My apologies, I took it as just use the workaround of duplicating program files.

 

Below is my workflow, I hope I wrote it out clear enough to understand, please ask questions on anything that is not clear.

Thanks, Kevin

 

Effect Workflow:

Why use a Switcher like the Boss ES 8?

For me there are 2 primary reasons to use an effects switcher:

1 – To be able to switch multiple devices on/off and change multiple effect parameters by pressing 1 button or expression pedal. This is critical when you need to change multiple things instantly while playing guitar and possibly singing, there is just no time to hit multiple switches because you would hear each transition separately. Plus it would be a major distraction for me. I just want to play guitar and sing a bit without trying to tap dance on my pedal board. I try to fit as much into 1 bank as practical, so I take advantage of the ES 8’s advanced features that allow me to repurpose switches.
2 – To take unused pedals out of the signal path and have the ability to change the order of the loops.

Pedal Board Layout: 

Front left to right – H90, ES 8, Dunlop Vol/Expression pedal, Mimi Cry Baby wah wah

loop number and device: 1- Wah, 2 – UA Max compressor, 3 – Rockbox BoilingPoint, 4 – Wampler Euphoria, 5 – Hendrix Fuzz, 6 – Fulltone OCD, 7 – Source Audio EQ2, 8 – H90. Keep in mind that the loop order has no bearing on how the patches are set up for Memory Mode.

Notes:

– I run in Mono and I use a Shure Wireless system.
– I only use the H90 in loop 8 when I’m using an amp without an FX loop. Otherwise I go from H90 ch1 to my amp FX loop (I don’t care for the 4 cable method).
– The EQ2 is split stereo and can have independent outputs. So loop 7 is for front end EQing and the second output goes into the H90 ch 3 insert for routing within the H90.
– I primarily use the editing apps on my Mac rather than editing and programming on the devices.

Studio:

In my studio my amps, speakers, effects and attenuator are connected through a de Lisle Amp-Speaker Selector switch.

8 amps, 6 cabinets, FX loop and attenuator.

Gigs:

For gigs I usually take 1 amp head and 1 cabinet and my pedal board.

ES 8 Loops: I’m just going to show the first loop to give you an idea what I do and this is sort of a hybrid work in progress version that I use with my Strymon pedals (since the H90 MIDI is not able to do these things at this time).

For simplicity I’ll just refer to a configuration where the amp has an effects loop:

ES 8 Loop 1 default Memory Mode – This is my clean channel. Output buffer ON +4dB (I only do this on loop 1), Amp on clean ch, front end only Wah Wah enabled, H90 program, preset 1 Is some kind of delay in series with preset 2, a spring reverb (or plate). I will often send a CC along with the PC to have the delay bypassed or set to a low mix level and control it with the expression pedal (through MIDI) or one of the repurposed ES8 buttons.

Repurposing ES 8 buttons

CNUM I always use CNUM as a boost or gain for a lead sound, so it may enable the compressor or one of the OD/distortion pedals or the Amp lead ch and I may enable the EQ at that same time and/or enable the delay on the H90. Also if I’m using my Boogie MkV 35, I can enable the Solo mode on the amp, which is basically a boost on the amp.

MUTE  I pretty much always repurpose the Mute button, I might use the EQ to scoop the mids a little for when the vocals come in which helps the vocals cut better in the mix. Most of the time I’ll just lower the volume on my guitar but if I’m playing some funk rhythm or something else where you can’t get to the volume, it can be really useful. I usually don’t use my volume foot pedal because I can’t get as accurate and besides I use it as an expression pedal a lot. I can also use it to change other parameters on the EQ or H90.

BankD/BankU I can make a program change and stay in the same patch. However it is not a toggle, so if you want to go back and forth, you’ll need to use 2 buttons. This is cool because I can still use my other repurposed buttons and I don’t have to use up another patch.

So lets say I am using the Mute as mentioned above, then I would use the BnkD and BnkU buttons to change the PC back and forth. So for example I’m playing that nice clean sound with reverb and a little delay but the bridge has a chorus (or some other modulation) on it. So now if I don’t use my tricky PC with the repurposed buttons, I would need to eat up another patch on the ES 8. Also, if I program things correctly my expression pedal would control the mix on the program with the delay and maybe the speed or depth on the chorus program.

How you do this on the ES8:

Go to the CTL/EXP tab and set any buttons that you want to repurpose to OFF (You can’t repurpose the Memory/Manual button).
Go to the MIDI tab and use a transmit block and set it to Manual (leave the default block in auto) and set up your PC for the chorus program and you can also send CCs at the same time if you want. Then use another Transmit block to duplicate the default block but set to Manual instead of Auto.
Go to one of the Assign tabs and set SRC = BnkD, Target = Pat.M:PMIDI3 and set up another assign to go back to the previous program.

This is still a work in progress and I would only do the Bank button feature on 1 or 2 patches per bank. I will probably hook up an external switch to do this in the future.

Also the H90 buttons are available to bypass/enable or whatever I want to program them for. I have not gotten into programming the HotKnob and HotSwitches yet and I’m sure they will be helpful.

When using the controls on the H90 I must take caution not to get out of sync with the ES 8 programming since the ES8 is the center of controlling all my effects. Consistency with a complicated system is the best way to make it usable in real time.