Source Audio Aftershock - what footswitch? midi footswitch?

[mcnach]

I have this Source Audio Aftershock overdrive... I'm very impressed with it, super versatile bag of dirt

Now, you can store 3 presets, one into each position of the mini-switch. That's great! However, it does require for you to bend over and flick the switch manually if you want to alternate.

I would like an external footswitch to go with it so that I can select between the three presets.

I imagine the simplest way would be to get some kind of midi controller. I've seen things like the One Control Gecko, pretty compact, can actually store 20 presets... That's all cool. But... I am not interested in navigating through presets etc.

All I want is 3 physical switches (at least two, but ideally 3... I won't complain if it's 4 but I want to keep it simple and compact) so that I can *assign* a preset to each switch. Say I press switch 1 and that gives me a fat low gain overdrive, that I turn on/off using the Aftershock's own switch. Then on switch 2 I have another overdrive, and so on.
I want the knobs on the Aftershock to continue doing whatever they're assigned to do in the preset that I selected with the footswitch.

What midi foot-switches are out there that give me that functionality, can be connected to the Aftershock, stay compact and hopefully don't cost the moon?

 

[GMC]

The options are to connect the Aftershock to a laptop or mobile using the usb lead and edit the patches using their software. Remember that you have 6 presets not 3. If you hold the stomp button down for 3 seconds, the LED turns red (from green) and allows you to select a different set patches on the three way switch.
Or you go Midi. That will also need a Nero Hub in addition to sit between the midi box and the Aftershock. Something like a Midi Mouse will work great, or any of the fantastic Disaster Area options. that will fill your boots with up to 128 patches...you just need to remember what you stored in each patch. The only thing I will say about the Midi implementation with the Hub, is that it really likes to be Midi channel 1.
Personally, I use a Boss ES-5 to control both patching, routing and Midi on my board. It's awesome, but large and quite expensive.

 

[mcnach]

The options are to connect the Aftershock to a laptop or mobile using the usb lead and edit the patches using their software. Remember that you have 6 presets not 3. If you hold the stomp button down for 3 seconds, the LED turns red (from green) and allows you to select a different set patches on the three way switch.
Or you go Midi. That will also need a Nero Hub in addition to sit between the midi box and the Aftershock. Something like a Midi Mouse will work great, or any of the fantastic Disaster Area options. that will fill your boots with up to 128 patches...you just need to remember what you stored in each patch. The only thing I will say about the Midi implementation with the Hub, is that it really likes to be Midi channel 1.
Personally, I use a Boss ES-5 to control both patching, routing and Midi on my board. It's awesome, but large and quite expensive.

Oh, of course... I will need the Neuro hub, regardless. I assumed you could just plug in via USB or something to a controller... (shows you how much I know!)

If I was going to use other midi capable pedals, it would start to make sense... but as it stands, I think it would be a lot simpler and cheaper to buy a second (or even third if it came to it) Aftershock, and use a particular preset on each.

I'm using the Neuro app on my phone to edit/save presets on the Aftershock.

 

[Fiset]

Yeah, I was considering a second Aftershock for a while too. Then I picked up a Hub and Midi Mouse which, as GMC posted, works perfectly fine as a relatively inexpensive Midi switch option. That opened the door for me to really dive deep into presets. I ended up saving a ton, including a bunch of things I never thought I'd use the Aftershock for, like Nathan Navarro's DI Punch preset which ended serving as the starting point for what is now my clean tone (I definitely never thought I'd be using the Aftershock for my clean tone!).

But while the Midi Mouse worked fine, I ended up with so many presets that it became a little too cumbersome to switch quickly between certain presets - they were just too far away from each other in number. So I picked up a Soleman midi switcher and that has been the answer I hoped it would be. I saved about 30 presets (I also use a Nemesis, Lunar Eclipse and programmable EQ so my presets include scenes using all of them) and then I use the Panel Mode on the Soleman to create a 4-button scenes that I can name and easily cycle through. In the pic below, a scene called "Snowblind" is active so each of the four buttons toggle a preset that I use for that song. In my case all of my 4-button scenes are also set to my clean tone when the buttons are not engaged. So the Soleman has very much allowed me to harness the immense versatility of the Aftershock.

I realize the OPs preset needs don't necessarily call for a robust midi switcher like the Soleman (or even using a midi switcher at all), mine didn't either when I started this. But I'm beyond pleased with how radically more versatile my live rig has become.

 

[mcnach]

Yeah, I was considering a second Aftershock for a while too. Then I picked up a Hub and Midi Mouse which, as GMC posted, works perfectly fine as a relatively inexpensive Midi switch option. That opened the door for me to really dive deep into presets. I ended up saving a ton, including a bunch of things I never thought I'd use the Aftershock for, like Nathan Navarro's DI Punch preset which ended serving as the starting point for what is now my clean tone (I definitely never thought I'd be using the Aftershock for my clean tone!).

