New Pedalboard aka Nebulon B progress build

[László]

I have two matched Fillmore 2x12s; one is stock, and the other has a 90s Mesa OEM Vintage 30. I'm looking for 90s reissue MIGB Greenback reissues, or I may order the Weber Legacy eventually because I'm a sucker for Jerry Cantrell, and this is the speaker mix he was using on Dirt and Facelift. I'm curious about your settings and the signal flow (pedals).

EDIT: Les would you mind to give me the distance between the lower deck and the bottom of the Array? I just want to double check if I will be able to hide my PSU under there

PM'd you.

 

[Simon Says]

I'm still weeks away from finalising the build. I'm two months ahead of myself with this thread, but I will start talking about specific design and accessories choices I will be making. The whole idea of doing this tread is not look-at-me-and-my-****; it's made for you, the future rig builders, to learn from other people's mistakes. I made many mistakes in the past; they often cost a lot of money and are a colossal waste of time I would rather spend otherwise. I don't have a sheep mentality nor blindly copy from others. Instead, I like to search for solutions. It often drives me crazy but equally often brings unique enough and working solutions, which I will be happy to share with you all.

One of the goals, if not the most important, is to have a silent rig. No hum, buzz, hiss. I have rejected amazing-sounding pedals or amplifiers before only because of noise. So I will start by discussing connectors from the pedalboard to the amp and guitar. I have used feed-through couplers like the one pictured below.



They allow you to plug a 1/4" jack on both sides and are great for everything other than audio. You can see them on my early pedalboard on page one. I couldn't pitch point the noise in my rig for days blaming the midi looper, the HXFX, and the panels my connectors have been on. I was isolating them from the frame, probing and poking. My rig was silent when hooked up outside the pedalboard but noisy when assembled. I have finally isolated the problem to these connectors - mainly the one I plugged my guitar into. Power to the brand selling them, a prominent US retailer selling lots of candies for rig-building nerds like myself; they did their best sending a whole set of improved designs already advertised as unsuitable for audio. Apparently, I wasn't the only one having noise issues with them. The pedalboard was gutted days later, and I started over with a new build.

I will be using a soldered solution this time, still on D-Standard assembly but homemade. So I will be using Cliff D-Standard panel mount jacks. I will dissemble them, keep the panel and mount the barrel jack like the one used in Ibanez output jacks. Once assembled and the cable soldered in, the jack will get a shielded heat shrink wrapping. Techflex does perfect 3:1 tubing with a conductive inner layer. The D-Standard Cliff panel is made of durable plastic, so it will not interfere with the other connectors. No ground loops! If this approach doesn't make a silent rig, nothing will.

Cliff Assembly - available at cpc.farnell.com - code CN21437


Barrel Jack - by Pure Tone - available at Stewmac. Any barrel jack will do


I'm buying my Techflex Heat Shrink tubing 3:1 with a conductive inner layer at hypex.co.uk. The manufacture code is H3C0.38BK - google for the supplier in your area.

Next up, the PSU and the power cables

 

[jxe]

great thread, don't apologize!

 

[László]

I'm a stickler for proper cables, both power and signal cables.

The power in, and signal cables I use coming out of my pedalboard, are all heavy duty, tech flex wrapped with heat shrink reinforcement.

All amps and recording gear in my studio equipped with IEC power inlets are given Music Cord power cables, but they'd be impractical with a pedalboard, due to their stiffness, weight and cost, so I use 14 ga. tech flex wrapped power cords with it.

One significant advantage the Music Cord cables offer is that they're shielded, so adjacent audio cables don't pick up AC interference.

You might be aware of this, but Schmidt offers several choices on their I/O patch bay boxes, including locking XLR, MIDI, etc, by Neutrik. However, I just use the 1/4" connectors that come on their basic box. I don't need locking connectors in my own studio. If I played out with the gear much, different story.

