Thanks guys, I appreciate you honesty about this topic. I'm considering getting a switcher, and this video was the most helpful and valuable I've found. thanks!
Guys, this was a great video that has totally open up my mind to all these great options for switchers and there strong points and also the downside to other units so thanks for such a great video and content and hoping for another 100+ episodes!
Always great to hear Brian's opinions. Just one thing though.. Paul Gilbert does the tap dancing not because he wants to but because he has sized 14 boots and singing most of the time, and would hit all the buttons on whichever switchers 😅😅..
CONGRATS on 100 trips in the Miata! Just binged all 100 episodes of the pod while at work over the last month or so. I’ve learned so much. Getting closer to Tonetown everyday. Thanks for the awesome content and here is to at least 100 more.
I've always built my own pedalboard and I've used the RJM PBC 10 for many years. On my latest build I went with the Musicom Lab EFX-10D because I needed a smaller size MIDI controller and I really like it. I wish these controllers had the ability to handle more than 1 expression pedals like the RJM Mastermind GT, Fractal FC 12 and the Kemper Profiler Remote.
Wow! It doesn’t seem like 2 years and 100 episodes! And I don’t think I have missed any 😮! How great the family growth and survival, the business changes… oh how we’ve grown together. You kids make me so proud. The US needs to catch on to what Bangladesh and Uzbekistan already know - top guitar content podcast. Thanks Chairmen🥳!
As a lead vocalist, and lead guitarist, midi is a no brainer. I love the snapshot feel of an HX/helix, but love independent reverb/delay/mod plus analog and midi drives. I have found the hx stomp xl was a great beginner switcher, as you can have one press load a snapshot that sets all pedals with one switch, and I still have a klon/ts to cut through and a germanium fuzz that starts the signal chain that i can switch off or control with volume. It also lets me go silent stage with a princeton/dumble/ac15 amp model. The back volume knob really helps FOH as well.
Ive been using a Boss MS3 as my looper/midi switcher. Its simple to swap out my 3 different drives and midi out for my Eventide H90 and Two Notes Opus. It also has simple modulation, reverb, and delay where the H90 has more complex versions of those effects
On reorderable/parallel signal paths, having the es8 made experimentation a breeze. It gave me tons of experience in a very short time on what I liked in my "tone". I've since put it up and have a much smaller board that has the pedal order that I found most useful from it. One thing that stands out for me on the es8 is the vast midi environment that features internal expression with selectable wav type, tempo/time division, etc...
I’ve had many RJM RG16s, RJM midi pedals from small to GT22? Mini amp gizmos, amp switchers, mini mixers etc. Ron and Sherry are great people and have always had time to answer emails and phone calls. That said I love my G3 (upgraded to the scribble stops), parallel, movable loops, pre/post boost, easy to use, iPad friendly and soooo much more. Dan and his crew are also quick to answer any questions. Midi isn’t terrible on it but it does take a bit more time.
I was pretty sold on the Mastermind but then I got an incredible deal on an ES8 and it has been fantastic - reliable, with great MIDI control - within some limits. I just sometimes wish it had one more control switch. ,
Thanks for an informative session and sharing your insights. I love the MusicomLAB Parallizer mixer. Transparent sounding and so easy to use. Got it at the Guitar Sanctuary.
Fantastic talk! I’m curious to hear your thoughts about the new Unity6 from JET effects that is coming out, as well as comparing the ML10x to the RJM Effects Gizmo X and the Disaster area mini-switchers like the 8EZ as sort of a stepping off point from Grant’s recommendation of the Morningstar MC6 + ML10X as one of his top picks. I’m really looking for something with scribble strips like the MIDI Maestro as a dedicated MIDI box, and am looking at a lot of the littler switcher-only boxes to add on for a full rig control.
@@omilionaudio I’ve been chatting with him over the last couple of days, and everything looks great except I can’t do the RJM or Switchboard thing where I use one of the loops as a buffered split by disconnecting the return like where I run an OC-5 to a separate bass amp - otherwise on paper I’d say it’s a slam dunk. But I’d love to hear some much better informed opinions than I on the matter.
