[Tfug] Opine: Bricks, warts or...?

[Bexley Hall]

--- On Tue, 8/5/08, Tim Ottinger <tottinge at gmail.com> wrote:

> > I.e., the 1/4" phone plug that you connect your
> guitar to
> > the rest of the audio processing chain is a "de
> facto"
> > standard -- but these other things haven't matured
> to that
> > point yet?
> 
> Well, not the multi-effect ones.  Pretty much all the
> dedicated ones have.

Are multi-effect units just N dedicated effect units
in a single box?  Or, are they "programmable/configurable"
in some way?

I.e., does a multi-effect unit *buy* you any capability
that you can't get from a dedicated unit?
 
> > Is there evera *reason* why a different power plug is
> used?
> > (e.g., to support *3* conductors -- two voltages --
> instead
> > of 2?)
> 
> I know that there are some pedals that take higher voltage,
> and that they're advertised as giving more "headroom".

Yes.  You can operate the electronics on a higher voltage
thus making more "voltage" available for "signal"
  
> Multieffects have no real standard,
> and I suppose they build them as they please for *some*
> reason other than aesthetics. ;-)

I wondered if it is to offer features that aren't ofered
otherwise.

> Re: Multieffects
> 
> > So, the "features" that it afforded weren't that
> > "special" to justify supporting this oddball...?
> 
> They quit making the power supplies for them.  When
> they're not really common, they must charge more for them,
> and they're rare enough that they
> don't get devoted shelf space.   I don't think
> that's easy to justify. I

Understood.  Note that if you could find a *DC* unit with
the same sort of plug, this would work as well (unless the
unit is using the AC signal as a timebase *or* as part of
an active noise reduction (hum) system (unlikely)

> suppose they felt it was necessary, but I lost a $$$ unit
> (leaving me with no other effects at all) when some conductors
> went bad in a little brick.

(sigh)  Do you still have the brick?  (I can probably fix it)

> Now I have more units, and more expense, and less
> convenience, but I know I can get a power supply when I
> need it or a pile of 9v batteries. ;-)

Yes, sensible.

> BTW: you're right about mA -- 200 or 300 is about it. 
> Most of the pedals don't even specify.