So far, having tried several different power sources for the board, including Strymon's Zuma, and a custom made solution, I found that the transformer-equipped voodoo labs power supplies work best with my gear and cause the fewest problems.

I have zero noise from my board.

Zero. It's dead quiet.

I can have all of my amps on, and the pedalboard switched between them, and none have noise. My amps are all dead silent, too, and they're all tube amps. High quality modern gear should not make noise. If it does, it gets returned to the vendor. Noisy pedals are not an option, either. I use NOS tubes, the modern ones pick up more noise, and generate more rattles, ringing and microphonics.

I can't deliver national ad tracks with noise. Everything is required to be perfect.

In the recording gear and mix area, I use a 2kVA isolation transformer with a balanced power supply that works like a humbucking pickup to cancel AC noise. There are no hums, no buzzes, no issues. Just complete inky black, quiet background. It makes my life easier. Mine is made by Equi=Tech.

The guitar amps and pedalboard are isolated from the recording gear, and are powered with a Furman PF1800 PFR with a 45 Amp power reservoir that delivers more power, faster, to the amps when transients require more instantaneous power draw than a wall plug can deliver. It makes an easily-heard difference, as do the power cables. Sounds like voodoo, but isn't. It works.

My microphone cables are the German-made Sommer EGB1 reference cables that use special Neutrik connectors that were designed for them. Yes, there's an audible difference, and they reject noise extremely well. I find that their low capacitance helps the mics, especially the dynamic mics. Unfortunately, they're costly. But WTF.

These go into BAE 1073 and ISA One mic preamps; I don't use the mic pres that came on my UA Apollo interface, and find the UA software emulations of hardware preamps not as good as the actual hardware, though it's OK when I'm in a pinch and need more inputs. All cables are dressed to avoid noise and electrical interference, and I never experience any. So the mics are quiet, too.

All the amps are miked up, the only thing I'd use a load box or plugin for is scratch pad work. I want to pick up the sound of the room, so I place the mics farther back than most do, and use a room mic in addition to the near-field mics.

The recording and mix areas are treated with Real Traps bass traps and first-reflection traps. That way I can get an accurate picture of everything.

 

[Simon Says]

Just an update to my previous one. The Cliff panel holes were a notch too small for the barrel jack, so I had to enlarge it by 1mm with a step drill. Came out perfect. I'm really excited about this. It has the potential to be the quietest solution and so compact. I already know I will run into issues fitting all I want on my pedalboard (there have been some changes in pedals and concept), so every fraction of an inch matter to me.

Here are some pictures:

I'm a stickler for proper cables, both power and signal cables.

The power in, and signal cables I use coming out of my pedalboard, are all heavy duty, tech flex wrapped with heat shrink reinforcement.

I considered using Techflex before; I have even ordered the red and snakeskin style. I just don't like the stiffness Techflex adds. This is why I went with Mogami and stopped using Monorail - I couldn't do cleaner cable runs as I pulled the cable ties off the frame. It actually forced me to find a better solution to mount the cable bases to the base of the pedalboard I will talk about this in the next few days. Techflex indeed looks excellent, though.

All amps and recording gear in my studio equipped with IEC power inlets are given Music Cord power cables, but they'd be impractical with a pedalboard, due to their stiffness, weight and cost, so I use 14 ga. tech flex wrapped power cords with it.

One significant advantage the Music Cord cables offer is that they're shielded, so adjacent audio cables don't pick up AC interference.

I may lift the idea of using Music Cord from you. Shielded power cable sound so tempting. My plan has only around 5-7 inches of AC cable inside the pedalboard, and it's far away from audio cables and pedals, but the extra step may be worth it. I hope they do short-length IEC C13 to C14 angled interconnectors; otherwise, I will drive myself crazy looking for one. I may contact Pascal at Sommer; I'm sure he will be able to help.

