Anyone using a pedalsnake with the AxeFX?

J

JustinAiken

Inspired
Thinking about getting a pedalsnake system, making it simpler to get all the wires back and forth...

7 pin MIDI
Guitar in
Effects send/return
2 footswitch send/returns
power?

I have two questions though:

1) I use two true-bypass pedals before the Axe... on pedalsnake's website, they say that because of their high-capacitance cables, you need to have a buffered pedal between your guitar and the amp... would that apply to a digital unit like the AXE-FX as well?

2) I used to use a Voodoo Labs PP2+ to power all my pedals... now that I only 3 left, it seems like a lot of overkill; would I lose much quality by using 3 powerlines with the Pedalsnake system? The main reason I was using a PP2+ was for the isolated outputs, but maybe if I actually had 3 plugs, rather than using a chain, I wouldn't lose much?
 
I used mine for my old rig (GT10 in 4cm with Stiletto Deuce), but haven't been able to use it currently. For some reason, the power jack on my Liquid Foot Pro is not the same size barrel as the snake. So if I'm not able to deliver power with it, why bother right.

I think you will want to use a buffer if all your pedals are true bypass even with the axefx. 40 feet of cable is 40 feet, regardless of what you're feeding.

For your power scenario, if I'm understanding your question correctly, you could still just use one channel of the pedalsnake. Get a power adapter that is sufficient mA to supply enough power for all your pedals and attach it to the backline end, and use a daisy chain on the other end to feed each of your pedals. No need to use 3 lines and 3 power adapters.
 
I use one with mine for 7 Pin MIDI to my LFP, a pair of balanced 1/4" cables for my wah controller, a send/receive for any future audio source I want on my board, and an audio send that goes to my Banshee Talk Box, as well as AC for the Talk Box.

I have had no problem with the product. BUT>>>>>>>

My problem when ordering was getting everything I actually needed, and dealing with a somewhat condescending attitude. That said, the product is good and works as described.

***the following is from my personal experience with Pedalsnake*** Don't know how everyone else has been handled.

After having read the website, it still didn't totally make sense to me regarding how many things I needed to order, so I sent him a very detailed description of my rig asking him for help and if he could tell me exactly what I should order.

After a few more discussions via email, and having a couple questions I apparently didn't know how to express via email properly, because his answers were not telling me what I needed to know, I finally get him on the phone, and he didn't seem happy. Maybe he was having a bad week, bad month, or something. Anyhow, we went over exactly what I had on my PedalTrain pedalboard, and where the "snake" was going and coming from. So by the time we were done, I thought I had everything worked out, I thanked him profusely even though he made me feel like I was bothering him. Maybe I was, but I'm a paying customer, and I had some unanswered questions regarding what I'm paying for.

When the product does show up, there are NO ENDS in the box to connect the snake to the items in the rack..

So I contact him again, giving him the benefit of the doubt, thinking certainly it's just an oversight when shipping my order?

His response was, "Well, you didn't ask for ends." And he acted a bit offended that I suggested they didn't ship something that was ordered.

So maybe I'm assuming too much, but if I'm ordering a custom made Pedalsnake and paying all that money, why would I get one with no way to connect the snake to the gear in my rack? Seriously? I really thought the rack end of the snake was just as important as the pedal end, right? And if I didn't ask, wouldn't logic dictate that handling your customer properly would mean pointing out the fact that, hey you need to order ends as well. Even if I was a complete idiot, and I missed it somewhere, wouldn't you contact me to tell me my order was incomplete? It seems like basic customer service.

Then after my "lecture" in not asking for all the right stuff, I had to pay even more money to get the ends, because I'd already paid for the snake. To me it was kind of like somebody cutting a car deal with you on the showroom floor, but when you receive your car, there's no engine in it. And if the dealer said to you, "Well, you didn't ask for an engine"... even though you made it clear you were looking for a car to "drive"... then you had to pay more for the engine.... would that make any sense at all?

So, while the product works fine for me and seems to be of very good quality, I won't order from them in the future, just because I wouldn't want to go and bother them by actually asking a few questions regarding a product I was going to buy. I'm sure other people's money is of much better quality than mine.

If you do end up ordering one, just be sure, and doubly sure, that you you have every "line" and end you need, etc... And don't ask too many questions....
 
I bought mine from Scott Pederson here. Run it without a buffer:

XDS wireless > 535Q Wah > GCP > Roland Expression pedal.

I too had issues with the company. If we all knew how EXACTLY it worked and what EXACTLY we needed, we wouldn't ask you questions now would we? His e-mail responses were a joke. Scott had all the right ends for what I needed. If I had to deal with the company to purchase I would've passed. People like that don't deserve me as a customer.
 
Thanks guys...

Yeah, it seems like he's a helpful guy over at Pedalsnake... unless you missed something on the website (even if it's tucked in a deep dark corner) - then he's annoyed...

