Home › Forums › Tips, Tricks, Clips, and Pics › Can you use one exp. pedal for 2 effects simultaneously?

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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  • November 17, 2010 at 11:30 pm #81007
    octa805
    Member

    Howdy.

    I have an XO worm and I’m getting a Memory Boy. They both take expression pedals and I was wondering if I could just buy one exp. pedal to use with both of them.

    If so, could I possibly run them at the same time through one exp. pedal? that might be fun.

    OR, would I have to have some sort of A/B setup and run one or the other? If so, what is a good one?

    OR, could I just get some sort of Y-cable splitter and have the 2 of them go into one exp. pedal?

    Thanks

    November 18, 2010 at 5:01 am #112642
    Cryabetes
    Participant

    with a Y-cable or similar setup, you wouldn’t have the same sweep response. It’d sum the voltage output and divide it and it’s basically just a mess . If you’re deadset on doing both with one exp pedal, use an A-B setup

    or get a stereo volume pedal and use it as the exp pedal. no clue on what you’d want for the sweep potentiometer though.

    November 18, 2010 at 12:49 pm #112643
    julian
    Moderator

    Sorry to say this Cryabetes, but electricity doesn’t work that way. If you connect two voltage sources in parallel, the voltage doesn’t sum, the current does. Similarly, if you split it off into two paths, the voltage isn’t divided, the current is. Otherwise power strips and daisy chains would be sort of worthless.

    I can’t tell you that it will work for sure octa805, but I can tell you that it might work if the conditions are right.

    The expression jacks would have to be both 0-5V control voltage, which is the standard for synthesizers. All moog pedals and a lot of EHX pedals use this standard.

    What it means is that on a TRS (tip-ring-sleeve stereo 1/4″ plug) you have ground, +5v, and 0 to 5v. Ground should be on the sleeve, +5v on the ring, and 0 to 5v on the tip. That’s so if you connect a mono Tip-sleeve plug in from a 0 to 5v output, the +5V supply connects to ground when it is plugged (since the sleeve is bigger and makes a connection with the ring lug on the inside of the jack)

    Inside the expression pedal, if you imagine the potentiometer from a top down view with the lugs pointing to your stomach they go 1, 2, 3. Ground is connected to 1, 0-5v is connected to 2, +5v is connected to 3.

    Anyways, all the pedals want is a 0-5v voltage coming back at them, it doesn’t matter how they get it. So I don’t really see a problem if you connect everything right. At first I’d ground out one of the +5v supplies, just in case connecting two of them together futz with something in some other way. Even though the 5v wouldn’t double, I’d wonder if other factors could have a negative effect.

    November 18, 2010 at 1:50 pm #112646
    Cryabetes
    Participant

    this is what happens when I board drunk
    :shame:

    but it does work?

    November 18, 2010 at 4:07 pm #112647
    julian
    Moderator

    Only if the pedals both work on control voltage.

    Some expression pedal jacks are working on controlled resistance, which would mess with stuff.

    November 18, 2010 at 7:19 pm #112648
    octa805
    Member

    I appreciate the helpful responses but you seriously both blew my mind. I have no idea what you’re saying.

    November 19, 2010 at 4:36 am #112656
    Cryabetes
    Participant

    I guess that, if both expression pedal jacks are Control Voltage types [should say in each product’s manual], it’ll work.
    However, if either or both is controlled resistance type, it’ll be a mess.
    just want julian to confirm that…

    however, either way, your A-B idea does work. or getting a stereo volume pedal. or getting two of the boss expression pedals and duct-taping the treadles [foot-lever-wah-thingies, in non pedal nerd terms] together.

    November 19, 2010 at 4:59 pm #112661
    octa805
    Member

    thank you for the help. guess I’ll read some manuals and experiment

    November 24, 2010 at 5:45 am #112713
    souljah671
    Member

    I was just about to try this out with my volume/pan pedal from ErnieBall…now I gotta read and experiment carefully, thanks for the information!

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