But while the Midi Mouse worked fine, I ended up with so many presets that it became a little too cumbersome to switch quickly between certain presets - they were just too far away from each other in number. So I picked up a Soleman midi switcher and that has been the answer I hoped it would be. I saved about 30 presets (I also use a Nemesis, Lunar Eclipse and programmable EQ so my presets include scenes using all of them) and then I use the Panel Mode on the Soleman to create a 4-button scenes that I can name and easily cycle through. In the pic below, a scene called "Snowblind" is active so each of the four buttons toggle a preset that I use for that song. In my case all of my 4-button scenes are also set to my clean tone when the buttons are not engaged. So the Soleman has very much allowed me to harness the immense versatility of the Aftershock.

I realize the OPs preset needs don't necessarily call for a robust midi switcher like the Soleman (or even using a midi switcher at all), mine didn't either when I started this. But I'm beyond pleased with how radically more versatile my live rig has become.

View attachment 3180278

That's a really cool setup you have there.

I think you've highlighted a doubt I have at the back of my mind... I say I want simple, but at the same time, there's a good chance I would find room to explore FX more and then going midi would really help. I use the 'big' board with one band (I say 'big' because some of the boards I see around here put mine to shame, I use 9 pedals there, three of them being overdrives, plus a DI/cab sim and a compressor that are always on, and a tuner... leaving just, as 'fancy FX', a phaser, a wah and an octave.

The thing is... I joined a new project, and it's early days, so it might not go anywhere, but it's looking pretty cool. It was a kind of RATM-inspired band, where this singer and his drummer mate have a bunch of songs very much in a RATM vibe, and wanted to mix that with RATM songs... but once we're coming together, we're mixing it up a bit more. We are getting a bit more funk/rock and want to make the sound big between the guitar and bass, using a variety of FX.
The excited little boy in me wants to go out flashing his credit card and nodding left and right "give me that, and that one over there, oooh, and two of these too", with a nice multi-loop switcher and midi etc etc...
The 'old man' in me has been there before and thinks I'll end up with a fantastic set up that will languish at home because the guitarist will end up quitting for some reason and we just don't find the right person to continue... as it's been the case before. So I don't want to go crazy just yet.

Why is life so hard?

The Soleman looks great. I had looked at it before, checked the videos... it looked overkill when looking just at a simple way to get a couple of presets out of the Aftershock... but at the same time I know I might not stop here. For example, I love my envelope filters. I still have the original SA Soundblox BEF. I sold the Pro because it was too big, and had the Manta for a while... and I am looking at buying another soon if things progress... and a SA Multiwave Bass Distortion (I had one, and loved the synthy type of noises I could get)... so pretty soon I could end up with a few midi capable pedals that would work really well together in various ways, controlled by something like the Soleman.

But I know if I buy it now, the band will implode.

Does anybody have a time machine I can use for a bit, please? I just want to see if we're still working together in a year... and if we are, I'm going midicrazy

Anyway... sorry I wrote a whole lot of words about nothing.

By the way, the SA programmable EQ... does it do LPF too? I think it does but not entirely sure. Anyway, I can find that on their site. I think I had too much coffee this morning

 

[bassleigh]

Hey
You can use a simple cheap switch to toggle between channel 1 and 2. Take a read of the aftershock manual for wiring instructions.

From the manual-
Channel Switching with an External Switch There are two distortion channels that can be stacked in parallel or series, depending on the selected routing mode. In one of these parallel or series (cascaded) routing modes, an external switch can be used to enable or disable either channel or to switch between the two channels like an A/B switch. The external switch must use a TRRS cable and contain the circuit as shown in the Source Audio Tap Tempo Switch user manual. Channel Switching can also be used in normal routing modes as a kill switch (to cut the volume temporarily) or a bypass switch. The switch is configurable as either momentary or latching. Channel switching can be configured as part of a preset using the Neuro App

 

[mcnach]

Hey
You can use a simple cheap switch to toggle between channel 1 and 2. Take a read of the aftershock manual for wiring instructions.

From the manual-
Channel Switching with an External Switch There are two distortion channels that can be stacked in parallel or series, depending on the selected routing mode. In one of these parallel or series (cascaded) routing modes, an external switch can be used to enable or disable either channel or to switch between the two channels like an A/B switch. The external switch must use a TRRS cable and contain the circuit as shown in the Source Audio Tap Tempo Switch user manual. Channel Switching can also be used in normal routing modes as a kill switch (to cut the volume temporarily) or a bypass switch. The switch is configurable as either momentary or latching. Channel switching can be configured as part of a preset using the Neuro App

Hmmm... I see!
That looks like it would work, thanks!

