Switchin systems? Do I dare ask?

[rayinreverse]

My pedalboard keeps expanding, but I also sing. Im getting really tired of not being able to do certain parts live because I cant turn my space echo off, and my supercollider on at the same time. Im thinking about maybe getting a switching system. Should I even bother? Will I regret the expense?
Something like the Carl Martin OctaSwitch

[grimniggzy]

If I only had to worry about 2 pedals I wouldn't be looking into anything too advanced.
I'd probably just go with something like this:
http://www.loop-master.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=31

I'd ask if the stomps could be a little closer together for easy access at the same time with just one foot.

[rayinreverse]

Not only two pedals. That was just an example

[dunwichamps]

you can just build one for cheap

[grimniggzy]

Oh, OK. I'd say give it a shot then.
I always thought the MOEN stuff looked cool, just a little rich for my blood.
http://moenfx.com/index.html

[Hemisaurus]

I'd argue that, you can build a simple looper for cheap, where you can switch in and out a loop of pedals. What something like the Octaswitch does is subtly different, it allows you to setup different loops using the same pedals.

A simple switcher say an A/B job, you can put your wah, muff and vibe on one loop and your rat, chorus and delay on the other, you can only ever have one chain, or the other, or in some cases a mix of both loops blended together.

Something like the octaswitch, each pedal is it's own loop and you can setup banks of loops, accessible by a single button press, so one bank might be wah muff chorus, another might be wah, muff, vibe another just wah, another wah, muff, chorus and delay. You can build it yourself, but it won't be easy or cheap.

[Chovie D]

way too expensive for my tastes but this is pretty amazing. I know two people who have bought them.
http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/Pedal_Board_Pics.html

[clockwork green]

Aside from a custom Bradshaw unit, RJM music has the best system I've seen and voodoo labs isn't bad but it can't do cover as many pedals nor switch midi effects like the RJM can. I'm in the same boat you are. Singing and playing guitar and looking to control multiple effects at once. The RJM will cost about a grand though.

[rayinreverse]

the octa switch looks rad. but I havent had a chance to go back and see if its latching or not.
It would really only work for me if each switch is latched to the other. allowing me to completely change a series of boxes with one press.

[Hemisaurus]

It's an 8x8 matrix. You can setup 8 combinations of 8 pedals.

Each footswitch selects a pattern of the eight connected effects, you can have eight different combinations of your eight pedals, if that explains it better?

What you can't do is select the order of pedals.

So switch 1 could be pedals 1, 2, 3 and 8 and that would be the order they were connected in.
    switch 2 could be pedals 1,3,5,6 and 8

and so on.

Each footswitch has an eight switch dipswitch associated with it, that's how you select the pedals you want on for each footswitch.

[rayinreverse]

but is switch one latched so that when I hit switch 2 it shuts off?

[spookstrickland]

It's pretty easy you just need some cheap 3pdt switches and jacks from pedalpartsplus.com and a housing.  I used an old Ford Valve Cover.

Mine has a A/B so I can switch between two different fuzzes or go from lead to clean then it has another loop that it switchable plus a tuner output.

[Hemisaurus]

but is switch one latched so that when I hit switch 2 it shuts off?

I believe so, else it wouldn't work.

[cat shepard]

this thread and my brain currently =this

[Hemisaurus]

Sheesh, OK try and imagine just one footswitch.

You have 8 loops to put your pedals in, if you have 8 pedals put one in each loop.

Now there's a set of eight little (DIP) switches associated with that footswitch. If you want pedals 1, 5 and 8 to come on when you step on the footswitch, you flip switches 1, 5 and 8 on that DIP switch.

Now whenever you step on that footswitch, pedals 1, 5 and 8 are switched into circuit and your signal goes through them.

Now you have 7 more footswitches that can be setup in exactly the same way. Each footswitch had it's own set of 8 little DIP switches.

[rayinreverse]

but is switch one latched so that when I hit switch 2 it shuts off?

I believe so, else it wouldn't work.

Right. Everyone started mentioning loopers and the octa switch is not just a simple looper.

[bbottom]

this thread and my brain currently =this

I'm right there with ya man

[Lumpy]

It's pretty easy you just need some cheap 3pdt switches and jacks from pedalpartsplus.com and a housing.  I used an old Ford Valve Cover.

Applauded. That is classy!!!

[mawso]

It's pretty easy you just need some cheap 3pdt switches and jacks from pedalpartsplus.com and a housing.  I used an old Ford Valve Cover.

Mine has a A/B so I can switch between two different fuzzes or go from lead to clean then it has another loop that it switchable plus a tuner output.

I know you've posted that before, but it's still worth noting how fkn badass that housing is.

[fallen]

Moen. Silent switching and programmable. You're going to have to drop some bucks on extra cables but it's worth it.

There are two models, a 9 loop, you can use some of the loops to A/B amps or channel switch if you want. And a smaller one that only allows 3 simultaneous loops but you can patch them in any order you want.

If you want to be able to click one switch and turn on and off multiple pedals this is the way to go.

[Lumpy]

Best thing is to chart it out and see what you need exactly. You said

My pedalboard keeps expanding

so you might want to plan on some future flexibility (or wait until you have everything firmly established). Once you have a plan (a flow chart, basically) and know if you want bells & whistles (momentary switches etc) it will determine if you need a custom build or can buy something off the shelf (custom build isn't always more expensive).

What you described doesn't sound very complicated, but it sounds like you have some things you haven;t explained yet. For simple needs, the Boss LS-2 can do a lot of different things, the swiss army knife of simple switchers. Electro Harmonix has this new pedal which has a momentary switch, which looks cool:



There's another new one called the Killswitch, too.

[Lumpy]

Duh, I just googled the Carl Martin Octa Switch... that looks incredibly bad-ass. Are you sure you need something that complicated? Plot out your plan with a list or a chart. Once you have it straight in your head, you'll probably know what your options are (but it also might be accomplished with a cheap and simple fix, if you are clever).

Octaswitch linky:
http://www.soundunlimited.co.uk/product_1117_Carl_Martin_Octa_Switch.html

[rayinreverse]

the octa switch is really sweet for the price.
moen is almost as expensive and completely unknown brand. the moen US dealer also has a programmable looper by Viloos thats even less known, but its a great deal. 170.

[RAGER]

I'd like to get into one of these too.  Either the Octa or one of the Moen units for me.