Morningstar ML10X. Put the pedals away in the backline in a rack unit and just have a wireless MIDI switcher in front of you - something like a Boss FS-1-WL or AirTurn BT500S-6.
Thanks. I was thinking I needed to get the Fender but I am really only called for Studio stuff where the sound is new every time. When i'm playing live, I never know which tune will be called next. I'm a real candidate for the quartermaster with flip flop.
Great episode! Love the energy of having you guys in the same room! Brian @omilionaudio , quick comment re: MIDI editing on the PBC/6X vs the G3 Atom: if someone were to do all their editing NOT in a computer (phone or on the unit), how do they compare for ease of MIDI programming and editing?
@@omilionaudio Thanks Brian! So even without computer editing you'd recommend the RJM for easier MIDI editing? And to clarify, I'm not thinking super deep MIDI, but I have the Strymon "trouple" as Mason said + a gain pedal, so 2-4 MIDI pedals to set up per preset.
Could you please please clarify the section on the boss es-8 in regards to the editor, is there now a way to access this without the Roland midi cable?! You touched on it briefly but I can't find any more information on this
Voodoo Labs PX-8… I don’t use the midi function but it gives me enough presets for a long set list, it’s clean and it’s never failed me… could never learn the boss functions..
@VertexEffectsInc and the other chairmen - would it be possible to use the Switchboard to control something like an ML5 to expand the number of loops you have access to? With the caveat I suppose that the switchers themselves couldn't be reordered
Obviously, it's a little more limited in terms of functionality, but I'd love to know how y'all evaluate the quality and value of the Voodoo Labs PX-8 Plus. Especially, I can't find any information about the output buffer.
Agree with the comment about re-orderable loops. Probably not a huge take rate. I however do use it often with my Mobius and my HX One. Primarily the HX One as it's a Swiss Army Knife, so with midi and re-orderable loops, I can use the HX One to cover off multiple single use pedals placed in front or in the loop, saving money and space.
Hey guys .. great info here… You know , I guess I had inadvertently built myself a switcher 8 years ago. Not even knowing these things were out there. I used a small PLC brick to control my soft switches . All true bypass. Thank God because I did not even know the one pedal on My board was not true bypass. Then I started building my own midi controller last year using an arduino, not knowing some of these midi switchers already are implemented with Midi.I have to use my laptop to access the plc if I want to change things around. Basically one soft switch for one effect🎵What I gained was one line of switches in a row spaced just enough for the tip of my cowboy boot to access. I don’t have to climb to the corners of the board. By board weights a ton though because it is constructed out of 3/4” Mahogany. My bad. I have a lot to think about. My build took me 4 months,.almost every night. Yes I am still married. Great Podcast. Thanks.
ngl the gig rig g3 sounds perfect for me who uses no midi at all. I just have some pedals that I wa nt in front of the amp, some I want in the loop, and especially when I play ambient, I wanna stop tapdancing when I go from ambient tapestries to ambient leads.
Really love your content! I haven't finished the video yet so hopefully im not asking a redundant question, but do you guys think the Boss ES-5/8 is a good option on a tighter budget?
I want to run 2 amps with effects loops at the same time. I also have a preamp pedal ,the Friedman ird. I have both the G String ii and the Decimator ii. What do you recommend for a switcher and how to make this work? Ultimately I would like to switch between the two amp preamps and the ird pedal preamp while using the same effects. I have a Switchbone as well if that helps. Other than that,just a tuner, a few delay pedals ,Flashback x4 etc and occasionally a chorus pedal and overdrive pedal. My brain gets a little overheated when thinking about this routing stuff lol
Look into the Morningstar Ml10X and MC6Pro. Look into how easily you can rearrange the loops on the ML10X so you can have 2 loops using the stereo inserts just for your 4 cable method into both amps then the other 3 loops can be whatever you want. Then using their editor you can rearrange pre/post every single loop. The MC6Pro paired with this looper you can run relay out through their 3.5mm ports to control amp channel changes aswell as send midi clock to non midi pedals
@@Shankdv8 the main thing is that I want to use 2 amp heads at the same time with effects as they both have effects loops and I have a Friedman preamp pedal that I want through both amps. Midi can also switch the Friedman channels and boost. I'd like to switch between the Friedman and the amp preamps with a switcher. I already have a Radial Switchbone and would like to use it along with a switcher. The Radial is isolated and has a nice no tone suck aspect and a boost to go into the amp front ends. I don't mind skipping the Radial if the loop switcher can handle it but I do like the Radial and would love to incorporate it. Sounds like a lot to ask but it makes perfect sense if doable.
