FX8 pedalboard build. Thoughts?

Here's the latest iteration of the pedalboard plan. The Mesa EQ is just a placeholder for where I plan on putting a Morningstar MC6 midi controller. The cardboard thingy is a placeholder for where the Pedalpower Mondo will go. The Pedal Power 2 might actually be sufficient but the Mondo gives me a bit more room for future expansion if needed.

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Lance Holland said:
Exactly.

Yes - it's not perfect....that would require the FX8 to have an effects loop with flexible routing. But - it's certainly good enough if I want to add in an delay/modulation from the second board for home use. In reality, my second board isn't essential at this point and will likely be sold off with the exception of my El Cap and maybe a dirt pedal to use as a backup board. I know I tend to be fickle and change everything up. I've had times where I just ran a chord into an amp....and have gone full blown modeling....and then back again to a board.
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Even with the Timeline and an Empress Tape Delay, I'm STILL tempted to get an El Cap. That things just awesome. Still, I think I can be quite happy with the FX8's delays.
 
I got the Timeline thinking it would include the El Cap sound and replace it. It didn't. With the El Cap's reverb secondary function, I was never able to recreate the way its delays sat in the mix. There was nothing else special that the Timeline did so I unloaded it. Also, the sound-on-sound mode of the El Cap is really incredible. I'm hoping to recreate that in the FX8 but haven't had the chance.

A comment on the board layout. I suggest that you move the Ditto (assuming you keep it). It's going to be difficult to trigger it accurately in that location.
 
Good feedback, thank you.

Yeah man I really like that ElCap. If it was midi capable I'd probably have one already. And then I might put the El Cap and Dig on the board. There kind of is that capability with like a mini effects gizmo but I'm not sure about that yet.

The Drop and the Ditto would be setup for ease of access. Likely on a riser. Either that or they be in front of the MiDI controller with that on a small riser if needed.
 
Oh also, on the FX8, there's sooooo much you can do with the delays (and the MTD) that I bet you could come really close to the El Cap coolness. Maybe. There's a really informative video on the delay block.

 
Lance Holland said:
I got the Timeline thinking it would include the El Cap sound and replace it. It didn't. With the El Cap's reverb secondary function, I was never able to recreate the way its delays sat in the mix. There was nothing else special that the Timeline did so I unloaded it. Also, the sound-on-sound mode of the El Cap is really incredible. I'm hoping to recreate that in the FX8 but haven't had the chance.

A comment on the board layout. I suggest that you move the Ditto (assuming you keep it). It's going to be difficult to trigger it accurately in that location.
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Hey. Another thought on this. The FX8 can run stuff in parallel. So you could conceivably put the FX8's delay and Reverb in parallel. That way the Reverb block would only affect the delay block. I think that could be done.

Also, a few years ago a guy modded an El Cap to be MIDI capable with all settings controllable with CC messages. It could even store over 70 presets. He got it 99% of the way but the project seemed to have petered out due to real life. Man I would LOVE a MIDI ElCap!
 
Latest iteration of the plan. Still going back and forth between using 2 or 3 EV-2s. Also not yet sure if I'll need the Hum Eliminator running through the stereo amps.

Routing would be:
Guitar
EV-2 (passive volume)
Drop
FX8 in
FX8 out pre
Amp ins
Amps FX sends
FX8 post ins
FX8 post outs
BigSky
Ditto Stereo
Amp FX returns

Controlling amps and BigSky (and FX8 as needed) via Morningstar MC6 MIDI controller.

Power from FX8 to PP Mondo aux AC port. This part is mildly annoying. The Mondo is huge and kind of overkill, but I want a power supply that has an aux power port for the FX8 and can power the BigSky and Drop (each needs 300mA). If anyone knows of alternatives I'm listening.


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You could get by with a pedalpower 4x4 which has two high power outputs and is half the size. As far as the aux port issue, I'd get a $5 IEC power "Y" splitter from Amazon and attach one end to the supply and the other to the AX8.

As far as the EVs, I guess you have them. I'd probably make a large knob expression control for making subtle changes to parameters. I converted a Nose volume knob to an expression knob...but it's really just a 25ohm pot in a mini enclosure. You could build one with $10 in parts in 10 minutes. It would take up less room and it actually easier to use than a pedal for making tweaks. Then, I'd shift the the ditto next to the midi control to make it easier to hit.
 
Lance Holland said:
You could get by with a pedalpower 4x4 which has two high power outputs and is half the size. As far as the aux port issue, I'd get a $5 IEC power "Y" splitter from Amazon and attach one end to the supply and the other to the AX8.

As far as the EVs, I guess you have them. I'd probably make a large knob expression control for making subtle changes to parameters. I converted a Nose volume knob to an expression knob...but it's really just a 25ohm pot in a mini enclosure. You could build one with $10 in parts in 10 minutes. It would take up less room and it actually easier to use than a pedal for making tweaks. Then, I'd shift the the ditto next to the midi control to make it easier to hit.
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I kinda like the splitter idea, but would want to figure out a really clean way to implement it.
 
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