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Best (MIDI) switching unit for amp channels, amp onboard features, rack units & floor pedals?


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As it stands, I'm doing a bit of tap-dancing to change patch on the amp, turn on/off the (currently just a floor pedal) noise gate and turn on/off my chorus pedal. I yearn to be lazy and have one button that does all of it simultaneously. :)

 

I'm looking to pick up a rackmount noise gate (most likely an ISP Pro Rack G) in the near future. The only other rack unit I currently have is a Dunlop Crybaby DCR-2SR which I've not been gigging with as I don't have a rack case yet (I decided to wait until I bought another rack unit to then just use a 2U).

 

The amp that I use is an ENGL E670 SE EL34. I use the ENGL Z-15 footswitch with it (midi channel + feature control) at the moment.

 

What I want to be able to do is a single switcher to be able to, for example, change my settings from patch 1 to patch 2, where they are the following:

 

1: CLEAN channel, amp onboard reverb ACTIVE, amp onboard noise gate OFF, rackmount noise gate OFF, chorus pedal in pedal chain ON.

 

2: DRIVE channel, amp onboard reverb DISABLED, amp onboard noise gate ON, rackmount noise gate ON, chorus pedal in pedal chain OFF.

 

The Z-15 can cater for the first 3 things on the list there, but it doesn't work the external items, just the features and channels on the head itself.

 

So, how easy is it to configure this and what unit do I need? I have seen various switchers that would work fine if the amp was non midi and just switching from one channel to the other, but with the MIDI aspect of it to turn on/off various switches (reverb, extra gain, number of active power valves etc.) I am a bit lost as I've never looked into it before.

 

Any help appreciated!

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Have you looked into the voodoo labs products or the RJM gear? I use the voodoo labs GCX system and it works perfectly for all kinds of switching needs.

I have everything in a rack when I use it, pedals, rack units etc, and it changes any combination I program with one tap of the foot on the midi controller

Edited by Lame Guitarist
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Have you looked into the voodoo labs products or the RJM gear? I use the voodoo labs GCX system and it works perfectly for all kinds of switching needs.

I have everything in a rack when I use it, pedals, rack units etc, and it changes any combination I program with one tap of the foot on the midi controller

 

That is the sort of thing that I need. As long as it can interface with the onboard MIDI setup that the ENGL has as well as the external units in the rack/on the floor then that would work!

 

I've not looked into anything in particular as I didn't know where to start. The only thing I had seen previously (when this intention was non-existing for me) was the TC G-System. A lot of the stuff on that would be surplus to my requirements though.

 

Other than that, I haven't looked into much. Some guidance as to what to investigate was what I was after so I'll do some digging at lunchtime and see what your mentioned brands can offer. Thanks very much! :up:

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Not sure what the connections are on the back of the engl but the gcx can take anything midi and aux jacks etc. the rjm stuff has special interface cables for a lot of their products. I think the gcx and ground control is great, you can hook up to 8 things in the loops on one gcx and anything midi. If I use the diezel herbert it changes through midi by the gcx and still has 8 loops for any pedals or processors. If I use my other amps the channels are changed using the loops. I had to get a custom cable from bogner though for my bogner ecstacy to work with the gcx.

Also the gcx's can be stacked. I use 2 which gives me 16 loops but I think you can run up to 4 of them.

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