Piplodocus
Well-Known Member
Me again!
Since it's new PBC time (and hence pedal board) it's got me thinking about my rack that runs cables to the board and various phantom powering options (especially after realising I can't plug the current cable directly into my PBC!). Normally the board and stuff on it (including the MIDI controller) is powered from a PSU on it, so is kind of irrelevant for the "main set-up", but I have different simplified set-up or backup options I can use instead. These have different phantom power options depending on the rest of the rig.
Currently my regular rig wiring sends a 7-pin cable from the rack to the pedal board which has a 7-pin socket on the side, then this runs out to a 5-pin (pins 6&7 going nowhere), so I can plug any normal 5-pin things in on the board (like a PBC or Empress MIDI box). Those don't need phantom power. But if running a simple set-up I can plug the 7-pin end into another one of my controllers directly, it phantom powers it, and away I go with no board (hence why I'm forced to run a 7-pin cable to my board normally). Ideally it would be nice to change to a 5-pin so I could just plug into anything, but then I couldn't phantom power all MIDI controllers without a PSU. This was originally planned around one of my FAMC controllers, but I also have a Voodoo Labs Ground control and now this MM LT is top contender for "spare"/"mini" rig days. But different pedals do phantom power differently, wherein lie my questions...
1) Currently I have a little FAMC phantom power box in my rack at the back of the stage that sends power out down pins 6 & 7 (- and + respectively I think, originating from a PSU in there so I think I can run 9V or 12V, not sure what it currently is). I presume this will happily power the MM LT too when plugged in the MIDI out port via a 7-pin cable, since that is power on 6&7 too, correct?
2) If skipping the rack part of the set-up, both my Diezel Herbert & Hagen amps MIDI in ports also give out a 12V DC (800mA) feed to phantom power MIDI controllers. Again they accept 7-pin cables to send power on 6 & 7. But because Voodoo Labs ground controls take power on pins 3(+) and 1(-) and can run with just a reguilar 5-pin cable, it'll send power down these at the same time. Is that ok? I presume an MM LT can connect to a GCX so this is safe? I don't want to blow it up! The old FAMC also has MIDI in (to the MIDI pedal) using pins 1&3 of the 5-pin MIDI out via that breakout box, so I was under the impression putting power on pins 1 & 3 might damage those, so was checking the LT doesn't do something similar? I guess also will putting 12VDC out the Diezels MIDI in into pins 1 & 3 of the PBC also damge it (so I only need to worry about maybe my FAMC LF+ midi in via the out port, none of the RJM stuff)?
3) I presume I can't power the LT from pins 1&3 instead and it only takes phantom power on 6 & 7? If so that would mean I could ditch the 7-pin cable (which obvs won't plug directly into the PBC, or anything else other than the GC, FAMC LF+, or the side of my pedal board). I can deal without the ability to run the FAMC LF+ phantom powered by itself as it's a pretty unlikely scenario these days and can't run it from the Diezels anyway. So basically, is it possible to have a 5-pin cable (so it'll plug directly into both the PBC and the MM LT), but still phantom power the LT?
4) If not, can I simply mod it with jumpers across some of the MIDI pins (or is that a bad idea for some reason)?
5) And I presume there's no phantom option for the PBC/10? This is the least of my worries as it wouldn't be that much use without a pedalboard worthy of a few other pedals in any normal situation, but might still be handy in a gig emergency if something breaks! (But currently I'd have to find myself a long 5-pin as the current 7-pin doesn't plug into it anyway).
Sorry this is so long and waffly! Hopefully it makes sense though. I just try to have the most options and can normally mix and match most of my 3 amps with any of 2 (shortly 3) different pedal boards, or just a MIDI controller, either with or without my rack (for Delay/Reverb/power/cabling/Bogner-switching), or just bypass parts of the rig with minimal fuss in case of failure.
Since it's new PBC time (and hence pedal board) it's got me thinking about my rack that runs cables to the board and various phantom powering options (especially after realising I can't plug the current cable directly into my PBC!). Normally the board and stuff on it (including the MIDI controller) is powered from a PSU on it, so is kind of irrelevant for the "main set-up", but I have different simplified set-up or backup options I can use instead. These have different phantom power options depending on the rest of the rig.
Currently my regular rig wiring sends a 7-pin cable from the rack to the pedal board which has a 7-pin socket on the side, then this runs out to a 5-pin (pins 6&7 going nowhere), so I can plug any normal 5-pin things in on the board (like a PBC or Empress MIDI box). Those don't need phantom power. But if running a simple set-up I can plug the 7-pin end into another one of my controllers directly, it phantom powers it, and away I go with no board (hence why I'm forced to run a 7-pin cable to my board normally). Ideally it would be nice to change to a 5-pin so I could just plug into anything, but then I couldn't phantom power all MIDI controllers without a PSU. This was originally planned around one of my FAMC controllers, but I also have a Voodoo Labs Ground control and now this MM LT is top contender for "spare"/"mini" rig days. But different pedals do phantom power differently, wherein lie my questions...
1) Currently I have a little FAMC phantom power box in my rack at the back of the stage that sends power out down pins 6 & 7 (- and + respectively I think, originating from a PSU in there so I think I can run 9V or 12V, not sure what it currently is). I presume this will happily power the MM LT too when plugged in the MIDI out port via a 7-pin cable, since that is power on 6&7 too, correct?
2) If skipping the rack part of the set-up, both my Diezel Herbert & Hagen amps MIDI in ports also give out a 12V DC (800mA) feed to phantom power MIDI controllers. Again they accept 7-pin cables to send power on 6 & 7. But because Voodoo Labs ground controls take power on pins 3(+) and 1(-) and can run with just a reguilar 5-pin cable, it'll send power down these at the same time. Is that ok? I presume an MM LT can connect to a GCX so this is safe? I don't want to blow it up! The old FAMC also has MIDI in (to the MIDI pedal) using pins 1&3 of the 5-pin MIDI out via that breakout box, so I was under the impression putting power on pins 1 & 3 might damage those, so was checking the LT doesn't do something similar? I guess also will putting 12VDC out the Diezels MIDI in into pins 1 & 3 of the PBC also damge it (so I only need to worry about maybe my FAMC LF+ midi in via the out port, none of the RJM stuff)?
3) I presume I can't power the LT from pins 1&3 instead and it only takes phantom power on 6 & 7? If so that would mean I could ditch the 7-pin cable (which obvs won't plug directly into the PBC, or anything else other than the GC, FAMC LF+, or the side of my pedal board). I can deal without the ability to run the FAMC LF+ phantom powered by itself as it's a pretty unlikely scenario these days and can't run it from the Diezels anyway. So basically, is it possible to have a 5-pin cable (so it'll plug directly into both the PBC and the MM LT), but still phantom power the LT?
4) If not, can I simply mod it with jumpers across some of the MIDI pins (or is that a bad idea for some reason)?
5) And I presume there's no phantom option for the PBC/10? This is the least of my worries as it wouldn't be that much use without a pedalboard worthy of a few other pedals in any normal situation, but might still be handy in a gig emergency if something breaks! (But currently I'd have to find myself a long 5-pin as the current 7-pin doesn't plug into it anyway).
Sorry this is so long and waffly! Hopefully it makes sense though. I just try to have the most options and can normally mix and match most of my 3 amps with any of 2 (shortly 3) different pedal boards, or just a MIDI controller, either with or without my rack (for Delay/Reverb/power/cabling/Bogner-switching), or just bypass parts of the rig with minimal fuss in case of failure.