EDIT: they are $1k power cables... Yeah, I will call Pascal

You might be aware of this, but Schmidt offers several choices on their I/O patch bay boxes, including locking XLR, MIDI, etc, by Neutrik. However, I just use the 1/4" connectors that come on their basic box. I don't need locking connectors in my own studio. If I played out with the gear much, different story.

Yes, we chatted with Martyn, but I have decided to go with my solution. For several reasons, Schmidt MIDI connectors are bulky, and I have found a more compact solution. With TS/TRS connectors, I still prefer mine too. They may be the quietest and most compact connectors I could find. Some of the TRS connectors Schmidt is showing on his website look like the feed-through couplers I used to have a problem with; others I have seen are typical locking Neutriks I hate. They never really lock well and have a weird feel to them. I'm using Pure Tone jacks for all my guitars and cabinets. They are grabbing well and are well made. I don't buy the "better bass, better tone" marketing, but I know they are well-made and will never disappoint me.

I'm a stickler for proper cables, both power and signal cables.

The power in, and signal cables I use coming out of my pedalboard, are all heavy duty, tech flex wrapped with heat shrink reinforcement.

All amps and recording gear in my studio equipped with IEC power inlets are given Music Cord power cables, but they'd be impractical with a pedalboard, due to their stiffness, weight and cost, so I use 14 ga. tech flex wrapped power cords with it.

One significant advantage the Music Cord cables offer is that they're shielded, so adjacent audio cables don't pick up AC interference.

You might be aware of this, but Schmidt offers several choices on their I/O patch bay boxes, including locking XLR, MIDI, etc, by Neutrik. However, I just use the 1/4" connectors that come on their basic box. I don't need locking connectors in my own studio. If I played out with the gear much, different story.

So far, having tried several different power sources for the board, including Strymon's Zuma, and a custom made solution, I found that the transformer-equipped voodoo labs power supplies work best with my gear and cause the fewest problems.

I have zero noise from my board.

Zero. It's dead quiet.

I can have all of my amps on, and the pedalboard switched between them, and none have noise. My amps are all dead silent, too, and they're all tube amps. High quality modern gear should not make noise. If it does, it gets returned to the vendor. Noisy pedals are not an option, either. I use NOS tubes, the modern ones pick up more noise, and generate more rattles, ringing and microphonics.

Strymon Zuma and Cioks DC7 PSUs are the only two brands and models that matter, IMO; both switching PSU types, both quiet. Zuma is terrific, but I went with Cioks DC7 and the 8 Expander because of added flexibility. With Cioks DC7, I can set any powerful outs (650mA @ 9VDC) to 9/12/15/18. Some pedals run on more than 9V, and some are power-hungry. I can please them all with DC7. Expander adds additional fully isolated and equally powerful outs. I've been using DC7s for several years since they came out. The only thing that changed is now I have the limited edition version in Red. Some people don't like that you "have" to use Cioks cables with DC7 as they do not follow the 2.1mm to 2.1mm standard. They have to be RCA on the PSU end. Not a significant issue for me. I found decent RCA to 1/4" TS cables in 1.5-meter lengths. I will cut the TS end, run the cable where needed, and solder the 2.1mm ends to the pedals. I found one for testing on Amazon for £5.65 and another 15 for the board on AliExpress for 1.42 a piece. 1.5 meter-long power cables are more than enough for literally every pedalboard. I also have some 3-meter ones from RS online - they are RCA to RCA, but I like the AliExpress ones better; they are low profile and generally better quality.

I can't deliver national ad tracks with noise. Everything is required to be perfect.

In the recording gear and mix area, I use a 2kVA isolation transformer with a balanced power supply that works like a humbucking pickup to cancel AC noise. There are no hums, no buzzes, no issues. Just complete inky black, quiet background. It makes my life easier. Mine is made by Equi=Tech.

The guitar amps and pedalboard are isolated from the recording gear, and are powered with a Furman PF1800 PFR with a 45 Amp power reservoir that delivers more power, faster, to the amps when transients require more instantaneous power draw than a wall plug can deliver. It makes an easily-heard difference, as do the power cables. Sounds like voodoo, but isn't. It works.

