Question about MF Chorus stereo mode

The Moog Forum Minifooger Forum
1

Does all-mono give a better chorused final result than stereo-to-mono?

  • All-mono with chorusing switch at mono (#1) is identical to stereo-to-mono conversion with chorusing switch at stereo (#2).
  • Desirable monaural chorusing qualities are lost when converting stereo chorused signals to monaural via an averaging pedal. Stereo-to-mono conversion with chorusing switch at stereo (#2) is not identical to all-mono with chorusing switch at mono (#1).
0 voters

The MF Chorus has a wonderful stereo sound. My question regards whether or not to set the internal stereo switch to stereo permanently. For the following two signal chains (see attachments), are the resulting final signals theoretically identical?

  1. Guitar line in to MF Chorus >> MF Chorus set to mono >> mono line out to “Delay Pedal B” mono input >> mono line out to amplifier

  2. Guitar line in to MF Chorus >> MF Chorus set to stereo >> stereo out via TRS splitter >> TRS splitter L+R in to “Delay Pedal B” stereo L+R inputs >> “Delay Pedal B” mono line out to amplifier

  • It is assumed “Delay Pedal B” is capable of automatically averaging the stereo L+R input signals to create the mono output signal

The question is: For a conventional live setup (single mono guitar amp), is there any advantage to remaining entirely mono (including the internal switch) as described in #1 versus the stereo-to-mono configuration described in #2?

In the stereo-to-mono signal chain of #2, am I losing any desirable chorusing artifacts that would otherwise be present in the conventional all-mono signal chain of #1?

They do sound virtually the same, but I’m curious to know for certain. I know the stereo-to-mono configuration of #2 probably gains a bit of noise, but that’s not my concern. Is there any unique phasing in the stereo chorused signals being destroyed in the conversion to monaural that would cause it to be lower quality than a conventional all-monaural configuration?

My goal is to be able to go between a single amp and flip over to two amps for stereo without ever having to toggle the internal stereo switch.
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2

I was just at the Dallas Guitar Show. It was a blast playing my Moog Guitar through the Chorus in Stereo.

It really is too bad that the Flanger they had didn’t work.

3

Cool, I ought to check it out this weekend since I’m up in Plano. I’m loving my MF Chorus so far. Stereo mode is magical, and mono mode is consistently musical even with extreme settings.

I ordered mine immediately in response to an unfavorable first impression of an EHX Polychorus off Amazon. The Polychorus has a massive stereo field and a pristine modulated voice that this little Moog honestly just can’t compete with. However, the Polychorus has several disadvantages:

  1. The foot switch will wake the neighbors;
  2. Funky controls can cause unpredictable sounds unless you memorize all your preferences;
  3. A direct guitar input easily overdrives the pedal and sounds like vomit;
  4. Pedal must go in amp effects loop for proper signal level control, making pedalboard setup a challenge; and
  5. Giant footprint.

The Moog doesn’t seem to have any of those disadvantages. Therefore, the Moog earns a permanent spot on my overdrive and expression board, while the Polychorus gets relegated to my secondary effects loop.