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A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

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A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby exhausted » Tue May 01, 2012 6:33 am

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So first of all, I'm fully aware that this pedalboard makes me look like a total douche but at the same time, being an automation engineer, I couldn't stop once I started heading towards building something like a rack system without having to build a rack.

The heart of this thing is that musicomlab switcher. Basically a programmable true bypass patch bay but it also sends MIDI commands and can control amp channels as well if required. It's really slick and is the most space efficient way I've seen to fit 8 bypass loops on a pedalboard. It also contains buffers before Loop 1 and Loop 5 and an insert between Loops 4 and 5. It's very easy to program.

So I built this thing. Because I can. And it was fun. And I actually find it very useful. It is basically a rack system on the floor and looks slightly less douchey than toting around a rack. And I like effects. And making things do neat stuff. :fp:

The signal path is;
-Cantrell wah
-EFX unit:
* Loop 1 - my DIY dynacomp clone.
* Loop 2 - Line 6 M9 (the patches are changed by MIDI from the EFX) doing filters, compressors, boosts, modulation and some delays
* Loop 3 - MXR 78 Distortion with a GE-7 after it. I really like the distortion but the EQ of the pedal isn't optimal for my amp so I stuck the GE-7 in there
* Loop 4 - Way Huge Green Rhino (a tubescreamer)

The EFX then has an out to insert other effects so the volume pedal is next. The EFX also has a tuner output that activates when you hit the mute switch so the TU-2 is plugged into that.

* Loop 5 - my DIY OCD clone. I added an output buffer to the circuit to help it get along with other pedals.
* Loop 6 - a send to the Diamond Memory Lane Jr. An analog voice digital delay. Sounds very good. The output of this goes to a second amp (or mixer input) and is set for delays only (no dry signal). The EFXs loops are configured that plugging into a loop send jack doesn't cut the signal through the unit, meaning you can run simultaneous parallel outputs from it.
* Loop 7 - a send to the right input/output of the Line 6 M5 (again, the patches are changed by MIDI) doing reverbs and delays. Again, goes to the second amp or mixer input for more stereo options. Basically, if the M5 is being used for reverb, I have loop 7 on to do stereo reverb. If it's set for delay, Loop is off.
* Loop 8 - the left input/output of the M5.

Out to the black patch box which I'm still experimenting with. The lowest output is the main output which goes to one amp. The middle one is the output from the Memory Lane and the top one is the output from one side of the M5 which go to the other amp. These last two outputs have volume controls to sort of blend delay and reverb. I'm having phase issues though since the M5 and memory lane are out of phase and will cancel each other. So I'm not sure I'll be able to get it to do what I want but we'll see. It'll end up being an active blender circuit probably.

The tap pedal is plugged into an expression jack on the EFX which you can then configure to send tap commands via MIDI so it's set to send tap tempo to the M5. I can hit the tap tempo on the memory lane and the M5 at the same time because now they're right beside each other. Useful for stereo delay.

Line 6 doesn't implement MIDI thru on their devices for some reason so I needed that little MIDI box underneath to split the signal from the EFX to the MIDI inputs on the M5 and M9. Normally you can daisy chain MIDI devices but not with Line 6. An easy fix but annoying.

Power units are a voodoo lab PP2 and ISO5 plus wall warts for the M9 and M5.
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby gimmesometruth27 » Tue May 01, 2012 7:13 am

that is really awesome :mrgreen:

you sir are not a douche.

you are a mad scientist :lol:

is it bad that i have been gigging for 10 years and would like to think that i have a decent understanding of gear and i did not understand half of what you described above? :oops:

i have never experimented with some of the things you have on there. partly because what i have always used works for me and partly because i like my rig as simple as possible. it is easier to troubleshoot that way. ;) god knows i have had enough near heart attacks when i show up at a gig and something does not work :fp: i don't have the patience to do all of the trial and error of creating my own board. i want to plug things in simply, dial them in, and rock.

that said, if i had unlimited time and unlimited funds i would attempt to make a board like you have done. the lead player in my band has done something similar. he has a trailer trash board and a couple of pedal power bricks and like 16 pedals on there and all effects are on at all times, but he has these pre-set settings assigned to a 4 button switch which disengages certain pedals to give him the tones he wants. i am guessing it is similar to what you have. it is pretty cool too... i give him shit all of the time because he has a 1981 jcm 800 and i never get to hear his amp tone :lol:

nice work. your board is awesome.
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."

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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby Johnny Aggro » Tue May 01, 2012 7:55 am

Well I have just creamed me kaks!


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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby Mr. Fingerbottom » Tue May 01, 2012 8:45 am

I dunno what you just said, but for some reason I am 100% hard right now…
That's one bad ass rack.
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby All Those Yesterdays » Tue May 01, 2012 10:16 am

I'd be lost and forget everything instantly
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby acutejam » Tue May 01, 2012 5:50 pm

YEAH! As someone who just gave up and bought a DigiDesign all-in-on many years back before I headed for mainly acoustic and now uke playing ... oooh my.

If Built to Spill ever adds a 4th guitarist, I'm sending them your way!
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby DriftingByTheStorm » Tue May 01, 2012 8:28 pm

i can haz?
- the powers that be left me here to do the thinkin’
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby exhausted » Tue May 01, 2012 8:58 pm

http://runoffgroove.com/splitter-blend.html

That's what I need to build in order to blend the delay and reverb signals for the second amp. Well, I really just need the phase switch part of it but we'll see.
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby inlet13 » Wed May 02, 2012 1:04 pm

That's solid, bro. Nice.
Here's a new demo called "in the fire":

13inlet - In the Fire (demo) by 13inlet
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby RedmosquitoIA » Wed May 02, 2012 3:03 pm

That is a beautiful board and very clean. I wish I knew more about outputs and ohms and stuff like that but I does love me a pretty board. BTW Not douchie at all you should be proud of it
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby JH228 » Fri May 04, 2012 2:27 pm

Nice work!

I have wired up a bunch of pedal boards like yours but yours is the first one I've seen that has the bottom like it does. That's a smart way to do that, instead of drilling through velcro and plywood. Very clean.
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby exhausted » Tue May 15, 2012 5:58 am

I finished the interface box last night.

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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby All Those Yesterdays » Tue May 15, 2012 6:25 am

exhausted wrote:I finished the interface box last night.

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I'll bite, so the stupid question of the day is "is the Altoids box there to hold picks?"
E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy, WI (1&2) 11
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby exhausted » Tue May 15, 2012 6:37 am

Yeah, just picks.
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Re: A tour of my comically ostentatious pedalboard

Postby All Those Yesterdays » Tue May 15, 2012 7:30 am

exhausted wrote:Yeah, just picks.


Legends have been doing this for years...
E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy, WI (1&2) 11
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