Midi Interface for the Revival Drive

Recently I purchased the Revival Drive from Origin Effects. I was instantly blown away. This pedal is in another league than any other overdrive pedal I’ve ever tried. After a few minutes playing I knew it would be my new first choice of overdrives. I had to figure out a way to get the most out of its potential after placing it in my board. First I got the special TRS cable (made for me by Peter Kossek) so I could access the Blend overwrite and Mid boost with the TRS controls on my G2 from  GigRig – it worked perfectly.  But shortly after I missed the option of channel switching on the Revival Drive when I was changing presets on my G2.

While I had been exploring the Revival Drive, Peter Kossek had been developing a Midi Interface solving the challenge.

The Kossek FX Midi Interface

Last week I got it the Midi Interface for the Revival Drive – a special version for me with the power connection on top of it. That way it could hide in a corner under the tier on my board from Custom Pedal Boards.

Easy to connect and easy to set-up. Midi sent from my G2 thru my Strymons into the interface, standard 9 volt power and a standard TRS cable from the Interface to the Revival Drive – that’s it. After connecting and choosing the midi channel, it works very similar to my G2. When you want to add any of the main functions on the Revival Drive to a preset in G2, you hold the two edit buttons on the Midi Interface for 2-3 secs, choose the preset on the G2 you want to edit/add the Revival Drive setting to. When this is done, you choose between (or all of) the 4 buttons on the Midi Interface and you’re done, no saving, storing … just like the G2. Go to the next preset and repeat … when you want to play and stop adding thing with the Midi Interface you press and hold any of the four switches on the IF for 2-3 secs and that’s it.

So easy, so convenient 🙂

Below you get some of the technical stuff … guess it could be interested since it’s so new on the market. If the Revival Drive is new to you please read here.

The Kossek FX’s Midi Interface for the Revival Drive

The RD MIDI IF is a compact MIDI interface to control Bypass, Channel selection, Blend override and engage the Mid boost functions of the Origin Effects Revival Drive.

It holds 128 sets of functions (presets) , selected by Program Change received on the selected MIDI channel. Each function can be overridden using CC (Continuous Controller) on the selected MID channel.

Program the pedal control Initially, make sure that the On and Chan 2 LEDs on the RD MIDI IF correspond to the LEDs on the Revival Drive. If not, just press the Bypass and Channel footswitches on the Revival Drive until they do correspond.

Tech Specs MIDI In: standard MIDI, 5-pin DIN 180 degrees RD TRS: standard ¼” TRS cable between the RD MIDI IF and Revival Drive DC in: 9-12 V DC, 2.1 mm / 5.5 mm barrel center negative Power consumption: max 100 mA MIDI

 

 

 

Strymon Riverside – a pedal I didn’t buy

Strymon Riverside Multistage Drive Pedal

Reading the specs tells me it has everything I need. Having several other Strymon products, that I really like, almost made me buy the pedal without playing it. Fortunately I decided go check it out and I’m glad I did.

I saw every video available with the Strymon Riverside Multistage Drive, before I went to pick it up. The style/sound is a great alternative to the two other overdrives I have in my board (an Euphoria and the Plexi Drive Deluxe from Wampler), so I was really turned on.

It’s a really well made pedal. Some super cool features. Actually it has everything I’m looking for. There is room in my board for it. I have the bread and yet I didn’t buy … that’s scary!

Here’s why and please share your thoughts on this, maybe I’ve missed something.

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Problems with hum in my board

Problems with hum

First of all: let’s make something VERY clear – I’m no technician … I don’t know much about what’s going on inside my amps, pedals and stuff. I’m a pro guitar player who is really serious about how my set-up sounds. And even though I have many years experience with this, I still get surprised. Here are some experiences that might save you some problems with hum.

I’ve written about my pedals, boards and my power supplies. I’ve also written about my many learning experiences from setting everything up correctly, so it should be quite easy to make everything work.

I was ready to mount everything to my board. I will describe all my pedals as average or above. The power supply – the Ciokolate is awesome. I had the order of the pedals and had decided what outputs I should use on the Ciokolate. The pedals got the right voltage and the right current. I used the right cables so the polarity was ok and they all were on an isolated outputs. It should be working – and it did!!

But I noticed some seriously hum from my Plexi Drive deluxe.

sr-pedalboard-overview
Some of the pedals in my board … I love the sound of my Plexi and Euphoria – awesome pedals 🙂

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My pedal board 2016

This summer I decided to renew my board. I got a new guitar and suddenly my overdrive pedal wasn’t the right one. I had loved it for years, but with this new guitar it wasn’t the right one (they have grown apart, but are still friends). That made me start searching for a new overdrive. Fun but dangerous. My pedal board ended up with five new pedals, just because that overdrive wasn’t the right one. Try to explain that to you someone who doesn’t play guitar. 

Panorama pedalboard
Soren Reiff – pan pedal board

The technically stuff

Here’s something about the pedals and how the signal runs thru my pedal board 2016.

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Cioks Ciokolate – a professional power supply

Cioks Ciokolate – a professional power supply

The Cioks Ciokolate is a serious and professional power supply – strong as an elephant, available to adapt to different surroundings just as many human beings … and delicious (at least for us guitar players) as a candy bar. 

Why should I buy a new power supply?

It makes sense to ask me that, since I’ve written several posts about how fond I am of the Pussy power supply (also made by Cioks). When I returned from the oversea trip, I did with my new smaller board, I wanted to use my bigger board for the final recordings for my coming album. Suddenly I remembered that I stole the Pussy Power from that board right before I left for Canada. Since I’m very happy about my new smaller board, and have no intentions of letting it go, I needed a new power supply for my old board. I was just about to order another Pussy Power, when I remembered something.

