Anyone aware of a vocal FX loop that could be engaged for multiple mics, each controlled separately?

[Benn Roe]

I'm envisioning a box that houses three to four separate XLR signal paths, each with its own input, output, and footswitch, but with each signal isolated from the others. The whole box would then also have a single typical send-and-return FX loop that could be engaged separately for each signal path, using the appropriate footswitch. Does anybody know of anything like this? It's sort of a niche use-case, I guess, but it seems like a relatively simple concept, and could be a powerful tool.

[Gone Fission]

I believe you could use an old Digital Music Corp/Voodoo Lab GCX for multiple parallel paths—the loops aren’t hardwired in sequence as stock, though some users modify them that way. I believe the loops are passive and relay switched, so this won’t do buffering or level matching if you need that. I think Voodoo Lab will still provide stereo cards, two of which would make each loop TRS stereo or you can stop at half.

So that’s my first guess at a device, but how are you running things? Mic preamps? Direct outs from mixer channels? What kind of effects (reverb and delay, compression and eq, other stuff)? Do you have inserts on mixer channels that can be tapped as splitters and extra mixer channels to burn? Aux sends?

[Benn Roe]

Hmm. I'll definitely look into that. Thanks. It would be direct out from mixer channels, for sure. I honestly haven't gotten as far as what specific effects, because I need something like this to make it even work, but it would definitely be more like delay and reverb, various types of modulation, not compression or EQ. We absolutely have extra mixer channels at our practice space, but this would be something we used live, so I would want it to be something we can handle entirely on a board, so as not to freak out the sound techs at venues. Interfacing with the mixer beyond just plugging in XLR cables wouldn't really be feasible.

[Gone Fission]

So do you need switchable loops or is this something where you could have MIDI-controlled input mutes (to let trails finish), and run the effects on aux sends or, if you run out, using the insert sends like aux sends, with the effects returned to spare channels? Run your reverbs and delays fully wet to avoid phase issues and to avoid worries about converters killing the dry signal.

Depending on the mixer, that could be down to just getting the cabling and connections right, and maybe some light MIDI automation. You can get a GCX cheap used, and they’re quality, but that doesn’t mean you need it. If you were talking something that you really want in series, though, the GCX is probably as good a pick for the application as anything.

[Benn Roe]

I'd be willing to consider anything that could be 1) run off a (pedal, not mixing) board, and 2) allow me to have one set of effects pedals that could be selectively applied to any combination of microphones. There are four of us in the band, we all do some amount of vocals, and I'd like vocal effects to be an option without having to have separate vocal boards for everyone, and without making them all-or-nothing in terms of which mics are using them at any given moment. I'm not thrilled with the idea of working MIDI into the concept, because it feels like needless complication, and I definitely don't want a solution that relies on the mixing board having anything beyond the necessary channels to mic us, since every venue's different, and we're as likely to be playing a basement show with a no-frills four-channel PA as a more traditional venue. I will definitely check out the GCX, and I appreciate all the help so far!

[Benn Roe]

Hmm. Yeah, the GCX doesn't seem like what I need. First of all, I really need this to be pedalboard functionality. We're not running any racks. Second of all, it definitely seems like overkill, but I'm also not sure it actually does what I'm looking for. I just need a single effects loop, but I'd like it to be able to be engaged separately for any or all of (ideally) four separate signals that otherwise just pass through the pedal without doing anything. It would also be huge if those signals used XLR inputs and outputs, but the effects loop used standard 1/4".

[Gone Fission]

If you’re relying on the house PA, you could use Eventide Mixing Link or Radial Engineering Voco Loco (original or Mk 2) units, one per mic, but that might get expensive fast. Also, that doesn’t really contemplate swapping effects units between separate mic channels without additional hardware. (If you’re not liking the GCX, you’re gonna hate my idea for swapping effects between four Mixing Links or Voco Locos: the 360 Systems AM16 (or AM16B) cross point switcher. It’s rack. It’s MIDI. It’s old and uncommon. But it can swap audio paths for this task.)

It might be cheaper to get an old Mackie or Allen & Heath Mixwizard with inserts and auxes and send a stereo, or probably mono, line to the house PA. With enough auxes (maybe six on Mix Wizards IIRC), adjusting which channels get to which aux does the effects swap magic.

Does every mic need completely separate effects? That’s what you would be doing with the Mixing Links or Voco Locos. If you’re just looking for bread and butter reverb or delay effects and can put everyone on the same effect bus, there are tons of affordable boards with decent built in effects that would simplify the bring-your-own-board approach. One of those boards with a single aux to an external effect unit would let you vary which effects or parallel blend of effects each channel gets. With a higher end modern digital live board, it may even be possible to build independent high quality effects chains per channel and have them switch around with whatever “scenes” programming they operate on, but that’s way outside of my knowledge base.

There’s so many ways to try to get to a solve on this, each with detriments of cost, weight, hassle, ease of use, etc., so I can really only throw ideas at this.

[dubkitty]

this is reminding me of my attempts to get some kind of mixing setup for my 3 loopers that allowed cross-fading. there really isn't anything out there i could find that's pedalboard-sized any more complicated than the tiny Red Panda mixer or what i ended up with, a Saturnworks 3-in/1-out with channel volumes. if i wanted to make life simultaneously easier and harder i'd get a small mixer and put it on a stand, but the big looping setup is already horribly complex with 3 boards and two amps with crossover. it'd be easier to control my levels, but i don't really need to introduce another potential noise source or gain-matching problem. so i'm still stuck with having to lean down over/between my knees which is rather less dignified than Robert Fripp's approach. if you come up with something let us know.