Newbee...can you incorporate multi-effects with into 1 box?

[Dano]

Just starting out and gathering knowledge and parts. I want to use multiple effects into 1 box with a wah. Do I need a true bypass on each? Can I mix mutiple signals? I was hoping to make a bank with a real-tube screamer, squeezer, muff, flange and wah in that order from l to r. Suggestions...comments? Does jello jiggle slower on the moon? :{)  :roll:

[dpresley58]

Although not carved in stone, you want your order to be compression, distortions and end with the time-based effects.

If I'm following correctly, you want to build a single floorboard with multi-effects? Since the signal would have to go through each unit, it makes sense to me they each should be true-bypass.

As for the jello, you're on yer own.  :wink:  Keep me posted, though.

[milkwasabadchoice]

Ya you should wire in true bypass switches for every effect and then if you wanted to you could wire up a stomp switch to turn on the chain of effects you wanted like a group on switch.

No clue about the Jello.  

[Mihkel]

Go to www.geofex.com and look for the article called "Jimi In A Box"  :wink:

[Mark Hammer]

There are a few considerations for a multi-fx box.

Obviously, the first one is going to be that you can't run everything off a single 9v battery.  Of course, if the chassis is big enough (and some of those sloped front Hammond cabinets are perfect candidates), you *could* stick in a 6-pack of C-cells for 9v with plenty of current and room to spare. I would still recommend use of a well-regulated external power supply, and well planned-out power distribution system inside the chassis.

A second major consideration is the switching.  Depending on the number and type of effects in the unit, a very simple, straightforward use of DPDT or 3PDT stompswitches might be perfectly adequate.  One of the beauties of all-in-one units, though, (and this is where you get surplus value) is that the circuits are close enough that you can also wire up group switching.  So, you could have a single master bypass, or a switch that bypasses/engages a couple of effects, or a loop-insert switch for patching other pedals into the sequence, and so on.

There is no reason why the whole thing HAS to be one type of switching, either.  For instance, you could use a mix of mechanical stompswitches and momentary-FET or other switching types.  Years ago, I used to have a multi-FX box that used Craig Anderton's CD4016-based switching circuit from EPFM. That switch uses a latching SPST on-off switch.  On my control board, I paralleled a momentary and a latched switch.  Using the one let me turn things on and leave them that way.  Using the other momentary one let me engage the effects sequence selected for a riff or two and bypass it the moment I lifted my foot.  VERY handy for stage-work

A third consideration that multi-FX boxes permit is reconfiguring the order, as well as series/parallel processing.  Many folks have a hard time thinking in ways OTHER than this box into that one into that one.  It may be all in one chassis but in their heads it's still four pedals on a board in a row.  Break away from that and you'll grow as a musician.

I encourage you to build both a 1-in/2-out (or 3-out) splitter, and a 2-to-3-in/1-out mixer into your unit.  Once you start dickering around with parallel processing and stereo, you never want to come back.  Run a patch cord from splitter out 1 to mixer in 1 and run another channel through a fuzz, and there's your instant "Sparkleboost", right?

*IF* you have possibilities for group bypass and parallel processing, this automatically makes a patch panel desirable.  Instead of having all connections "normalized" (i.e., this goes to that - always - and that goes to the other thing - always), you can run things in different orders and run them in parallel too.  Note that you don't HAVE to use 1/4" jacks.  They can easily be RCA type or 1/8" mini phone jacks (although I obviously recomend 1/4" for any loop-related jacks, as well as input/output).

Finally, very few guitarists will have such a floorbox without some high gain circuits inside.  Make sure you don't have wires criss-crossing everywhere, especially unshielded ones.  The flexibility you gain from building everything into a single chassis should not be at the sacrifice of noise immunity.