New Pedalboard aka Nebulon B progress build

[Simon Says]

"Hey, nice to meet you, and this is crazy
But here's my old pedalboard, so it's time to change it, maybe."

It took me a whole month to start planning the changes. Call it as you will, but to me, it's progress. Pedals will be mostly the same, or the type of pedals will be similar. I'm thinking of flipping the Nordland OD for a mini Klon from Decibelics, I'm considering changing one of the Secret Preamps to the EP Booster (which used to be my favourite pedal for years), and I may change the Octaland for Argonaut as long as it's tracking as well as the King Tone. I blend out the fuzz on the Octaland anyway, and the need for more space is a big issue with my current pedalboard.

What's gone, though, is the whole MIDI patch outside the pedalboard. I have decided that the Synergy preamp will no longer be used, and it's currently on Reverb.com. Therefore, the outboard switching may be sorted with an MC-6 Pro relay port and a TRS cable. So, the MIDI Box is gone, and I will have no use for MST relay interfaces.

The expression pedal will not be used either. The initial plan was to use it with a GigRig mixer, but since I couldn't find the space for one, the EXP is just in my way. I have decided to move the RC10R looper/drum machine in its place, as having the looper on an upper deck is a massive pain in the ass. I need it nearer. Otherwise, I am messing up the loops badly. With all fairness, I would rather have it on the other side of the pedalboard, which will have to end up ordering a new lower deck from Schmidt and rewiring the whole board (QMX4 would also have to be moved to accommodate it). Still, it generates the cost again, so I see if I can unscrew the latches, flip the deck and use it as "left-handed".

Q-zone is also gone, soon replaced by a new EHX Pico POG.

The significant new addition will be the Eventide H90. It always was; I knew I would have it sooner or later. The initial plan was to have it outside the pedalboard in a rack along all the switching matrix for Synergy, but I want to keep the gear count down. The Volante will stay and work in H90's insert loop for now.

Lastly, since I will no longer need the MIDI-out from the pedalboard, I will install a D-Standard RCA jack linked to the PSU to power offboard wah-wah.

It will most likely take me a while before I start the rebuild, as I don't feel like playing with it anytime soon, and I want to sit on new pedals for a month or two to make sure I won't have to rip it all out and start over.

 

[Bogner]

"Hey, nice to meet you, and this is crazy
But here's my old pedalboard, so it's time to change it, maybe."

It took me a whole month to start planning the changes. Call it as you will, but to me, it's progress. Pedals will be mostly the same, or the type of pedals will be similar. I'm thinking of flipping the Nordland OD for a mini Klon from Decibelics, I'm considering changing one of the Secret Preamps to the EP Booster (which used to be my favourite pedal for years), and I may change the Octaland for Argonaut as long as it's tracking as well as the King Tone. I blend out the fuzz on the Octaland anyway, and the need for more space is a big issue with my current pedalboard.

What's gone, though, is the whole MIDI patch outside the pedalboard. I have decided that the Synergy preamp will no longer be used, and it's currently on Reverb.com. Therefore, the outboard switching may be sorted with an MC-6 Pro relay port and a TRS cable. So, the MIDI Box is gone, and I will have no use for MST relay interfaces.

The expression pedal will not be used either. The initial plan was to use it with a GigRig mixer, but since I couldn't find the space for one, the EXP is just in my way. I have decided to move the RC10R looper/drum machine in its place, as having the looper on an upper deck is a massive pain in the ass. I need it nearer. Otherwise, I am messing up the loops badly. With all fairness, I would rather have it on the other side of the pedalboard, which will have to end up ordering a new lower deck from Schmidt and rewiring the whole board (QMX4 would also have to be moved to accommodate it). Still, it generates the cost again, so I see if I can unscrew the latches, flip the deck and use it as "left-handed".

Q-zone is also gone, soon replaced by a new EHX Pico POG.

