I have an Alesis Microverb4 rack unit w/ no midi pedal or footswitch. How can I turn this on only for solos and have it off for the rest of the time? Do I need a footswitch, and if so, when it is off will it break the chain of the rest of the effects that are on constantly? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

i got the alesis quadraverb which is the same thing basically. i tried hooking up a one way footswitch to it and it only went up the presets, no down, bypass.... i havent forwarded the cash to get a midi switch but i think that might be what ya need

Yea I bought an A/B switch but I can't seem to figure out the set-up..do I have to run everything with dual cords that I want to run constantly? dunno. I'll have to look more into that a midi switch though, thnx.

I could build you a single looper if you want for cheap. Let me know.

A looper does just that -- takes a pedal out of the mix unless you want it in.

That'll work with a rack mount? and will it be a footswitch to turn the desired effect on/off?

What it does is either literally take the signal directly past the effect, completely cutting it out, or it brings the effect in like it normally would. No real magic to it, it's all mechanical. The only thing I do differently is that I drop the excess signal to ground when you switch so it's silent and there's no "BOOM" like with, say, a MORLEY A/B. I can do it either with no light, how I prefer it, or with a LED which is a bit more expensive just because the switch costs more and the led + mount costs more. We're looking at like $5 more though, just because the switch is $4 + the LED being $1 for a good one, and then the mount being like $.60. You'd need a battery clip, too, as the LED needs it. Like $1 more to that. It all depends on what features you want.

The best way to think of it is that if you had the effect in a case and we'd be adding the last part: the switch. All effects sit together and then have the very last part nearly all the same, called "the wrapper". The standard parts for the wrapper are:

-LED
-Battery Terminal
-Power adapter jack
-Switch
-Input jack
-Output jack

These are standard to every foot pedal. With rackmounts they will often have more than one effect and then a bunch of wrappers encased in a box that has multiple switches.

With a passive looper, what we do is make it so your signal comes in, then we either pass it to the effect or not. Pretty easy.

Also, if you have the money, the best place I have ever found for single loopers is WOBO (*www.woboge.com I believe). Dude has an EBay store.

His single looper is $89 + shipping and worth EVERY SINGLE CENT. He uses relays to preserve the sound and the switching is perfect and clean as a whistle. Dude knows his shit and offers a lifetime warranty.

I could build one for about half that, minus shipping, and obviously guarantee it, but it's not remotely as well done. Does the trick though, and keeps the sound true-bypassed.

nicky, with the money he would invest in a single looper he could just sell the microverb and buy a reverb pedal and put that on his board (assuming he's using a pedalboard).

trying the set up your proposing is just a little much for being able to turn reverb on for solos.

Well, I mean I can build the looper for as little as $25 if that's what he wants.

I know I thought of this but the effects unit has chorus/flange/reverb/delay..so I'd need a few pedals to cover what it already has. I'm thinking this single loop may just be what I need.

if you're looking for control multiple effects on the microverb, id just get a midi controller for it.

or try the single looper and support nick.

WOBO does a MIDI controller, too, that's top notch, though I've never used it. I own 2 WOBOs - The AB/Y and the Single looper - and couldn't be more satisfied. That said, I can build any mechanical switch or any pedal that doesn't use ICs, though I mostly do it for myself. The reason I say no ICs at the moment is I have been having trouble locating the right ones and then I suck at soldering the tiny pins.

Took a while looking for a midi controller for this model yesterday and not having much luck, I think because its an older model, its gonna be a hard item to find unless by chance. Looked on e-bay, daddy's, and even from alesis themselves(which I'm sure I could order it for an outrageous amount of $$$ for) but was kinda looking for something used.

You are a simpleton. Look at all the effects I run, while simultaneously singing. You are a real dummy, to ask such an obvious i/o patch question. TRAVOLTA

not everyone can be as talented as you Sir Mike.