I want to get serious about a pedal board but...

[Steve Holt]

As a rule of thumb, daisy chaining digital and analog pedals create noise since most digital pedals would like to see an isolated output. Thus lowering your noise floor at the minimum.

Sometimes its not really a problem if you dont have a lot of pedals or a complicated signal chain. 2-3 pedals i think it’s okay.

Since you’re starting out, i agree on all points posted here to start with a simple, cheap and decent. Like what you have, however, when you find yourself getting more and more pedals (i dont know if you’re gonna get to this stage, if you do, then), you need to have a flexible PSU which can handle your different pedals if diff makers and requirements.

Take my rig for example.
Untitled by D Y, on Flickr

Untitled by D Y, on Flickr


Its composed of analog and digital pedals. The Maiden, page and constable are all analog tube preamps. The Maiden and Page requires 9v @ 500ma. The Constable requires 12v @ 600ma. The Boss Digital Delay (big box white) and Digital Reverb (dark grey) requires 9v @ 300ma each. So my pedals requirements are pretty heavy so i needed something very powerful to to handle everything. And they’re all running from their own separate outputs.

But this is a specialized rig designed to be used for a specific situation.

I’m not saying you should buy the latest and greatest, what I’m saying is plan accordingly and spend wisely. If you’re discovering the world of pedals (its fun), then have something VERY flexible to avoid buying twice.

EDIT: take for example a Cioks 4.

One output Can power 9v @ of 660ma you can actually daisy chain 10 pedals of 60ma each in one output. And you got three more slots to power more pedals.

So let's say I stick with only one digital pedal - the looper. And then I start getting some analog pedals, then I should just plug the digital in by itself and then worry about a power supply for the rest of the analog pedals? I think that's the direction I'm going anyway.

Your setup looks incredible! Is that like 3/16" or 1/4" plate steel for your pedal board? It looks very sturdy.

 

[AngelStrummer]

Looks like you got the basics right, i.e., wah at the beginning, looper at the end.

Now, the world is your oyster. After the wah, you put your gain stages, i.e. comp, boost, overdrive, distortion and fuzz. Then it'll be modulation (phase, flanger, chorus, rotary/univibe and tremolo) and after that time-based (i.e. delay and reverb). And finally, your looper.

All of the above is broadly speaking, the signal chain from your guitar to your amp. You''ll probably figure the nuances out with some hands-on experience (i.e. time and money ).

Then there's the actual board, which these days is a market as wide as it is deep, just like pedals themselves. More time and money.

Add to that power, layout (ever played Tetris?) and switching, if you've gone that far into the rabbit hole.

Multiple amps is another dimension (e.g. wet/dry, wet/dry/wet, dirty/clean, etc) that presents interesting opportunities for experimentation.

No association, That Pedal Show (Google it) is as good a guide as you'll find online in this respect.

All this to say that pedals are fun, man. Dig it.

 

[beninma]

The Digitech Jamman XT that the OP posted is INCREDIBLY finicky about power. It will absolutely not behave well if it's on a daisy chain.

I had one and went round and round in circles with Digitech about it. I think the software inside that unit is/was buggy but they always just blamed it on power supply. And bizarrely it did behave better on an isolated/solo power supply.

I've never seen another digital circuit behave that way... and I'm a computer engineer. Every digital circuit I've ever seen for the most part would 100% not work, computer wouldn't boot, etc.. if it didn't have the right power supply.

That Digitech will come up and you think it's working and then it will behave weird. So either give it what it wants or get rid of it and get something else.

 

[superjam144]

Strymon Ojai. +1. I have the next size up Strymon. It solved my issue with tone being sucked out from a one spot and beat buddy.

 

[Steve Holt]

Looks like you got the basics right, i.e., wah at the beginning, looper at the end.

Now, the world is your oyster. After the wah, you put your gain stages, i.e. comp, boost, overdrive, distortion and fuzz. Then it'll be modulation (phase, flanger, chorus, rotary/univibe and tremolo) and after that time-based (i.e. delay and reverb). And finally, your looper.

