Voodoo Lab Pedal Switcher - Manual (Page 6)

AUDIO CONNECTIONS
Do I use the Buffer or Passive input?
Guitar pickup tone is greatly affected by the input characteristics of the devices you’re plugging
into. Typical buffers found in most common pedals utilize bipolar transistor components resulting
in an unnatural sound. Unlike those, Pedal Switcher’s BUFFER input is carefully matched to those
of tube amplifier inputs. By using state-of-the-art ultra low noise FET technology, the BUFFER
in provides tube amp characteristics with the lowest possible noise level. The result is an excep-
tionally transparent buffer which optimizes guitar pickup tone quality.
The passive INPUT is simply hard-wired from the jack to the gold contact relays. There are
many guitar players that love the guitar-cable-amp sound. If that’s you, this input is the way to
go. When you have all the loops turned off, the tone you get is completely passive. This input is
especially helpful because some transistor-based circuits like vintage fuzz, octave, and overdrive
pedals will only perform correctly when being driven directly from your pickups.
The choice is up to you. If your pedals consist of mostly vintage-based circuits, you’ll probably
prefer the passive INPUT. But, if you to run a lot of cable, or possibly some post-Pedal Switcher
rack effects, you’ll probably want to use the buffer. We encourage you to experiment and use
your ears to find what works best for you.
If you want to hear and see some suggestions on how to integrate your vintage and modern
effects with Pedal Switcher, check out the videos on our website at:
http://www.voodoolab.com/switcher.htm
ABOUT AUDIO LOOPS
Important: Pedal Switcher audio loops are for instrument and line level signals only. Using
them to switch amplifier or speaker outputs will severely damage your Pedal Switcher!
The most important characteristic of an audio switcher is sonic transparency. Some manufacturers
implement loops using either opto-FETs (optical transistors) or LDRs (light dependent resistors),
or a combination of the two. Both opto-FETs and LDRs cause sound coloration and measurable
distortion. Some even claim their switching to be passive while using opto-FETs (transistors are not
passive). LDRs, while technically passive, are not linear and therefore degrade tone quality. Occa-
sionally digital crosspoint switches are used for their routing flexibility (you can re-order effects).
However, their limited dynamic range results in either reduced headroom, added noise, or both.
4