The Case Against LEDs, Poll

[phillip]

I was wondering how many of you guys find on/off indicator LEDs to be an essential part of an effects pedal.  In all my recent builds I've eliminated LEDs completely to simplify the control layout, to simplify the internal wiring, to reduce battery drain, and to eliminate the popping that LEDs cause when the pedal's switched on and off.

I've never really considered them all that essential, but a lot of people do these days...not only for the "oohh look it glows!" thing...but also because I've seen a lot of people with a LOT of *junk* (for lack of a better term) on their pedal boards, so it's easy for them to get lost in their own pedal board.

Personally, I only use three or four pedals at the most on my pedal board (Vox Wah/Axis Wah, Axis Face Silicon, Modified OD250, Tremulus Lune) so trying to figure out which one's on isn't much of a problem.

Phillip

[RDV]

I've got to know whats on and whats off. It's a control issue. The Millenium 1+ works nicely and noislessly if you use the right values. I've not had a lot of trouble with 3PDTs either. The noisiest bypassing pedal I've got is my Easyvibe strangely enough. I need 2 add a pulldown to the output as well as the input I guess.

RDV

[Lonestarjohnny]

I normally play a very simple amp, no reverb, no trem. , and i add what i want so sometimes i may have 5 or 6 effect's on my board, so I like the light's, let's me know what's cookin,
Johnny

[cd]

IMHO they're essential.  I don't have a lot of pedals on my board (4-5 at any one time) but I have to know at a glance whether they're on or off.  Provided you keep your ground signal clean, popping should not be an issue.  I've used the Millenium and 3PDTs without problems.  

I have a Kendrick Buffalo Pfuz, which has two channels and NO indicators at all.  Such a PITA to use, especially since the fuzz channel is so much louder than the clean channel.  Plug everything in and you think it's in the clean channel, but hit a note and BAM! argh! my! ears! it's in the fuzz channel.  Or worse, playing live you have the fuzz channel set on a nice volume, but happen to be in the clean channel so it actually sounds lower - then it's "why the F does my amp not sound right?'"  Pfft, all that hassle could be easily fixed with a couple of LEDs.

[Jim Jones]

I don't think they're necessary but I don't like using many pedals either.

Jim

[Samuel]

totally necessary so you don't have to go WONK on your guitar in between tunes to figure out whats on or not.

[AL]

Up until two weeks ago I would've said "who needs 'em?". But thanks to some crackerjack sound man I'm going to start putting them in all my pedals. I could hear NOTHING!! I had no idea how to tell what was on and what was off. The "sound man" told the other guitar player she was too loud (40W Fender on 2 at an outside festival - please !!!).   :? So from now on I'm putting them on everything just to save my behind. Sorry for the rant.

AL

[Hal]

I think it depends on the effect.  Some fairly subtle stuff, such as compression, EQ, sometimes chorus, should have an indicator.  I mean, if you cant tell that its on maybe you shouldn't be using it, but sometimes its hard to tell on stage, between songs.  

Distortion on the other hand, you take your hand off the strings, and can tell there is distortion on, so you dont need an indicator for that...


sometimes I _wish_ my dunlop cry baby had an indicator....its sooo embarasing when you try to turn it on, dont get it and wonder "why isn't this wahing" durring a show.  Its happened a couple times, esp. when a cable gets stuck in it....

I _know_ I can mod it easily, but im lazy :-D

[Gilles C]

I drain more batteries by leaving them ON (with a switch or withy the input with a wire connected) for many days than by having a LED to indicate it's ON.

So yes, I need and I like them.

And why not make them look nice then. They are part of the design anyway.

An example:

http://www.music123.com/Snarling-Dogs-Blue-Doo-i118914.music

Gilles

[Paul Marossy]

Can't live without them. I have eight pedals on my board, not counting volume pedal and wah. I like to know exactly what is on and what is not. I use a well filtered master power supply, so battery drain is not an issue. I just don't see how constantly changing out dying 9V batteries is a good thing, not to mention that batteries aren't cheap anymore...

[aron]

I remember putting in an LED on one of my Shaka pedals and someone said "oh you figured out how to do an LED"?

They apparently thought it was really cool and I guess I try to put them in when I can. The 3PDT makes it a lot easier than when I used to try and cram another board in the pedal.

