external switching

[goneloco]

Hello all
Can someone explain how the external switching works? The back of the amp only provides a switch for channel 2 and 3. How do you switch to channel 1? Is channel 1 the default channel? and if so what will happen if you switch channel 2 and 3 at the same time? Im dumb.

 

[scienceguy]

Hello all
Can someone explain how the external switching works? The back of the amp only provides a switch for channel 2 and 3. How do you switch to channel 1? Is channel 1 the default channel? and if so what will happen if you switch channel 2 and 3 at the same time? Im dumb.

Hi!
I don't have my rig in front of me, but I'm using external switching with my VoodooLab GCX. A single on/off switch to Channel 2 and another for Channel 3 works like this.

Both C2 & C3 off: Channel 1 (default)
C2 on / C3 off: Channel 2 (C2 switch toggles between C2 and C1)
C2 off / C3 on: Channel 3 (C3 switch toggles between C3 and C1)
C2 on / C3 on: Channel 3 (C3 switch toggles between C3 and C2)

I think that's right, but it's still early and I haven't had my coffee yet...

Bill

 

[dmcguitar]

how does the switching work with the GCX? i am under the impressions that you would use 1 loop for the ch2 switch and 1 for the ch3 switch. Then you would program your footswitch to turn on the ch2 loop (say with another effect in front of the amp in another loop) and when you want to switch to clean, you'd need a patch to turn off the channel 2 switch (and other effects if applicable) ...

but how would this work if you went from ch2 to ch3 (so now both remote switches are on) and now want to use that channel one patch (which just turns off channel 2)? wouldnt that select channel 2 again

 

[scienceguy]

how does the switching work with the GCX? i am under the impressions that you would use 1 loop for the ch2 switch and 1 for the ch3 switch. Then you would program your footswitch to turn on the ch2 loop (say with another effect in front of the amp in another loop) and when you want to switch to clean, you'd need a patch to turn off the channel 2 switch (and other effects if applicable) ...

but how would this work if you went from ch2 to ch3 (so now both remote switches are on) and now want to use that channel one patch (which just turns off channel 2)? wouldnt that select channel 2 again

Going from C2 to C3 (both switches on), you'd have to turn them both off to get to C1. Or, you could turn off C2 while you're soloing on C3, so that when you turn C3 off, you'll be back to C1.

That's one of the advantages of the MkV footswitch...

OR

You could create a preset for C1 (if you're using a footcontroller like the GCPro), so that stepping on that one switch will turn whatever loops you want on or off without having to to step on those switches. and take you directly back to C1.

 

[dmcguitar]

regarding creating the preset, does it work to be able to switch between all three channels when you want? Like I mentioned, If you have a patch that turns on channel 2 (and no other mk V switches just other effects) and then switch to a patch that turns on channel 3, you should have both the channel 2 and 3 switches as on, correct?

Then to get to channel one, your patch must activate (or in our case deactivate) both switches for ch.2 and 3. But if you are on that patch that was channel 2 (and did not go to the ch 3 patch) and now wanted the ch 1 patch (which activates both ch 2 and 3) wouldnt that instaed turn on ch 3 (since you'd be turning off ch 2, and turning on the ch 3 switch?)

is this how the switching works with the MK V, or am not thinking about this right?

Thanks.

 

[scienceguy]

regarding creating the preset, does it work to be able to switch between all three channels when you want? Like I mentioned, If you have a patch that turns on channel 2 (and no other mk V switches just other effects) and then switch to a patch that turns on channel 3, you should have both the channel 2 and 3 switches as on, correct?

Then to get to channel one, your patch must activate (or in our case deactivate) both switches for ch.2 and 3. But if you are on that patch that was channel 2 (and did not go to the ch 3 patch) and now wanted the ch 1 patch (which activates both ch 2 and 3) wouldnt that instaed turn on ch 3 (since you'd be turning off ch 2, and turning on the ch 3 switch?)

is this how the switching works with the MK V, or am not thinking about this right?

Thanks.

