Pedals popping

[azfarrier]

I was reorganizing my office/studio today and had moved my pedalboard a few times in the process. Tonight as I am playing I notice some of the pedals have a loud pop when I step on them now that I'm sure they didn't have before. Unless I'm losing my mind a distinct possibility. It appears to be only those pedals with true bypass. Any ideas?

[trevorus]

Any of your cables on the board bad?

[Huckleberry]

That, my friend, **is** true bypass.

[Strat Cat]

Are the stomp switches wired to short the circuit's input to ground? There are two methods of wiring a DPDT stomp switch for true bypass switching. One doesn't short the circuit input to ground which can result in turn on pops. That method is illustrated here.


Wiring the circuit's input to ground in bypass mode is illustrated in this diagram. This is a much better method to use.


If turn on pops are still an issue adding what are called "pull down" resistors to the circuit may help. These need to be added to the outboard side of the input and output coupling caps with the other ends connected to ground. These provide a path to ground for any charge there might be in the coupling caps.

If that still doesn't help turning your pedals off and on just before playing can sometimes prevent the popping from occurring.

[elicross]

That, my friend, **is** true bypass.

Heh. Yep. The whole "true bypass" thing started as a reaction to a lot of effects designer's hard work toward eliminating that pop. That's what buffered pedals like the Boss line are all about: a switching circuit more complex than the double-pole, double-throw pushbutton that causes a distinct pop when you engage an effect.

Players decided this more complex circuit was sucking their tone, so they started demanding non-buffered stomps. But you can't have it all; if you want true bypass, you're going to have the occasional pop. If you want to avoid that, you'll have to go with buffered pedals.

Certain things, like overdrives or boost, can emphasize that pop and make it more annoying. A delay will repeat it and make it more noticeable. Ultimately, it's a trade-off you can either live with or not. If you can't live with a 60Hz hum, then you go to humbuckers or noiseless pickups and sacrifice the sound of a true single coil; if you can't live with the occasional pop when you engage a stomp box, you go with buffered pedals and maybe accept a little tone suckage.

(I'm not 100 percent convinced that buffered pedals are a significant detriment to your signal -- especially compared to the feet of cable and patch cords used to connect multiple effects, which a buffered pedal can actually improve.)

[azfarrier]

Thanks for all the replies. All the cables seemed fine but just for the heck of it I unplugged and then replugged all the cables and the power cords. Apparently something wasn't a tight fit because everything is working fine now.

[hippiebob01]

Apparently something wasn't a tight fit because everything is working fine now.

but seriously, glad you got it all worked out.

[elicross]

[Rickenjangle]

I think, when you are going to use a bunch of pedals on a pedalboard (and I have at least 9 on mine) you've got to accept that tone suckage is just going to happen - just like if you want to play a guitar with P90's you're going to get that hum - and adjust accordingly at the amp for any EQ problems. Having said that, i have to say that I hear very little difference at all between 1 or 2 pedals and 8 or 9 - it's only noticeable when you compare guitar => Amp vs. guitar => pedalboard => amp.

[Erock_Germany]

Yep, tone sucking is a part of life with long FX loops but I have found using a line boost/clean boost right after the tuner in front of all FX does the trick . keeps signal up, keeps tone flowing and hits the front of the amp with the signal strength you want - the rest is up to the amp I guess...

[Madmoon]

I remember reading an article on this subject years ago. It said something about static build up in the switch itself. The solution was simple. Press the switch on & off 4 or 5 times and it discharges the static and cuts down on the pop. Though... I could have possibly had a Flashid Acback and never read anything.

[Madmoon]

Forgot to add that the same thing happens with cord connections. Pulling them in & out remedies some of those problems. That's what possibly happened when you unplugged and replugged them.