Rechargeable Pedalboard Power Supplies
In this guide, we’re focusing on the best power supply to power your guitar and bass pedals. For a topic that seems relatively simple on the surface, choosing how to power your effects pedals actually has quite a bit of depth, and examining your pedal power situation as well as understanding your options can make all the difference between a very high quality “clean” signal, and a signal riddled with unwanted noise and hum. In this guide we’ll do some teaching, then make our recommendations for the best pedal power supplies. Don’t worry, we don’t go into details that take a PhD in electrical engineering to understand. We’ll keep everything in practical terms so you walk away with a basic understanding, and can keep up next time your musician buddies start talking about powering pedals!If you’re on short on time and want to jump right to the recommendations, we’ve summarized them here.
However, we urge you to read our guide and the full reviews to gain a deeper understanding of the subject of pedal power. ImagePedal Power SupplySummaryCheck PriceWith rugged reliability, eight isolated outputs, and the versatility to satisfy just about any pedal's power requirement it's hard to recommend a better pedal power supply.
If it's not within you budget or your pedal collection is very small it might not be the one for you, but otherwise it's the best. Best of the BestThis budget friendly solution lets you daisy-chain your pedals together while only taking up a single power outlet. With its very budget-friendly price tag, this is an ideal solution for 'bedroom guitarist' on a budget or if some hum and noise in your signal chain doesn't bother you.
Best Bang for Your BuckProvided your pedal power needs are uncomplicated, this well-built and compact unit by T-Rex has plenty of power for a maximum of 5 pedals. The Fuel Tank Junior is rock solid and dead quiet. If you want the cleanest power for your pedals but don’t quite have enough saved up for the Voodoo Lab, this is the one to get.With 15 outputs the Walrus Phoenix will power even the largest pedal collections. It's pricey and probably overkill for small pedal setups. With some very nice artwork, tour-worthy build quality, and versatility for all sorts of pedal power requirements, for a large pedal power supply it has no rival.A worthy competitor to the Voodoo Lab, with 12 outputs and the ability to handle the most power-hungry pedals. The Voodoo Lab has been around longer and is on more touring pros' pedalboards, yet the 1 SPOT Pro CS12 is slightly more versatile.
This whole pile was less than $100 incl. Shipping, and almost half of that is the power supply that will come with a wall wart of its own. So if you're just using daisy chains or batteries and are considering getting a power supply, one that uses a 12v input to generate its 9-12-18v outputs can also be used this way, for only an additional $40-50. 12800mAh Pedal board with 10outputs High Quality Rechargeable Li-ion batteries pack Clean Quiet Power solution for effects pedals.8hours if use for 7pedals rated 9V 100mA on a single charge. Work great for most of the pedals all over the world. FYI: we have popular Pedal powerbank search Asin.
Price-wise they're about the same. A solid choice for large pedal setups.The Basics: Why You Need a Power Supply for your Guitar PedalsChances are if you’re reading this guide, you have an idea of why you need a pedal power supply, and are simply looking for recommendations. Or perhaps you’re curious and want to know if and how that fancy Voodoo Lab power supply your buddy is going on and on about can benefit you. Let’s go through the main benefits for an effects pedal power supply:. You’re sick of using batteries to power your pedals.
Your pedals suck them dry before you’ve had time to buy new ones, and you don’t want to chance a dead battery at an inopportune time (like a live performance). Your current pedal power setup is a mess.
You have two or three times as many cables as you have pedals, your pedal board is a spaghetti mess, and you’ve long run out of power outlets. There are unwanted noise issues in your signal chain. An unruly pedal in your setup is causing a hum, and your daisy chain of power is making it worse. Your different pedals have differing power requirements. You want a rig that just works and don’t want to constantly keep track of which pedals need what voltage.As you can see, things can get complicated in a hurry. The right solution can ensure your pedal chain has adequate power and can accommodate any future pedals, your tone is clean and free of noise and hum, and your setup is nice and tidy regardless of if you’re a touring musician, or play at home for fun.Pedal Power, ExplainedAlright so this is the more technical part of your lesson today, but we’ll do our best to keep it practical and simple. Trust us, it helps to at least have read through this so you can decipher the lingo of these pedal power supplies when they list their features.It’s safe to say that the majority of guitar pedals require 9 volts DC (Direct Current) to power them.