My microphone cables are the German-made Sommer EGB1 reference cables that use special Neutrik connectors that were designed for them. Yes, there's an audible difference, and they reject noise extremely well. I find that their low capacitance helps the mics, especially the dynamic mics. Unfortunately, they're costly. But WTF.

These go into BAE 1073 and ISA One mic preamps; I don't use the mic pres that came on my UA Apollo interface, and find the UA software emulations of hardware preamps not as good as the actual hardware, though it's OK when I'm in a pinch and need more inputs. All cables are dressed to avoid noise and electrical interference, and I never experience any. So the mics are quiet, too.

All the amps are miked up, the only thing I'd use a load box or plugin for is scratch pad work. I want to pick up the sound of the room, so I place the mics farther back than most do, and use a room mic in addition to the near-field mics.

The recording and mix areas are treated with Real Traps bass traps and first-reflection traps. That way I can get an accurate picture of everything.

I only have a cheap Furman M-10X E. It powers my amp, Synergy Preamp and the pedalboard; the other 8 outs are unused. I have it for power strip capabilities more than anything. My guitar room has very stable and clean power and rarely reads more or less than 230VAC bang on. I considered getting the PL-PRO DMC E, but this is the most minor item on my ever-growing gear list. If it isn't broken...

 

[László]

I considered using Techflex before;

I only use it on cables that lay on the floor outside the pedalboard. I use it primarily because the it protects the cable if someone steps on it, and It tends to keep the cable flat on the floor and untangled to prevent tripping. This is particularly a problem with AC cables that are hard to get to lay flat. It's just a safety thing.

It's way too unwieldy for use inside a pedalboard. I'd never use it there.

EDIT: they are $1k power cables... Yeah, I will call Pascal

The cables I use from them are $200-250 here in the US. There are some that are indeed crazy expensive.

But they're way, way too heavy. thick and stiff for use in a pedalboard, where they'd be 100% unusable. I only use them with my guitar amps and recording gear. They're great in a permanent installation, though the stiffness and weight make them a complete pain in the rear when installing the gear.

Once installed, they do good things. I would never recommend using them in a pedalboard. I brought them up because you mentioned that you're all about preventing noise in your rig, and using them gives you more options dressing your signal cables.

Strymon Zuma and Cioks DC7 PSUs are the only two brands and models that matter, IMO; both switching PSU types, both quiet.

I had the Zuma with an Ojai extender. I liked the size, voltage options and weight. If they work in a given situation, they're great.

Unfortunately, they caused loud switching pops when using the Lehle amp switching system I used before I went with the KHE amp/cab switcher I currently use.

When I reported the popping problem Lehle asked about my power supply. When I said it was the Strymon, Lehle said that the Voodoo Labs power supply was a better choice. I already had some from a previous board, and swapping them out was an instant fix.

In this case a transformer-equipped PSU did what a transformer is supposed to do: help equipment interface with other gear. That's why you still find transformers in high end recording gear.

Of course, there are times a switching PSU is just fine. Only a few weeks ago, I recommend the Strymon to my son for some shows he has later this month in the UK, because it works well with voltages there. Horses for courses!

If it isn't broken...

...don't fix it!

 

[Simon Says]

Only a few weeks ago, I recommend the Strymon to my son for some shows he has later this month in the UK, because it works well with voltages there. Horses for courses!

Next time just give him my number

 

[László]

Next time just give him my number

Yes! I gotta say, you're a great guy to know!

 

[Simon Says]

Next, I will discuss how I keep all my gear on board.

I have requested Martyn at Schmidt not to apply hook-and-loop velcro to my Array. Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not a germophobe; I have confronted covid at its peak as a frontline emergency worker with vinyl gloves and a surgical mask only, but nothing makes me puke quite as much as dust and pubes the velcro is attracting. I will use small squares of Dual Lock only where needed. I had a habit of putting long dual-lock strips across the whole length of the pedalboard, but guess what? They attract crap equally well, yuk.

