I have posted on heare that I used to have a Triple X as well. The thing is a beast thats for sure. I ran my pedals through the effect loops as well. I ran a tube screamer and wah pedals. When I went straight to the amp I got some noise as well. What I did is run through the effects loop, back off the gain and use the tube screamer to get the desired tone. Dont let this discourage you but I got sick of the XXX and ran to the hills for a Marshall, best decision I have made in a long time.