Members mbengs1 Posted August 30, 2015 Members Share Posted August 30, 2015 I find them very complicated. you need 2 cables per pedal. so if you have 8 pedals. you need to make 16 cables of different lengths to connect all the pedals on your pedal board into the switcher. that's a lot of stuff. where can i get all the cables i need or do i have to make them myself (like George L's or something). i know it makes switching the easiest but all that setup cost makes me want to opt for a really great multi effects instead like the new line 6 Helix or the latest digitech multi. Multi effects just needs two cables and they sound reasonably good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fender&EHX4ever Posted August 30, 2015 Members Share Posted August 30, 2015 There are different types of switchers that address different needs. A simple bypass looper is useful to guys who use pedals that don't have true bypass, like vintage pedals, BOSS, etc. In that scenario, a long sequence of pedals will cause signal loss even when the pedals are turned off. A bypass looper allows you to bypass the circuitry entirely. Another useful feature of a bypass looper is that it allows trails on delays if the delay pedal doesn't have that feature already. I use a Carl Martin Octoswitch, which is an effects switcher, because it allows me to create presets. I can program several pedals into a single footswitch. I also have the added benefit of it being a bypass looper for my vintage pedals. Multi-FX are great, especially for live performance and convenience. I would agree that they are more practical, but they don't accomplish everything that many pedals do. I've yet to hear a multi-fx unit sound exactly like a Deluxe Memory Man, a Flanger Hoax, a BOSS PS-3, or a Digitech Space Station, for example. If those sounds are important to your music, a multi-fx won't cut it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbengs1 Posted August 31, 2015 Author Members Share Posted August 31, 2015 I see but setting up an effects switching system seems like a big hassle. to many connections to make and they take a lot of real estate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fender&EHX4ever Posted August 31, 2015 Members Share Posted August 31, 2015 I see but setting up an effects switching system seems like a big hassle. to many connections to make and they take a lot of real estate. Agreed 100% Complicated pedalboards are like luxury cars, yachts, or mansions. They can be a lot of fun to use, but a pain the ass to own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ben_allison Posted August 31, 2015 Members Share Posted August 31, 2015 Do you have a better way of changing two midi presets, turning one OD on, and another off, all with a single click for a seamless change moving from one part of a song to another? Complicated wiring and board real estate are way lower down on the priority list compared to tone and utility, for some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted September 1, 2015 Members Share Posted September 1, 2015 Some rigs can be very complex. Today you even have laptops added in with everything else. Here's one that's a good example of using a fairly busy wiring scheme. There are tons of others listed on this site. http://www.guitargeek.com/ This one combines a laptop in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I see but setting up an effects switching system seems like a big hassle. to many connections to make and they take a lot of real estate. Yes, they are yet another box for your board, but the added flexibility and utility more than makes up for it - at least for some players. Yes, they take more cables, but again, they add considerably to the capabilities of the board and allow you to do stuff that would be impossible without them. For example, going from a fuzz and delay running together to a compressor and chorus, with just one click of a footswitch. And while it does take some work to set them up, you only have to do it once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikesr1963 Posted September 1, 2015 Members Share Posted September 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Player99 Posted September 8, 2015 Members Share Posted September 8, 2015 A great feature is being able to easily find a bad cable or pedal, as well when playing live and a cable fails it is easy to bypass it and keep playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbengs1 Posted September 17, 2015 Author Members Share Posted September 17, 2015 i forgot to add switchers are expensive. the boss es-8 is $700. damn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AJ6stringsting Posted September 27, 2015 Members Share Posted September 27, 2015 I bought this a few months ago and I got to add a 7 band Eq ( for increasing sensitivity to my distorted tone), a 10 band Eq, an acoustic guitar simulator, a sitar simulator and soon a talk box. It has a buffer and a anti-click feature that's great. http://www.ebay.com/itm/RJM-Music-Mini-Effect-Gizmo-Audio-Loop-Switcher-/141677359371?hash=item20fca0f10b I love this device beyond words !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sylvestre Posted September 27, 2015 Members Share Posted September 27, 2015 Yes I agree with the OP - A muti-FX is far better on stage. I tried several switchers and they really are not user-friendly at all, they are expensive, so many cables add failure risks, programming MIDI with them was a pain, etc. I prefer the sound of pedals but on stage I would never use a switcher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 I bought this a few months ago and I got to add a 7 band Eq ( for increasing sensitivity to my distorted tone), a 10 band Eq, an acoustic guitar simulator, a sitar simulator and soon a talk box. It has a buffer and a anti-click feature that's great. http://www.ebay.com/itm/RJM-Music-Mini-Effect-Gizmo-Audio-Loop-Switcher-/141677359371?hash=item20fca0f10b I love this device beyond words !!!! That looks pretty sweet AJ! Can you tell us more about what it can do and how it works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikesr1963 Posted September 29, 2015 Members Share Posted September 29, 2015 When ever I read posts like this I recall an article I read on Neil Young's touring rig and his switcher that was built decades ago. The article noted how his rig has changed very little over the years. Compared to how rigs are changed today I would go as far to say that his rig hasn't changed. I love Neil's CrazY Horse tones and really dig his rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.