ShortScale.org

I was gonna make this a poll, but then decided the answers were getting too complicated. So this could be considered thinly-veiled market research, but the answers may interest y'all anyway. I won't lead the discussion, but a few years ago one sort of bypass was the only game in town, but fashions have changed so the questions deserve asking.

1) Does soft-touch true bypass (true mechanical bypass, with a relay) add value to a pedal, or do you prefer the click of a stomp switch?

2) What about soft-touch using electronic switching. Does this only bother you if it affects the actual sound in bypass or would you avoid out of principle?

3) What about buffered bypass. Do you avoid this out of principle?

4) If a pedal ships with 'Millenium Bypass', do you consider this not to be true bypass. Does it bother you?

No idea what soft touch is, but I like things to click or preferably thunk, so I'm going to guess I'm against it.

I'm not so fussed about bypass, but probably prefer true bypass because it means that I don't need to be fussy about what fuzz pedals come after it. I wouldn't be put off by buffers, except that I'd know that I'd have to accept that there will be limited cascading options available because certain fuzz pedals might sound a bit rubbish. Also, good buffers are necessary of you're being realistic about a sizable board.

I was never sure what millenium bypass was. I understood it to be a slightly easier way of wiring true bypass with no real side effects?

I don't care if its buffered as long as its a good buffer

Soft touch is preferable but not a deal breaker if it isn't, there seems to only be a handful of soft touch brands anyway

I don't have any pedals that are soft touch, but I think they'd be useful for some live use when I need to switch a pedal on during a very quiet moment - very awkward when doing pit band work when there is a quiet bit in a production and then across the stage everyone can hear the awkward click as you turn a pedal on for the song that's about to start.

If I could, I'd have all my pedals be soft switch. I don't know the logistical reasons behind not having them but I recently asked for some on a pedal I was having modded and the guy just never bothered with them... I should of probably said something but it's not the end of the world.

For the same reason Gabe mentions above, there's nothing worse during quiet moments of songs hearing a big clunk from your pedals... It all depends on the music you play and if it really bothers you or not...

i think my DT-10 has soft touch, and it's quite nice. wouldn't sway my decision either way with regard to buying pedals though.

BacchusPaul wrote:I'm not so fussed about bypass, but probably prefer true bypass because it means that I don't need to be fussy about what fuzz pedals come after it. I wouldn't be put off by buffers, except that I'd know that I'd have to accept that there will be limited cascading options available because certain fuzz pedals might sound a bit rubbish. Also, good buffers are necessary of you're being realistic about a sizable board.

I was never sure what millenium bypass was. I understood it to be a slightly easier way of wiring true bypass with no real side effects?

agreed with all that ^

1. True bypass is fine in the sense that it's simple, reliable and amounts to just another couple of inches of cable to my chain. What bothers me about it is the 'click' of the stomp switch. Now I'm getting more and more into studio work, a quiet switch is becoming more desirable and I'd be prepared to pay a bit more for that.

2. I wouldn't avoid 'soft switching' out of principle. As long as it doesn't colour the sound when the effect is off, I'm cool with it.

3. Buffered bypass is fine with me. As long as the buffer is a good, transparent one. i.e. Boss bypass is fine, cheap Danelectro not so much (my Fab Tone is a treble sucker). I don't use any fuzzes that are sensitive to that sort of thing.

4. I don't suppose *on paper* that Millennium bypass is strictly speaking 'true', but I've not really familiar with it TBH. If it doesn't suck tone, I have no objection to it.

In short, I'm okay with any switching system that's quiet and doesn't affect the tone when the effect's switched off. Use whatever works!

To honest I don't give bypass a thought. If the pedal sounds cool that's good enough for me.

Johno wrote:To honest I don't give bypass a thought. If the pedal sounds cool that's good enough for me.

^this. im constantly amazed at how much people bother about this sort of thing.

I spoke to a guy the other day who was convinced that his Boss DD7 was true bypass, and seemed genuinely upset when I suggested otherwise.