The problem with cable tie bases I used to have is that the low-quality adhesive they come with cannot keep them in place. Past few builds, I have used 19mm (0.75") cable tie bases; they are a bit smaller than the regular ones, but I like them better; they hold the same range of cable but allow me to have more space and use vertical rails of Pedaltrain for cable runs (see the first page and smaller pedalboards I did). Even though I won't be using Pedaltrain with this build, I will need every inch of space to pull the build just like I want, so 19mm bases will be used. I buy my bases without adhesive and use 3M VHB 5952F Double Sided Adhesive Tape. This thing will stick to anything creating a powerful bond. It's effortless to be removed without leaving any form of residue. It's also 19mm wide; I'm applying several bases to one side and applying the strip of cable bases all at once

 

[László]

Next, I will discuss how I keep all my gear on board.

I have requested Martyn at Schmidt not to apply hook-and-loop velcro to my Array. Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not a germophobe; I have confronted covid at its peak as a frontline emergency worker with vinyl gloves and a surgical mask only, but nothing makes me puke quite as much as dust and pubes the velcro is attracting. I will use small squares of Dual Lock only where needed. I had a habit of putting long dual-lock strips across the whole length of the pedalboard, but guess what? They attract crap equally well, yuk.

That's a good idea!

I have the usual velcro on mine, but I vacuum it pretty often because I'm that OCD. I use one of those computer vacuum attachments with small brushes, and it works well. But I don't get a lot of dust because I use a Dyson air filter that sucks most of it up. I got it because of allergies, the dust thing is a side benefit.

I guess I dust and vacuum for pure enjoyment!!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Yes! I gotta say, you're a great guy to know!

The best.

 

[ViperDoc]

Here's the last Schmidt Array board I built for my Rush cover band almost 3 years ago. Crazy how time flies. Just a "touch" of Strymon in those days. Lots more under the hood.

 

[László]

Here's the last Schmidt Array board I built for my Rush cover band almost 3 years ago. Crazy how time flies. Just a "touch" of Strymon in those days. Lots more under the hood.

That's a mighty fine looking board! You said there's more under the hood - I'm always interested. Do you have pics with the shelf up? I'm a Schmidt user myself.

 

[ViperDoc]

That's a mighty fine looking board! You said there's more under the hood - I'm always interested. Do you have pics with the shelf up? I'm a Schmidt user myself.

No, but I had a Cali76 compressor and Source Audio EQ pedal in my effects loop, a humdinger and a Jackson Audio overdrive that had a nasty case buzz that I couldn't get grounded, so I had to pull it out. Lots of power supply and cabling to fill in the space. I had an accessory board on the right with a Ernie Ball volume pedal, Peterson Strobostomp tuner, a Morley boost wah and, of course, a Strymon Volante I used just for the trailing, eternal squeal at the end of the Limelight solo. The whole rig was wet/dry/wet stereo. Also midi laced including the Selah Effects V3 I used as a time clock. I think I would do it a bit differently, but it sounded amazing and the gigs were epic. See the SC594 at the ready onstage!

 

[László]

No, but I had a Cali76 compressor and Source Audio EQ pedal in my effects loop, a humdinger and a Jackson Audio overdrive that had a nasty case buzz that I couldn't get grounded, so I had to pull it out. Lots of power supply and cabling to fill in the space. I had an accessory board on the right with a Ernie Ball volume pedal, Peterson Strobostomp tuner, a Morley boost wah and, of course, a Strymon Volante I used just for the trailing, eternal squeal at the end of the Limelight solo. The whole rig was wet/dry/wet stereo. Also midi laced including the Selah Effects V3 I used as a time clock. I think I would do it a bit differently, but it sounded amazing and the gigs were epic. See the SC594 at the ready onstage!

Nice!

 

[Simon Says]

That's a good idea!

