Carl Martin Octa-Switch MK3 User Manual

Manual Octa-Switch MK3

Ok, so you have eight effects pedals which you use regularly. You use various combinations of these pedals
in various songs, but you are not good at tap dancing…or you are just clumsy and have stepped on the ultra
tricked out-metalized-distortion pedal for the lead in your one ABBA cover. You have seen the digital effects
controllers they use on the big stages, and have secretly yearned for one, even though you may never make
the big stage? Enter Thomas Guldmann’s Octa-switch. Your eight effects plug into the eight effects-loops on
the back of this unit (all true-bypass, impedance free gold relays so you can run any of your pedals, new and
old without problem), and then by turning on or off the numbered switches in each of eight DIP Bank switches,
you determine which effects you wish to use simultaneously in each Bank. There is a blue LED for every
effects loop used and for each Bank (so once you are programmed, when you step on Bank 6 you will see the
lights of all the effects you have assigned to Bank 6 and the Bank 6 LED). Once you have each Bank
programmed, we recommend placing a piece of scotch or electrical tape over each DIP (….just to protect the
switch from damage or floods….like beer). There is a buffered (or not….switchable) Mono input and a stereo
Output, and the unit is powered by dual 9v batteries, or by a regulated power supply.

Then by turning on or off the numbered switches in each of eight DIP Bank

switches, you determine which effects you wish to use simultaneously in
each Bank. There is a blue LED for every effects loop used and for each

Bank (so once you are programmed, when you step on Bank 6 you will see

the lights of all the effects you have assigned to Bank 6 and the Bank 6

Please note, the DIP switches are slide type, NOT push down. They are

easily operated with a small screwdriver, a pen, or a very very small finger.

There is a buffered (or not….switchable) Mono input

On large stages when running long connected cables, there is a definite drop
in the high end of your guitar sound (more or less depending on the input
impedance of your amplifier). The solution according to Thomas was once
again ‘simple’. He built in a buffer circuit at the input, so the user can choose
between 100% true bypass, or buffered bypass to ‘beef’ up the signal.

Loop 8 offer a mono send and a stereo return on a stereo jack plug,

with left at the jack tip and right at the jack ring.

LED).

The Octaswitch has stereo outputs, and a stereo return on Loop 8 (this is
a stereo jack with tip-left and ring-right). Since stereo effects like choruses
are placed at the end of your effects-chain, we would typically insert them
in Loop 8.

The Octa-Switch has nine switches, the eight are presets and the ninth is a
true bypass switch, which bypass the unit for clean sound.
Please note if the buffer is engaged it will also be engaged in the bypass
mode, which we recommend as on large stages when running long connected
cables, there is a definite drop in the high end of your guitar sound, the buffer
prevent that.

The Octa-Switch has two external switching jacks for changing
channel on your amp, or other operational features.
Operation is very simple as on the two corresponding DIP
switches you simply engage which of the presets 1-8 you which
the amp to change channel or turn on reverb, - boost or other
operational features.
So say you which to shift to a high gain channel on preset 6 via
ext. switch 1 you simply engage DIP switch 6, so now every time
you enter preset 6, the amp go to the high gain channel.
Please note that the different amps switching systems varies, so
we recommend to us a stereo jack, and then try to solder either
the hot on ring or tip, till the wanted result are achieved.
The External switches is Lacthing, we suggest you check if your
amplifier can work like this.

LOOP 8

Example on normal single amp operation

LOOP 7

LOOP 6

LOOP 5

LOOP 4

LOOP 3

LOOP 2

GUITARAMP

LOOP 1