Specifications

Here are the specifications for this looper. It should be able to drive the audio path through 8 effect pedals, and use true bypass to (de)activate each effect.
Each user patch should be able to switch on or bypass any effect pedal.

Unlike Carl Martin's Octaswitch, the looper should store the 8 user-defined patches to a flash memory, and does not use mechanical DIP switches for patch programming/saving.
I don't know yet if this is the best practical option , but the first goal here is fun :)

Main specs :
- 8 user-programmable patches
- uses flash-memory to store patches
- uses a bazillion LEDs for quick overview of current patch
- 8 DPDT relays for pedal bypass
- easy programming without additional switches
- A/B box feature for dual-guitar input
- 12v or 9v DC in

I think the looper should be easy to use :

- A click on any footswitch will toggle the matching FX patch on/off (so we can have a true bypass). A LED just above the switch will notify the user that the current patch is active. The eight LEDs above the jack effect loops will set be set on to show which effects are active, and which are bypassed.
- A long press (2 seconds) on ant footswitch will activate the programming mode for the matching FX patch. The patch LED starts to blink to notify this.
From now on, pressing any footswitch will toggle the matching FX pedal on/off for the current patch. Performing a long press on the patch's footswitch will leave the programming mode and save the chages to the flash memory.


More features could be added quite easily :
- Tuner-out
- Input buffer
- Split the chain to have 4 pedals in amp input, 4 pedals in amp's FX loop
- Built-in boost pedal

Building a guitar looper/switcher

My guitar pedalboard is currently loaded with a bunch of pedals.

A common issue with separate pedals is that switching from one sound to another needs a bunch of foot clicking, which isn't as fast as using a multieffect patch (and also leads to many errors).
In order to switch quickly from one sound to another, I decided to build my own looper.

Similar tools already exist ready to sell (something I didn't knew before starting my build), like the Carl Martin Octaswitch, however I decided to make my own anyway...

My looper is still in an early prototyping stage, has a few bugs, and has not been tested with my pedalboard yet. 
I still have to buy an expensive metal enclosure, so I'm still trying to find a cheap option.

The prototype : a huge mess of wires !

More coming soon.