I'm in the Gigrig camp, but I think it's a pretty fair assessment. Not a coincidence that Morningstar seems to get paired with a G2/G3 often as PB&J for guys that need that. Near as I can tell if seemed like the list was prioritizing ease of use and bang for the buck which would be fine if that was the title. RJM and such are more esoteric in that clave but it sure is hard to argue that EHX would edge them out (or the others for the points you guys made) if not solely on the basis of the level of involvement of the UI. I just like the G3 because it copes with cantankerous pedals and is dead-easy to use for my basic premise of having all the pedals and flip flopping them all over the signal chain. And it sounds good. But yeah, slightly off title if those were the premise of their judgement. And it's hard to write you guys off as haters of GR since their standing seems to have improved considerably over the run-time of the show. Certainly to the point where you're all personally using the gear🤷 It's like was stated, they underperformed at some things and have made strides to improve
I AM JUST A HOBBYIST AND I NOW WONDER IF I SHOULD GET A G3S OR A MASTERMIND PBC/10. I DON'T PLAY IN A BAND I JUST HAVE TONS OF PEDALS AND I LOVE TO PROGRAM AND TINKER AROUND.....SOO $1,000 VS $1700 GIG RIG. HMMM
I have a Boss ES-8. Both outputs are burned out. Each one quit working right after the Boss power supply burned out. I wanted to send it back to Boss for repair, but after 2 years, i have yet to be able to get any response from them. I'm not even asking for a warranty repair. So, i won't be doing any business with them in the future
A switcher was a game changer for me. No more tap dancing. I just love it. I've been using MIDI a lot lately and the switcher makes it so cool. We play in a Rock cover band and I have have about 30 different presets. One thing the G3 Atom has that I like is a "hidden" preset on each switch. One switch can have my crunch tone without delay and tap the switch again and I have delay, so really, the Atom has 16 presets on each bank. Maybe I would've gone RJM knowing what I know now from you guys, but I had to make a choice. Gigrig are very easy to deal with. Cust service etc.
Is it that Brian and Grant are just super white or that Mason goes heavy on the bronzer that accounts for the obvious contrast in skin tone? Mason doesn't normally look that dark during the podcast when not in person. Maybe his lighting is more blown out normally?
Well I overslept and missed the spray tan appointment we all made, while Grant was battling a mop of fans while walking down the street and he hid under an umbrella but Mason skipped the appointment because he already had a flawless skincare/hair routine!
If BoredBrain made a Patchulator with a touchscreen router and switcher it'd be the ultimate. I only play at home so the Patchulator works great for me.
@@VertexEffectsInc Boredbrain, a company, makes a pedal patchbay called the Patchulator. Fully analog. If they combined that with the switchers in this video that would be the ultimate in versatility.
So many great options and fantastic video. One consideration that seems to be often overlooked is if you need a switcher that can be used in direct sun light and have a display you can actually see with enough room for info beyond an LED program number, possibly which switches are active, AND has characters large enough to easily read a song or config/rig title without having to bend over! Played for many years using an old RFC1 midi switch made by Lake Butler. Very limited functionality by today's switching standards, but was so easy to see in any lighting, including direct sunlight situations and was built like a tank! Came back into gigging and playing way more day gigs, tried all the big name modelers in pedal board form and several switchers and REALLY struggled to see any of the LCD screens and scribble strips, etc. I know that many players don't have these requirements, but (assuming I'm not alone) for those of us that do.... Any suggestions that doesn't include having to use some kind of shade or just make do with very limited feedback? After all, what good are tons of features, convenience, etc., if you need to see your switcher and can't? Thx again and really enjoy your channel
Best switcher? ML10X by Morningstar. Nobody in anything you guys mentioned can reorder fx like what ML10X could do, and for the fraction of the price and size.
