Voodoo Lab Control switcher User manual

CONTROL SWITCHER
User’s Manual
www.voodoolab.com

Copyright ©2014-2020 by Digital Music Corporation.
This publication is protected by copyright and all rights are reserved. Voodoo Lab,
Control Switcher, Pedal Power, Ground Control, and Dingbat are trademarks of Digital
Music Corp.
rev 2.1

INTRODUCTION
Voodoo Lab Control Switcher lets you replace your amp's footswitch to instantly
automate channel switching and much more. It easily interfaces with everything
from vintage combos to modern heads. Plus, each switch is completely isolated
so you can control multiple amps or other footswitchable devices from a single
Control Switcher.
It works with any standard MIDI capable foot controller, loop switcher, and multi-
effect pedal like Line 6 Helix or HX effects, TC Electronic’s G-System & Nova
System, and many more. Control Switcher is also a great way to expand the
capabilities of a Ground Control Pro and GCX Rackmount Audio Switcher rig.
Using Control Switcher with your amp gives you the ability to remotely control
each function and create preset combinations of amp channels, onboard boost,
reverb, EQ, and FX loops. Now everything can be automated along with your
other effects in a single stomp. Thanks to its compact, low-profile design you can
mount it inside your combo amp, head, pedalboard, or rack.
Build the ultimate pedalboard with a Voodoo Lab Dingbat PX board including
integrated PX-8 PLUS programmable 8-loop audio switcher. This unique
patented design keeps all switcher connections under the board for more
useable space than any other switching system. Add Control Switcher for instant
one button control of your entire rig. Of course PX-8 PLUS with Control Switcher
are the perfect upgrade to any pedalboard.
CONNECTIONS

1. MIDI OUT. Echoes commands from MIDI IN for chaining devices.
2. MIDI IN. Receives MIDI commands and provides phantom power for Voodoo
Lab Ground Control Pro foot controller.
3. Power jack. Requires 9-12VDC or 9VAC at 100mA.
4. Control Jacks (4). Access to individual switch functions with 1/4” mono
jacks.
5. MULTI connector. Access to all 4 switch functions from a single connector.
6. Power LED. Indicates Control Switcher is powered on.
7. Buttons / Status lights. Buttons toggle switch functions on/off. Buttons light
up to indicate status. Also used to save programs and setup.
Switches
Control Switcher includes four automated switches which are used to replace
your amp’s footswitch. The switches can be accessed individually from the four
1/4” mono CONTROL jacks, or combined using the MULTI connector.
The MULTI connector provides access to all four switches with a common
ground. This is a standard 5-pin DIN connector which is commonly used for MIDI.
Plugging into any 1/4” jack isolates and removes that switch from the MULTI
connector.
MULTI Connector
Tip: If you want to make your own amp control cable using the MULTI connector,
start with a 5-pin active MIDI cable, cut off and replace the connector from one
end.
Please contact Voodoo Lab or refer to our web site to purchase a ready made
interface cable for many common amps.

MIDI Connections
Control Switcher receives MIDI commands from your controller to turn individual
switches on or off, and recall preset combinations of switch settings. It is
compatible with any MIDI capable controller, such as Ground Control Pro MIDI
footcontroller, PX-8 PLUS pedalboard loop switcher, and many other multi-effect
pedals and switchers.
You can route the MIDI signal from your foot controller to your devices in any
order that is convenient for cabling. Start by connecting a MIDI cable from the
MIDI OUT of your foot controller to the MIDI IN of your first device. Then patch
from its MIDI OUT (or MIDI THRU) to the MIDI IN of your next device. Continue
chaining in this manner until all devices have their MIDI inputs connected.
Power
Normally, you will power Control Switcher from its supplied adapter. To use a
different adapter or power supply, provide 9-12VDC at 100mA to a 5.5x2.1mm
barrel connector. Control Switcher can also operate from 9VAC.
Control Switcher can be powered from any output of the Pedal Power 2+ with its
DIP switch in the normal position. Other Voodoo Lab Pedal Power models can
use any 9V or 12V output.
Control Switcher will provide phantom power via its MIDI IN jack to power the
Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro MIDI foot controller. Use a MIDI cable that has
all 5 pins wired, commonly marked 5-pin active and power the Control Switcher
with 9V and at least 500mA.
You can also phantom power Control Switcher by providing 9-12VDC to its MIDI
IN jack, pins 1 & 3.
OPERATION
Once Control Switcher is connected to your amp and MIDI controller, you can
access individual switch functions by pressing the front panel buttons. The button
will light up to show the state of each switch. If your foot controller has instant
access buttons, these can also be assigned to directly control individual
switches.
You can save preset combinations of switch settings for recall with a single
button press. How to do this will depend on which type of MIDI controller you’re
using. The following sections explain using Control Switcher with the different
types of controllers.