The significant new addition will be the Eventide H90. It always was; I knew I would have it sooner or later. The initial plan was to have it outside the pedalboard in a rack along all the switching matrix for Synergy, but I want to keep the gear count down. The Volante will stay and work in H90's insert loop for now.

Lastly, since I will no longer need the MIDI-out from the pedalboard, I will install a D-Standard RCA jack linked to the PSU to power offboard wah-wah.

It will most likely take me a while before I start the rebuild, as I don't feel like playing with it anytime soon, and I want to sit on new pedals for a month or two to make sure I won't have to rip it all out and start over.

I LIKE IT! Whenever You Get Around To Finishing It There Is No Doubt It Will Be Spectacular! Good On You My Friend!!

 

[László]

"Hey, nice to meet you, and this is crazy
But here's my old pedalboard, so it's time to change it, maybe."

It took me a whole month to start planning the changes. Call it as you will, but to me, it's progress. Pedals will be mostly the same, or the type of pedals will be similar. I'm thinking of flipping the Nordland OD for a mini Klon from Decibelics, I'm considering changing one of the Secret Preamps to the EP Booster (which used to be my favourite pedal for years), and I may change the Octaland for Argonaut as long as it's tracking as well as the King Tone. I blend out the fuzz on the Octaland anyway, and the need for more space is a big issue with my current pedalboard.

What's gone, though, is the whole MIDI patch outside the pedalboard. I have decided that the Synergy preamp will no longer be used, and it's currently on Reverb.com. Therefore, the outboard switching may be sorted with an MC-6 Pro relay port and a TRS cable. So, the MIDI Box is gone, and I will have no use for MST relay interfaces.

The expression pedal will not be used either. The initial plan was to use it with a GigRig mixer, but since I couldn't find the space for one, the EXP is just in my way. I have decided to move the RC10R looper/drum machine in its place, as having the looper on an upper deck is a massive pain in the ass. I need it nearer. Otherwise, I am messing up the loops badly. With all fairness, I would rather have it on the other side of the pedalboard, which will have to end up ordering a new lower deck from Schmidt and rewiring the whole board (QMX4 would also have to be moved to accommodate it). Still, it generates the cost again, so I see if I can unscrew the latches, flip the deck and use it as "left-handed".

Q-zone is also gone, soon replaced by a new EHX Pico POG.

The significant new addition will be the Eventide H90. It always was; I knew I would have it sooner or later. The initial plan was to have it outside the pedalboard in a rack along all the switching matrix for Synergy, but I want to keep the gear count down. The Volante will stay and work in H90's insert loop for now.

Lastly, since I will no longer need the MIDI-out from the pedalboard, I will install a D-Standard RCA jack linked to the PSU to power offboard wah-wah.

It will most likely take me a while before I start the rebuild, as I don't feel like playing with it anytime soon, and I want to sit on new pedals for a month or two to make sure I won't have to rip it all out and start over.

Your flexibility, and the changes planned are to be commended! Having changed my instruments, studio, software, hardware, recording gear, amps, pedals, acoustics and even cables a gazillion times, I can relate. No sense in hanging onto a plan just because it's a plan; it has to meet your needs, however much they change from time to time.

I figure it this way:

Music isn't a static thing. Creative change is a constant! Nothing in music gear/studio-land needs to be permanent. You're no sooner done with an idea than you have to accommodate a different idea.

Keep us posted. This is a fun thread!

This message was approved by the manufacturers of Velcro and other impermanent pedal attachment devices.

 

[Simon Says]

I LIKE IT! Whenever You Get Around To Finishing It There Is No Doubt It Will Be Spectacular! Good On You My Friend!!

With all fairness, the current incarnation of the board was somehow spectacular. With a relatively small 17" package, I have access to 4 amp channels across the amp and external preamp with the potential to grow bigger with all the stuff I could fit into a rack. But I realised something that has been the case with me for the past couple of years, and I tend to forget. I'm a meat and potato type with minimal tonal needs; enhancing the tone, not replacing it, is what I would instead focus on. I play pure rock; power and bounce are my primary two tones. I don't need four channels to get there. Fewer options will get me there sooner. I must tattoo it on my arm somewhere before I haemorrhage money on my rig again.

