Voodoo Lab Pedal Switcher

On a traditional pedalboard, even when the effects are off, your signal still goes through numerous tone-trashing buffers, solid-state switches and patch cables. Pedal Switcher uses 4 true bypass loops to send your signal only to the pedals you’re using. Built with the finest gold relays sealed in nitrogen, your tone will stay pure and dynamic no matter what kind or how many pedals you use.

With Pedal Switcher, you can use all those great classic and modern stompboxes without destroying that pure “straight to amp” sound. Now you have the freedom to use any pedals you want, and never have to worry that the buffer in your overdrive is killing your vintage fuzz!

Pedal Switcher features 4 instant access switches, buffered and non-buffered inputs, and a TRS insert for putting devices like a volume pedal between effects. Loops can also be used as a mute for silent tuning onstage, and A/B amp switching. Add a Commander and you can control an unlimited number of Pedal Switcher units allowing you to store combinations of pedals.

Features:

4 True Bypass audio loops
4 Instant access on/off switches
A/B Amp selector (loop 4)
Loops can be used for signal mute and silent tuning
TRS Insert (between loops 3&4)
Programmable presets via Commander
Fully compatible with Ground Control Pro and GCX Audio Switcher
MIDI In/out

SIGNAL LOADING
There have been some amazing stompbox effects made in the last 40 years. Unfortunately, a lot of those classic pedals don’t have true bypass switching. These examples show you what some of our favorite classic pedals sound like when they’re bypassed using their internal circuitry.

Pedal Switcher Loops
1 - Thomas Organ Wah
2 - B.K. Butler/Chandler Tube Driver
3 - Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face (germanium)
4 - Uni-Vibe (original Univox)

MP3 AUDIO | Loaded Signal Fingers | Loaded Signal Strum
Listen for the difference as we use Commander to switch back and forth between all loops OFF, and all loops ON (with the pedals in bypass). When Pedal Switcher’s loops are all OFF, you get that totally transparent “straight to amp” sound. By turning all the loops ON with the pedals in bypass, you get the sound of a standard pedalboard that sucks your tone even when the effects are off! While one setup has the familiar glassy sound of a Fender Stratocaster straight into a loud Twin Reverb, the normal pedalboard signal chain has a tubby “dead strings” vibe with a smeared high-end.

Loaded Signal Fingers
:00 to :05 - Pedal Switcher
:05 to :09 - Standard Internal Bypass
:09 to :14 - Pedal Switcher

Loaded Signal Strum
:00 to :07 - Pedal Switcher
:07 to :13 - Standard Internal Bypass
:13 to :16 - Pedal Switcher

BUFFERS
The original Fuzz Face is one of the most treasured guitar sounds in music thanks to the groundbreaking work of Jimi Hendrix. Jimi always had the perfect blend of clear punchy rhythm and warm sounding leads. In fact, most of this was done by just riding the guitar’s volume control with the Fuzz Face on. The problems start when you try to incorporate more modern gear like Boss and Ibanez pedals into this classic Fuzz Face to Marshall amp setup. In this test, we’ve replaced the Tube Driver with a vintage Tube Screamer that uses an internal buffered bypass circuit.

Pedal Switcher Loops
1 - Thomas Organ Wah
2 - TS9 Tube Screamer
3 - Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face (germanium)
4 - A/B (ON-Fender Twin/OFF-Marshall JTM50)

MP3 AUDIO | FuzzFace-JTM50
This example is just the Fuzz Face (loop 3) going straight into a 1966 Marshall JTM50 head and 4x12 cabinet. The pedal is on the whole time. Notice how it cleans up or goes into full sounding lead tones just by riding the guitar’s volume or playing a bit softer or harder. This is similar to the way Jimi recorded the track “Axis Bold as Love.” Now for the bad news…

MP3 AUDIO | TS Buffer-FuzzFace-JTM50
For example two, all we did was turn on the TS9 (loop 2) with the pedal in bypass mode. In this case, the buffer has completely changed the dynamics and warmth of the fuzz. Unfortunately, playing with the guitar’s volume control just made things go from worse to painful.