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Putting my pedals in a rack. Looking for recommendation for small-ish form factor Midi controller

pmad_bass

pmad_bass

Supporting Member
Oct 24, 2004
614
278
Maryland
#1
I use a Pedaltrain 2 board with about 8 effects. It takes up a bit of floor space. I have a SVT-4 Pro head for which I have been meaning to get a rack. Lately I've been entertaining the idea of putting my pedals in a rack drawer and getting a loop switcher which would be controlled by a midi and foot controller. VooDoo Labs Hex looks interesting but only does 6 pedals. Subsequently, their Ground Control Pro - MIDI Foot Controller doesn't provide much in reduction of foot print (compared to what I have) and surely does more than what I really need.

Anything come to mind that would fit the bill of a small, easy to set up/use Midi foot controller and a switch looper that could accommodate 8 pedals?
 
#3
Thanks. This looks great for mounting on a pedalboard (of which there appear to be a lot of products that do this). However I'm interested is something that would be small (like the one you posted for example) but would be just a single cable back to the loop switcher in the rack. I might be looking for a unicorn in regards to small size/controlling 8 pedals. :-p
 
#4
Ah, sorry, I misunderstood you a bit. It might be pricey and maybe a bit big but I think you can control that unit with an external midi controller, such as [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Or

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#5
pmad_bass said:
Thanks. This looks great for mounting on a pedalboard (of which there appear to be a lot of products that do this). However I'm interested is something that would be small (like the one you posted for example) but would be just a single cable back to the loop switcher in the rack. I might be looking for a unicorn in regards to small size/controlling 8 pedals. :p
Click to expand...

There's a box that some users here are using, but I can't for the life of me recall what it's called!?

You could go Boss ES-8, then run any floor controller you like, and just run a MIDI cable to it to switch presets.
 
#6
Can I ask why you want it to have MIDI? Is it for presets or..?
I once had a similar setup and condensed my floorspace to a true bypass looper, an expression pedal, and a small pedal for switching channels on my amp.
I could bring pedals in and out of the chain, as a nice byproduct I had true bypass on all my pedals, and just had a think snake going between the pedalboard and the looper.
 
#9
Probably makes it easier, but then you need a device in your rack as well. If you're on a budget like I definitely was, I'd really consider a snake and a true bypass looper. I was able to coil up the snake and looper and put them in my rack as well, so it's extremely easy to set up. Also doesn't need electricity on the ground, if that's an issue at all.
Also depending on your needs, of course you can combine two pedals in one loop if say... you'd never use one without the other. Which is kind of like a preset.
Also then you could get a smaller looper=smaller and cheaper.

BUT of course with MIDI you could get much more versatile presets.
 
#11
These all look great...nice and small form factor. Though....unless I'm missing something, if I put the pedals in a rack (8 of them) there would need to be something like16 cables (send and return for each) running whatever length I'd have the foot switcher distanced from the rack. My thinking is something MIDI (both footswitch and rack mounted loop switcher) might be capable of offering a single cable solution to be run from rack to foot switch. Does that sound right, possible?
 
#12
For a good midi controller i would look at the RJM mastermind LT. Very powerful unit in a very small form factor(11.5X5.5). As for switchers you're best bet is the voodoo lab GCX. It will provided phantom power to the LT over the midi cable and has 8 loops. Both units, i believe, are the same amount which would bring them in around the cost of the boss es-8.
 
#13
pmad_bass said:
These all look great...nice and small form factor. Though....unless I'm missing something, if I put the pedals in a rack (8 of them) there would need to be something like16 cables (send and return for each) running whatever length I'd have the foot switcher distanced from the rack.
Click to expand...

This is true, that's why I suggested a snake and looper, so there's just one cable thick cable going to your pedals in your rack. No need for a rack switcher. I mean either way, even with some sort of MIDI solution, you'll need to be plugging analog 1/4" cables into your pedals.
It's just so much cheaper than midi.
 
#14
almix12 said:
This is true, that's why I suggested a snake and looper, so there's just one cable thick cable going to your pedals in your rack. No need for a rack switcher. I mean either way, even with some sort of MIDI solution, you'll need to be plugging analog 1/4" cables into your pedals.
It's just so much cheaper than midi.
Click to expand...

This option would definitely be cost more then midi controller/loop switcher. The cost of cabling alone would be around the cost of the entire pedalboard loopswitcher. If you want your pedals in a rack the best, most reliable and professional way of doing that is with a loop switcher/midi controller
 
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#15
Soundsculpture is what I was thinking of - they have a couple options for you to rack it all and MIDI switch your loops. There is an 8x8 that would do it. At that price tho, the Boss ES-8 mounted in a rack is still lower cost and has WAY more features / possibilities. Seriously, the ES-8 is your best bet, even mounted in a rack, with a remote switch to send MIDI to it, it's such a powerful box with pretty much every situation supported - amp switching, expression control, effects loop send and return for an amp loop for example, programmable stereo routing. All of it set per preset, so one click changes your entire rig.

Morningstar ML5 (has 5 loops).

Voodoo Lab HEX is another option, has 6 loops.
 
#16
thebean said:
This option would definitely be cost more then midi controller/loop switcher. The cost of cabling alone would be around the cost of the entire pedalboard loopswitcher. If you want your pedals in a rack the best, most reliable and professional way of doing that is with a loop switcher/midi controller
Click to expand...

Okay maybe I haven't done this setup in awhile. So maybe you're right and it's much less cost effective and.... it would follow... impractical. But at the time, the time I had, and in the budget I mustered, it was a cheaper option to have a true bypass looper, a snake (which I got for nothing from the job that I had), and a decently sized rack to fit it all in there.

I apologize if now the cost of that vs a MIDI looper is out of that perspective. Aaaaaaaand I may be looking into that for a rig I'll need soon.
 

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