I have the usual velcro on mine, but I vacuum it pretty often because I'm that OCD. I use one of those computer vacuum attachments with small brushes, and it works well. But I don't get a lot of dust because I use a Dyson air filter that sucks most of it up. I got it because of allergies, the dust thing is a side benefit.

I guess I dust and vacuum for pure enjoyment!!

I don't vacuum, brav!

The best.

You are the best

Here's the last Schmidt Array board I built for my Rush cover band almost 3 years ago. Crazy how time flies. Just a "touch" of Strymon in those days. Lots more under the hood.

Thick layout; I love it. I like how you used Pedaltrain pedal boosters to lift the second row of top-tier pedals. Smart, convenient.

No, but I had a Cali76 compressor and Source Audio EQ pedal in my effects loop, a humdinger and a Jackson Audio overdrive that had a nasty case buzz that I couldn't get grounded, so I had to pull it out. Lots of power supply and cabling to fill in the space. I had an accessory board on the right with a Ernie Ball volume pedal, Peterson Strobostomp tuner, a Morley boost wah and, of course, a Strymon Volante I used just for the trailing, eternal squeal at the end of the Limelight solo. The whole rig was wet/dry/wet stereo. Also midi laced including the Selah Effects V3 I used as a time clock. I think I would do it a bit differently, but it sounded amazing and the gigs were epic. See the SC594 at the ready onstage!

Nice to see someone else using Cali76 in the loop. I have discussed this on this forum before, and I will touch it a bit more when I talk about my pedal choices, but since I tried it, there is no way back. And I really like my Volante too. It will be the only "wet" pedal on my pedalboard. I only use three pre-sets (two delays and reverb), but I just can't imagine having a better time-based pedal, and I tried them all. I may eventually get the H90, but it will live outside the pedalboard. I'm still second-guessing myself if I really want a £1000 pedal for Leslie only, though. I'm a simple man with simple needs; a couple of boosters, some utility units and a delay, and I'm 100% complete. I could easily squeeze myself onto SA250 if I want to

In the other news: I did a big Morningstar shopping a few days ago. MC6 Pro, a MIDI box and four Relay Interfaces are in transit to me. I'm closing in

 

[ViperDoc]

I don't vacuum, brav!

You are the best


Thick layout; I love it. I like how you used Pedaltrain pedal boosters to lift the second row of top-tier pedals. Smart, convenient.



Nice to see someone else using Cali76 in the loop. I have discussed this on this forum before, and I will touch it a bit more when I talk about my pedal choices, but since I tried it, there is no way back. And I really like my Volante too. It will be the only "wet" pedal on my pedalboard. I only use three pre-sets (two delays and reverb), but I just can't imagine having a better time-based pedal, and I tried them all. I may eventually get the H90, but it will live outside the pedalboard. I'm still second-guessing myself if I really want a £1000 pedal for Leslie only, though. I'm a simple man with simple needs; a couple of boosters, some utility units and a delay, and I'm 100% complete. I could easily squeeze myself onto SA250 if I want to

In the other news: I did a big Morningstar shopping a few days ago. MC6 Pro, a MIDI box and four Relay Interfaces are in transit to me. I'm closing in

Good eye. A bit of careful planning when using the Pedal Train lifts allows the Schmidt Array lid to still actually close! It’s a tight fit, but lets me not kick the lower pedals’ knobs. Nightmare!

Yes, the Cali76 in the loop. Great spot for it. I played through a 3rd Power 6VEL which has a multitude of onboard boost, so I didn’t feel like I need any comp in the input. I generally don’t anyway unless I want a slammed balls-out solo tone.

That H90 looks insane. The H9 was mainly used for solo pitch shifting to get that unique chorus-that’s-not-quite-chorus effect. The Deco got me all the way into the Permanent Waves, Motion Pictures rhythm sound. It’s priceless for that subtle tape saturation tone that we were trying to emulate. I’ll admit to not giving the Volante due attention owing to the Stryfecta Plus mode I had going, but that pedal rocks for sure.

