Kill Switch?

[Atomant669]

Hi all, I am just wondering if there are any functions in the HD500X that is possible for me to use as a 'kill switch'? Without having to drill and install a kill switch on my guitar itself? I understand that there is a volume pedal but it's effects won't be the same as a 'kill switch' effect.

 

 

[pianoguyy]

If you are trying to "effect" then I don't think you want to go drilling into the unit either. 

 

Buckethead's 'Jordan' uses a switch with his fingers, not the foot.

The Pod cannot do that sort of kill because of the type of foot switches it uses. 

 

 

However, I would like to point out --- 

Your volume pedal isn't a volume pedal. It is an expression pedal. 

Depending on what you are actually trying to do, you may be able to use it outside of volume. 

 

 

You could try installing a noise gate to your patches. Make it 100%, that way it is virtually impossible to open. Turn it on and off as needed. 

[duncann]

If you don't want to waste an effect block, you could assign the amp to a switch. Make sure the bypass volume for the amp is zero.

 

Alternatively, you could try putting a switch, with ~10kohms when engaged, in the expression pedal jack and assign that controller, EXP2, to the the amp's channel volume. Make the minimum zero. The good thing about this is you can choose to have the physical switch a non-latching, or momentary one. Which I think would work better for the effect you might be after.

[pianoguyy]

if you have a guitar with separate volume control knobs for each pickup, you could turn down to zero one of them and use the pickup selector as the kill switch..

 

...although I do not know how long the selector would endure such abuse

 

 

That doesn't always work. 

It depends on the wiring. People have loved that feature and others have hated it. That's why some companies have wired to kill the kill effect. 

[Atomant669]

if you have a guitar with separate volume control knobs for each pickup, you could turn down to zero one of them and use the pickup selector as the kill switch..

 

...although I do not know how long the selector would endure such abuse

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I've already got a Les Paul that does that but I need to do it on a guitar with a Floyd. Most Floyd equipped guitars doesn't come wired like that. 

[bjnette]

If you don't want to waste an effect block, you could assign the amp to a switch. Make sure the bypass volume for the amp is zero.

 

Alternatively, you could try putting a switch, with ~10kohms when engaged, in the expression pedal jack and assign that controller, EXP2, to the the amp's channel volume. Make the minimum zero. The good thing about this is you can choose to have the physical switch a non-latching, or momentary one. Which I think would work better for the effect you might be after.

I like this idea! Does it work! 

[duncann]

I like this idea! Does it work! 

 

I have tried a switch a long time ago with zero resistance when engaged and infinite when not. It worked, but not every single time. I think the HD expects to see around 10k at one extreme and zero at the other. In terms of an expression pedal, that would be the toe position and the heel, respectively. Or is it the other way around? Lol. So if you could find a non-latching, or latching, switch that goes between a short and 10k, and one that can be stepped on, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. It would essentially be an expression pedal with all the values in between the extremes removed.

[bjnette]

An old electric sewing machine pedal! LOL

It makes sense to make it work on a smooth foot pedal that is momentary!

[barks62]

There is one that I think is called the Pattern Tremolo.  You set the depth and speed, and if the depth is high enough it will sound like a kill switch being tapped at a constant tempo.  I use it for a tapping type of effect when I play Hey Man, Nice Shot.  I have one guitar with a kill switch and one without - when I use the guitar without the kill switch I use the Pattern Tremolo to simulate it.  But, it is rhythmic; it isn't a one shot kind of deal.  You kick it on and it repeats at that tempo until you kick it back off.  I have mine set up so that the pedal controls the speed and depth at the same time, so when I first hit the note there is no effect, then as I rock the pedal down I find a sweet spot where it is just the right speed and depth.

 

Hopefully this helps and doesn't confuse you, lol.

[Alex_SF]

You could set up an effect to cut your volume completely when you hit a switch on the foot controller, but due to the way those stomp-switches work I don't think you'd be able to get the same speed of on-off as you would from a hand-operated kill switch.

 

Even if there were a footpedal-based option, I'd much prefer having a kill-switch on the guitar itself -- either with the pickup-switch method as mentioned above like Randy Rhoads used to use, or on a couple of guitars where I've installed a momentary mini-toggle between the volume and tone knobs to ground the signal to the output jack.  If you don't want to drill, I think there are pots available with a momentary push SPST switch built in that you could convert to a kill switch.