Your flexibility, and the changes planned are to be commended! Having changed my instruments, studio, software, hardware, recording gear, amps, pedals, acoustics and even cables a gazillion times, I can relate. No sense in hanging onto a plan just because it's a plan; it has to meet your needs, however much they change from time to time.

I figure it this way:

Music isn't a static thing. Creative change is a constant! Nothing in music gear/studio-land needs to be permanent. You're no sooner done with an idea than you have to accommodate a different idea.

Keep us posted. This is a fun thread!

This message was approved by the manufacturers of Velcro and other impermanent pedal attachment devices.

Aw, my music is a static thing for sure But I couldn't agree more; this setup has to serve my needs. They are not widespread but are pretty specific. The new rig plan is still more than I need; I believe I will only use a little more stuff from the H90 than reverbs and Univibe, but who knows? The main trigger for changes has been the RC10R placement. For the past several weeks, I couldn't stop looping; I started having a new level of fun playing guitar. I realised how much I miss playing with other people, and the looper/drum machine gave me a substitute for doing that. Suddenly, the RC10 became one of the most essential pedals on my board, but the physical placement on the pedalboard was just unfortunate.

So I was thinking more about the pedal Tetris and the selection of pedals yesterday, and - as much as everything will most likely change - I will keep the right-sided lower deck as it is. I will have to drive the cable from the Cali76 on an upper deck down and across the pedalboard to reach the RC10R, but I will have no signal loss. Cali76 is always on; even when off, it's still buffered. I'm still using my right foot for most pedalboard operations, and having the looper on the right side makes sense ergonomically. The Octaland will stay; even if I only use a clean octave up, I still need the ability to crank the volume up a bit. Argonaut won't be able to do that; it has no control over the master volume.

Regarding the Nordland vs Decibelics, I will think a lot about it in the coming weeks. Nordland is great as an EQ with a bit of push, the best pedal of this kind I have ever used. It works excellent with humbuckers but does wonders with single coils. The main reason I still have it is my single-coil itch, which I may be unable to shake off. I'm considering buying Fiore, Cutlass or EJ Strat around my birthday in March, and Nordland would be perfect for adding that note character I like in Stratocaster-style guitars. At the same time, I had the KTR here for a few days and enjoyed this thing. It's doing something to midrange, and I had so much fun boosting the drive channel of my Fillmore with it. Unfortunately, it's either or either, as the other two QMX spaces will have to be taken by the booster (the most used utility pedal on my board) and the polyphonic pitch shifter.

 

[Bogner]

I Hear You On The Hemorrhaging Money Part. What I Need To Do What I Do Is Minimal. All The Other Fluffy Stuff Is....Well, FLUFF! Most Of My Fluff Stuff Is For Fun And Trying To Spark Something New Creativity Wise. I Honestly Could Do Without Most Of It.

 

[László]

The only pedalboard change I've been thinking about is the H90. However, I'm stubbornly waiting for their Bluetooth app before getting one.

I use Bluetooth with my H9s, and as far as I'm concerned, it makes having the pedals a much better experience. Besides, I don't like the idea of having to plug a USB or MIDI cable into the pedal - I want the damn app, and they're not getting my money until they have it ready!

F^ck 'em.

 

[Simon Says]

I'm sure the app is coming. Not sure what is stopping them. I prefer the PC edit, where I can store backups. Call me old-fashioned

So, I sold the Synergy yesterday and some other little bits. I thought I would be toying with it for months, as Reverb.com was slow recently. Maybe I set the prices too low? I have just pulled that H90, and I'm excited like a kid. I have decided to hook it up in a loop and before the QMX4 so I can use the harmonizer part with the new polyphonic pitch algorithm. This will lose one QMX slot I have dedicated for POG, and now I can have both overdrives (I will keep Nordland for its EQ and add the Decibelics for this sweet ass midrange push).