That’s exactly the voltage supplied. Yep, you guessed it, a (also known as a PP3-size battery). Of course there are some pedals that require more, such as 12V, 18V, or 24V. The is a good example of a pedal that can be used at 9 OR 18 volts, each affecting the pedal’s sound differently. Since 9vDC is very standard, whenever a pedal you buy requires something different like 12 or 24 volts, they’ll typically include an appropriate power adapter for you.We just mentioned batteries, so let’s talk about those 9 volt power adapters. Most homes and businesses are wired for AC, or Alternating Current. But since most electronics run on DC (including most guitar pedals), you need the “wall wart” you’re quite familiar with, also called an AC adapter since it converts Alternating Current to Direct Current.If you look on your guitar pedals where the barrel connector power supply input goes, you should be able to see a label with the voltage needed to optimally power the pedal (it’ll say something like 9V DC).
You’ll also want to pay attention to if your pedals require more current, which is measured in milliamps (mA). Chances are your 9 volt pedals have a current draw of less than 100mA, but some may require more.
Your adapter has a certain capacity, and however many pedals you’re powering with it, add up their current draw and make sure that number doesn’t exceed the adapter’s capacity. Another special case to be aware of are pedals that requires AC voltage and not DC - don’t mix those up, as you can end up frying a power supply, or worse, frying your pedal!Confused? Here's the TL;DR:. 90% of pedals require 9vDC, for which you can use a 9vDC “wall wart” power adapter or a 9 volt battery. Some special pedals require more voltage like 12, 18, or 24 volts.
If you daisy chain a bunch of pedals powered by a single adapter, make sure the sum of their current draw doesn’t exceed what the power adapter can provide. If near the power jack of your pedal it says 9vAC then it requires AC voltage, not DC. Don’t mix these up, it’s like that.So, What are your Options?First of all you should know that there is no one perfect, best, or perfect one-size-fits-all solution. Each solution has pros and cons, and the one you choose will depend on your personal needs, what your current setup looks like, and of course your budget. In this guide we hope to arm you with the knowledge to properly diagnose whatever it is you have going on, and make the best buying decision possible for your hard earned money. Option 1: Battery PowerBefore you say, “But I’m here because I don’t want to power my pedals with batteries.” it’s important to understand that in terms of delivering clean power and minimizing noise and hum, the battery is best!A chemical reaction inside the battery generates Direct Current, and the flow of current is as smooth and steady as it gets, having not gone through any conversion.
That, and the battery is all by itself - it has a one-to-one relationship with your pedal, and is not being sent through any kind of chain.So, on the plus side, batteries are the best kind of power for your pedals. The con is that, well, it’s a battery.
You always need to buy news ones and carry around spares, and some pedals (like looper pedals) will deplete batteries extremely quickly. You also have to crack open your pedals each time you need to change the battery. Of all the guitarists and bassists we’ve ever met, about zero of them opt for a battery-only solution. It’s simply too impractical for most scenarios.
Option 2: The Daisy ChainDaisy chaining is convenient, since you plug in a single power adapter into your power strip (thus only taking up one spot), and then you daisy chain as needed, with the same power cable providing power to all your pedals. This means no more dealing with dead batteries, no need for a long power strip, no need to carry around a wall wart for each pedal, and clean and tidy cable management, all at a fairly low cost.Convenient? To understand why this could cause problems, let’s quickly talk about ground loops. The website has one of the better explanations of ground loops we’ve come across:Ground loops occur because most modern equipment is fitted with three-prong AC plugs. The third prong on the plug connects the chassis of your gear to AC ground, which ensures that your body cannot become the ground path for AC current. However when two pieces of equipment both have three-prong plugs and are connected together with cable, the shielding on the cable is also responsible for grounding, and a ground loop is possible.
This is because if a piece of gear has two paths to ground (one, through it's own AC cable; two, through the audio cable connected to another unit, and through that unit's AC cable) a loop of current is formed that can act like an antenna, through which hum can be induced. You can even pick up radio interference this way.When using a daisy chain to power multiple pedals, problematic noise due to ground loops is a common side effect. So, if powering all your pedals with batteries is on one end of the spectrum, using daisy chained power is on the other. If you compare the cost of a daisy chain setup to that of replacing batteries, the daisy chain solution will pay for itself many times over. It’s a great solution for small pedalboard setups, and pedals with uniform voltage requirements and relatively low current draws.
