What is a “Router” anyway? This is the name I gave to a category of stompbox projects on our site. These “routers” simply send (route) your signal somewhere. For example an AB switch or a mixer. Some of you alert GGG fans have probably noticed a flurry of activity in the “router” category over the last 8 or 10 months. We have lots of new Loop Switchers, ABYs, Buffers, Effects Order Switchers and Mixers.
For nine years we’ve had a “project” called the “Parallelyzer” in the “Boosters & Routers” category with no real concrete objects to work with. During my bench time with all these mixers and buffers, I finally built a two-channel Parallelyzer! Here’s my analysis of the Parallelyzer box…Don’t Build One. My two channel Parallelyzer “Lite” required 7 jacks, 3 switches, 3 LEDs and 2 potentiometers. To the best of my layout design abilities, the smallest enclosure that I could fit all this into was a Hammond 1590C size box. That’s huge (to me) and that’s only two channels! A four channel box (which is really what I want) would have to be quite large to say the least. I have realized that the one-box solution is probably not such a good idea for most people (well for me anyway). Alternatively, a 4-channel buffered splitter box and a 4-channel mixer can each fit in a 125B size enclosure and would actually give me a better fit for patching on my pedal board.
I’ve always been a “modular” kinda guy. Multi-effect units give me the creeps. I know what’s coming (in my case), I won’t be happy with some of the “multi’s”, so I end up with some unnecessary complication in my signal chain or wasted pedal board space. So, give me the modules and I’ll plug and play. The point here is that if you keep the input box (splitter) separate from the output box (mixer) you can have plug & play options. Such as a buffered A/B/Y switch box on the front end, or just a buffered splitter if you want. How about a couple of buffered A/B/Y boxes in “whatever”configuration fits your needs. Bring them all together with a mixer at the end and you’re all set.
So I’ll update the Parallelyzer project soon (FINALLY) and what you need to build one is aleady available on the site. I will offer a four channel mixer soon that has in/out phase switching on each channel and that should be the final piece of the Parallelyzer puzzle.
Parallel effects is an awesome dimension and I love some of the sounds I can get using parallel signals. I’ve only begun to explore the possibilities. Oh!, excuse me now while I go build my very own modular “Quadrafuzz”, using the 4 distortion units that I like best with EQ pedals to follow each. That should keep me busy for at least an hour, yeah, a good hour. How can you beat that???!!!
I love it when you comment!
JD Sleep
Regarding my previous comment, here’s a thought: maybe modify your 4-input mixer to have a footswitch on each input?
A mixer will work and since you’re building it yourself, you could make a “floor” model with mute foot switches for each channel with indicator “mute” LEDs for each channel.
If it were me, I would buy one of those guitar cables with a switch on it so that it doesn’t pop when you plug it or unplug it and just replug your instrument using only the one cable when you change instruments. This is how every professional I’ve ever seen does it. I guess if you are like Steve Howe, playing three guitars at the same time, that won’t work.
I have a need for a router box which nobody seems to make anywhere. So currently I have a Morley ABC selector switch for selecting 3 different guitars. But my problem is that now I often have 4 or 5 guitars, soon I may have 6!
I really need a guitar selector for LOTS of guitars, and it’d really help if there was a gain control (so maybe adding a preamp) per each input. And since my number of guitars changes and sometimes grows, it really needs to be a modular design, such that more inputs could be added in some reasonable way.
I know this is a hard nut to crack, but I’d love for someone to help me figure this out! I had a nice circuit design for 4 inputs, but alas, now I need more than 4… any ideas?