USE WITH GROUND CONTROL PRO
Using the Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro, you will access Control Switcher as if
it were four loops of a GCX Guitar Audio Switcher. Ground Control Pro assigns
loops in the order the devices are chained. For example, a Control Switcher
connected directly to Ground Control Pro’s MIDI OUT will be GCX#1 loops 1-4. A
2nd Control Switcher would then be GCX#2 loops 1-4. Alternately, if MIDI is
routed to a GCX first and then Control Switcher, the GCX is #1 and Control
Switcher becomes GCX#2.
You will setup Ground Control Pro as if you have a GCX. Here’s how:
1.) Press both SETUP buttons to enter setup mode.
2.) Press EXPANDERS.
3.) Press YES/+ to turn on GCX-1. You have enabled GCX#1 loops 1-8. To
enable more GCX loops, press BANK then YES/+ to turn on GCX-2. You can
enable up to four GCX modules.
4.) Press either SETUP button to see “EXIT Y/N” then press YES/+ to exit setup
mode.
Refer to the Ground Control Pro user’s manual for a detailed description of how
to assign instant access buttons to individual loops and create preset
combinations of loop settings.
USE WITH PX-8 PLUS
The Voodoo Lab PX-8 PLUS pedalboard loop switcher provides true bypass for
better tone and let’s you recall preset combinations of pedal effects with a single
button press. Adding Control Switcher let’s each PX-8 PLUS preset recall your
amp settings as well for a complete one button tonal makeover.
PX-8 Plus should be configured for Preset Method which is the default setting. If
this setting has been changed, refer to SETUP in the PX-8 PLUS manual. When
you recall a preset on PX-8 PLUS, it will send a MIDI program change (PC)
message on MIDI channel 1.
For Control Switcher to respond to PX-8 PLUS, you must enable program
change (PC). To do this, power on while holding button #1. Release when LEDs
flash. Now press button #1 once so its LED is on and all others off. Remove
power.

Now PX-8 PLUS presets will recall preset combinations of Control Switcher
switch settings as follows:
1.) Select the desired PX-8 Plus preset by pressing A, B, C or D, within Bank 1-9.
Control Switcher will respond by recalling whatever is currently saved for this
preset (possibly the default saved preset, which is all four switches off).
2.) Set the four Control Switcher switches to the desired on/off combination.
3.) With the desired combination set, press and hold Control Switcher button 1
while then also pressing button 4 (and then, release both buttons). The LEDs will
blink to confirm that the this combination is now saved.
Now, whenever this PX-8 Plus preset is selected, your Control Switcher will recall
these saved switch settings.
Repeat steps 1-3 to configure additional presets.
USE WITH OTHER MIDI CONTROLLERS
You can use Control Switcher with any MIDI footcontroller, multi-effect pedal or
loop switcher capable of sending MIDI program change (PC) or control change
(CC) messages. Follow the instructions below in the SETUP section of this
manual to set Control Switcher to respond to either PC, CC or both message
types, as well as which MIDI channel. If you are using CC, you also need to
specify which group of CC numbers.
Once set up, you can save and then recall preset combinations of switch settings
by sending a PC message from your MIDI controller. Here’s how:
1.) Send the PC message from your MIDI controller for the preset you want to
create.
2.) Set the Control Switcher switches to the desired combination.
3.) Press and hold button #1. At the same time, press button #4. The LEDs will
blink to confirm that you saved the preset.
Now whenever Control Switcher receives this PC message, it will recall your
switch settings.
Note: You must configure Control Switcher to respond to PC messages.
Instructions are in the following section, MIDI Program Change and Control
Change Enable.

SETUP
MIDI Program Change and Control Change Enable
You can set whether Control Switcher responds to MIDI program change (PC),
control change (CC), both message types, or none.
Note: When using Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro, you should disable both PC
and CC.
The default is both PC and CC disabled.
PC messages are used to recall preset combinations of switch settings stored in
Control Switcher.
CC messages allow direct control of individual switches from your MIDI
controller. For example, this lets you use instant access buttons (IA) on your foot
controller to turn amp functions on and off.
Here’s how you set which MIDI messages Control Switcher will respond to:
1.) Apply power while holding down button #1. The LEDs will flash until you
release the button.
2.) Press buttons #1 and #2 according to this table.
Function
LED #1
LED #2
None*
OFF
OFF
PC only
ON
OFF
CC only
OFF
ON
Both PC & CC
ON
ON
*None is the correct setting for Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro only.
3.) Remove power when finished.
Set MIDI Channel
MIDI program change and control change messages include a channel number,
1 through 16. Control Switcher will only respond to messages received on its
specified channel.
The default MIDI channel is 1.
Note: When Control Switcher is being controlled by a Voodoo Lab Ground
Control Pro, its MIDI channel is ignored.

