Control Switcher

Q & A for building and interfacing your rack gear with Ground Control Pro and GCX-based systems.
Peter
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:45 pm

Control Switcher

Post by Peter »

Hi, I was just wondering a few things about the Control Switcher, as there is no manual available yet i was wondering if anyone could shed some light on a few things.

Basically at the moment, I am using a Marshall 6100 head which conveniently has in-built midi switching, and I have been using a T.C electronic nova system to change the channels and presets simultaneously. Problem is I'm having a huge problem finding a second 6100, so I have been looking at getting a Bogner Shiva - no midi support.

My question is, would I be able to use my Nova System to send info to the control switcher so it would change the channels on the Shiva? I love how my rig is running at the moment, but my 6100 is getting old, and finding a second one is not that easy.

Any help would be great, Thanks.

James Santiago
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:56 pm

Re: Control Switcher

Post by James Santiago »

Peter, that should be just fine. Control Switcher can also respond to standard program changes. I just did a test with a PodXT Live multi-effect floor unit. Control Switcher can be put into "program change" mode and you can save the presets right from the Control Switcher. I had the XT Live sending program changes and Control Switcher took care of the the channels on my Budda head, as well as activating reverb and trem on a old Twin Reverb.

It should work great.

JS
James Santiago
Vice President - Voodoo Lab

gtrmark
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 2:37 am

Re: Control Switcher

Post by gtrmark »

Is the control switcher not available anymore? Can't find it online to buy or more pictures or manual info? I want to know if I can control my Mesa Triple Rectifier with DIN plug and Engl powerball with the at least 2 1/4 inch jacks at the same time, making sure that all plugs can work at the same time on the control switcher. Thanks

JohnClark
Posts: 7494
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 2:33 pm
Location: The Lab

Re: Control Switcher

Post by JohnClark »

The Control Switcher has 4 switches total. Plugging in to a 1/4" jack will disable the pin for that switch on the Multi jack.
So in your case you would not be able to control all functions of the Rectifier if you connected two of the 1/4" jacks to the Engl. If you only want to control the channels on the Rectifier and two functions on the Engl (you don't say which ones), then this will work for you. The 3 channel Rectifiers only need channel 1 and 3 switched, when they are both off you get channel 2. You would need two Control Switchers to control everything on both amps.
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funky
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:14 am

Re: Control Switcher

Post by funky »

Summary: If I'm sending the control switcher "standard midi patch change info", how does it know "per patch", which way to toggle the device on the other end of the 1/4" output.

I want to use this control switcher to swich my my headbone TS from one amp head to another when I change patches on my Line 6 Vetta head. The secondary head is a Hughes & Kettner Switchblade. The Headbone allows me to switch from one head to the other using the same cabinets for both.

I'll send a midi out from the Vetta to the Switchblade to be able to control patches on both heads, but the Tonebone is not midi capable, BUT it has a 1/4" input jack for a remote footswitch that toggles back and forth between heads, the same way that an amp would toggle between clean and dirty channels.

The setup would be that the Vetta sends midi patch change info to the control switcher per patch, and then the switcher toggles the headbone from one head to the other, on a per patch basis.

My question is, for each patch, how does the control switcher know which way to toggle?

Thanks, I hope that makes sense.

JohnClark
Posts: 7494
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 2:33 pm
Location: The Lab

Re: Control Switcher

Post by JohnClark »

funky wrote:My question is, for each patch, how does the control switcher know which way to toggle?
Joke answer... It's just that good!
Quick answer... It is programmable.
Long answer... You will set it up to listen on the MIDI channel you are sending, as well as to listen for Program Changes (or Control Changes, or both, for those of you playing at home), send it your Vetta patch change... here you will select the Control Switcher switches that should be active then press and hold both Control Switcher buttons 1 and 4 to save, LEDs will flash then revert back to the originally selected switches. Now whenever you call up that particular Vetta patch, the Control Switcher will activate the switches you programmed.
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jonthomas83
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 2:06 pm

Re: Control Switcher

Post by jonthomas83 »

Hi John, the control switcher sounds like the exact thing I need, when do you think they'll be available to ship, I live in the U.K. and how much do you think it'll cost?

Many thanks

funky
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:14 am

Re: Control Switcher

Post by funky »

JohnClark wrote:
funky wrote:My question is, for each patch, how does the control switcher know which way to toggle?
Joke answer... It's just that good!
Quick answer... It is programmable.
Long answer... You will set it up to listen on the MIDI channel you are sending, as well as to listen for Program Changes (or Control Changes, or both, for those of you playing at home), send it your Vetta patch change... here you will select the Control Switcher switches that should be active then press and hold both Control Switcher buttons 1 and 4 to save, LEDs will flash then revert back to the originally selected switches. Now whenever you call up that particular Vetta patch, the Control Switcher will activate the switches you programmed.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I'll be ordering one asap!!!

:D

funky
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:14 am

Re: Control Switcher

Post by funky »

jonthomas83 wrote:Hi John, the control switcher sounds like the exact thing I need, when do you think they'll be available to ship, I live in the U.K. and how much do you think it'll cost?

Many thanks
Found these links to order, I'm only assuming that they are ready to ship.

http://www.themadape.com/Voodoo_Lab_Con ... itcher.htm

http://www.spectrumaudio.com/voodoo-lab ... tcher.html

John01W
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 10:47 am

Re: Control Switcher

Post by John01W »

Those links have been up for a LONG time, way b4 the control switcher would have been shipping, which I think they still aren't.

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