Switch types...

[SoVeryTired]

Possibly a stupid question, but here goes anyway!

I've always had Boss-style pedals, i.e. with a hinged footswtich. I've recently had problems with an EQ pedal with a single metal footswitch (think EH-style), namely that the switch would be audible through my chain. I'm unsure whether this is a feature of this type of switch or just that model of pedal. A guitar-playing friend has one such pedal and says that if you listen carefully it does pop through the speaker.

So, is it a problem with the type of footswitch, with just one specific model of pedal, or me?!

[lefty73]

If the EQ pedal is true-bypass then there is always a chance it will pop, because what you're doing is either adding to signal or cutting it out.

If it's really noticeable or if it bugs you, you can always stomp on the switch a few times before you start playing to release any built up capacitance.

If it never goes away, I would have the pedal looked at as there's likely something wrong with it. "Pop" is never a feature and should always be investigated.

[SoVeryTired]

Thanks - maybe I was too hasty in returning it then but it was the same problem with two units and didn't seem to go away. I'll know for the future to do a few stomps before judging the pop!

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by lefty73

"Pop" is never a feature...

...Unless it is advertised as such, like when "crackle" was deemed "okay," and was permanently marketed (basically with permanent marker!) on a certain pedal itself. Thank goodness someone came along and proved that "a bug is never a feature" (they've tried that BS with computers as well on occasion) with something called Crackle Not Okay.

But seriously - some circuits are not designed or "reinforced" to eliminate noises that they should.

In the case of mechanical bypass switching, there should be something called a "pulldown resistor" on the input (and sometimes the output), but it sometimes gets "left out."

A little bit of noise with a mechanical switch is typically normal, but not a loud pop or bang.

Some switches are simply more noisy than others, but that's not really a valid excuse either IMO. Switches should be screened for that. If the company is too big and doesn't have the time, a premium switch with minimal noise should be used, or a type of bypass with no switching noise should be used.

The status LED can be a source of noise, too. Again, the manufacturer can use circuitry that allows the LED to "slow charge" (it actually only takes milliseconds, much like light bulbs turn on and off 60 times a second) so that it is not the source of noise.

Some companies also use either what is called millenium bypass or relay bypass switching (they are different but the end result is the same IMO), and there is no noise.

If you have a pedal you like with a known noise issue (i.e. they all suffer from it, and the manufacturer won't do anything about it), you could possibly get it repaired. If there is no one local to do it (or no one you would know about), you could actually locate someone online and send it off to them. That is the cool thing about the internet and the 21st century. A pedal that is otherwise 95% perfect doesn't have to be outright rejected.