I can't speak for all switching systems and footcontrollers since I have only the VoodooLab system (GCX and GCPro), but I'm pretty confident they all operate basically the same way.
If I create a preset on my footcontroller for Channel 1, that means whenever I hit that preset, then the switches for Channels 2 & 3 will be set to the off position (assuming I program the preset correctly!), regardless of which preset I was using prior to that.
This is not to be confused with the instant access switches, which allow me to flip a switch or patch in a loop or change something within my effects unit via MIDI or whatever without changing anything else in the preset.
I have an instant access switch each for C2 and C3, but I also have presets to get to each one. It might be a little redundant, but it’s versatile.
In other words, when I create a preset from scratch, I can tell the switches whether I want them on or off, independent of any previous setting.
The Mk V only cares what the combination of C2/C3 on/off is to determine the channel.

Let me try a different approach to the switching:
With C3 off, C2 will toggle between C2 and C1.
With C2 off, C3 will toggle between C3 and C1.
With C2 on, C3 will toggle between C3 and C2.

If I’m creating presets on my GCPro, I would do this:
Preset 1 (clean): C2 and C3 switch both off
Preset 2 (C2): C2 switch on, C3 switch off
Preset 3 (C3): C3 switch on (C2 switch doesn’t matter, but I turn it off)

I’m not sure I’m answering your question – hope this helps.

 

[phyrexia]

The external switching works just like a Mark III. Both off = Clean. On/Off = Ch2. Off/On = Ch3. On/On = Ch3. (Except that there is no mild boost when both are activated like a III.)

With your controllers, you have to program the state of all the relays. So on a TC G-System with four relays, for example, every patch you program will have a CCCC to OOOO and all the in between states.

In this way, you can't just program it to switch one relay. When you hit that button to go from Ch 1 to Ch 2, you'd switch from CCCC to OCCC. When you switch to a Ch3 patch, the controller will change from whatever it was to COCC.

 

[dmcguitar]

ok, its making more sense..

i think what i was confused on was say that you switched to channel two (this is using the GCX and GC Pro) now the channel 2 switch on the mk V is on. But there is no "memory" on the mk V, so the signal is only coming from the gcX, and if you unplugged the cable (that is plugged into the channel 2 switch) it will go back to clean since it no longer is being told to be on...

is that right?

in other words, your not telling the mk v what switch is on, only the gcx (which then relays that to the mk v)

 

[scienceguy]

ok, its making more sense..

i think what i was confused on was say that you switched to channel two (this is using the GCX and GC Pro) now the channel 2 switch on the mk V is on. But there is no "memory" on the mk V, so the signal is only coming from the gcX, and if you unplugged the cable (that is plugged into the channel 2 switch) it will go back to clean since it no longer is being told to be on...

is that right?

in other words, your not telling the mk v what switch is on, only the gcx (which then relays that to the mk v)

Kinda – The jacks for Channels 2 & 3 on the back of the Mk V are what are called “latching” switches. Think of it as a light switch. When you step on the footswitch, it closes the circuit (connecting tip to sleeve) – step on it again and it opens the circuit. This is what is happening, regardless of whatever is doing the switching – a lone footswitch or a switching system like the GCX.
The GCPro has to be programmed to see the connection as latching or momentary (momentary will change the circuit only while the footswitch is engaged).

On my GCPro, the top left footswitch (#1) is my Channel 3 switch and #2 is my Channel 2. To get Channel 3 I have to hit the #1 footswitch to turn it on, and then hit it again to turn it off – just like a regular latching footswitch. Alternatively, I have a preset (#2 on the bottom) that takes me directly to C3 regardless of where I was before.
The GCPro sends all of the programmed info to the GCX (like which loops are active and stuff) and the GCX follows those orders. So by hitting my top left footswitch, the GCPro tells the corresponding loop in the GCX to act as a latching switch and to close or open the switch for C3 on the Mk V.

Of course, if you already knew this, just disregard. Sometimes I forget when I put on my “science teacher” hat…