Personally, I don't really care. I don't think any of my pedals are true bypass, unless a Dunlop Crybaby is?

My answers:



1) Does soft-touch true bypass (true mechanical bypass, with a relay) add value to a pedal, or do you prefer the click of a stomp switch?

Yes, I prefer soft touch - as long as the on/off 'feel' can be reasonably discerned. I feel mechanical standard switches are more likely to give up. It wouldn't affect my choice of pedal ever though.



2) What about soft-touch using electronic switching. Does this only bother you if it affects the actual sound in bypass or would you avoid out of principle?

I don't like this idea. I try to eliminate digital from my signal chain as much as possible, especially before the amp.



3) What about buffered bypass. Do you avoid this out of principle?

I actually PREFER buffered pedals (except maybe in a fuzz). The supposed superiority of true bypass is bullshit imo (in most applications). I use lots of pedals, I don't want loads of true-bypass pedals to detrimentally affect my signal. Having at least one pedal with buffered bypass somewhere in my chain is always desirable imo, especially near the front.


4) If a pedal ships with 'Millenium Bypass', do you consider this not to be true bypass. Does it bother you?

Sorry, never heard of; don't know what this is.


General comment: I think Visual Sound have the best footswitches and have the best form of bypass.

I used to be all about the true bypass, but then Shortscale educated me and I realised that all the hype is nonsense. Now all my pedals are buffered and it works fine for me. Re switches, as far as i'm concerned the world would be a better place if all pedals had great big switches like Boss pedals - easier to hit on stage and you can hit 2 or 3 at a time.

A buffer is great if it's a good buffer, but not all buffers are created equal and a shit one is worse than a whole load of true bypass.

there's so much crap written on both sides it boggles my mind.

I'm not really knowledgeable enough to answer the questions very well however some high level thoughts:

I know that lots of pedals with true bypass means tone suckage (top end mainly?) therefore I understand the value of (good) buffers). This raises the questions to me: How many buffers are too many? Do they stack on each other to infinity or will they just bump the signal to where it would be naturally with no pedal in the chain? I don't know.

I would always like a stomp switch of any kind to not make a pop when you turn it on. i don't know how.

So an ideal scenario for me is this:

It does not pop. It buffers the signal without colouring the tone when off and will not adversely stack with other buffers. otherwise it's a hellish logistical nightmare of combining buffered and true bypass to work out some theoretical return to a straight chain.

obviously i don't really understand enough here but I'm sure my 'impression' will count for a fair whack of a given pedal buying demographic.

I'd make sure you 'sell' the points with reasoning: i.e. it's s silent switch, it's got a great transparent buffer that retains your original signal/tone. true Bypass is not useful in many contexts with a lot of effects hence your design is the best of all worlds etc..

I'D LOVE SILENT SWITCHING ON ALL MY PEDALS.

1) Does soft-touch true bypass (true mechanical bypass, with a relay) add value to a pedal, or do you prefer the click of a stomp switch?

wwrrss wrote:I'D LOVE SILENT SWITCHING ON ALL MY PEDALS.

2) What about soft-touch using electronic switching. Does this only bother you if it affects the actual sound in bypass or would you avoid out of principle?
the Hardwire pedals are all true bypass using digital switching (or optionally, buffered, on the delay and reverb) and it doesn't seem to suck any tone. However, it does make an audible (mechanical?) click when i do it, so I prefer the buffered bypass.
3) What about buffered bypass. Do you avoid this out of principle?
Hell no. Buffers are my friends. I like a sparkly clean tone. (also putting any buffered pedal in front of my Behringer Big Muff copy fixes the bypass)
4) If a pedal ships with 'Millenium Bypass', do you consider this not to be true bypass. Does it bother you?
I don't give a shit. As long as it doesn't suck any tone, treble or bass.

Boss pedal cases are my favorite. I want all my pedals in similar boxes.