All of the above is broadly speaking, the signal chain from your guitar to your amp. You''ll probably figure the nuances out with some hands-on experience (i.e. time and money ).

Then there's the actual board, which these days is a market as wide as it is deep, just like pedals themselves. More time and money.

Add to that power, layout (ever played Tetris?) and switching, if you've gone that far into the rabbit hole.

Multiple amps is another dimension (e.g. wet/dry, wet/dry/wet, dirty/clean, etc) that presents interesting opportunities for experimentation.

No association, That Pedal Show (Google it) is as good a guide as you'll find online in this respect.

All this to say that pedals are fun, man. Dig it.

Let's be perfectly clear...I have no basics! I just laid down all the pedals and pedal gear I own for a picture and I guess I got the order right. But thank you for the advice! That would have been a question in the future for sure. So If I throw the looper at the end of the chain and record a track, then turn on (for instance) overdrive, will it affect the track I just recorded? That's one issue I always had when I would use just the looper alone with the amp, If I kicked on the overdrive on channel 2, it would apply it to everything going. But I've never used the looper with another pedal.

 

[JuneauMike]

Let's be perfectly clear...I have no basics! I just laid down all the pedals and pedal gear I own for a picture and I guess I got the order right. But thank you for the advice! That would have been a question in the future for sure. So If I throw the looper at the end of the chain and record a track, then turn on (for instance) overdrive, will it affect the track I just recorded? That's one issue I always had when I would use just the looper alone with the amp, If I kicked on the overdrive on channel 2, it would apply it to everything going. But I've never used the looper with another pedal.

You've got everything you need. You have a few pedals that you like and you have curiosity. Every question you could have about this topic has been answered somewhere out there, both objective and subjective. It's a great time to get interested in effects pedals. There's tons of them out there at all kinds of price ranges.

Pedals are fun. And if you fall down the rabbit hole you are going to have a lot of fun with it, which is the whole point. When That Pedal Show announces a two hour Youtube segment on compressor pedals and you are actually excited to tune in, you know that you are doomed.

JHS has a great channel on pedals too, so be sure to tune in on that. And he's less of a salesman than the TPS guys (and they are cork-sniffers with expensive tastes too, so buyer beware).

 

[fuzz guy]

I agree that you probably don't need an expensive isolated power supply. With only a few pedal you'd be fine with a daisy chain setup. If you think you're going to get to more than 5 then you might want another power supply similar to your original one.I have a cheap Caline and it works great.

I have the more basic version of that Digitech looper and it whines a bit when running off the same power supply as other pedals. I bought a Joyo ZGP thing that goes inline with the DC power cord for like $25 and it took the noise away. Great little item. You could always just continue to run your looper off it's own supply though.

Pay attention to the current draw, or milliamp (mA) requirement for each pedal, which should be listed in the manual or online. If daisy chaining you need a wall wart that will handle the total current draw of all the pedals. Likewise, some power supplies provide specified amounts for each output. Most analog pedal will need well below 100mA but some digital ones can require much more.

 

[AngelStrummer]

Let's be perfectly clear...I have no basics! I just laid down all the pedals and pedal gear I own for a picture and I guess I got the order right. But thank you for the advice! That would have been a question in the future for sure. So If I throw the looper at the end of the chain and record a track, then turn on (for instance) overdrive, will it affect the track I just recorded? That's one issue I always had when I would use just the looper alone with the amp, If I kicked on the overdrive on channel 2, it would apply it to everything going. But I've never used the looper with another pedal.

The whole point of putting the looper at the end of the chain is precisely for the loop to remain unaffected by the pedals once it has been recorded and is being played back. So you can record a loop using any effect (or combination thereof, because the signal travels linearly from the guitar...) and then play over it with another sound, always using your effects (or not, as the case may be) and the loop will always be the original recording.

In your present case you could record a rhythm loop with no effects and then play it back, while soloing over that rhythm loop, but with distortion.

