Effects Chain Re-router

[Mickguard]

I've got a fairly complex setup these days, using two amps --Amp 1 is the cleaner signal (there's a Tubescreamer in there too though).

Amp 2 is fed from a Y-cable from the Tubescreamer, then goes into a dual-looper, where I have a fuzz, an octaver, a boost (for the octaver), a synth wah, an echo (and a bass synth coming soon).

I use the looper mostly to clean up the chain, also to spare the shoddy switches on some of the pedals. About the only effect that I actually 'play' live is the synth wah (that is, I switch in and out of it during a song)-- the other effects really stay on for the entire song, when those effects are used. (The bass synth has an expression pedal input --I also have a photo eye jack coming, so that pedal will also be for 'playing' too. )

But it strikes me that it would be nice if I could re-route the signal chain at will-- because sometimes I like to apply the synth wah to the fuzz signal, sometimes I'd like to add fuzz to the synth wah instead, etc.

So does anyone know of a box that would permit that? Or would that be way too complicated to implement?

[digi2t]

How about a MIDI looper? Kittyhawk MIDI looper and/or Ground Control come to mind. I know it's a pricey solution, but I believe it would ultimately solve your dilemma (including any in the future ). With a programable MIDI foot controller (FCB1010, X-15, or Flight Path for example) you could then create presets in the controller to call up your desired sound.

Cheers

Edited July 22, 2008 by digi2t

[borge]

i *think* i recall seeing a true bypass loop pedal with 2 loops and an extra stomp to switch the order, can't remember where though

[Thoughtless 7]

Have you looked at the Gig Rig?

What setting do you use your SynthWah on?

[Mickguard]

Have you looked at the Gig Rig?

What setting do you use your SynthWah on?

I knew someone would have thought this up...that's one cool box. But it's kind of pricey, it's going to have to wait until I'm rich. In the meantime, I think I'll just add a second fuzz after the chain, that will get me there too.

I use different settings for the SynthWah depending on the song. I'm mostly using it for noisy synth-like sounds, filter sweeps, that kind of thing, more than for the wah/envelope type sounds.

[suregork]

Carl Martin Octa-Switch ~350 dollars..

[Mickguard]

Carl Martin Octa-Switch ~350 dollars..

Ah much better. Still need to get a few more gigs under my belt though.

[j. pierce]

If you want to simply reverse the order of the two effects, and do it now, and cheaply, I think homebrew is the best way to go here.

You just want to switch the order of a couple of effects, or the order of a couple of chains of effects, you could do it with a 3PDT stomp switch and a bit of wiring. No indicator light, but there are a variety of ways to get an indicator with a minimum of hassle. You can probably adapt something like the R.G. Keen's millennium bypass circuit, designed for adding an indicator light to a 2PDT-based bypass with little hassle.

Geofex.com has some info on doing what you want here:

http://geofex.com/Article_Folders/juggler/juggler.htm

It's not the most cookbook of explanations, but it was the first one that came to mind.

If you don't need a footswitch this could be easily done with a rotary switch. Small Bear Electronics (smallbearelec.com) also sells a stomp-able 4PDT, although I've no experience with the thing, I can't vouch for it's sturdiness.

I'd search around at the various DIY stompbox sites; this is ground that has been covered before. Geofex has plethora of articles, often overlapping each other; a quick google search of the site may turn up something more helpful than that page. I'd also recommend a quick search of the forums at DIYstompboxes.com, as well as their schematic and layout galleries, they may have more info.

All of these should be fairly easy projects if you know your way around a soldering iron. (I build my own effects, so I guess I take this stuff for granted.) Might not be everyones cup of tea. I've been experimenting with a relay and chip based bypassing for a while now - trying to build my own crazy switching system for all my pedals and stuff. It opens up a lot of cool possibilities. Signal routing is one of those things that can really be as basic, or as complex as you want it to be.

[Mickguard]

Signal routing is one of those things that can really be as basic, or as complex as you want it to be.

Oh, I can definitely see myself going back to "guitar - amp- no pedals" mode one of these days. That doesn't work with the current band though, at least, this batch of songs. There's just me and the drummer.

Meantime, I've been developing different signal chain ideas based around the dual-looper I have.

What I'm coming back to now is just using the looper as a performance pedal -- to switch in the effects that I use dynamically (the Synthwah, the wonderfully nasty Punkifier and pretty soon the Bass Synth) -- since the other effects are always-on when they're called for in a song. This way I only have one switch to deal with when I'm playing, and it's more solid than the Synthwah's switch.