"The Strip" - Carl Martin's Newest Octa-Switch - First Look and Features Walkthrough

[@paulshedden1404]

Good explanation at the beginning why people should like and subscribe. You guys do a great job helping guitarists discover and understand new and existing gear to save them time and pain getting it wrong. If we want you to continue your great work, we all need to support you and like and subscribe :-) Keep pushing the message guys, you deserve great success

[@PJandtheBeard]

Thanks, Paul, that means a lot coming from you. We didn't push that message for the first three years but as the channel continues to grow we felt it may be time. We really have enjoyed the friendships and relations we have made through the channel and finally realized it was a goal worth mentioning at the top of each video. I may have to swap my special color mission expression pedal for our red one to match the switcher though! :)

[@FernandoLobo]

Hey guys...can I ask you a question ? Maybe in private or here, as you wish.

[@FernandoLobo]

I see you have a FB group, I'll talk to you there.

[@adamkrauss303]

Heard some popping particularly with the reverb. Cost is a criteria you didn’t mention. Also, didn’t discuss whether this has ability to program more than 8 presets, with banks? Another thing is whether the send return jacks are spaced to allow pancake plugs or whether you must use straight RCA type connectors, which takes up much more space. The images shown from pedal planner did not include attached cables. Also, like you I’m not getting any younger and can’t always rely on memory as to what pedal is in what loop, particularly, like many , will likely swap some pedals in and out. Thus, I will want to put small labels near Switches to remind me what pedal is in loop or what type of preset it is. Some loopers don’t have adequate space for that. Looking forward to future installments in this project.

[@PJandtheBeard]

We threw the loops together pretty quickly. Not sure if the popping had to do with that. We probably didn't cycle the switches a few times before starting either. Sometimes you need to do that with loopers to get the static out. Not sure if that is the case with this one. We will have a better idea when we get the board together, which should be soon. I think we have everything we need for the build here and am hoping to get on that this week. Regular pancake plugs won't work on the back. We might be able to use the squareplug pancakes back there, but they hang down a bit below the pedal. So unless it is hanging over the pedalboard rail we may have to go with barrel plugs. Square plugs make a barrel connector that doesn't take up as much room too. I do think you are limited to the eight presents. There isn't any other banks, unless I missed something. That fits into my personal plan for it though. I hear what you are saying about labels too. We will see when it comes time to program it. I haven't wrapped my head around exactly what that is going to look like yet, but simple is better for me! More to come soon. Thanks for the comment!

[@thaddeusfields4360]

Big fan of your all’s channel. But as you know, not every piece of equipment is for everyone (just ask my King of Tone that’s sitting on the shelf). Since my band has gone to Strymon Amp/IR modelers into the PA and use in-ear monitors, I know we’ll likely go down the dirty road of Line 6 or Kemper at some point. For that reason I’m holding off on buying a looper… but boy are they ever tempting and a wonderful tool for the working guitarist.

[@PJandtheBeard]

Thanks Thaddeus! How do you like playing with in ears and amp/ir’s? The few times I played with in ears and my amp mic’d offstage everything sounded so sterile. I know some of that stuff sounds great, but I would miss the amp volume and the way it reacts to the guitar. So many great players are moving to line 6 and helix now so they have to be better than they were. We did discuss running out of output two on this into and amp sim and sending that to the front of the house.

[@mantashaft]

I’ve held off on a programmable switcher but someday I will probably get one. I just have been putting off having to spend the time researching and picking one… and the $ of course

[@PJandtheBeard]

I started with a non-programmable switcher and used that for years. I think the thing that kept me from making the switch was more the time and money investment in cabling. That and they all seem to do a million things I didn't need. I kept thinking, but those options would be cool so maybe I should hold out. "The Switch" does what I need and the price point is nice too. It was definitely time.

[@Bullittbl]

I feel like the prodigal son showing up after all this time. I'm trying to get In more youtube time. Great demo

[@PJandtheBeard]

Glad to see you again!

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

It's not the programming that is such a big deal but it is the day the memory dies for many reasons and you have to do it twice. None of the pedal boards are so easy that even if you only change your settings once a year you forget and it is back to 'Hell Days' for a second time. I got the Roland/Boss ES5 years ago. You can program it to wash your socks but accidently hit a wrong switch live and it takes 10 or 15 minutes to undo what you did. I know use just 3 loops. Each is a self contained board. I pick what I want playing in unison on each board/loop. I then have 3 choices as in verse, chorus and mid 8/solo for each tune. What I do like about the Boss is RELIABILITY! Add to that easy to replace or get serviced just about anywhere on the planet :-) Add to that it is never less than the second choice of anyone who builds custom boards and if second place first completely varies with every builder.

[@PJandtheBeard]

Yeah, Paul, I get what you're saying and I definitely considered the Boss ES8. In the end, it did more than I needed and I liked the format of The Strip a lot. You get some of that essential programming ability without going too deep and I love that the switches are all up front in a row. Also, programming is really easy and it does some of the essential midi functions I wanted. Who knows though, maybe it will open the door to wanting to do more of that in the future. That said, I don't ever see myself in a situation where I would be programming set lists or songs. I think I pick effects more on the way I am feeling at the moment than I do as a prearranged plan. Nothing wrong with that though, it works for a lot of players. It is funny how a sound will sound great in a song one week and the next time you play the same song it screams for something different. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that we play with a rotating cast of characters every week.

[@heyjarrod]

I’ve been wondering something, simple question that I don’t see covered at all on any switcher videos. Maybe something obvious, that I had just never thought of before… How many pedals can this switcher facilitate? Is it only eight, one Pedal per loop? Or can each loop take multiple pedals? Thank you!

[@PJandtheBeard]

You can definitely put multiple pedals per loop. For example you might put a chorus, phaser, and flanger in one loop. Especially, if you don’t use any them that often.

[@heyjarrod]

@@PJandtheBeard Strange, I just read a more thorough description of one from a seller. The description says, “connect up to eight pedals.” I’m starting to lean towards that as well, because I haven’t seen any videos of people using more than eight. But you have done it, and are sure, that more than eight pedals can be used? You mentioned more than one pedal can be used for each loop.

[@PJandtheBeard]

@@heyjarrod yes you can, but the switcher will only turn that loop on and off. So you can’t really control the pedals in it individually with the switcher. Say you also run a Klon type pedal into an overdrive, you could put them both in the loop, turn them both on, and then control them from the switcher. You could also only turn one on at a time so the switcher would activate whichever is active. Maybe you want to have both a chorus and a phaser in one loop because you don’t use either that much. You would just need to have the right one on before activating that loop with the switcher. This will work with any loop switcher, but is not the normal way to do it because you aren’t control an individual pedal anymore. It can be really effective depending on what you want to do though.

[@heyjarrod]

@@PJandtheBeard Yeah, that’s all I need. I have about five or six always on pedals, for the handful of patches/loops I will be using. So I guess those five essentially would be all in loop one, always on. Then, let’s say, loop number two will be the 5 or 6 always on pedals, then adding three more… like a delay, boost, and a phaser. Then, maybe Loop three, the same six always on as in the first loop-this time throwing a Flanger in on that. So on loop three I would just have it engage the first loop and the third. In total, I have 11 pedals on my board. So, kind of like a multi effect unit at that point (with the switcher). I’ll really only be using maybe for patches/loops. 😝🤘🏻🎸🇺🇸 If that all makes sense. Thank you! 🤘🏻🎸

[@jspartacus]

That popping is concerning... 🤔

[@PJandtheBeard]

Might sound that way on the recording but I didn’t really notice it in the room. I’ll pay more attention during the build. Could be a couple things.