Description
EARTHQUAKER Devices Swiss Things
Swiss Things™ combines two true-bypass Flexi-Switch™ enabled effects loops, a Flexi-Switch™ AB-Y box with transformer isolation between outputs, a buffered tuner output, 20dB of clean boost with adjustable gain, an expression pedal output for volume control and a quiet, high headroom output buffer into a compact pedalboard-friendly signal routing junction box that lives at the top-right corner of your pedalboard and really ties your rig together without any signal loss.
This is what you can do with it:
- Use as many pedals as you’d like without tone-suck
- Quickly and easily bypass or engage all of your effects with one click
- Use Flexi-Switch™ Technology with every pedal in your setup
- Eliminate volume pedal tone-suck by using any expression pedal to control volume
- Use multiple amps without phase issues, ground loops, or extra noise
- Tidy up your rig, shorten cable runs, and reduce tone loss by keeping all inputs and outputs in one location
Controls
Here’s what the footswitches do:
1. Loop 1: Press this to engage Loop 1. It features Flexi-Switch™ Technology and is unbuffered for use with all distortion, overdrive, and fuzz pedals, or anything else that doesn’t like being buffered.
2. Loop 2: Press this to engage Loop 2. It also features Flexi-Switch™ Technology and is buffered for use with time-based effects (delay, reverb, modulation, etc.).
Note: when nothing is plugged into Loop 2, it functions as a mute.
3. Boost: press this to activate the boost. It is Flexi-Switch™ Technology enabled and provides up to 20dB of clean boost post-effects loops and is intended for use as an output booster.
4. A/B: selects between Output A and Output B.
Note: Output B is transformer-isolated and includes a Phase switch for use with pedals and/or amplifiers which invert phase.
5. Both: activates Output A and Output B at the same time and features Flexi-Switch™ Technology
Here’s what the input, output, send, return, and expression jacks are for:
6. Input: plug your instrument in here.
Note: If you have any “always-on” pedals (compressors, preamps, EQs, etc.) place them before Swiss Things’ input.
7. Loop 1 Send: Plug this into the input of the first pedal in the octave/overdrive/distortion/fuzz section of your board.
8. Loop 1 Return: Plug the output of the last pedal of the octave/overdrive/distortion/fuzz section into this jack.
9. Loop 2 Send: Plug this into the input of the first pedal in the modulation section of your board.
10. Loop 2 Return: Plug the output of the last pedal of your modulation section into this jack.
11. Tuner Output: Connect this to the input of your tuner.
Note: Tuner must be always turned on. If you bypass your tuner, you may experience ground loops or hum.
12. Volume EXP: Connect any expression pedal to this output to control volume.
Note: Most volume pedals create “tone-suck” by loading the signal down and have limited travel. This solves that problem with a buffered output and allows you to use any expression pedal with the same results. The expression jack is placed after the “dirt” effects loop (Loop 1) which allows you to change volume levels without affecting gain.
13. Output A: connect this to the input of your amplifier.
14. Output B: connect this to the input of a separate amplifier to use multiple amps and/or to play in stereo.
Note: To use Swiss Things with stereo effects, they should be placed after Outputs A & B and both outputs must be selected using the Both switch.
Note: Output B is transformer-isolated and includes a Phase switch for use with pedals and/or amplifiers which invert phase.
Note: To use stereo effects after Swiss Things, do not have the Phase switch engaged otherwise the L & R inputs of your stereo effects will be out of phase.
Example Pedalboard Layout
Block Diagram
