Fender Switchboard Operator (for pedalboard)

[Navdeep_Singh]

I’m not exactly sure what this does, except “organizes the pedalboard”. That is, I don’t know what that means. It it just a LOOPER?

Switchboard™ Effects Operator | Effects Pedals

[ccroft]

I don't think it's a 'looper' as we usually use the word. It's got in for guitar, out for amp, and between that are multiple effects loops with in and out. So I guess you hook your pedals into these effects loops and use the programming to make presets of different combinations. Kind of a patch bay function with memory.

And it has an 'expression pedal' that can be programmed to interact with the pedals that support it. And you can save a preset where the pedal does one thing, and another preset where it does something else?

I think it does more. But I'm not much of a pedal guy so I'm not sure. Sounds like you can have pedals that have MIDI control these days. And it looks like this thing can save those settings... or something.

So it's a performance thing: switch between multiple collections and combinations of pedals with one button. Quote from website:

"Explore entirely new tones from your same old pedals by simply rearranging their order. Place reverb before your fuzz. Place your chorus at the end of your chain. Experiment to create truly unique sounds. No unplugging required!"

[Herbie]

The name looper is confusing, maybe it is a looper switcher. But hi-tech kind of a looper switcher with all the possibilities.

I think that this Gig-Rig is the leader in development of these. Others come after.

The GigRig | Guitar Effects Switching and Modular Power Solutions

About the midi-controlled fx-pedals: I think they are becoming more and more common.

And the word 'midi' doesn't mean that the signal would get digitalised, the midi just changes the analog circuits and the signal stays "pure".

My fellow quitarist has had a Chase Bliss Audio Brothers -pedal for overdrive and fuzz sounds.

It has six circuits and two channels and You can stack them any way You want. Then save the preset combinations to the midi powered looper switcher and voila: with one pedal You get myriads of different overdriven sounds.

Makes one think...

[omphalopsychos]

In addition to having programmable loops these kinds of switcher boards help buffer the signal. I’ve never used one but some people claim you get a clearer sound with lower noise floor.

Definitely not the kind of thing most jazz guitarists would be into but I can see these being useful for people with giant boards.

[bluejaybill]

Part of the idea is that the pedals you aren’t using are out of the circuit, so maybe a cleaner path. But at the expense of twice as many jacks!

and you can change the order of pedals, which I’ve wanted to, approximately, never? Even when I had a big board.

But the midi is attractive if you use multiple types of delay and reverb etc.

Anyway probably not necessary for smaller simpler boards.