops got it wrong. 100% sure it's buffered.
Lita Ford has been using the MXR analog chorus for like forever.
One could theoretically use a true bypass loop switcher to give the chorus a true bypass. I guess it depends on how much one loves that chorus and if they want to add space/complexity to their board.
True!
I love the mxr chorus though
I run all my pedals through a GigRig Quartermaster looper. Problem solved.
Staggered by just how much tone is lost via the MRX. I was going to order one based on the Chorus effect but this demo has proved it to be a deal breaker. Thanks for demonstrating: you've saved a lot of people being disappointed with this product post-purchase, myself included.
I had the same problem with this pedal, however fixed it by placing a buffer bypass right after it.
@@joet_swbo101 can you please explain to me, what you did exactly? Same problem with this pedal for mr...
@@joet_swbo101 a pedal with buffer?
Or a specific buffer just for the pedal?
@@alanaxel5403 you can use a buffer as a "signal correcter" to speak easy. Some fuzzes need that and some other pedals. The "bona fide" buffer is okay on a budget. There are many buffers out there.
@@joet_swbo101 does it affect the tone? I mean placing bonafide buffer after mxr analog chorus
Just watched this again. Its crazy how I had MXR Analog Chorus on my board for years and never noticed it, I just liked how the chorus sounded. Lol. I found myself not using chorus as much so I took it off. When I sit back and look at everything it's a WOW moment now. At this time, I was really using my Strat a lot and maybe I didnt notice it as much, cause it tamed a little bit of the chimey Strat tone? Now that I think about it, I also did change a couple neck humbuckers thinking they were too dark and one of these guitars was close to getting P90s in it. 🤷♂️ I'm sure it's not all the pedal, but this is eye opening for me looking back at my old pedalboard.
Yeah it's a shame really as it's a great sounding pedal when on, but sucks a lot of tone when off. Was eye opening for me as well!
Anyways, hope you enjoy your holidays and I wish you a great New Year ;-)
Thanks for watching and commenting! Mike
@@MadebyMiike thanks you too!
Good test, thanks for recording it!
So wait the problem is that it only sucks out tone when bypassed? Seems usable still for recording and home use then. Live seems like a problem though since you don’t want to take pedals out of the board.
Yes for recording/home use definitely usable (great Chorus sound), for live...not so much.
I just got a used MXR Analog Chorus in Mint condition and I love it, more than I thought I would. Love that I can dial up the low and high filters and pull back to carve out some bright sounds or get kinda moody with it. I am not noticing and drop in volume when it is off, maybe I got lucky, or maybe someone did the Bypass Mod to it already that I have read about.
It's a good pedal. It's not as bad as the video and some of the people commenting when you consider it's on the pedalboard of Pros like Lita Ford, Slash, Billy Joe Armstrong, and Eddie Van Halen.
Lita Ford has only 4 pedals on her board when she tours and performs and the MXR Analog Chorus is one of them. The others is a volume pedal, a wah, and a Flashback delay
I think putting a buffer like tc bonafide at the beginning of the chain solves this issue. That's what I did coz I have the same mxr analog pedal chorus on my board. So far no signal loss
It does.
Not nearly as badly as a Crybaby but definitely noticeable. I'm using this pedal for several years now and I really like it for it's sound, but I can't deny that it definitely darkens your tone ever so slightly. It's especially noticeable when placed after distortion.
But by fiddeling with the Eq on your amp you can easily compensate for most of it
Exactly I feel there is still a middle ground for tweaking it to find the sweet spot, and maybe even an EQ pedal would sort that out, it's an amazing pedal to be honest. And is known to slay a few classic (cough cough boss) chorus pedals
Excellent video! I fully concur; I returned my Analog Chorus for that very reason. It was one of the most wonderful sounding chorus pedals I heard with lots of adjustment to get the dark and brooding sound I was looking for. But when you turned it off, ugh.
Thanks for the comparison vid - this really pisses me off because I think the Chorus is excellent - I use it almost as an 'always on' at a really subtle setting but had no idea it affected the chain so much when turned off. I'm using it in the studio so easy enough to just pull it out of the rig and re-plug when I need it but what a disastrous design / build let down . . . until I find a decent replacement I'll fall back on my original Dimension D Rack altho the Chorus area in the Strymon Deco has quite a nice, natural 'ADT pushed to the limit' thing going for it. Time to look for something to replace the MXR - is the Stereo one any good?
