Would anyone here like to have

[dragonworks]

a unit that could hook up to all your stompboxes, power them, and have programmable capabilities to route the signal to different chains of stompboxes so you don't have to do the guitar dance to turn on distortion, comp, delay at the same time.
You would be able to plug all the ins and outs of the boxes into it. Basically a seperate outboard router? Where you could set up different chains for different sounds. Kind of like the multi FX boxes but without all the drawbacks.
I was thinking of making one.

 

[Garry Sharp]

I saw a picture of such a device in a magazine. There was a row of foot switches at the front for turning each pedal on and off. It was wired in such a way that the signal was not routed through the boxes not being used, thus keeping down the signal degradation from going through lots of by-passed boxes.

 

[dragonworks]

I saw a picture of such a device in a magazine. There was a row of foot switches at the front for turning each pedal on and off. It was wired in such a way that the signal was not routed through the boxes not being used, thus keeping down the signal degradation from going through lots of by-passed boxes.

could you remember the mag or who made it? Was it programmable so you could set up different chains? Did it also power the pedals?

 

[Garry Sharp]

It was custom built for a professional bass player, who was interviewed in Bass Player magazine - that's all I can remember, sorry. Yes, it also powered the pedals. I don't think it was programmable in the way you describe, I think that there was just one switch per pedal, but I am not sure the caption went into that much detail, and I suppose it would be no great leap to have one switch turn say three pedals on simultaneously.

 

[ecktronic]

There is such a box already on the market Dragonworks, but im sorry I dont know what it is called. It could route the single pedals so that it worked like a multi-effects box. I do remember however it costing about £500 or $1,000! :shocked:

Good idea, but still couldnt have the control of a real multi efect box because you couldnt save settings like delay time etc. Once the delay time is set on a single pedal, it is set until you change it manually (or tap your foot to the time).

 

[dragonworks]

There is such a box already on the market Dragonworks, but im sorry I dont know what it is called. It could route the single pedals so that it worked like a multi-effects box. I do remember however it costing about £500 or $1,000! :shocked:

Good idea, but still couldnt have the control of a real multi efect box because you couldnt save settings like delay time etc. Once the delay time is set on a single pedal, it is set until you change it manually (or tap your foot to the time).

multi FX boxes suck for live performances. Of course you have the high end stompboxes that do have those capabilities.
I would leave all of the stompboxes turned on and just route to them when necessary.

Thanx for all your input guys

 

[SteveK]

Here's a link to one of these systems. I'm pretty sure there are a couple of others too...
http://www.voodoolab.com/gcsystem.html

Good luck!

 

[dragonworks]

Well, there goes another idea, I bet that unit is quite expensive though.

Thanx again.

 

[Garry Sharp]

Why not make one anyway? It could do exactly as you wanted and you'd save a fortune. Or did you have a commercial aim in mind?

 

[dragonworks]

Why not make one anyway? It could do exactly as you wanted and you'd save a fortune. Or did you have a commercial aim in mind?

I had a commercial aim in mind and still do. I will have to look at the cost of these things, I imagine they are pretty steep, but the hardware is cheap.

 

[ocnor]

Kind of like the multi FX boxes but without all the drawbacks.

What drawbacks are you talking about? What you were describing is a rack FX unit with a midi foot controller. It's just like having a whole bunch of stomp boxes that you can change parameters and FX order by stepping on 1 switch.

 

[lbanks]

What drawbacks are you talking about? What you were describing is a rack FX unit with a midi foot controller. It's just like having a whole bunch of stomp boxes that you can change parameters and FX order by stepping on 1 switch.

Behringer FCB 1010 and the Bass V-amp Pro does this.
But a programmable signal router, that would be interesting.

 

[dragonworks]

What drawbacks are you talking about? What you were describing is a rack FX unit with a midi foot controller. It's just like having a whole bunch of stomp boxes that you can change parameters and FX order by stepping on 1 switch.

Do you play out live much? when was the las time you could just reach down and turn down the distortion a tad, or back off the delay a bit, or adjust the tremolo speed, or any other adjustment on the fly on your FX rack unit.

They may be great for studio work but they suck live.

 

[ocnor]

Do you play out live much? when was the las time you could just reach down and turn down the distortion a tad, or back off the delay a bit, or adjust the tremolo speed, or any other adjustment on the fly on your FX rack unit.

They may be great for studio work but they suck live.

I adjust all of the parameters ahead of time so that I have no need to adjust anything while I'm playing. If I really wanted to I could assign continuous controllers to any of those parameters so that they could be changed on the fly. Changing things on the fly will make you look an sound like you don't know what you are doing so I avoid it.

 

[dragonworks]

I have used multi FX quite often over the 40 years I have been playing. Get em set real nice at home, then voila, turn up at a gig or anything different and you are shit out of luck.

 

[gusfinley]

yeah....

I've had this thought also. I think that there are a few companies that make similar devices. They aren't something that you see every day. I'm not sure what sort of patent implications there are for a commercial outcome though.

I am hoping to do something like this for my Electrical Engineering Senior Project. It should be a lot of fun.........

 

[ocnor]

I have used multi FX quite often over the 40 years I have been playing. Get em set real nice at home, then voila, turn up at a gig or anything different and you are shit out of luck.

That's why I set my rig correctly at a decent level and run it the same way at every gig. I like a low stage volume but if I need my guitar louder I feed a little through the monitors.
Playing for 40 years is impressive. I've only been playing since the 70's. Here I thought that I was a geezer [45 next month] but man you must be older than dirt.

 

[Toki987]

I adjust all of the parameters ahead of time so that I have no need to adjust anything while I'm playing. If I really wanted to I could assign continuous controllers to any of those parameters so that they could be changed on the fly. Changing things on the fly will make you look an sound like you don't know what you are doing so I avoid it.

The Korg A3 had a midi stomp box that went with the rack unit, although the face of the rack unit had multiple knobs to control levels of the primary parameters of 6 effects. All you had to do is reach back and twist the appropriate knob. But that meant being kinda close to the rack too.

 

[metalj]

this may be what your looking for. it has the internal effects, as well as programable effect loops for stomp boxes, and multiple amp switching to boot. all in one pedal

i think MF has them for like $1500

http://www.tcelectronic.com/G-System

 

[bh4554]

i've seen another one at the guitar exhibition in london the last couple of years and it's cheaper than those mentioned will try and remember the name!