For those who might be interested in the ability to do complex re-orderable routings w/hardware FX, similar to what is possible with the new Analog Heat + FX, here are a couple of pieces of gear I had been researching.
Most loop switchers are aimed at guitarists, and hence usually mono only. The ones below are stereo capable and seem very powerful. I’ve got no experience with either one but am on the waitlist for the ML10x:
GigRig G3 – G3 Switching System - The GigRig USA ; note this is quite expensive and probably best suited to a touring musician w/a complicated FX rig ; 6 stereo pairs
These allow you not only to run FX in serial but in parallel as well, so in a sense more powerful than the AH+FX and of course capable of using whatever FX you want.
Anybody have any experience with these particular loop switchers or others with similar capability?
I have indeed considered the Erica Matrix Mixer. It has a nice hands-on appeal and I enjoy it on the Syntrx.
However I decided against it for my application because I didn’t want to deal with the spaghetti-like complexity of lots of 1/4" to 3.5mm cables for the ins and outs (all my FX units are 1/4") and I’m interested in the additional “playability” via MIDI pedals that some of the loop switchers allow. For example, you can drop one or more FX out on the fly like on the AH+FX.
The two loop switchers above also allow you to have delay trails / spillover when switching loops/presets.
Yep, I had come across the Sound Sculptures units in my research too. But it was a bridge too far in terms of cost! Even the G3 is too rich for my taste and intended application, but it was the first one that I ran across that checked all my boxes.
In theory these tools are really great, and for sure they do have useful applications… but
They also add a shit ton of complexity! Maybe too much. It’s easy to fall in to a trap of dreaming about how awesome it is to put analogue distortion after a reverb pedal with a parallel delay feedback loop through a phaser.
These are tools designed to solve studio problems or provide flexibility to touring musicians (as you mentioned).
They can be creative tools too, but it comes with a price ($$ + time + complexity)
Maybe it’s better solved with eurorack or in the box?
There’s probably some old MIDI controlled patchbays that could also do this. No idea what make/model exactly, but I do know Akai did quite a few pieces of that sort in the late 80s.
It’s also within the realm of the traditional matrix mixer which are pretty easy to make DIY.
Hadn’t seen the Reliq! This looks really close to what I’m really trying to create which is essentially the Shure Auxpander that I used to use but in a smaller form, with more inputs, and with much better audio quality.
I still have the Auxpander in my gear closet but I got tired of it’s relatively lo-fi sound.
As I was reading this I was thinking … just get an auxpander
At one point I had three but now there’s only one left and it’s in the closet too. But I’m not sure I agree that it’s lo-fi. It definitely is not adding anything special to the sound but I doubt anything else you buy that is mixing signals is going to sound very different. If you really want to get all electronics out of the audio path I would get a patch bay. If you need automation I would look at a digital mixer, many of them have presets that you can automate via midi. Something like the qu-pac will give you a lot of ins and outs.
Definitely interesting.
I’ve always been wanting a hardware version of Reaktors “the Finger”
May be able to get somewhat close with these things.
Or but a second OT just for stacking tracks and effects and playing Parts with midi.