Yeah so there is two sides to this story. IMHO if you have it always on and you think it enhances your sound - GREAT! Go for it and don't let this video tell you otherwise. But if you build a pedalboard and you just sometimes use a chorus I would really look for something else (alternatively you could always look for a ABY pedal or loop where you have "tone-suckers" in there). The thing about this MXR pedal is that it DOES sound gorgeous when engaged! But yes. it also sucks tone unfortunately. Decisions decisions...
Interesting for sure. Thanks for another cool video
Wow this is really good to know.
My pedalboard makes my rig a bit dark when everything is bypassed and I thought it was due to having too many pedals, but now I’m gonna try taking out just the Analog Chorus and see if that alone helps significantly.
Let us know what happens!
Did it fix it?
So?
well?
and??
I really only noticed the difference with the cranked input from the fuzz, not so much on the clean side. Wonder why that is ?
Fuzzes can behave different to different pedals and some of them need a buffer. With a buffer after the chain you would not have these issues with the analog chorus I think. Anyway, interesting video.
Anyone know how the mxr micro chorus stacks up? That one is listed as a true hardwire bypass…..which it sounds like is not a true bypass.
for some weird reason increasing the level seems to reduce this signal loss
I honestly feel mine like a little boost when level is up. I haven't notice this tone lose people mention.
I got the MXR EVH 5150 Chorus which can be set to true bypass.
Mike-sorry if this has been asked before-but what is your favourite chorus pedals? Thanks for the great content!!
That's easy: The MXR Stereo Chorus - it can do dark, it can do watery and I have yet to hear a chorus pedal with a nicer stereo sound. Have it for years, always come back to it. 2nd place goes to a couple of pedals: MXR Analog chorus (it steals highs when bypassed, but lovely chorus sound), the Boss Waza CH one (lovely Nirvana Chorus) and...hmm...the TC Electronics Corona was cool as well I guess. Thanks for watching Scott!
@@MadebyMiike Thanks Mike! I ended up buying the Waza and love the sound!
@@MadebyMiike I noticed that if you place a buffered bypass after it, it can fix that issue.
Thanks for the video!
Did you ever test behringer pedals buffer?
As soon as TO800 sound the same as tube screamer I wonder what is about behringer buffer quality?
Woah I didn’t even use headphones I just turned up my phone but yea when distortion (or fuzz) is on you can hear it go a tad muddy.
That sucks. Was really considering buying this. Anyone have a suggestion for a decent similarly priced or cheaper chorus pedal?
Does the MXR Chorus attenuate the signal?
Thank you for this video !
Good test and I can confirm these results as an owner of MXR Analog Chorus. I was shocked myself as well. While it is an excellent sounding unit when ON it kills a lot of signal when OFF in the chain. I used it in FX loop and it made sound darker, more muffled also with some volume loss. I ve tried it many other positions and even put buffers in front and behind it and mixed many position but it was the same results. Its a shame that they couldn’t do a better job with bypassing this thing. Since I am picky about my signal chain, I threw it up and its for sale.
I'm having the same issue with my MXR analog chorus. Curious, what did you replace it with?
@@moobox hi, I got voodoo analog chorus...two knobs only but sounds gorgeous
@@JosipAngeloBorovac thanks, I'll check it out!
@@moobox you ‘re welcome dude
Had this in the fx loop of an amp. And it sucked all the mids out of tone... take that for what it's worth. But the effect was so drastic I just had to return the pedal and get a chorus that was true bypass.
Just kicked this chorus of my board after noticing the same. Its like it strangles the tone which loses body. Such a shame as the chorus sound itself is awesome. Was considering a bypass looper but just not worth the hassle.
Woooow! thanks for the video!
In the loop, the MXR is catastrophic in terms of tone sucking (on my Mesa Mark V as well as on my EVH).
I am having this issue. It muffles my sound when engaged. What you use?
I literally had to pull out of FX Loop of my 5150 Iconic and put in front of amp (yuck) because it's slightly less tone suck but you lose some of the shimmer when engaged. Trading for the Boss CE2W soon
my jaw dropped at 3:35, that's... wow, uh, good to know. thanks!
I like a mild chorus pre-drive. Heck, even pre-comp... which is exactly how I have my anacho on my lead board and always on. Having it pre-comp just changes the definition of the instrument, absolutely suck-free.