 

[dreamingtele]

So let's say I stick with only one digital pedal - the looper. And then I start getting some analog pedals, then I should just plug the digital in by itself and then worry about a power supply for the rest of the analog pedals? I think that's the direction I'm going anyway.

Your setup looks incredible! Is that like 3/16" or 1/4" plate steel for your pedal board? It looks very sturdy.

Yep. So plug the looper on its own output. And you can actually daisy chain the rest.

There’s more “rules” out there. Old school design Fuzz like batteries, except maybe newer ones that accept modern “boss” style power. Etc etc etc.

But yeah, you get the point! At this stage, i wouldnt worry about it, however when you pedal collection grows and need to put it on a board, then you can start thinking about “better” accessories.

And thanks! Its actually an Aluminum sheet. Hehe.

 

[jaxjaxon]

Here is what I do for power supplies I use two one spots one for my analog pedals and one for my digital pedals and run them off a power strip along with my amps. Turn the power strip on and every thing is ready to go. It will only do 9v but has more then 2,000 ma to work with.

 

[captain_jack]

The whole point of putting the looper at the end of the chain is precisely for the loop to remain unaffected by the pedals once it has been recorded and is being played back. So you can record a loop using any effect (or combination thereof, because the signal travels linearly from the guitar...) and then play over it with another sound, always using your effects (or not, as the case may be) and the loop will always be the original recording.

In your present case you could record a rhythm loop with no effects and then play it back, while soloing over that rhythm loop, but with distortion.

To be clear if you are changing the tone or using effects on the amp itself, then anything coming in from the looper pedal will also recieve that effect. If you are only using pedals for effects, then putting the looper at the end of the chain gives you the flexibility to use or not use any effects on the recorded loop, and play over them with or without any effects, as AngelStrummer said.

 

[Thin white duke]

I just don't know anything about pedals!!

So I've been playing guitars for 20 years, building for 7, and in that time I've purchased 3 pedals. I've had one gifted to me, and one stolen from me. What a world!

So for Christmas a friend of mine sent me a Crybaby Wah pedal. I'm enjoying it a lot, and it's making me want to get serious about starting to piece together a board. I have a looper pedal and. Tube overdrive pedal, and now a wah pedal. Then I also have the footswitch that came with my HRD amp to throw in there somewhere.

My main reason for posting isn't for advice on what pedal I need, it's about a power supply. I bought one a few years ago (pictured) but none of the included cables worked with my two pedals. The looper came with a power cord, but the overdrive did not. So in the 5 or so years I've owned both I only use one or the other.

I'm looking to get another power supply, but I'd like some advice on what to buy. The one I bought is missing the original power cord to plug it in, and like I said I could never get it to work. But it was only 30 bucks, so I'm just going to move on. Any advice? View attachment 937416 View attachment 937417 View attachment 937418

The next i'll do an order to Thomann i'll buy this, fully isolated.

Harley Benton PowerPlant ISO-1AC Pro Modular

Multiple Output Modular Power Supply 5 Isolated, filtered and short-circuit protected outputs for the elimination of noise and hum, High-current output for modern digital effects, LED display on each output, Universal input voltage operation with...

www.thomann.de

 

[Jupiter]

first, congratulations on getting this far before falling down the pedal rabbit hole! Of course, you're doomed now...

second, I ran 5 pedals (boost, drive, fuzz, tremolo and delay) on a little board with the system introduced in post #10 above; worked totally fine.

 

[Steve Holt]

first, congratulations on getting this far before falling down the pedal rabbit hole! Of course, you're doomed now...

second, I ran 5 pedals (boost, drive, fuzz, tremolo and delay) on a little board with the system introduced in post #10 above; worked totally fine.

Yeah the first 10 years of my habit I was in high school/college. I had money in high school, but was too broke in college for gear purchases. Unless it was a new guitar! Then when I entered into the working world I was too busy for guitar.