[Narcosynthesis]

leds are pretty important for me

i had a pedal a while ago without an led, and it was just annoying not knowing whether i had left it on or switched it off at the end of the last song, so i ended up starting the next song on clean when i wanted dirty or vice versa

with a led i can just lance down and check if i am setup correctly

David

[sir_modulus]

See, I have a mixed opinion. I put them in little things such as background phasers, etc... (things that are either on or off for the whole song, so at the end of the song, I don't have to figure out which is on, and whats not. I take em outa distortions I use real often, and which I turn on and off. I do this cause when amplified to like 50W, that little click becomes a BIG click. I'd rather just have it that they sound good, much more than it telling me when it's on and off. For example (I know someone said this): When I use my BMP clone, It's on MAX, so If I can't figure out it's on, well.....

On the other hand, I do put them in all my for sale pedals, as people really do like them, and it helps sell the product a bit faster.

[bobbletrox]

LEDs have an "Oooo pretty lights!" effect (blue leds are a Keeley selling point for example)...but I don't think they're neseccary.  None of the old MXR or EH pedals had them.  They're just another thing to wire up and take up space.

[runmikeyrun]

the pedals i don't put LEDs in:

1.  My own (most of the time)
2.  Effects where the status is obvious
3.  Passive effects

the pedals I do put LED's in:

1.  Anything built for a "customer" (only a couple so far)
2.  Effects that can be subtle
3.  Effects that are to be used with other effects, to eliminate confusion between which are on and off.

I personally don't find the need to use leds on my effects (one has an output meter on it so it's obvious if it's on or off) cause i don't like the battery drain involved.  My effects are inefficient enough  :lol:

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

I think there is a bigger case for a POWER led, than for an effect indicattor, because if there is a problem, it sure helps to know the power is getting to the pedal! but I can see where a working musician would want both.

[petemoore]

FF...only for plebes or customers IMO...lol, if you can't tell your FF is on there's probly something wrong with it.
 Clean booster...kind of nice having it on this one, if you have it set 'high' enough for feedback when your Dist is on, this makes a squeal when you turn your Dist on...or if another effect doesn't 'like' it, having an indicator can reduce stage noise.
 Most stuff for someone familiar with the stuff...led's are just a moot feature other than the lighty effect.
 I use them with the 3PDT's because the switch is there, and haven't had much troubles with popping in the pedals they're in....I guess some have heard pops, and that I'm lucky so far that way.
 Wah would be good to have it on but it'dd just about have to be on the side, so you'd have to get your eye in sight of it first.
 Phazer...a little cameo of phazer in non- phazer parts is no biggie, I can't tell if the SS is on till I play some notes.
 They can help you get back to 0 or 1 effect on easier if you have alot of effects and aren't paying attention...I can pretty much remember [or quickly figure out] what I have on at any given time.
 General answer is: not really necessary, but on certain effects it may help to stop a B'leep or squeal on stage, nice feature and definitely helps draw attention to the pedals.
 For commercial [selling] I would say that this feature may raise the price to where they would want the cheaper alternative or more likely lose the sale because no indicator...[silly buyer is always right after all]...One odd/three of the other... :?
 One feature is that with an indicator, you can tell right away if a pedal is likely haveing a PS problem...no light means somethings wrong with at least the light circuit or PS...

[Mark Hammer]

All through the 60's and 70's, we didn't need no steenking LEDs.

On the other hand, in those days if you had 3 pedals in your rig, people thought you were a total gearhead.  With contemporary pedal-boards regularly containing 8-10 devices, some of which have multiple states, and most of which aren't simply left on all the time, "keeping track" becomes an issue, especially when one's plans involve use of subsets of pedals for specific passages or songs.  Of course, the use of wall-warts and low-current super-bright LEDs helps out immensely here, by making the current-consumption of status indicators non-punitive.  We didn't have no steenking wall-warts or 3000mcd LEDs back then either.

Personally, as others have mentioned, I find little need to tack a status LED on a "robust" effect (i.e., one where if you couldn't tell that it's on, then maybe you oughta switch to another profession, or get a better amp), but generally make a point now of sticking one on those pedals that aren't "effects" so much as "audio tools" intended to control the signal rather than change it drastically (e.g., noise gate, compressor, clean booster, EQ, etc).

One of the reasons why status LEDs have attained the omnipresence that they enjoy is because of the widespread use of FET switching and wide-treadle actuators on pedals.  Although there is nothing that electronically requires use of a status LED on those pedals, the problem is that they provide insufficient tactile feedback to users (compared to a stompswitch).  The LED compensates for that lack of feedback, permitting the user to know that the effect has changed from one state to another (bypass or engage) BEFORE they are obliged to twiddle the strings and realize they made an "oops".

[R.G.]

In reference to LEDs and popping - if your pedal pops when you switch it, you have wired it without proper attention to where the current is flowing.

There is no reason for LED use to cause popping except poor wiring.