Official NAMM 2019 New Product Tease Thread

Pretty much since the PBC first came out, I've been inundated with people asking for:

1). Smaller
2). Cheaper
3). Loop reordering

Ok, done!

More details very soon, including an FAQ.

Oh man! Is there any way to install the loop reordering in the existing 10 loop pbc?
 
Oh, ok, I'll take one more loop ;-) AND re-ordering! Great new product that I am definitely going to get.
 
I'll play devil's advocate. A question I'd have would be how does this impact the circuit paths and clarity?

From my understanding, previously, the paths were isolated where they were on/off and physically mixed via relays with relay functionality controlled by a micro-processor (secondary circuit of which didn't insert tonal changes, it only controlled the relays). When a loop is removed, it's physically removed, not sending it's signal through paths digitally. That's why the original paths could not be reordered. This is one feature that I like about the original design (purity) of both your PBC and Effects Gizmo, both of which I own and love. Knowing when a loop is deactivated, it's physically not part of the circuit path. it is not a processed path digitally removed.

Does this design work from a controller and processed where all paths are sent to a controlled by a pre-processor? I feel this will increase breath of product designs and fill the market share for folks that you loose based on the end-user choosing other brand/manufacturers boasting their "feature" of reordering. That's what they hung their hat on. To me, their features don't provide me a benefit personally.

Kudos for the increase for product development.

I know for me, your current products are fantastic. The only added feature would be to add an one-line LCD screen to the PBC for each button.
 
I'll play devil's advocate. A question I'd have would be how does this impact the circuit paths and clarity?

From my understanding, previously, the paths were isolated where they were on/off and physically mixed via relays with relay functionality controlled by a micro-processor (secondary circuit of which didn't insert tonal changes, it only controlled the relays). When a loop is removed, it's physically removed, not sending it's signal through paths digitally. That's why the original paths could not be reordered. This is one feature that I like about the original design (purity) of both your PBC and Effects Gizmo, both of which I own and love. Knowing when a loop is deactivated, it's physically not part of the circuit path. it is not a processed path digitally removed.

Does this design work from a controller and processed where all paths are sent to a controlled by a pre-processor? I feel this will increase breath of product designs and fill the market share for folks that you loose based on the end-user choosing other brand/manufacturers boasting their "feature" of reordering. That's what they hung their hat on. To me, their features don't provide me a benefit personally.

Kudos for the increase for product development.

I know for me, your current products are fantastic. The only added feature would be to add an one-line LCD screen to the PBC for each button.

The signal is not ever converted to digital in the PBC/6X. It uses an analog switch matrix chip which has a bunch of inputs and a bunch of outputs. Data is sent to the chip which tells it which inputs and outputs are connected. When a something is switched out, it is switched out just like in a relay based switcher. The off resistance is so high that there's no way that the connected pedal and cables will have any effect on tone.

The switching matrix chip does add a small amount of resistance and capacitance to the signal path compared to the relays in the PBC/10. If the signal is buffered, there isn't really any noticeable tone change. I can't hear any and my audio measurements are incredibly similar to the PBC/10. I spent a very long time on making this sound as good as possible. I've been working on this thing for over 3 years now.

If you're a guy that never wants to use a buffer, the PBC/6X is probably not for you. But otherwise, it's a good solution. Once the ES-8 came out, all of a sudden everyone wanted loop reordering and wondered why we didn't have it. I was skeptical to say the least, but warmed to the idea after some testing. Using the chip allowed us to make it much smaller, and it turns out there are some cool tricks we can do using it (example: no more need for weird cables like "ring disconnect" or "mono to stereo", that's all handled internally)
 
Thanks for the detailed explanation. How will it work with a germanium based pedals or other pedals that require a buffer to be turned off?

It sounds like a positive solution for the folks who asked. I hope this doesn't mean that support for the original PCB will be retired.

I can tell you one design change that is REALLY nice to see is the stepped button tiers (vs the slight angle on the PBC). That makes it easier to step on the button you want...vs accidentally hitting one row button when you intended on stepping on the other row.

btw, I'm assuming you're changing the printed plate name on the production runs..like PBC6X which is I think what you're calling it on the LCD screen:)
 
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When using a fuzz pedal, you can turn off the buffer only on the presets where the fuzz is in use. The fuzz then acts as your buffer, effectively. I can't say with certainty that every old fuzz design will work fine this way, but probably most will.
 
The signal is not ever converted to digital in the PBC/6X. It uses an analog switch matrix chip which has a bunch of inputs and a bunch of outputs. Data is sent to the chip which tells it which inputs and outputs are connected. When a something is switched out, it is switched out just like in a relay based switcher. The off resistance is so high that there's no way that the connected pedal and cables will have any effect on tone.

The switching matrix chip does add a small amount of resistance and capacitance to the signal path compared to the relays in the PBC/10. If the signal is buffered, there isn't really any noticeable tone change. I can't hear any and my audio measurements are incredibly similar to the PBC/10. I spent a very long time on making this sound as good as possible. I've been working on this thing for over 3 years now.

If you're a guy that never wants to use a buffer, the PBC/6X is probably not for you. But otherwise, it's a good solution. Once the ES-8 came out, all of a sudden everyone wanted loop reordering and wondered why we didn't have it. I was skeptical to say the least, but warmed to the idea after some testing. Using the chip allowed us to make it much smaller, and it turns out there are some cool tricks we can do using it (example: no more need for weird cables like "ring disconnect" or "mono to stereo", that's all handled internally)

I was wondering about this. thank you.

What's the distance between the buttons?
 
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