![]() In short - Daisy chain your analog effects if needed, and isolate everything else. If you dare to ignore my warning you will be greeted with a noise so ugly it is sure to be met with screams of horror from on-listeners. For any pedal that needs isolated power, you will need to dedicate a power tap on your PSU to that one pedal - No daisies here! This essentially means you will need a power supply with multiple, isolated outputs. If, however, you are using digital effects that require isolated power - like a Line6 HX Stomp or a Strymon TimeLine you will need isolated power. This essentially means you are going to use one power outlet to power multiple pedals. If you have a couple of analog effects - a couple of simple overdrives into a Boss DD5 out to your amp - you can get away with a wall wart and a daisy chain (pictured below). Should you daisy chain your effects or isolate?īoth are acceptable. ![]() There is another note here around power supply types. ![]() You may not need multiple input voltages now, but when you do, you will wish you had the option. Can your power supply be used anywhere in the world? Some power supplies allow an input voltage of 100-240V (you can use it in any country) and others are voltage specific (120v only as an example). The other thing to consider is input voltage. There is no right answer here other than knowing what specs to look for and deciding which will best suit your individual needs. Toroidal power supplies (PSUs) are a solid choice, but they are also heavy and can’t deliver the same specs that a Switch Mode supply can. Why not just stop here and say, “Always buy toroidal and stay away from Switch Mode”? Because you would be missing out on some great gear that might be the perfect fit for your rig! Toroidal supplies (like the Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2+ on the right), use isolation transformers (pictured below) - shaped like delicious doughnuts (also pictured below for your reference) - typically do a great job of delivering clean quiet power. ![]() If you buy something like a Strymon Zuma which is built with high quality components and quiet power in mind, you will be hard pressed to find any unwanted, power related noise in your signal path. If you buy a cheap, poorly built Switch Mode supply, you will get noise. Switch Mode supplies, like your typical Wall Wart (on the left), get a bad rap for adding unwanted noise into your signal path. There are two main types of power supplies: Switch Mode and Toroidal (or Linear). If we are going to do this topic justice, we need to start at the beginning… I think, as with all great pedal power related topics, we need to start with a haiku. This is a topic that sounds simple, but as you will soon find out is anything but. ![]()
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