The Diablo FX Sound Control 6 is a wireless effects-pedal-management system: a unit that lets a player turn analog or digital effects on and off with one button push, without running cables across the stage. It controls up to six pedals or effects loops, and it can be placed anywhere onstage. Vintage Guitar magazine reported on its launch in February 20131.
What it does
The Sound Control 6 sits between a player's pedals and their feet. You select which pedals you want "on" for up to four different channels, and each channel then turns on or off up to six pedals with a single button push1. Guitar Interactive Magazine called it "the first wireless all-in-one effects pedal management system"3.
Because the switching is wireless, the unit can be placed anywhere on stage, which removes the cable run between a pedalboard and the player's position23.
The Sound Control 6 was introduced to the world for the first time at NAMM 20131.
Bypassing and tone
For players worried about tone loss, Vintage Guitar reported that when a pedal is not in use, the Sound Control 6 will physically bypass that pedal so the audio signal is not degraded2. That matters with any switching system: pedals left in the signal path when switched off can load down or color the guitar's signal, and physical bypass takes the unused pedal out of the chain entirely.
Amp switching and other uses
Beyond managing pedals, the Sound Control 6 has two further modes reported at launch. That makes it a single box covering pedal management, amp channel switching, and loop control for players who run a digital processor alongside analog pedals31.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Pedal management | Turns on or off up to six pedals or effects loops, with up to four channels of presets21 |
| Amp switching | Used as an amp switching device31 |
| Digital processor loop | Used as an effects loop for a digital processor31 |
Where it came from
The Sound Control 6 was invented by Joseph Lockyer and Rick Schwab, and MusicRadar described it at the time as the first of its kind, a wireless pedal of a new type1. Vintage Guitar reported that it is made in the U.S.2. It belongs to the broader family of switching pedals and sits alongside multi-effects pedals as a way of organizing a rig.
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Questions
Does the Sound Control 6 affect my tone?
According to Vintage Guitar magazine, when a pedal is not in use the Sound Control 6 physically bypasses that pedal, so the audio signal is not degraded. Because the switching is wireless, the unit can also sit anywhere on stage rather than in the middle of your pedalboard chain.
How many pedals can the Sound Control 6 control?
The Sound Control 6 controls up to six effects pedals or effects loops. It offers up to four different channels, and each channel can turn on or off up to six pedals with one button push, according to MusicRadar's coverage of its launch.
Can the Sound Control 6 switch amp channels?
Yes. MusicRadar and Guitar Interactive Magazine both report that the Sound Control 6 can be used as an amp switching device, or as an effects loop for a digital processor, in addition to managing up to six effects pedals.
Where is the Diablo FX Sound Control 6 made?
Vintage Guitar magazine reports that the Sound Control 6 is made in the U.S.
Sources (3)
- NAMM 2013: Diablo FX launches Sound Control 6 pedal system, MusicRadar, 2013-01-12
- Diablo FX Launches Sound Control 6 Wireless Pedal, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2013-02-05
- Diablo FX Launches The First Wireless Guitar FX Control Pedal, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2013-01-11