RedSeven Amplification SMART PATCH SP User manual

SMART PATCH
model: SP
User Manual

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INDIEX
INTRODUCTION pg 3
POWER SUPPLY pg 3
TECHNICAL FEATURES pg 4
PASSIVE MODE pg 6
AUDIO FEATURES pg 7
CONNECTION EXAMPLES pg 8
TROUBLESHOTTING pg 14
WARRANTY pg 14

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INTRODUCTION
Smart Patch is the brain of your pedalboard. Think of it as a central hub for all the audio connections
in and from your board.
It’s smart (as the name suggest) because it allow to connect the board to your amp or amps
configuration without touching a single cable on your board.
Dual buffer, auto routing, polarity switch for the stereo amplifier, transformer isolated path, all the
features are really at the disposal of the modern gigging guitarist.
POWER SUPPLY
Smart Patch operate at 9 volts negative center @100mA. Try to over-power the unit can be dangerous
for his internal switching system.
NOTE: Smart Patch can operate in passive mode too, without any voltage applied. You’re going to lose
some key features as the dual buffer and polarity switch, but it will guarantees you a partial but safe
operation.

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TECHNICAL FEATURES
(right side – amplifier side)
• GUITAR INPUT:this is where to insert the cable coming from your guitar.
• OUTPUT: output from your board to the input of your amplifier.
• SEND: incoming signal from your amplifier’s effect loop send jack.
• RETURN L (mono): out coming signal to your amplifier’s effect loop return jack.
• RETURN R (stereo): out coming signal to your second amplifier’s effect loop
return jack or to a second amplifier input.
• SWITCH: TRS audio pass thru.
• MIDI THRU: as described, thru a five din midi female connector.

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(left side – pedalboard side)
• PEDAL INPUT:this is where your input fx chain starts, this output must be
connected to the input of your first pedal.
• OUTPUT: output from your last pedal will be connected here (your last pre-amp
pedal).
• SEND: this is where your loop effects fx chain starts, this output must be
connected to the input of your first send/return pedal.
• RETURN L (mono): output from your last pedal will be connected here (your last
loop effects pedal).
• RETURN R (stereo): output from your last pedal will be connected here (your
last loop effects pedal, if it’s a stereo one).
• SWITCH: TRS audio pass thru.
• MIDI THRU: as described, thru a five din midi female connector.
(front side – dip switches)
• INPUT BUFFER: this dip switch turns on/off the input buffer.
• RETURN R BUFFER: this dip switch turns on/off the output buffer.
• RETURN B PHASE: this dip switch flip 0/180° phase of the RETUNR R out.

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PASSIVE MODE
Reducing to the very basic concept of our Smart Patch, you can see it as an “interface”
and as any interface it can be used only as a patch point for your board to the external
world, so a passive interface.
What does this mean? With Smart Patch we wanted to do way more than a simple
passive interface but doing that, we needed a power source. Which road was the better
road? After a bit of thinking, we come up with a simple answer, and it was like “why not
both ways”?
Basically, by turning off some of the key features as the dual buffer and phase reverse
capability, you can use Smart Patch without any 9vdc source. The auto-routing features
still there, so it basically built to last forever and to assure you the continuity of your
audio signal also with no power!
In fact, if you are playing with one or both buffers turned on and all of sudden for some
reason the 9vdc cable of Smart Patch is taken off or simply dead, you are going to listen
simply nothing, or at least a little tone changing if you were using the buffers, but
definitely no silent…how cool is that?

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AUDIO FEATURES
• DUAL BUFFER: Smart patch offer two completely bypassable hi-grade audio
buffers, to prevent any tone loss due to high length cables or low quality ones.
One buffer is placed right after the INPUT of the system, the second one is placed
on the RETURN R, and it can be used as an output buffer if needed (please, take
a look at connection examples in the next page). Using Smart Patch in passive
mode automatically will bypass both buffers, to allow you a full passive audio
system.
• AUTO ROUTING: Smart patch with a series of passive switching system is able
to detect if you are using your amp fx loop or if you not, so it’s able to route pedal
chains in a single one if needed.
Why this? Let’s suppose you own an amp with an effects loop with all your
comp/drive/mod fx placed in front of it, and delay/reverb in the loop fx. You’re
going to attend a gig with a rental amp, let’s say a Blackface with no fx loop:
you’re forced to rewire your board or don’t use half of your fx chain.
Smart Patch is able to re-route your entire board (so using both pre and post fx)
without you touching a single cable, but only patching input and output in the
right place. Cool…ya?
• SPLITTING: Smart Patch can also split your signal into two. You wanna do a bi-
amp system? No problem, turn on the output buffer and patch your second
amplifier into RETURN R (stereo).
• ISO TRANSFORMER: RETURN R (stereo) have a ground isolation thru a high
quality 1:1 transformer to prevent the second amplifier to have any ground loop
issue.
• PHASE REVERSE: this switch allows you to perfectly phase reverse (180°) your
second amplifier, using RETURN R (stereo) output. Sometimes two amplifiers
cannot be phase aligned, so we have taken care of it. How to know if my amps
are phase aligned? Simply, trust your ear: connect both amplifiers, and set them
for the same amount of volume and then play a chord. If something sound wired,
with the lack of bass or you’re experiencing a comb filter issue, your amps are out
of phase, and you need to flip the switch so they will sound “right”. In the
opposite, if your amps sound worst after the switch flipping, turn it on the off
position, and enjoy your perfectly in phase amps.

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CONNECTION EXAMPLES
Please note that all the examples below are intended with a 9v power source.
No TRS/MIDI thru are shown, since it’s really straightforward.
Example 1 – Simple “in-line” board connection.
Signal comes from your guitar, to your board, and back to the input of your amplifier.
TIP: You can turn on/off the input buffer according to your taste, but we suggest to do it.
GUITAR
AMP INPUT
TO FIRST PEDAL INPUT
FROM LAST PEDAL OUT
(guitar input)
(output)
(pedal input)
(output)

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Example 2 – Simple two chains mono setup.
Signal comes from your guitar, to your board, and back to the input of your amplifier.
TIP: You can turn on/off the input buffer according to your taste, but we suggest to do it
Signal comes from send of your fx loop again into the interface (SEND), second chain of
pedals and the from RETRURN L of Smart Patch back to fx loop return.
GUITAR
AMP INPUT
TO FIRST PEDAL INPUT
FROM LAST PEDAL OUT
(guitar input)
(output)
(pedal input)
(output)
FX LOOP RETURN
FX LOOP SEND
(return L)
(send)
TO FIRST PEDAL INPUT
FROM LAST PEDAL OUT
(send)
(return r)

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Example 3 – Simple two chains stereo setup.
Signal comes from your guitar, to your board, and back to the input of your amplifier.
TIP: You can turn on/off the input buffer according to your taste, but we suggest to do it
Signal coming from send of your fx loop into again the interface (SEND), second chain
of pedals and the from RETURN L of Smart Patch back to fx loop return.
RETURN R is patched on the FX return loop of your second amplifier.
TIP: You can turn on/off the RETURN R buffer according to your taste, and also phase reverse this output.
GUITAR
AMP INPUT
TO FIRST PEDAL INPUT
FROM LAST PEDAL OUT
(guitar input)
(output)
(pedal input)
(output)
FX LOOP RETURN AMP 2
FX LOOP SEND AMP 1
(return L)
(send)
TO FIRST PEDAL INPUT
FROM LAST PEDAL OUT L
(send)
(return L)
FROM LAST PEDAL OUT R (return R) FX LOOP RETURN AMP 2
(return R)