Looking forward to your future build shots.

 

[Simon Says]

Good eye. A bit of careful planning when using the Pedal Train lifts allows the Schmidt Array lid to still actually close! It’s a tight fit, but lets me not kick the lower pedals’ knobs. Nightmare!

Good hack, indeed. I may steal it from you in future. I should take the XDM version, too; to save some sleepless nights and make planning easier.

Yes, the Cali76 in the loop. Great spot for it. I played through a 3rd Power 6VEL which has a multitude of onboard boost, so I didn’t feel like I need any comp in the input. I generally don’t anyway unless I want a slammed balls-out solo tone.

I'm not a fan of compressors before the preamp stage. I rely on amps overdrive too much; they change the grain and the way the amp reacts to me. In the loop, though they don't. I predominantly play at home. With the cold bias in Boogie amps, it's challenging to make them sag on full-on volume; on bedroom levels, it's never going to happen; unless you compress it in the loop I'm using Cali76 for bass. I liked the idea of HPF control (attack/release is combined into one knob to make the room). I have emailed Origin, and they told me that the signal chain is the same as the guitar Cali76; the only change is the knob layout and HPF control, which will help to keep the low frequencies from being over-compressed. It was a lightbulb situation for me because I hate the lows being squashed, I hit open E a lot to add a low thumb in my playing, and I like to have full, strong and quick bass. This is also part of the reason why I quit on buffers; they always make the lows farty to a degree.

That H90 looks insane. The H9 was mainly used for solo pitch shifting to get that unique chorus-that’s-not-quite-chorus effect. The Deco got me all the way into the Permanent Waves, Motion Pictures rhythm sound. It’s priceless for that subtle tape saturation tone that we were trying to emulate. I’ll admit to not giving the Volante due attention owing to the Stryfecta Plus mode I had going, but that pedal rocks for sure.

Looking forward to your future build shots.

Yes, the H90 looks insane I'm a big fan of Eventide products. The only thing I don't like about it is that it is bigger than H9. It would be fire if they made it in the same footprint as the predecessor; they are always hooked to MIDI controllers and need no stomp switches, IMO. I always wanted to try Deco; on paper, it looks like everything I like in the pedal. I like pedals adding character to the tone more than changing the tone foundation. I like the make-everything-better type of pedals a lot.

 

[László]

Yes, the H90 looks insane I'm a big fan of Eventide products. The only thing I don't like about it is that it is bigger than H9. It would be fire if they made it in the same footprint as the predecessor; they are always hooked to MIDI controllers and need no stomp switches, IMO.

I like the idea of the H90, but last time I checked they still didn't have their bluetooth app ready for that pedal. I like using bluetooth; their app can control two pedals at once, each separately, and for me it's a LOT more convenient than bending over and screwing around with something on the floor.

I have two H9s and like them a lot. I'm not sure I'll need to go with an H90 anyway.

The improved screen is a great idea, and should have been done with the H9.

Eventide gear has been a staple in my studio since the H3000 d/se in the '90s. I felt the H3000 had better sounding reverbs than either my TC M5000, which cost more, or my Lexicon rack stuff. It's one piece of gear I wish I'd hung onto, but I think the Eventide H3000 plugin is pretty good, it doesn't hiss, and I do use it on tracks.

The H9 pedal has a subtle hiss when it's on. The H3000 was absolutely dead quiet. I guess that's one of the differences between studio gear and pedals. Unfortunately, the hardware replacements for the H3000 have been pretty expensive. The H9000 is $8,000! If memory serves, the H3000 was around 3 grand.

 

[Simon Says]

The H9 pedal has a subtle hiss when it's on.

That's odd; my H9 was really quiet. Are you sure you give it sufficient power? It's 500mA @9VDC, or close to 400mA @12VDC centre pin (+). It's power-hungry; underpowering would explain the hiss