I've recently dismantled my mega-midi-modelling board, which had an Atomic Amplifire at it's heart, with a midi controlled DB11 Loop Expander under the board, which switched external pedals on preset changes.
I'm now running a much more traditional, Pedaltrain Nano+ sized board with seven (yes, they are squeezed in) into an amp. I love the simplicity and portability, but I miss being able to switch several pedals on / off with a single button press.
My loop switcher keeps looking at me, wanting to be used again. I could use it alongside something like a Boss ES5 or MS3, or DB11 Swtich Doctor to control all of my pedals. But then I'm back to a massive heavy board again.
Which leads me to wonder are loop switching boards the worst of both worlds - complex and heavy, hard to program and still prone to failing patch leads, power supply issues etc. Or are they the best of both worlds?
Perhaps I would I be better off with an HX FX, but analogue pedals etc......
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Not saying I don't like my ES5+single stomps, because I do, and on balance it sounds better than the Helix for certain kinds of things. But the Helix is just quick and easy.
Because I've been at home, I'm not really using either of them right now. I've got a Strymon DIG and an MXR M300 Reverb going into the front of my amp, and that's good enough for me right now.
The first gig after I ditched my rack rig and threw a basic board together it was bliss, and I was sure then that I'd rather deal with tap-dancing on pedals to gain the spontaneity and freedom of going straight for each pedal's stomp switch - picking the pedals is part of the performance.
Yes, I absolutely can and did do that with the programmable loopers - one-switch-per-effect modes etc - but at that point what's the point of all the extra gear and weight?
If I was doing a tour, a big production etc, where the extra gear was justified and there was a lot of consistency from show to show, then I'd use a switching system for the enhanced reliability/ redundancy, but anything less than that and I'd rather just rock up with a board that doesn't weigh more than it has to and jump on pedals.
Of course, everyone's styles and needs are different!
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I'm also very used to helix UI so find it easy to create a patch and use it on the fly when writing.
I've got an ES5 and real amp rig that sounds "better", but takes me ages to programme.
If gigging ever gets going again I'll likely just run a helix (or even stomp) for most gigs, and save the full rig for venues that I know I'll get a decent sound check at. But both of them will be running premade presets/patches/snapshots whatever the equivalent it.
I think tap dancing at a gig is the worst.
I guess it comes down to your preference for using it. Or why not have both? Keep the ampfire for your single button pushes, and sacrifice that last 5% of sound. Keep the mini board for playing in situations where it doesn't actually matter if the changes of sound aren't perfect.
So, for all of those reasons, whenever I start thinking about a switched pedal rig, that train of thought always ends up at a rack of some sort.
For what it's worth, I now have that rack. Which, amazingly enough, still weighs less than the amp it's replacing.
I now have most pedals that are completely programmable but also immediately accessible.
the Whammy DT or V is midi programmable but has all the ability to be switched on/off manually without inhibiting the next midi programme.
jackson audio bloom v2 and Broke. arrow are the same.
I’m much happier now.
Loop switcher or not?
This board has three main flip flop loops:
-Fuzz>drive>delay
-compressor>OD>verb
-OD>delay
And the rest (mod,delay, room verb) are switched on in addition where need be.
Nice board BTW. This is mine currently...
So you can have 4 one click loops to select between or just normal series stacking where you see fit.
I fricking hate tap dancing and now I have a three channel amp it's another button so it's kind of easier to have it as a preset. If you get fed up at a gig or something goes wrong, a simple press and hold brings you back to manual control too.
My head said brake, but my heart cried never.
I've never tried a Quartermaster-style solution, but for some music genres and bands I can see the appeal and how appropriate they'd be.
This was the closest I ever got:
But ultimately, I did not really enjoy using the Boss ES switcher. I have kept it for now because it makes a good general purpose midi switcher, but I find programming the thing a bit boring and long-winded. I *think* I would prefer the GigRig G3, but it's an expensive experiment!
As you can see, the board really wasn't any bigger than having a Helix on the floor, and I had room for a few more pedals if I needed to.
Anyway... it didn't stick...
The reality is either option, thoroughly rehearsed and used through practice to the gig should be as reliable, there's no reason why the Helix or a board is likely to breakdown. So it's kind of a moot point for me that argument I'd say, I'd rather lose an overdrive that's playing up, than have to lose my whole board in the case of a Stomp or HXFX.
The weight doesn't bother me anymore than carrying my amp head and cab.
My head said brake, but my heart cried never.