Anyway, Eventide should be here on Tuesday; the new rebuild just gained momentum.

 

[Simon Says]

I did new visualisation

 

[László]

I'm sure the app is coming. Not sure what is stopping them. I prefer the PC edit, where I can store backups. Call me old-fashioned

I have both the iPhone and iPad bluetooth and the Mac bluetooth for the H9s.

So I can store backups and still use bluetooth with the Mac, and also use the phone and iPad. Best of all worlds and no cables needed!

Since they obviously have no difficulty making bluetooth apps, I don't really understand why they haven't already finished the H90 App. I'm crying unheard and alone in the wilderness, I tell you!

 

[Simon Says]

I have both the iPhone and iPad bluetooth and the Mac bluetooth for the H9s.

So I can store backups and still use bluetooth with the Mac, and also use the phone and iPad. Best of all worlds and no cables needed!

Since they obviously have no difficulty making bluetooth apps, I don't really understand why they haven't already finished the H90 App. I'm crying unheard and alone in the wilderness, I tell you!

I'm sure they will make it operational soon; Eventide said it's hardware-enabled, so once they make the stable platform and all the options they intend for the desktop editor, the app form will be out.

My H90 arrived this morning. I only went through the factory presets as I need to go to work this afternoon. Most, if not all factory presets are way too wet for me, so I will be selecting the ones I can have some use of and watering them down on my next day off. I haven't even scratched the surface of what the H90 can do by toying with a basic operation for an hour, but I have one more observation I will miss as a former Helix HX Effects user. For most things, having two algorithms and free routing options (series, parallel, the modes), there is no great room for creativity I had with Helix. Let me give you an example quickly. Both Helix and H90 have the Leslie-style preset. None have the Yamaha RA-200 model, which Pink Floyd heavily used. It's essentially a form of Leslie with reverb, but it has three treble speakers rotating simultaneously with minimal latency to each other, whereas Leslie is a horn + drum speaker. I could do a work-alike in Helix with three Leslie 122 models with a drum on zero, one horn centre, and two other left and right summed by the mixer. It took me 5 minutes, and I could add a spring reverb after the mixer. I can't do that in H90, as I only have an option for two algorithms. Did I use it often in Helix? No, not really, so it's not a deal breaker. What I liked, though, and I had high hopes for, is the polyphonic pitch shifter. It's tracking exceptionally well; I had no glitching at all and very little latency, not even if you focus on it. Expectations exceeded.
I will be exploring more over the weekend. The new Schmidt upper deck should be here by then, too.

 

[László]

My H90 arrived this morning. I only went through the factory presets as I need to go to work this afternoon. Most, if not all factory presets are way too wet for me, so I will be selecting the ones I can have some use of and watering them down on my next day off. I haven't even scratched the surface of what the H90 can do by toying with a basic operation for an hour, but I have one more observation I will miss as a former Helix HX Effects user. For most things, having two algorithms and free routing options (series, parallel, the modes), there is no great room for creativity I had with Helix.

There is one reason I like the H9s in my guitar rig, bought two of them, and want the H90:

The sound quality. It's where I need it to be. Most of the effects were ported over from their H3000 and up studio gear, including their current $8000 rack mount model. They know what they're doing.

Eventide's algorithms are also highly creative, especially their pitch effects (Crystals) and the stuff developed for the H3000 and used on tons of major label records. But even their common effects like reverbs, delays, and so on are thick and rich, with long tails that don't get grainy as they decay. Just beautiful.

The Helix is certainly more flexible.

If you need flexibility Helix is the way to go; if you're after sound quality the Eventide stuff is right there.

 

[Simon Says]

There is one reason I like the H9s in my guitar rig, bought two of them, and want the H90:

The sound quality. It's where I need it to be. Most of the effects were ported over from their H3000 and up studio gear, including their current $8000 rack mount model. They know what they're doing.

