A couple silly questions

[The Blue Letter]

I have an old DMC GCP (v 1.02) currently running 2 GCX units among other things, and I was looking into getting a HEX for my pedal board.

I know that the GCX supplies power to the GCP, and that the HEX is capable of that as well, but is it possible to have the MIDI signal chain go from the GCP to the HEX (first) then to the two GCX units? and if so would I want to make sure that the pins on the MIDI cable are not connected for power from the HEX to the GCX to avoid the GCP getting power from both places? Or would that even matter? Does that all make sense?

Next question I have is that because my GCP is getting pretty old and has seen quite a bit of abuse on the road, one of the switches (#9) doesn't work anymore and some of the other switches are starting to get quite finicky. I am proficient at soldering and have repaired or modded several pieces of gear and was just wondering if there are any switches that would be recommended to be used as replacements? Preferably something that could be hard wired to the board as opposed to the mountain switches that are in there?

Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks a lot.

[JohnClark]

The HEX will not be damaged by being connected in front of a GCX. Pins 1 and 3 on the HEX MIDI Out are not connected to anything, so you don't have to worry about how many pins are wired on your MIDI cable either.

We can offer the same switches since we believe they are quite reliable... 12+ years of road abuse, I'd say thats pretty tough Feel free to give us a call or write to info@voodoolab.com to order some replacement switches.
If you want to modify to the switch of your choice you will need only to be sure to use momentary switches.

I hope that helps!

[The Blue Letter]

Thanks for the info John. I just ordered a HEX based on your reply. I am stoked to get it. I am undertaking a massive overhaul of my whole rig and I think the HEX will be a perfect addition to it.

I'll reach out about the switches I am sure (once I get to that stage of the rebuild)

And I will be scouring the rest of the forum for advice already posted on other things.

Cheers!
Dan

[The Blue Letter]

Another quick question about the switched though...

You mentioned that they need to be momentary contact, but is that with NO or NC contacts?

[JohnClark]

Sorry, Normally Open.

Good Luck!

[The Blue Letter]

John,
Thanks for the help with this so far. I have decided to purchase a new GCP instead of replacing the switches on my old one because since I last posted I have started to encounter some other issues with it too. It's old, it lasted a long time and I am stoked to get a new one.

So with the new GCP on its way and a PP Digital too, I am getting ready to start the rebuild (of both my pedal board and my rack). That said I have a few other questions for you.

In the new pedal board build I am planning to have the GCP and the HEX that I just purchased, and after my previous posts, I know that I can power the GCP via the HEX like you had mentioned. I have a current doubling cable to provide enough power from the PP Digital to the HEX so that it can supply phantom power to the GCP.

But now my question is about the MIDI cabling for the rest of the gear. If I go from the GCP MIDI out to the HEX MIDI in can I go from the HEX MIDI out to the MIDI in of a MIDI controllable effects pedal on my board and then from the MIDI out of that pedal to my rack and into the MIDI in of my first GCX? I know that in the GCP manual it says that a GCX should always be the first device, but is that because of the phantom power supply? Which in this case the HEX would be the first device, and be supplying the phantom power not the GCX?

Mainly I want to be able to use the GCP to send PC messages to the pedal I am trying to control, but I want the flexibility of still having that pedal on my pedal board, and not having to have to mount it in the rack.

So please let me know if you have any advice.

Thanks again for your continued help and support.

[JohnClark]

You should be OK to run the GCX further down the MIDI path, but be sure that the MIDI Out of whatever device you are connecting to the Pedal In on the GCX does not use pins 1 and 3. Alternatively, you can just use a MIDI cable that does not wire these pins, or if you are unsure, simply cut those two pins out of the connector on either end.

[The Blue Letter]

John,
Thanks again for the continued help. I am always grateful.