I think people see this as a bad thing. Music is subjective, horses for courses - if you like it, use it.
huh....? You don't hear that..?
So sad. Ive noticed that something in my fx loop chain sucked tone and last night discovered it was my MXR. Is there any way to fix it?
Maybe. But since I am not an electronics guy, I sold it. The MXR Stereo Chorus sounds just as good and doesn't suck tone, so that's what I am coming back to
For my own use...
Polytune: 1:04
CH-1: 1:14
CE-5: 1:24
CE-2W: 1:34
Thanks for the video!
Definitely throws some shade on the high end... I know the pedal is bypassed but I wonder if the tone loss has anything to do with the low & high cut controls?
Yeah, that's exactly what I'm thinking.
I have MXR Chorus too and can conform it tone sucking bypass :(
It is especially noticible if put pedal after dirt. By the way with fat dark humbuckers this pedal also may sound very muddy.
I prefer old analog Boss choruses over it.
Why would you ever turn it off
I was testing in person Corona, Boss Waza and Boss CE5. CE5 had the worst buffer and Waza the best it almost improved the sound of the guitar. Corona buffer was still very good but not as good like Waza.
Corona is TB
@@BadMofoMusicCritic i used it in buffered mode
All the Waza Boss Pedals have an excellent buffer. My BD-2w improves my clean sound, even when it's not engaged!
I actually called Jim Dunlop about this, because I have the Stereo Chorus. I can tell you that w ith or without headphones I'm not hearing it and would like to see a reading from an ohm meter. Nevertheless, I was fooling around and noticed that I lost the signal in my chain when i unplug my Stereo Chorus. This tells me that, at least the Stereo Chorus is not True Bypass. The tech there told me that the MXR Stereo Chorus has a buffer, not unlike your digital pedals. I would assume that the Analog Chorus has a buffer as well. I will say this, however, I do notice when i turn my Stereo Chorus on and off, I notice a change in gain, but I wouldn't call that a drop in tome, but you and you followers might. I guess I define "tone" differently than you do. I think think both pedals would benfit from a leveling control.
It’s a stereo chorus so of course it has a buffer. If it didn’t then if you had it connected to two amps there would be a very noticeable drop in output and rolling off of high end.
Polytune: 1:05
CH-1: 1:14
CE-5: 1:24
CE-2W: 1:34
DC-2W: 1:44
MXR SC: 1:54
MXR AC: 2:03
Corona: 2:13
I hate to be the bearer of bad news for you and your test. READY...! The MXR ANALOG CHORUS must have the Two Tone knobs on 10 to be flat response. That's right you have the Bass & Treble cut in your audio test. MIGHT have an effect on the tone of the pedal even when it is off; You may want to re-test with EQ s SET to 10.
I don't have this pedal anymore, but forums all over the web are full with the same complaints about it. Maybe someone who has this pedal can test that?
I have the M234, and even with the two tone knobs at 10 (no cut), there is a considerable effect on the tone. The pedal is simply a tone suck, even when the effect is on.
Mine does not do this. My only gripe is a slight volume boost when on.
But chorus is doubling your signal so
Wow RIP...
That muff pedal its horrible, everything would sound bad with it. The buffer inside chorus pedals colours the tone shape. My Mxr Zw sign its made for active pickups so when bypass its noticeble the sound in compare when pluged off. But in a certain way its good because some sort of compression or maybe more o less db on the chain can be a good thing. Depend where you put it on, i usualy put it on the fx loop on the amp, it doesnt pass on the pre amp section togethet with reverb and delay. That way it doenst mess with lead signal.
Guitar >>> boost >>> overdrive >>> amp >>> fx loop send >>> chorus >>> delay >>> reverb >>> fx loop return
Boss have some of the best buffers man.