Eventide's algorithms are also highly creative, especially their pitch effects (Crystals) and the stuff developed for the H3000 and used on tons of major label records. But even their common effects like reverbs, delays, and so on are thick and rich, with long tails that don't get grainy as they decay. Just beautiful.

The Helix is certainly more flexible.

If you need flexibility Helix is the way to go; if you're after sound quality the Eventide stuff is right there.

I totally agree; there is a lot of good stuff in the H90. There is a new algorithm for polyphonic pitch shifter in H90, which grabs the notes and chords even better than the Crystals. I'm crazy for octaviers, analogue and polyphonic stuff, so this is a big one for me. The new Vibe algorithm is spectacular, too; it really behaves a neck and shoulders better than Helix. Lots of other brands' Vibes sound decent enough, but in the H90, it reacts with guitar and amps overdrive like actual Univibe would. Just these two are worth the admission price. What I loved in Eventide delays since the first experience with Time Factor, later the H9, and now H90, is the ability to create dual delay within any of the algorithms. I agree with the quality, too; most digital recreation has that weird sizzle on the repeats, which Eventide stuff doesn't. I wish to see more EQ-based stuff, but knowing that H90 has lots of space for expansion with new algorithms coming, I will have lots of fun in the future with this magnificent unit.

 

[László]

I totally agree; there is a lot of good stuff in the H90. There is a new algorithm for polyphonic pitch shifter in H90, which grabs the notes and chords even better than the Crystals. I'm crazy for octaviers, analogue and polyphonic stuff, so this is a big one for me. The new Vibe algorithm is spectacular, too; it really behaves a neck and shoulders better than Helix. Lots of other brands' Vibes sound decent enough, but in the H90, it reacts with guitar and amps overdrive like actual Univibe would. Just these two are worth the admission price. What I loved in Eventide delays since the first experience with Time Factor, later the H9, and now H90, is the ability to create dual delay within any of the algorithms. I agree with the quality, too; most digital recreation has that weird sizzle on the repeats, which Eventide stuff doesn't. I wish to see more EQ-based stuff, but knowing that H90 has lots of space for expansion with new algorithms coming, I will have lots of fun in the future with this magnificent unit.

Oh my, that sizzle on other delays' repeats! Drives me nuts, too.

You and I listen for a lot of the same things in gear. Which I guess is no surprise, since we both like PRS guitars, have Fillmore 50s, etc., etc. But it IS fun!

 

[Simon Says]

Oh my, that sizzle on other delays' repeats! Drives me nuts, too.

You and I listen for a lot of the same things in gear. Which I guess is no surprise, since we both like PRS guitars, have Fillmore 50s, etc., etc. But it IS fun!

We need to be careful; if you get H90 and I end up with the DGT, people will start talking

 

[László]

We need to be careful; if you get H90 and I end up with the DGT, people will start talking

But then there's the whole Schmidt Array thing.

There's probably a rogue Guitar Gene that afflicts people with similar symptoms.

 

[Simon Says]

But then there's the whole Schmidt Array thing.

There's probably a rogue Guitar Gene that afflicts people with similar symptoms.

Haha, all the rumours are already echoing in my head

The last pedalboard item was ordered, and it should be on the way in a couple of weeks. It's a Klon clone made by a Japanese gentleman named Toru. It even looks similar to Klon (KTR), just smaller. I will mod it a little: I have a pair of Klon diodes I got from Bill years ago, which I was safekeeping for a special occasion. I will replace the standard diodes the Bright Horse will come with.

 

[Simon Says]

There's probably a rogue Guitar Gene that afflicts people with similar symptoms.

I was thinking a bit about what you said here. I really can't compare our levels. You are a pro, making music for the range of people in MI. I, for once, play in my room my wife storing stuff she doesn't want to look at, which I adopted as a sort of a man cave. I never played for an audience larger than five friends and their girlfriends. I cannot even say what style of musician I am, as I like modern metal as much as the blues of the 40s.

