Carl Martin Octa-Switch Mk3

Effects Pedal Loop and Switching Unit

Pop quiz: You're playing on stage and you need to switch from the compressor and chorus pedal you're using for the rhythm parts to an overdrive and delay for the upcoming solo, and you also want to simultaneously change channels on your amp. What do you do hotshot? Well if you're like most of us, you try to tap-dance furiously across your pedalboard; turning everything you need on and off as fast as you can. Oops! It took too long to switch everything, and now you've missed your big entrance to the solo! Of course, this is far from ideal. Maybe you've thought about a full MIDI switching rig, but don't want to deal with the high cost, not to mention the setup hassles and complexity. Is there another way to switch multiple effects simultaneously without having to resort to all that? Well in fact there is. Allow me to introduce you to the Carl Martin Octa-Switch Mk3.

What You Need To Know

• Housed in a rugged, red powder-coated metal case measuring 12.23" W x 6" D x 2.5" H, the Octa-Switch Mk3 has a slightly different layout than the Mk2 (which also remains in the Carl Martin lineup as of this time), being not quite as wide at the expense of slightly increased depth. Outside of the physical layout and the Mk2's ability to be powered by two 9V batteries, the Mk2 and Mk3 are the same. Most users will find the new layout of the Mk3 to be more compact and pedalboard-friendly.

   

• The Octa-Switch is designed to allow you to connect up to eight effects (or chains of effects), each via its own rear panel send and return loop. The top panel footswitches don't turn each individual pedal on or off, but are actually for selecting the unit's eight different presets.  The switching is done with relays, which are completely silent.

• Loops 1-7 are mono send / mono return loops, while Loop 8 has a TRS stereo 1/4" return jack and can be used as a mono loop or as a mono send / stereo return loop. You'll need to pick up a 1/4" TRS "insert" cable or adapter if you want to use Loop 8's stereo return feature, as one is not included with the pedal.

   

• Each preset is set by the slide-type DIP switches adjacent to the corresponding footswitch. You select which of the eight loops you want to have the Octa-Switch activate when you select that preset by simply moving the DIP switches to the on (up) or off (down) position. Whatever loops are set to "on" with the DIP switches will be activated when you click on that preset's footswitch. It's quick and simple to set up, and easy to change later if you want to.  

   

• Once you have everything set up to your satisfaction, Carl Martin recommends covering the exposed DIP switches with a piece of electrical tape to help keep foreign matter (like beer) from accidentally entering the pedal.  

   

• When you select a preset, a row of eight LEDs at the top of the pedal give you a visual indication of which of the eight loops are active for that preset.  

   

• All of the footswitches with the exception of the main bypass switch are non-latching and don't audibly click when you step on them. A LED next to each of the eight preset footswitches, as well as the Bypass footswitch, indicate when they're active.

   

• Speaking of bypass, a rear panel pushbutton switch allows you to select either buffered or true bypass. The buffer's performance is quite good, and it works great for compensating for long cable runs.

• The mono input and stereo output jacks are also located on the rear panel.

   

• The Octa-Switch also has a 2.1mm center-negative ("Boss style") power connector on the rear panel. No battery powering option is provided on the Mk3, and there are no internal trim pots or switches to mess with. A power adapter isn't included, but the pedal will work with any 9V DC regulated power supply that has the correct connector and that can supply a minimum of 500mA. Maximum power consumption is rated at 380mA.

   

• The DIP switches are mounted level with the top of the unit, and the tiny switch tips stick up slightly above it. They're very close together, and some people may find it easier to set them with the aid of an improvised tool, such as the end of a guitar pick or a small screwdriver.

   

• What about switching other things, such as your amp's channels? Carl Martin thought of that too, and there are two rear panel 1/4" External Switch jacks, each with a corresponding set of DIP switches on the top panel. These jacks are "latching" and allow you to switch anything that will work with a latching type switch, which includes many (but not all) amp channel switches. If your amp will work with latching switches, it's easy to have a couple of presets configured so your amp is running on the clean channel, while other presets kick it over to the lead channel.  

