stereo to mono mix down?

kevorkian

Member
I thought I recalled from a newsletter email that when switching the output from stereo to mono the PBC would be able to mix down the left and right sides so we don’t lose half of the stereo signal when running mono, but the 1.0 manual seems to suggest that only the Left side is being taken?
 
I'm glad you brought this up. We thought we were going to be able to do that, but it turns out that putting in that option requires you to use loops 7-10 with stereo effects. In the first manufacturing run, we removed this option so that you could use mono or stereo effects with no problems.

If you know you'll be using loops 7-10 with stereo effects, we can mod your unit to have the mono mix down capability, no additional charge. You could still potentially use mono effects in those loops, but you'd need special cables that convert the mono inputs and outputs of the pedals to stereo.
 
Wow I'm glad I saw this. I definitely thought this was already included. I want to have stereo effects mixed down when only using one amp or two mono amps. That way I can easily switch between mono, stereo, and A/B rigs. Will this allow me to do that?
 
Ok, we should be getting to the wait list people next week. When you get the call, be sure to let them know that you'd like the mono mixdown feature.
 
Here's a diagram of the cables needed to use mono effects in loops 7-10 when your PBC is modded for mono mixdown.

Please note: you only need this mod if you're using effects like ping-pong delay in stereo. If you just took the left or right side output and used it as a mono output, you'd only get half of your delay repeats. Mixing the two sides down to mono will allow you to keep all of your delay repeats. If you don't see yourself running into this issue, you don't need the mod. Please also note that mono mixdown is not always a good idea! Stereo chorus, for example, will be a problem if you mix it down - the left and right sides will cancel out.
 

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How would the mono mix down option effect the stereo pedals if I'm running them through the line mixer. For instance I will have my H9, TimeLine and Big Sky in loops 8-10 run through the internal line mixer. If I need to audio sum to the left output in case an amp dies or something... will the line mixer function still work like normal?
 
The mixdown is at the very end of the signal chain - it simply sums the left and right outputs. All the effects, line mixer, etc. remain the same.
 
Hi Ron, a client pointed me to this thread which is why I'm bringing it back from the dead.

Which do you think is the lesser evil?
1. Summing stereo effects to mono and encountering possible issues with phase cancellation.
2. Keeping the PBC stock and disregarding the right channel when only one amp is available.

The Interfacer exists because people wanted to run one amp at rehearsal or at home and still retain all the repeats from their stereo delays, but of course in this instance a hard panning tremolo will be cancelled out and effects like chorus and phaser might be diminished.

The stock PBC gets around the phase cancellation issue if only one amp is available when running stereo effects by disregarding the right side, but then half the repeats from a true stereo delay will be missing.

Curious to know what you think.
 
Had I thought it through all the way, I would have realized that the only answer is to allow both. Too often I find that people complain that they don't like how we're doing something, then we change it and I get complaints from others that the new way is causing problems for them. This is definitely the case for the mono mixdown situation, although I fortunately discovered the problem with mixdown in beta testing and eliminated mixdown in the production units.

For now, I'm going to keep it the way it is - no mixdown by default, but the mod is available. Less than 5% of units have had mixdown mods, so it's clearly the way to go. If/when there's a new version of the PBC, mixdown will be a user programmable option.
 
Mine has the mixdown mod, and I love the ability to switch between one or two amps without losing 1/2 the repeats of a stereo delay. There is a definite effect level volume drop (mix change) on reverbs and delays when switching to mixdown mode, but for some reason a reboot of the reverbs and delays always seems to fix it. No idea why, but it does (BigSky and Timeline).
 
Mine has the mixdown mod, and I love the ability to switch between one or two amps without losing 1/2 the repeats of a stereo delay. There is a definite effect level volume drop (mix change) on reverbs and delays when switching to mixdown mode, but for some reason a reboot of the reverbs and delays always seems to fix it. No idea why, but it does (BigSky and Timeline).

That's odd. Are you in series or parallel?
 
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