The TheGigRig AutoPot is a MIDI device for automating the controls on analog pedals. Shown at NAMM 2016, it lets you program presets on pedals that have no memory of their own: it attaches directly to the pot shaft on the outside of the pedal and turns the knob for you, with no electronic modification to the pedal. gearnews.com reported it as a way to "automate between preset sounds and also allow you to edit in real time your old analog" pedals1.
What it does
The idea is simple: many much-loved analog pedals, from phasers to overdrives, have only knobs, so every setting change means bending down and turning a dial. The AutoPot adds preset recall to those pedals from the outside. TheGigRig's own example, as reported by gearnews.com, is setting an old MXR Phase 90 with different speed settings, or a favorite old overdrive pedal with different amounts of gain and volume, all as presets you can call up from a controller1.
The unit has three arms, each driving one pot. Connecting an expression pedal input gives real-time control over the third AutoPot arm as well, so one knob can be ridden by foot during a song1.
How it connects
- Attaches directly to the pot shaft on the outside of the pedal, no electronic modding required1
- Designed using the features and functions of TheGigRig's G2 switching and routing system1
- Also works with any regular MIDI controller1
- Suited to loop switching systems that simultaneously transmit MIDI program patch change messages1
The G2, TheGigRig's larger switching and routing system, handles preset-based control of a whole board; on a That Pedal Show video about octave pedals, Daniel and Mick noted that "all switching and routing is handled by TheGigRig G2"2. The AutoPot takes that idea down to the level of individual knobs on individual pedals. For more on the wider category, see MIDI Pedals.
The AutoPot was announced at NAMM 2016 with a suggested RRP of USD $389, which gearnews.com noted was subject to change according to TheGigRig's website1.
What reviewers said
gearnews.com's Jef saw a clear audience for it, with a caveat:
"An interesting device if perhaps you are a serious effects tweaker and must be able to access all you sounds on the fly"
He added that as a self-described basic effects person, he found it did not appeal to him and was a bit too much. In other words, the AutoPot is aimed at players with complex boards and many sounds per song, not at players who set a pedal once and leave it1.
Videos
TheGigRig
Sources (2)
- NAMM 2016: GigRig AutoPot system, gearnews.com, 2016-01-22
- That Pedal Show, That Pedal Show, 2016-10-07