 

[bassegg]

I believe the only way to switch between the 3 presets is with midi. The external switch just controls left/right drive channels on the current preset.

The footswitch is a bit unique in that it has a 1/8” jack. They sell a Source Audio Tap Tempo switch. I’m currently looking around for a cheaper switch that will work as the SA ones aren’t available here in NZ.

 

[mcnach]

I believe the only way to switch between the 3 presets is with midi. The external switch just controls left/right drive channels on the current preset.

The footswitch is a bit unique in that it has a 1/8” jack. They sell a Source Audio Tap Tempo switch. I’m currently looking around for a cheaper switch that will work as the SA ones aren’t available here in NZ.

That's right, but you can store two different drives and setting on each channel of a preset, and use the switch to toggle between channels, right? That essentially gives you two 'presets' to play with, which I'm happy to settle for. The SA manual indicates it's a way to toggle between "rhythm and lead" sounds on guitar, for example.

If you find an alternative switch I'd be interesting to hear

Here the SA switch is £39, while in the US it seems to work out at $39 (=£29). I will still probably buy it, but it's not going to happen until 2-3 weeks from now, so if I have a better alternative, why not?

 

[DasClyde]

I had the aftershock and the small switch/tap tempo in an attempt to get exactly where you are going. I made a bunch of posts on the Aftershock thread here, got some info from Nathan, did some other research online, but I could never get the solution to work consistently. I spent a lot of time in both the desktop and mobile editor and I always had issues with saving the presets to be properly triggered with the switch and there was always a big volume difference whether I was using the switch to create a cascade or use it for an on off.

I'm not saying this to discourage - just wanted to add my hands-on experience with the switch. I'm sure someone with more patience could probably make this work but my experience at home and practice didn't give me enough confidence to use this method live.

 

[bassegg]

Thanks for that. I can’t find the tap tempo switch for sale anywhere. I’m actually considering buying a second Aftershock!

 

[DasClyde]

I have an Aftershock and tap tempo I'd sell - PM me if interested.

 

[mcnach]

I had the aftershock and the small switch/tap tempo in an attempt to get exactly where you are going. I made a bunch of posts on the Aftershock thread here, got some info from Nathan, did some other research online, but I could never get the solution to work consistently. I spent a lot of time in both the desktop and mobile editor and I always had issues with saving the presets to be properly triggered with the switch and there was always a big volume difference whether I was using the switch to create a cascade or use it for an on off.

I'm not saying this to discourage - just wanted to add my hands-on experience with the switch. I'm sure someone with more patience could probably make this work but my experience at home and practice didn't give me enough confidence to use this method live.

Hmmm. That's very interesting if slightly discouraging... the possibility of simply buying a second Aftershock is firmly back on the table, and keep things simple.

 

[dave_bass5]

As far as know the Tap Tempo only changes between the two channels in one pre set, i dont think it switches between different saved presets. Could be wrong as i never really got in to all that programming stuff with mine.

Im going to have a clear out of the pedals ive brought this year closer to christmas on Basschat. I still need to decide whats going and whats staying, but i expect my AS and TT will go up for sale as one item. I know that doesn't help you now but if you are still looking closer to the time......

 

[mcnach]

As far as know the Tap Tempo only changes between the two channels in one pre set, i dont think it switches between different saved presets. Could be wrong as i never really got in to all that programming stuff with mine.

Im going to have a clear out of the pedals ive brought this year closer to christmas on Basschat. I still need to decide whats going and whats staying, but i expect my AS and TT will go up for sale as one item. I know that doesn't help you now but if you are still looking closer to the time......

You are right, it only toggles between channels. They can be cascaded in series, or set in parallel, and then use the switch to choose both channels together, or alternate between them. That's what the manual says, anyway, and states that way you can have two different sounds in one preset and use the tap tempo switch to say have a a clean and a dirty sound... How easy it is to actually do it, I don't know

I'm probably going to be more interested in getting a second AS... and I am not in a hurry, so whenever you think you want to give it a new home, feel free to send me a message here or 'there' (I recognise you from BassChat too )

 

[Fazz1977]

Response from SA support around MIDI PC message settings for changing presets on the Aftershock (or other dirt pedals) for those who want a simple solution like the new SA MIDI adaptor...

"0 through 5 or 1 to 6 depending on what the midi controller uses"

 

[Fazz1977]

And for those interested... the Source Audio SA168 MIDI Adaptor ships with a Female Type A TRS-DIN insert connector for some reason (I can't honestly think of a pedalboard scenario where this would be useful???). There's no such thing as a male-to-male MIDI coupler (***???) so, if like me, and you don't want another 3 feet of midi cable from your controller to the SA adaptor taking up shitloads of space on your board, you'll need to buy a Male Type A TRS-DIN cable, such as the Boss BMIDI-5-35 cable and factor that into your pricing.