Finding the Right Pedal Board Power Supply

 

Being a guitarist, you will always feel the impact of pedals across your guitar pedalboard cables. However, you may now reconsider staying away from the conventional battery-backed power supply and want to upgrade to a more robust form of electric power supply. We can explain options to get the right source of power supply.

Why Do People Need the Power Supply for Pedals?

Once you use a reliable power source for your guitar pedals, the sound quality of the instrument gets improved, and you can then use the pedals to their full capacity. The use of 9V battery support does not hold well when it comes to powering a host of pedals on the pedalboard. If you are a musician by profession, we advise you not to opt for battery power. An electrical power supply always allows you to maintain the right amount of voltage through the pedalboard, provided there is no interruption. Unlike 9v batteries, you can leave your instrument plugged in because it will not consume any power.  

What is the Voltage Requirement?

These days, the majority of pedal linked guitars have the capacity of 9V. However, some of the pedalboards are compatible with a range of 12V, 18V, and even 24V voltage support. You should always check the voltage capacity before buying a pedal power supply source. Large numbers of pedals are best suited for the usual 9V power. In contrast, some may require an upgraded power supply, like the older versions of Electro Harmonix pedals. Generally, it’s up to the manufacturer to decide what voltage of power supply is admissible for a certain grade of pedals.

What About the Current Consumption?

Before assessing the voltage requirement, check the power consumption needed to power the pedal. The measuring unit, in this case, is mA (milliamps). However, some of the pedals with analog distortion will require low power consumption, which is somewhere around 20 mA or even less. The idea is to consult a checklist for your specific requirement. You don't need to worry about excessive current supply as too much flow of current will not damage the pedals. However, you must ensure that all pedals on the pedalboards are of professional-grade. As a result, all the pedals get a uniform amount of power supply irrespective of active pedals strewn on your instrument.  

What is an Isolated Supply?

It’s primarily engaged to reduce unwanted noise that may occur due to low-quality voltage supply. It means each power output is fully isolated and also ensures that each pedal is getting an uninterrupted electricity supply. Otherwise, a daisy chain of pedalboard wiring may push the power flow through one lead into a solitary pedal. It may dilute the power along the way and degrade the sound quality in the process.   

Which is the Perfect Power Supply?

As a musician, you may discover that you have a pedal that requires a voltage specification of 9V and 250mA to 300mA voltage output. Alternatively, you have scores of regular pedals that consume only a bit of electricity. Either way, you must monitor that each pedal is fed with the right amount of power supply. If it doesn’t happen, you will not get the right sound out of the flat pedal cables. You get 10 inputs with varying current consumption.

The Bottom Line

An ideal combination of pedal power supply is a must for professionals. Besides, musicians should always use the correct ones to ensure top quality sound.