One day I grabbed a scrap of wood and fashioned it into a telecaster headstock shape for fun. And then the building addiction went into full drive. Now building my 13th guitar since 2015 and planning my first lap steel build.

Now pedals. Urg.

 

[65 Champ Amp]

I’ll back up to say the one pedal that one might say you “need” is a tuner. Not withstanding you’ve survived 20 years without one.
But if you bought a Boss TU2 or 3, with an included Boss wall wart to power it, you’d be set. Those tuners have a power out to supply power to a string of others. All you’d need is the One Spot daisy chain accessory for about $10.
For a more spendy option, I really like the VooDoo Labs Iso Five.
Three nine volt outlets, one higher ma that’s either 9 or 12v, and one 18v outlet. As/if your needs increase, you can buy splitters on ebay that allow you to power two off one outlet.
The Iso Five comes with a bundle of cables, too, including ones that fit oddballs like old DOD pedals.

Cheapest route is a plain old One Spot power supply that comes with a daisy chain.

The one thing you ought to do first is make a list of what each pedal’s power requirement is in milli amps and volts. That’s why I like the Iso Five~ If I want to use my TC Nova Reverb, I have a 12v outlet. And some pedals sound better at 18v like Fulltone OCD and Fat Boost. But always check the manufacturers site to make sure it can take 8v.

 

[Steve Holt]

I’ll back up to say the one pedal that one might say you “need” is a tuner. Not withstanding you’ve survived 20 years without one.
But if you bought a Boss TU2 or 3, with an included Boss wall wart to power it, you’d be set. Those tuners have a power out to supply power to a string of others. All you’d need is the One Spot daisy chain accessory for about $10.
For a more spendy option, I really like the VooDoo Labs Iso Five.
Three nine volt outlets, one higher ma that’s either 9 or 12v, and one 18v outlet. As/if your needs increase, you can buy splitters on ebay that allow you to power two off one outlet.
The Iso Five comes with a bundle of cables, too, including ones that fit oddballs like old DOD pedals.

Cheapest route is a plain old One Spot power supply that comes with a daisy chain.

The one thing you ought to do first is make a list of what each pedal’s power requirement is in milli amps and volts. That’s why I like the Iso Five~ If I want to use my TC Nova Reverb, I have a 12v outlet. And some pedals sound better at 18v like Fulltone OCD and Fat Boost. But always check the manufacturers site to make sure it can take 8v.

Thanks for the tips! I'll check out the milli amp and volt requirements on what I've got. The only one that is clear is the looper, but I'm going to keep that on its own power.

I'm set on tuners though. With a Peterson Strobe, a Roadie 2, and Roadie 3 I've spent more than my fair share on tuners. And once you go to a Roadie tuner, it's tough to go back to tuning manually

 

[Hiker]

Speaking of the Pedaltrain brand, they make several sizes. If you run out of room, you will may wish you had chosen bigger board. Read the reviews!

Also, you might want to use that Wah next to the board- on the floor.

 

[Steve Holt]

Speaking of the Pedaltrain brand, they make several sizes. If you run out of room, you will may wish you had chosen bigger board. Read the reviews!

Also, you might want to use that Wah next to the board- on the floor.

For now my board will be the carpet on the floor. When I do go for a board, I'll probably make one rather than buy.

 

[sudogeek]

I have a Joyo Power Supply 5 which I would rcommend. Excellent for the price. I have a TC Flashback delay which I’m not so happy with because of noise/click at the beginning of each repeat. It’s ok if you turn the level down to >1/3. I would recommend another but I’m not going down that rabbit hole.

My other pedals are a TC Polytune, Mooer Micro DI, Joyo ACTone, Tech21 Blonde, and a TC Spark Boost. All are decent.

 

[Wound_Up]

The mosky will take any 12v power supply to power it. It says exactly what it'll take for input on the box itself.

Does the crybaby use a headphone jack for the power cord? Or is it a standard 2.1mm power jack? You can buy the stuff you need for extremely cheaply and have that Mosky power supply working fine. It'll come out way cheaper than buying an entirely new one.