Start up modification question

[merkaba22]

I have a TimeFactor on a pedal board that along with an Ethos overdrive pre-amp/power amp unit and a tuner that is setup currently to power up all of the units at the same time.

The TimeFactor apparently has a boot up sequence that discharges a loud/strong signal that is pushed through the Ethos and out my speaker — which is fairly problematic, even when the Ethos is set to conversation level.

Is there way to mute this discharge (of voltage?) during the powering up of the TF?  Or is there another solution other than the obvious work-around of having to wait until the TF is powered up before turning on the Ethos, etc.?

[nickrose]

You should never power up ANY audio equipment with amplification on – speaker damage is likely. If you love your speakers you will turn the amp down before powering off, and only turn it up when everything has powered up.

That said, you could experiment with the different bypass modes – some may be quieter than others in your particular configuration at power up.

[merkaba22]

Please  elaborate on: "… you could experiment with the different bypass modes – some may be quieter than others in your particular configuration at power up."

[merkaba22]

Thank you for your reply but could you please be more informative, if you know what you mean  when you state: "…you could experiment with the different bypass modes – some may be quieter than others in your particular configuration at power up"

[nickrose]

Mainly I mean try them and see what the differences are.

For example, if you get a click caused by DC leakage from the pedal's input, "RELAY bypass" will not be helpful, but "DSP bypass" might fix it.

[merkaba22]

Thank you for the additional clue to find out how to address the issue —  in reading under the System Menu Tree, p 32 of the TF manual, the capabilities for controlling input and DSP signals you describe are presented.

For clarities sake, however, the issue is caused by discharge at the pedal's output (to the Ethos) during startup (of the TF) when no input signal is fed into the TF — ie., not by input where bypass selection is directed to input and DSP signals reaching the output.

If I understand your suggestion properly.

[nickrose]

Even so, it is worth at least trying the bypass options.

But, the main solution is to power up with your amp turned down – this is sensible practice. Can't say any more.

[merkaba22]

I will check it out, thanks — but I see no reason whatsoever to repeatedly lecture on how to use electronics … it would be, imho, far more constructive to "understand" that controlling unwanted discharges at the time of startup of the TF, no matter what unit follows in the signal chain, is desirable and for the good of all.

[badmelonfarmer]

+1 to what Nick suggests 

cant think of many devices that don't go pop.

Power amp on last…. Off first …. Always what I have done due to this reason.

[nickrose]

Since you are an electronics expert, you will know that it is very hard to totally control the behavior of circuitry during power-up. For this reason, we have a relay to disconnect the input and output until the circuitry has settled. As a result, unless you have DC leakage feeding the input, you will rarely get more than a slight click. Your case may be different, but my previous comments apply.

[merkaba22]

"Power amp on last…. Off first …. Always what I have done due to this reason." — that's the rule I follow 

That said, the "pop" of he TF seems to be uncommonly loud in my experience — its all good … all the same. there's always room for improvement.  fwiw.

[hywelg]

Guitar amp off or on standby> Connect pedal board to amp> Power on pedal board. Plug guitar in> tune it> Amp ON.

I'd say thats a pretty standard procedure. Get in the habit of switching to standby before unplugging guitar or any pedals. In a live situation its just bad form, in rehearsal room its annoying and at home its unnecessary.

[merkaba22]

Yea, I am a pro recording artist with over 25 years of playing experience and know this — the issue was whether there was a user adjustable feature on the relays in view of a limited circumstance/application …

Apparently, there is not and other common solutions apply — thank you for yor kind considerations.

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