The LAA Custom SmartSwitcher is a remote, fully analog switching system, unveiled by LAA Custom in November 2021. It sits between your pedals and your amp, letting you switch effects loops on and off without the tone loss players associate with long chains of stompbox buffers. Guitar World reported that it boasts "a fully analog tone path that promises to preserve your pedals' purity"1.
Loops, expression inputs and MIDI
The switcher's core is its 10 effects loops. Four of those loops are stereo, and two offer built-in parallel and wet/dry functions, so on those loops you can run two pedals side by side or keep a dry signal alongside the wet one1. Beyond loop switching, the unit carries two expression pedal inputs for controlling expression and other compatible pedals, plus a MIDI in/out interface for tying into a MIDI setup1.
On the output side, the SmartSwitcher features LAA True Coil transformers on the main output, audio-grade buffers and a ground-loop isolator, a combination aimed at killing ground hum while keeping the signal path analog1.
Presets and the SonicMind app
Programming happens digitally even though the audio stays analog. The SonicMind app lets you digitally program analog pedal sequences into unlimited presets, and arrange them by song, setlist or scenario, which is how a player would organize a board for gigging rather than tapping through banks mid-set1.
The collaboration runs deeper than the app: LAA Custom's latest offering was designed in collaboration with SonicMind, the brand behind SmartSwitcher's digital control side1.
Availability
As of its unveiling on 10 November 2021, the SmartSwitcher had no release date. LAA Custom said a Kickstarter campaign was launching soon and directed players to follow the product's development for release news1.
The SmartSwitcher was announced ahead of a Kickstarter campaign rather than as a shipping product, so specifications and availability come from the unveiling coverage and may change before release1.
Videos
LAA-CUSTOM
Questions
Is the LAA Custom SmartSwitcher wireless?
The SmartSwitcher is described as a remote switching system controlled via a wireless Bluetooth SmartController, so the switching control is wireless. The audio path itself is fully analog, with LAA True Coil transformers on the main output, audio-grade buffers and a ground-loop isolator.
Is the LAA Custom SmartSwitcher analog or digital?
The SmartSwitcher's tone path is fully analog. Guitar World described it as a remote, fully analog switching system that promises to preserve your pedals' purity. The digital side is in the control: presets are programmed through the SonicMind app, and SonicMind is the brand behind the switcher's digital control.
How many effects loops does the SmartSwitcher have?
The SmartSwitcher features 10 effects loops. Four of those loops are stereo, and two of them offer built-in parallel and wet/dry functions, which lets you run two effects at once or split dry and processed signals on those loops.
Who designed the LAA Custom SmartSwitcher with LAA?
LAA Custom designed the SmartSwitcher in collaboration with SonicMind, the brand behind the switcher's digital control side. Presets are programmed via the SonicMind app.
Is the LAA Custom SmartSwitcher available yet?
As of its November 2021 unveiling, the SmartSwitcher had no announced release date. LAA Custom said a Kickstarter campaign was launching soon and pointed players to follow the product's development for release news.
Sources (1)
- LAA Custom aims to change the pedalboard switching system game with the fully wireless SmartSwitcher, Guitar World, 2021-11-10