The MXR M234 certainly has tone loss in bypass from the buffer. I painstakingly traced my SMD M234 and true bypass modded it and now theres zero tone loss. But ive only known 1 other guy who's True bypassed the modern SMD version. It's not for beginners but if you've been building awhile and are confident in your soldering and tracing skills you could probably pull it off. Theres no schematic and nobody at MXR will give you one. I tried a few times to no avail lol. Anyways if your good with a soldering iron and are familiar with electronics repair/design I'd be happy to answer questions. Please dont bother asking if you've never even soldered before. Not trying to be rude but this isnt a standard true bypass mod. You'll have to drill a new hole over the analog chorus lettering for the new 3pdt. But my way doesn't require cutting away any pcb. In fact I just soldered my wires to the dpdt pads/plated through holes. Once you know where everything is it's a lot easier, in fact at that point it's fairly easy. But tracing was the biggest headache and working around tiny SMD components that love to wick into your solder if your not really careful with a steady hand. But with all that said it was certainly worth doing. At first I built a loop box to bypass the effect which worked but added a lot more patch cables to the signal chain and took up space and my OCD didnt like that at all. I'm going to build a Boss ce2 with mods in the next couple weeks. Not because I feel like the mxr doesn't cut it but just cause I've built pretty much everything except a chorus and I'd love to have a ce2. I think the MXR M234 can approximate the boss ce2 pretty well but if I had to have one and they were equal in price I'd probably get the Ce2 just cause it does what it does just a bit better (a very very small bit better). Now the Ce2W vs the MXR is no question the CE2W. But if you, like me have an MXR m234 your really not missing out on very much if anything. They are only slightly different. The main difference is the wave shape seems more lopsided with the MXR and the boss is more symmetrical and sine like (even though in reality they ate both using a filtered triangle LFO waveform which is more triangle like at lower rates and smooths out to almost a sine wave at higher rates). Neither sound is better or worse but I think most people prefer the Boss cause of the perceived sine like nature of its wave shape that more leslie chorus and less sea sick like the lopsided sounding LFO wave of the mxr (but again just to clarify in reality their LFO's are most likely filtered triangle waves that behave like triangle waves at lower rates and more sinewave-like at higher rates).Thae MXR sounding more seasick and lopsided at higher rates is also one of the reasons the mxr doesnt sound as good with a vibrato mod (although i personally love the lofi vibrato effect/lori effect I can get with my modded mxr) unless you dial back the depth to at least below about 50%. And the passive eq and level will kill the vibrato level so in vibrato mode you have to keep level all the way up and only lower high or low if your going for a lofi vibrato sound. Chorus is just vibrato with the dry signal mixed in so on the mxr if you do a vibrato mod those passive controls are taking away effect but without the dry signal to back it up so you have to keep level high and low all the way up to keep the vibrato mode the same volume. On the ce2 theres no way (in stock configuration) to lower the effect level so chorus and vibrato mode sound the same in volume. Anyways the only REAL problem with the m234 is the high end loss in bypass and for me tone loss from a chorus pedal is a nightmare. So if your OCD like me and don't have the skills yet to true bypass it then I'd recommend a different chorus that might cost a little more but wont me so with your signal in bypass. Or for a good cheap option the small clone is true bypass. I should add I love buffered bypass pedals, when they are done right they are an invaluable tool. But lots of chorus pedal buffers are copying the older designs that have the same bypass tone loss issue. So taking that into consideration I prefer true bypass chorus pedals. Before anyone trys to tell me they have an MXR m234 that's stock with no tone loss let me just stop you there. It's there whether or not you've noticed it yet and I've yet to meet a person I couldn't prove that to with a simple a/b test. Play your rig without the MXR m234 then keep everything the same but put the mxr back in the chain..you'll hear it for sure. It's even more apparent if you have a loop box that you can bypass it with a switch. Being able to go back and forth like that really makes the tone loss undeniable and once you hear it you'll never unhear it lol.
Thanks a lot!!!
👏👏👏👏👏👏
Mxr analog chorus clearly making the tone a bit dull and dark. Out of question. I love most mxr pedals (great sounds with reasonable price) but tone sucker buffers and hardwire bypass in most of them making me look somewhere else.
And Myth is repeated, Buffers, You get serious tone suck from compression, overdrive, distortion, fuzz. ...... the real tone sucker is the Big Muff. thanks for sharing your opinion.
@@newsongguitarcollaboration4614 are you sure you don't work for MXR? ;-)
New Song Guitar Collaboration one buffer in your dedicated buffer pedal is great, because you get to choose how it affects your tone. Buffers do that, affect tone. I truly hate when a random effects pedal has a buffer, because no matter how much I like the effect on, I can’t change the way the buffer sounds when it’s off. And this particular mxr pedal has an egregious buffer in it, that subtracts a lot of frequencies from the bypassed tone. Bad design.