EHX foot switches are the worst. Engaging one is a combination of breaking a femur bone and a 90dB gun shot. So obnoxious. Have those guys never heard of quiet/silent switches?? Or are they just cutting costs?
Hey guys, great video. Did you mean Evidence Audio (not eminence) for the cables that Dan from the gigrig uses? I use them and they are the best solderless plugs in my opinion. As for a switcher i use a Disaster Area DPC 8EZ and a Dmc micro for Midi. DA is good value and saves space for smaller boards.
Is this totally true? Cause bestronics also says they don’t fit on the product page for squareplugs and I might believe not just one but three professional pedalboard makers. Do they fit comfortably or is it a real PITA to get them fit in so these guys say they don’t fit because logistically it just doesn’t work?
@@wholewheatiesvery kind of you to acknowledge. And thanks for the reply as im trying to learn and that info was a bit different from what i've read. Have a good one!
It's a pity though that professionals still have this popping sound, while it's easy to avoid when the mic is not directly in front of the mouth or nose.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but we’re not entitled to our facts. Saying the G3 “isn’t generally available here” in the US seems patently false given you can order it online and have it shipped to your door exactly the same as ordering from anywhere else
I’m in Australia and I bought the G3S in January. Ordered it online, too easy. I love it , easy to use , well built and I couldn’t live without the option to re-order loops . The hidden preset in combination with the pre and post gain gives me instant boost options on a single preset switch. I think they should have done their homework on the G3S a bit more… which I was expecting since this was titled with 2024.
I mostly agree, but I think they meant that you have to order it from another country. I believe all the other switchers you can buy from most big guitar retailers in the US. Also GigRig tends to have a waitlist of about a month since it’s such a small company and it’s in high demand. Maybe if you’re a rig builder and you want to be able to order and get the switcher that week? Idk. I don’t think these are reasons not to go with GigRig though. Shipping is free and a month isn’t that long to get something that should last you years.
@DavidM-ob5ii - To my knowledge, there are no USA dealers of the products. A simple Google search would disabuse anyone of that. I only see their products available from their website or second-hand on Reverb. Secondly, I say (and I just rewatched this section) "...they're generally not as available comparatively to others [switchers]." This is to say, that compared to what else is on the list that we discuss, as it relates to availability in the USA, it's the least accessible. Brian builds with them regularly for Andy Timmons and a few other endorsing artists and has said that he has a difficult time sourcing them domestically or getting them shipped over from the UK. That data point is remarkable as he's in a small group of people that have their hands on them (or attempt to) on a regular basis and is regularly sourcing them for builds (for GigRig artists). Conversely, when we source RJM or MusicomLab, they do come within a matter of days (in the case of RJM), or have domestic dealers (in the case of Musicom) where you can order from and get in a few days in addition to offering direct shipping from Korea (and getting them within a week in that case). I think that perhaps you have an isolated experience (that you've amplified as the norm), or have made some presumptive leaps that aren't representative of three professionals that have their boots on the ground or their fingers on the pulse of what's going on in the world or rig building from parts sourcing to switcher integration.
G3s is 6-20 day standard free shipping. I got the G3 around Xmas time and they threw in a midi cinco as a thanks and waiting for the pre order. I’m old enough to remember sending a check/COD to carvin, ADA, Art SGE Mach II etc from a catalog and waiting, without tracking and pre computer internet days. Everything is instant gratification now then throw away when broke 🤦♂️😂. I just ordered the G3S upgrade screen and humdinger V2 the other day. I’ll spend my money on quality and wait patiently.