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More Pussy power – Cioks Pussy power

Here's a view of my new and smaller pedalboard flipped upside down

An additional experience with the Cioks Pussy power supply

This summer I was invited to come to Canada and play with the great saxophone player Walle Larsson and his band. Since I had to travel overseas I had to resize my pedalboard and make some serious decisions about what to bring and what to leave at home.

Overseas travels and power supplies

Since I’ve been into racks for years I haven’t traveled overseas with a pedalboard before. I’ve heard from several friends that the solution often is batteries to avoid troubles with hum, but since I wanted to bring pedals that needed more power than 9 volts I had to find the a good solution. The solution wasn’t that far away … I looked at my big board, flipped it upside down and looked at my Pussy power supply … it took about five seconds to find the switch that made it possible to work with 120 V main voltage as well. It had all I needed for my new board – isolated sections, 9-15 volts, some of the sections with 400mA and a weight about one kilo … all I needed. (Actually it can deliver up to 24v if you need that!). A few minutes after I started mounting the Pussy power at my new and smaller board. I put some extra power chords in my suitcase, since I would receive the last pedals at my hotel in Canada and headed for the airport … ok, I did this some days in advance of my flight … I like to be organized 🙂

Here's a view of my new and smaller pedalboard flipped upside down
Here’s a view of my new and smaller pedalboard flipped upside down with the Cioks Pussy power mounted with Velcro and a “seat belt” for the plane trip

Powering up

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Empress buffer+

A buffer or a buffer+ ??

What does the Empress buffer+ do, and do I really need a buffer? … I mean there are several interesting pedals out there that can do some really exiting stuff, so why spend money on a pedal that doesn’t add a wild distortion or other ‘stuff’ to your sound? Well let me try to tell you about my experiences with buffers and why I just got the Empress buffer+.

When I made my pedalboard a couple of years ago I spent hours reading about true bypass, browsing the internet to find the right pedals, cables and jacks. I was very happy and excited about most of the stuff I ended up buying. But I must admit I was confused and disappointed when I finally put everything together and plugged my guitar into the board and amp … what happened to that nice warm and present tone I just had a minute ago, going directly into the amp?

Empress Buffer+ @ Soren Reiff board 2014
Overview of my board 2014 with the Empress Buffer+ down in the right corner

After talking to some of my more nerdy friends who have had boards for years, I was recommended a buffer. Actually a guy in a music store already mentioned a buffer to me, when I was complaining about how all the volume pedals choked the tone while I was trying out all the different brands – and back then I replied that I was looking for one good volume pedal … not a volume pedal AND something to fix it. But now I was a bit more ready to hear about buffers. Again I’m not into all the technical stuff … I just want it to sound good.

Let med try to explain very briefly what a buffer does.

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Empress Tape Delay Pedal

I’ve been addicted to delay machines since the 80’s – now I’ve just become addicted to the new Empress Tape Delay Pedal.

I got my first delay fix from a Boss pedal in the late 70’s – the same time the Chorus CE-1 entered the market. Shortly after realizing I had a delay-addiction, I started looking for more serious alternatives to the noisy Boss and bought my first rack unit.

Since then I’ve been through a lot of different units. The TC 2290 has been a favorite and the brain/center in my rack-setup for years. A few years ago, when I decided to go for a pedalboard solution instead of the rack. I searched the market for a while and ended up buying the the Empress Vintage Modified Superdelay, which in my opinion, is the best delay pedal around. It sounds awesome, has tons of configurations, and even the ability to save up to eight presets.

empress tape delay pedal - Soren Reiff board 2014
Empress Tape Delay together with the Empress Compressor and the Radial Tonebone placed in my new board – 2014

Why should I ever consider buying anything else?

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New pedalboard

Some years ago, when I decided to go for a pedalboard solution instead of the rack setup that I’ve used for years, I searched the market for quite a while to find the right pedals for my new board. I ended up buying some really good, and unfortunately not cheap, pedals. The upside is that they are reliable and sound awesome, so now I don’t have to worry about purchasing ‘upgrades’ … or? 🙂

Why should I get a new pedalboard?

Well, last year I was invited to play in Canada this summer. When I got a little closer to my trip and started thinking about what to bring, I realized I had to cut down my current pedalboard, if I wanted to avoid spending a fortune on surcharges at the airports. What could I remove?? Actually, I loved my board as it was and didn’t want to lose anything, but I had to let something go. Some tough decisions had to be made, so I started browsing the internet again… and I inevitably ended up checking out what the brands I already used (on my main board) had to offer.

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Empress Effects Compressor review

This review of the Empress Effects Compressor can actually be really short! Here it is: buy it!!

That’s it … these reviews are my personal unfiltered opinion and if you are considering to add a compressor to your pedal board the Empress Effects Compressor is the thing – over and out 🙂

But ok, let me add a little more to this.

Compressors and me

When I was teenager I could spent hours in music stores (I actually still can, but time doesn’t allow me any more), checking out new gear, new guitars and new pedals. Back then I was pretty turned of by compressors. I couldn’t hear that big a difference if I turned the pedal on or off … when I had squeezed the knobs for hours to extreme settings and could hear the difference, I didn’t like what the compressors did to the sound … very understandable, so I did never buy any compressor back then. Now, when I know a little more about adjusting compressors and what they are suppose to do things has changed.

Soren Reiff Empress Effects Compressor 3

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