They all suck tone, but the worst was the "true bypass" from the Corona ... ouch ... the mxr darkens the tone a little, you loose a little top end shimmer. the Boss CE-5 is probably the most transparent of the lot but at this point it's nit picking. If you have a bright rig, mxr is fine, if not, then go with a Boss of your choice. Case closed, no bad pedals here except for the TC Electronics, it all a matter of rig and taste.
What a shame, I really think this pedal has one of the best fullest chorus sounds,
and now I wont buy it
Agreed with everything you said!
@@MadebyMiike what if it's used as an always on pedal?
@@allboutthemojo Chorus always on? Are you sure you want that?
@@MadebyMiike was just wanting to find out what if. Does it such tone only when in true bypass or when on as well.. I would like to use it always on as a mild setting. Just to thicken the tone a little bit
it's a great video. I can clearly hear the difference!
BUFFERED PEDAL reduces some high frequencies. I think... But Boss buffers are fine, the problem was much more noticeable with digitech grunge so I had to sell it.
The Analog chorus did change the tone. blame it on the buffer (myth was disproved by Josh of JHS) if you need to, the analog chorus actually creates an certain of compression, which does suck tone. The Big Muff also has compression, which enhances the tone loss, on all the chorus's.
?? There was no muff in the clean part and it still sounded dull?
It is OK when tone changing happen with turned on fx pedal. Pedal should change tone and add some FX. But not when turned off.
how did Josh disprove it was the buffer? What is it then surely its just a buffered circuit in bypass or is the tone rolloff and bad compression intentional? Sounds like a badly made buffer to me.
Dunlop/MXR buffers all kind of suck some obviously more than others, the quality boss buffers (waza pedals and some of the older stuff like the FZ-2) are great
MXR uses passive switches not buffers, but they are wired in a way that even when they are off the circuit is still connected to the jack, sucking some tone
This is probably because you have the tone settings at 12. The lows and mids are cut from the signal wheras if they were all the way to the right there would be no tone cut. I know the pedal is off but still that might be the reason why it's like that
No. I did think of that, but the the tone controls only affect the (wet) sound when the pedal is engaged.
Definitely a stereo Chorus for me and not the analog
Wow....
Pretty chocking indeed
Wrong! What is happening is the Boss pedals you are using have internal buffers which help push your signal and retain clarity. The MXR pedals are true bypass so you will need a buffer on your board to help push the clean signal. So basically the demo was a cheat and unfair contest because the Boss pedals were pushing signal and helping to retain clarity. Boss pedals stay buffered even when the pedal is off. The TC Electronic Corona also has internal buffers so you basically compared two brands with buffers to a brand that does not.
Wrong! The MXR Analog Chorus is not true bypass, it's buffer is the reason for the tone loss. The MXR Stereo Chorus isn't true bypass neither, but has a much better and cleaner buffer.
@@MadebyMiike lol so many people need to know the basics before they say something. how can you be so confident without the knowledge. I have tone suck from a mxr chorus after my mxr evh 5150 od which led me here. i didnt notice to much on clean channels but i removed it from my board and my high gain pedals are so alive now. maybe buffer pedal will fix it ....some would say dont use a distortion pedal lol. good video thanks
I hear the diference!… very obvious!….blind test
Corona😀😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
no diference at all... I used headphones, maybe the Dimension C sound a little diferente, maybe...
::crickets::
Hey Miike,
I'm sure you wouldn't make a demo without reading the manual or educating yourself on the workings of a given pedal. But, unfortunately, you seem to have done just that.
The MXR Analog Chorus has a bass cut knob and treble cut knob.
When these knobs are 100% clockwise, they are letting 100% of the bass and treble through.
You are running both of these knobs at 12 noon. Therefore you are cutting half of the bass and half of the treble.
So of course you are "losing tone", but it's due to 100% user error.
RTFM.
This was a test about tone loss when DISENGAGED. If the pedal sucks tone whens it's OFF because of the postition it's EQ knobs, it's 100% manufacturing error.
I was thinking of this and recall reading somewhere that the tone controls on this are passive. Does that mean they are still working whether the pedal is on or off ? May be something to try out. But if you have to leave the tone controls turned up all the way all the time (to avoid tone suck), that pretty much renders those controls useless unless you leave the pedal on at all times. So it's tricky.
take your L bro bro
can you verify these controls are the problem when the pedal is OFF. because thats when it sucks the tone.