Here’s how you set the MIDI channel:
1.) Apply power while holding down button #2. The LEDs will flash until you
release the button.
2.) Find your desired MIDI channel from the table and press each button to
match.
MIDI
Channel
LED #1
LED #2
LED #3
LED #4
1
OFF
OFF
OFF
OFF
2
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
3
OFF
ON
OFF
OFF
4
ON
ON
OFF
OFF
5
OFF
OFF
ON
OFF
6
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
7
OFF
ON
ON
OFF
8
ON
ON
ON
OFF
9
OFF
OFF
OFF
ON
10
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
11
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
12
ON
ON
OFF
ON
13
OFF
OFF
ON
ON
14
ON
OFF
ON
ON
15
OFF
ON
ON
ON
16
ON
ON
ON
ON
3.) Remove power when finished.
Select Control Change Numbers
Each MIDI control change (CC) message includes a controller number which
specifies the Control Switcher switch to turn on or off. You can select from eight
different groups of CC numbers.
The default group is CC numbers 80-83, which means that 80 controls switch #1,
81 controls switch #2, 82 controls switch #3, and 83 controls switch #4.
Here’s how you select which CC numbers Control Switcher will respond to:
1.) Apply power while holding down button #3. The LEDs will flash until you
release the button.

2.) Press buttons 1, 2 and 3 according to this table.
CC #
LED #1
LED #2
LED #3
80-83
OFF
OFF
OFF
84-87
ON
OFF
OFF
88-91
OFF
ON
OFF
92-95
ON
ON
OFF
64-67
OFF
OFF
ON
68-71
ON
OFF
ON
56-59
OFF
ON
ON
60-63
ON
ON
ON
3.) Remove power when finished.
Set Switch Function
Each of the four switches can be set to function as normal, reverse or
momentary.
Normal: This is the default setting and works correctly for most applications. The
LED shows the actual state of the switch. It will be off when the switch is off
(open), and on when the switch is on (closed). This is sometimes referred to as
“normally open” or N.O.
Reverse: This setting reverses the state of the LED. You should use reverse if
the LED is backwards. The LED will be on when the switch is off (open), and it
will be off when the switch is on (closed). This is sometimes referred to as
“normally closed” or N.C.
Momentary: Some amplifiers and effects will require the switch to be pulsed. This
simulates the action of a momentary switch. A momentary switch is on when you
step on it, and goes off immediately when you pick up your foot. Control
Switcher provides two different types of momentary switching:
Momentary Pulse On/Off: This type of momentary switch will pulse once to
turn on and pulse again to turn off. This is how a momentary switch that
selects between two amp channels or controls a single function like boost or
EQ will normally work. This is called pulse on/off.
Momentary Pulse On Only: Some amps will use multiple momentary
switches where each one selects a different channel. For example, you may
have three separate switches for clean, rhythm and lead channels. In this
case, you only pulse the switch for the channel you are selecting. This is
called pulse on only.

Here’s how you set Control Switcher’s switch functions:
1.) Apply power while holding down button #4. The LEDs will flash until you
release the button.
2.) Press each button to set the corresponding switch’s function. The LED
indicates the setting.
LED
Switch Function
Off
Normal
On
Reverse
Regular, Fast Blink
Momentary; Pulse On/Off
Irregular, Slower Blink
Momentary; Pulse On Only
3.) Remove power when finished.
Factory Reset
You can restore all of the factory default settings and clear any saved presets by
the following steps:
1.) Apply power while holding down both buttons #2 and #3. The LEDs will flash
until you release the buttons.
2.) LED #1 will be on. Press button #1.
3.) Press buttons #2, #3 and #4 as each LED comes on.
4.) When the reset is complete, the LEDs will blink three times and then stay off.
Remove power.

WARRANTY
North America Only
Voodoo Lab warrants this product against any defects that are due to faulty
material or workmanship for a period of five years from the date of original retail
purchase. This warranty does not include damage to the product resulting from
accident or misuse.
If the product should become defective within the warranty period, Voodoo Lab
will repair it or replace it free of charge, provided it is returned freight prepaid to
Voodoo Lab with a valid RMA (return material authorization) number. Return
shipping will be paid by Voodoo Lab within the U.S. only.
This warranty shall not apply to any goods that have been repaired or altered by
anyone other than the manufacturer. There are no warranties which extend
beyond the terms described herein.
Should you experience any difficulty with this Voodoo Lab product, contact us as
described below. If it is determined that the product must be returned to the
factory for repair, you will be issued an RMA and given shipping and packaging
instructions.
Outside North America
Regions outside North America please contact your country’s distributor for
warranty information.
HOW TO REACH US
You can reach us by any of the following:
Mail: Voodoo Lab
3165 Coffey Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Tel: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Forum: www.voodoolab.com/forum