Every part of the guitar works together, internal and external, and what you use is important to producing a clean and effective sound. There are a lot more complicated things involved than there used to be when guitar playing was a newer thing, and there are a lot to choose from today. Here, we will explain true bypass loop switchers and pedal switchers to give you an idea of how they are used.  

True Bypass Loopers

As technology becomes more complicated, so do the accessories. A true bypass looper is designed to reduce the amount of pedal switching needed while you play. If you use a pedalboard with a ton of pedals and don't want to deal with having to turn multiple pedals on and off during a single song, a true bypass looper is exactly what you need. Furthermore, it can also help with signal-chain issues. True Bypass loopers come with send and return loops that allow you to add one or more pedals to a single loop. This gives players a convenient way of turning certain pedals on and off without having to scramble all over their board. Aside from that, a true bypass looper can also help you deal with old and noisy effects that are part of your chain by bypassing them so their sound doesn't bleed into the overall signal. They can also help with older pedals that don't feature LEDs to show whether they are on or bypassed. Much like channels on an amp, a true bypass looper is set in from of an amp and can be used to control overdrive and distortion pedals. Not only that, the linear switching layout can help with changing effects on the fly. True bypass loopers have a lot of different features to pick from depending on the brand. When you use a true bypass looper, there are presets involved that allow you to switch and change certain “loops” of pedals while you play, so the looper can remember whatever it is you program into it. Parameters can also be edited with program change and continuous control, midi messages that handle simple and complex looper controls on their own. Your bypass looper can also have a tuner output to change when your tuner is used, and can also allow for silent tuning without any extra functions required. Additionally, there is a possible amp switch that allows you to change which amp is producing sound or lets you use both at once. Pay attention to which brands you buy, because some do not carry features that others may. Loop-Master is inexpensive but does not allow you to program it. Voodoo Lab Hex loopers have a lot of the options discussed here with limited routing options, and Boss loopers are extremely high tech and carry a high-tech price as a combined looper and pedal switch.  

Pedal Switchers

Pedal switchers are a lot more complicated and do a lot more for you. The main purpose of a pedal switch is to give the guitarist more control over what sorts of effects can be produced based on how the guitar is played. Effects can be tweaked and played with based on the switchers that the user chooses, which can be changed depending on the amount of switches and uses of the pedal switch. The switches let you personally pick what to use rather than having pre-set settings. Some pedal switchers, like the aforementioned Boss looper, have multiple types of combinations allotted for MIDI patterns. This allows the guitarist to choose how the effects sound with lots of different possibilities and simplifies the process based on how much the pedal switch can do. An example of a pedal switcher is the OC10, by One-Control. Which is easily programmable and has a lot of presets, with the downside being there’s no option to change inputs unless you reconnect.   True bypass loopers and pedal switchers are designed to make a guitarist’s life easier, and it’s all about finding one that works with the guitarist. There are many out there and each one is contested based on preference, so it is up to the guitarist themselves to pick which one is best suited for them. To browse our entire selection of pedal selectors or loop switchers, check out the link below!

Footswitch And Pedal Selectors

Loop Switchers

 

Your Turn to Sound Off!

Do you use a pedal switcher in your setup?

Let us know in the comment section below!