Arion SCH-1 / SCH-Z "Stereo" Chorus Tone Control Differences?

[Mr. Lime]

Dear community,

I just pulled the trigger on another Arion SCH-1 chorus pedal and I wanted to ask if someone is aware of the original tone control placement?

When I was comparing my BYOC Mega Chorus with the Arion SCH-Z (already sold again), I liked the Mega Chorus much more and found the tone control more useful.

I checked some schematics and found out, that there seems to be differences, where the active tone control is placed. Clones often place it before the BBD where it affects the clean bypass path as well.
Example:
PCB Guitar Mania Zephyr


Another schematic is showing the SCH-Z with the tone control after the BBD without effecting the clean path:
SCH-Z

Looking at the SCH-1 schematic, it seems like the tone control is placed like in the clones. This makes me think that there is a significant difference between the SCH-1 and SCH-Z but people report they are more or less the same.
SCH-1

None of them are truly stereo chorus effects like the DOD FX67, Boss Dimension C (sounds good but I don't like the buttons on my DC-2w), Tri-Stereo (love my RT Threeway, but very subtle!), Supro or Jackson Audio units, so I would guess it would be easier to differentiate between the SCH-1 and SCH-Z..

Personally I would place the tone control rather after the BBD.
What are your thoughts?

[ElectricDruid]

I can see arguments for doing it both ways.

Putting it in the main path makes the control into an *overall* tone control, affecting both the dry and delayed signal. Putting it in the BBD path makes it a slightly subtler thing, Tone control for only the delayed signal. That might help your ear separate the two voices better, if that's the aim.

And that brings me to another point - "Chorus" was supposedly designed to sound like a chorus of voices singing or playing together. But it almost never does! Mostly it's used for the thick, swirly quality it gives things. But putting your guitar through a CE-2 doesn't make it sound like there are two guitarists, or even close!

So perhaps the design with the tone control in the BBD path was thinking more of the "separate voices" idea of chorus, whereas the general tone control design was thinking more of the thick swirly tone idea?

[Zwachi]

Having a control for adjusting high frequencies in the BBD path is a useful feature IMO. Reducing highs and boosting lows probably less. The Mega Chorus takes care on that. Maybe the treble side of a Baxandall tonestack would make a better tone control.

I remember having volume issues with the SCH-Z and a lot of people seem to complain about that as well. I would guess having the tone control in the dry path can lead to impressions of uneven volumes when the pedal is activated so the situation with the SCH-1 would be even worse?

Anyway I'm looking forward to test the japanese SCH-1 I purchased soon and will report what I hear.


 

[ElectricDruid]

I remember having volume issues with the SCH-Z and a lot of people seem to complain about that as well. I would guess having the tone control in the dry path can lead to impressions of uneven volumes when the pedal is activated so the situation with the SCH-1 would be even worse?

+1 agree, this is a good point. Tone controls really do mess with the perceived volume level, so if you add one, you probably need to be able to tweak the overall level as well to make sure the "effect on" and "effect off" signals are similar.