   

• You can do a lot of cool things with this pedal that might not be readily apparent. Want to have some of the pedals feed your amp's input and others running in its effects loop? The manual spells out exactly how to set this up, and it's quite easy to do. Need to turn your amp's built-in reverb or tremolo on for some presets and off for others? The External Switch jacks will let you do it. You can also run multiple pedal chains in some of the loops, allowing for even more complex combinations of effects that are called up with just a single button.  

• Do you play smaller gigs with both acoustic and electric guitars, a few pedals and a couple of amps? You can use the Octa-Switch as a multi A/B box by plugging the acoustic and electric into Loop 1 and Loop 2's inputs, then running the pedals in loops 3-6, and then run the outputs of Loops 7 and 8 to the electric and acoustic amps. Once you have it all set up, you can use the effects with either guitar and amp, and very quickly switch from your acoustic to your electric rig.

   

• Need to "mult" the signal and send it to more than two amps that you can select from and combine at will? You can plug into the Octa-Switch's input jack and take the output of the eight loops and run them wherever you want them to go - to eight different amps, to a couple of amps and a couple of direct recording and/or PA feeds - the flexibility of this pedal is incredible, and you'll probably be able to think of lots of other creative ways to put it to work once you start using it.

Limitations

• The numbers on the loop LED indicators could be a bit larger, which would make them easier to see. I found myself occasionally unsure of whether it was pedal #4 or pedal #5 that was active. The preset indicators next to the switches are much larger and more visible.

   

• While the Mk3 is a bit more pedalboard friendly in terms of dimensions, at 3.5 pounds the Octa-Switch is still a relatively heavy piece of equipment that will add noticeably to your pedalboard's weight.

   

• While Loop 8 does offer the ability to accept a stereo return, there is no way to directly connect pedals with stereo inputs, which limits you to mono in / stereo out effects on Loop 8.

   

• The Octa-Switch Mk3 will only route audio to the right output jack when a stereo pedal is connected to Loop 8 and Loop 8 is active. If you're running dual amps and want them both to be active at all times (whether a stereo effect is in use or not) you can always use the stereo pedal's own bypass and leave Loop 8 active. In fact, I got around the single stereo loop limitation by running a mono in / stereo out pedal, then multiple stereo in / stereo out pedals in series with all of them connected to Loop 8, and just bypassed the stereo pedals individually as desired while leaving Loop 8 active for all presets where I needed stereo effects or wanted both amps running.

   

• Not all amplifiers support the use of latching type switches for their channel and on-board effects switching. Check your amp's manual for compatibility before purchase if this is an essential feature for you.

Conclusions

The Carl Martin Octa-Switch Mk3 can put an end to your tap-dancing days. For many players, this pedal is going to be a game-changer, allowing them to store and recall up to eight different combinations of the connected effects with just a single button. It's very easy to set up, and those who don't want to learn MIDI commands and deal with menus and complicated programming can now enjoy some of the same benefits that have largely been limited to more elaborate MIDI switching systems in the past.

The flexibility of this pedal is impressive, but so is the sound quality. Switching is dead silent, and the Octa-Switch Mk3 doesn't add any appreciable noise to your sound. In fact, for many users, it's going to make things sound better because it keeps everything you're not using at any given moment completely out of the signal path - including the extra cabling. Build quality is what you'd expect from Carl Martin - in other words, excellent.

I've really been enjoying the Octa-Switch. It allows me to call up vastly different preset sounds comprised of multiple analog effects with just a single button push - something that would otherwise be impossible to pull off. While I do wish it had a stereo input / output loop, and maybe a few more loops in general (I have a LOT of pedals), there's very little else about this incredible loop switcher that I could find fault with. If you loathe menus and MIDI but want to have the ability to create complex sounding multi-effects presets using the pedals you already own, then you owe it to yourself to check out a Carl Martin Octa-Switch.

Resources

Carl Martin Octa-Switch Mk3 ($610 MSRP, $427 "street")

Buy from Reverb

Carl Martin's product web page  

Carl Martin Octa-Switch Mk3 manual (PDF file)   

What kinds of presets can you set up with a Octa-Switch? Check out 

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Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.