He told me they no longer do snakes with more than 8 pairs because they tend to not work out... so I'm thinking of getting one that has

7 pin MIDI
2 guitar (send to RC-20, return from RC-20)
2 footswitch (for expression pedal and tap tempo)
1 extra

I'll try running my guitar unbuffered through the extra line, but I think I'll just run a cable outside of the snake for the front input, and also for a power cable from the track to a PP2+

Probably better to keep power away from the audio anyways... and 3 cables is better than the 7-8 cables needed otherwise...

That or I'll just buy a heavy duty 7 pin MIDI cable, cut some neutrik/mogamis to the same size, and zip-tie them all together! :mrgreen:
 
I have a custom PS snake from my pedal board toting days I used with my Axe-Fx for a time. It worked great. But I didn't run my guitar signal down it to the Axe-Fx. Just MIDI for the controller, and TRS for the additional expression pedal. And power to my controller (mine only has 5-pin DINs on it). Worked great though. But it was overkill. Now I'm 1 MIDI cable to my R1, 1 TR cable for guitar -> Axe-Fx and that's it.

It's help up extremely well. Never a problem with it. I also recall thinking the guy who ran the place (Jody? Was that his name?) was impatient. But bought anyways and it was definitely money well spent when I was a pedal board toter.

I used it recently tracking some V-Drums here in the basement. Ran MIDI in/out to the V-Drums with it plus the line for the headphone monitor feed for the dummer plus grabbed the L/R outs from the V-Drum brain as well (but ended up running his MIDI performance into EZ-Drummer 'cause it sounded better). Worked well for that and I was glad I'd hung on to it.
 
Eeks, those custom snakes are expensive!!! It would be over $250 just a bit of cabling!!

Okay, new plan... Use 5pin MIDI cable and AC adapter instead of using a 7 pin... that way I could just get the $70 snake with 1 5pin and 6 3pins...

Adapters would be an extra $60, but $130 is doable whilst > $250 isn't...

That is... IF I can find a way to power the Liquid Foot...
 
JustinAiken said:
Eeks, those custom snakes are expensive!!! It would be over $250 just a bit of cabling!!
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Don't I know it! 4 years ago they didn't have off-the-shelf really. Certainly not a 6-end, 5-pins-on-every-end off the shelf. I payed quite a bit for mine but considering what it replaced it wasn't too bad. It can carry 12 signals. That's impressive. Probably overkill for most. :)

Okay, new plan... Use 5pin MIDI cable and AC adapter instead of using a 7 pin... that way I could just get the $70 snake with 1 5pin and 6 3pins...

Adapters would be an extra $60, but $130 is doable whilst > $250 isn't...

That is... IF I can find a way to power the Liquid Foot...
Click to expand...
Phatom power? You don't need to...you run the LF adapter back at your rack to a P-Line on the PedalSnake to the LF's power in. That's how I had mine setup. A P-Line with juice to the R1. Another line carrying MIDI. Another line carrying TRS expression. Still three lines left to play with...
 
JustinAiken said:
Can you point me to which p-line the LF would need?
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No clue. But here's an educated guess:

I was using an MF1 with my R1 before I got a 7-pin cable. And the R1's power adapter fits nicely into the back of the Axe-Fx. Which means the R1 adapter and Axe-Fx are 2.1mm barrel jacks. And the L-F's power supply also fits into the back of the Axe-Fx.

So I'll guess the LF's barrel plug is the same size as the R1's barrel plug is 2.1mm.

You should verify this with Jeff @ Liquid-Foot though.

It's too bad you weren't here about a month ago. I had my 6-end custom snake up for sale for dirt cheap, including all the pig tails I've massed...pulled it though. Turned out to be handy around the basement studio. :)
 
You can build one of those adapters they're selling for $5 for $1. Just look at my phantom power mod. Of course, $5 and you don't have to jack with any of it.

The Axe is 2.5mm, I don't know what the LF is, but if it's 2.5, then you'll need the adapter IF the PSnake stuff WON'T put 2.5 on the end of their stuff. If it's custom to do it, then ya, I guess it would be cheaper.

Bottom line is for phantom power, at the AFX side, you need 7 pin with your wall wart plugged in. At the other end, it really depends on your device. With the LF stuff, you can phantom power with 7 pin at the LF side, I thought? Why would you need any power cabling at all for the LF?

My FCB only has the Rocktron RDMH900 plugged into it.
 
Hi

very interested to read this thread, given the cost of an Axe Fx unit (which is pretty much state-of-the art) I am not sure why anyone would use a cable with plastic connectors with it.

To me the whole pedal snake thing is a poor quality gimmic, if you can afford the cash for an AXE Fx surely a few bucks to get a tech to build a decent snake with metal (neutrik/switchcraft) connectors isn't out the question, if you are gonna go pedal snake you are one step from taping together a pile of $3 chinese leads, plastic connectors maybe great for bedroom rockers but not really for the stage I feel...
 
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