What I know, though, is I want maximum flexibility from minimum gear. I believe this is what it is. The PRS and Fillmore let me express myself the way I want; they can sound drastically different depending on my mood and the force I apply on strings. Fillmore and Custom 24 can do it all.

I have never been so settled with my rig since I started playing in the early 90s

 

[Bogner]

I was thinking a bit about what you said here. I really can't compare our levels. You are a pro, making music for the range of people in MI. I, for once, play in my room my wife storing stuff she doesn't want to look at, which I adopted as a sort of a man cave. I never played for an audience larger than five friends and their girlfriends. I cannot even say what style of musician I am, as I like modern metal as much as the blues of the 40s.

What I know, though, is I want maximum flexibility from minimum gear. I believe this is what it is. The PRS and Fillmore let me express myself the way I want; they can sound drastically different depending on my mood and the force I apply on strings. Fillmore and Custom 24 can do it all.

I have never been so settled with my rig since I started playing in the early 90s

That Is A Great Place To Be.

 

[László]

I was thinking a bit about what you said here. I really can't compare our levels. You are a pro, making music for the range of people in MI. I, for once, play in my room my wife storing stuff she doesn't want to look at, which I adopted as a sort of a man cave. I never played for an audience larger than five friends and their girlfriends. I cannot even say what style of musician I am, as I like modern metal as much as the blues of the 40s.

What I know, though, is I want maximum flexibility from minimum gear. I believe this is what it is. The PRS and Fillmore let me express myself the way I want; they can sound drastically different depending on my mood and the force I apply on strings. Fillmore and Custom 24 can do it all.

I have never been so settled with my rig since I started playing in the early 90s

Truth is, getting paid to do my thing isn't important. It's not like my fans would fill a telephone booth, let alone a club or a stadium!

It's good to be where you're at.

"Uh, Laz...what's a telephone booth?"

"You don't remember?"

"My memory isn't all that hot these days."

"They were teeny-tiny little rooms that one normal person could squeeze into, put change into little round coin slots attached to what was called a 'pay phone', close the door and make a phone call. Because cell phones didn't exist. In the 1950s college students would squeeze as many other idiots as they could into one."

"Why did they do that?"

"To demonstrate what idiots they were, and to try to get photographed by the newspapers."

"I see. Hey, remind me what a newspaper was..."

"It was a news source people once read. People also used to watch something called Network Television."

"Was that kind of like TikTok, where you watch people doing things?"

"Yeah, only longer and with more commercials, and they had professional actors and writers."

"I'm not sure what an 'actor' or 'writer' are, either..."

"Think A.I. only with people instead of algorithms."

"Wait, they had people doing that?"

"Have a sip of your martini. Better now?"

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Truth is, getting paid to do my thing isn't important. It's not like my fans would fill a telephone booth, let alone a club or a stadium!

It's good to be where you're at.

"Uh, Laz...what's a telephone booth?"

"You don't remember?"

"My memory isn't all that hot these days."

"They were teeny-tiny little rooms that one normal person could squeeze into, put change into little round coin slots attached to what was called a 'pay phone', close the door and make a phone call. Because cell phones didn't exist. In the 1950s college students would squeeze as many other idiots as they could into one."

"Why did they do that?"

"To demonstrate what idiots they were, and to try to get photographed by the newspapers."

"I see. Hey, remind me what a newspaper was..."

"It was a news source people once read. People also used to watch something called Network Television."

"Was that kind of like TikTok, where you watch people doing things?"

"Yeah, only longer and with more commercials, and they had professional actors and writers."

"I'm not sure what an 'actor' or 'writer' are, either..."

"Think A.I. only with people instead of algorithms."

"Wait, they had people doing that?"

"Have a sip of your martini. Better now?"

And I thought a phone box was where you got changed into your cape “The Mighty Lászlö”