It’s also a great budget option, but you might have to tolerate a noisy setup until you can save up for a better solution, which brings us to the next option. Option 3: Isolated PowerWe can all agree that the best of both worlds would be the clean isolation of battery power, but the convenience of a daisy chain solution.
This is where an isolated power supply comes in. The barrier to entry here is price, since these power supplies can cost a pretty penny. This is without a doubt the most sought after solution by touring pro guitarists and bassists.MusicRadar offers a nice description of what an isolated power supply does:An isolated power supply uses a transformer to keep each of its outlets completely electrically isolated, offering a separate clean power path to each pedal rather than a daisy-chain set-up, where the power flows from one pedal to the next.Keeping each pedal’s power isolated from other pedals mitigates the noise and hum issues of a daisy chained setup. Isolated power supplies have numerous other advantages. They often include ways to power a variety of pedals, accommodating various voltages, AC and DC requirements, and even special features like voltage “sag” to emulate dying batteries (which some vintage wah, overdrive, and fuzz pedals respond well to).Isolated power supplies also offer the advantage of portability, since they can oftentimes be tucked neatly underneath pedalboards. The majority of professional guitarists opt for an isolated power supply solution, since it’s really the best when it comes to portability, reliability, and convenience. An isolated power supply is decidedly the priciest of all the options, but in our research the majority of people advise saving up for one if possible.The 5 Best Pedal Power SuppliesIn typical Equipboard fashion, we scour every corner of the web where musicians hang out and gather opinions and recommendations, to find out which pedal power supply solutions are worth your time and hard earned money, and which aren’t.
We also look at user reviews on popular online stores and read through everything - the good, bad, and ugly. After we’ve gathered all the user opinions and recommendations, we tally them all up and come up with a master list. From that list, we’re left with the top 5, which we go out and try for ourselves.To be honest, with pedal power supplies, there’s not really that much to try. It’s not the most fun purchase to demo, like a distortion, delay, or loop pedal would be. In our case, demoing consisted of seeing the power supplies for ourselves, examining the build quality, hooking up a few pedals and firing them up to make sure everything works accordingly. By and large our reviews take into account the experiences of hundreds of users that we read through on various forums and communities.We sincerely hope this is helpful and helps you not only learn about pedal power, but also make an informed buying decision (and maybe snag a good deal in the process). Without further ado, the 5 top pedal power supply solutions!Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+The Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+ Power Supply has become a bit of the industry standard workhorse when it comes to powering pedals.
This is a true isolated power supply, meaning its eight outputs are completely electrically isolated from each other, thus eliminating the noise and hum that would ordinarily be brought about by ground loops or interaction between pedals. Aside from getting the highest number of recommendations by guitarists and bassists across all the online musician communities and forums we dug through, this is also the pedal power supply used most by touring and pro guitarists.The U.S.A.-made Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+ has a very rugged look and feel to it. It weighs roughly 2 lbs. And measures about 6 inches wide by 3.5 inches deep, with a height of 1.8 inches. The fact that this power supply is used and trusted on stages all over the world and remains this highly rated speaks to its reliability.So, as we mentioned what you’re essentially getting here is power supply with eight outputs that are completely isolated, meaning that for “basic” use you can use it to power eight of your battery-operated effects pedals. Another reason the Pedal Power 2+ is so highly acclaimed is its versatility, meaning it will handle most of your pedals with special voltage and current requirements.
Each of the eight inputs can be modified via a dip switch at the bottom of the unit, which allows the outputs to accommodate nearly any voltage/current combo.
Although spending money on pedalboard power supplies certainly isn't the top of every guitarist's priority list, if you're a heavy pedal user, it's some of the most important money you can spend on your rig.Most players start with a cheap and cheerful daisy chain, or a generic multi-output adaptor, and while this can see you through to bigger stages and bigger, sooner or later it will be time to look at upgrading.The main reason for upgrading is reducing noise in your signal chain. Hum or buzz in the chain is almost always as the result of power-line noise. Some will be introduced at the amplifier, but a lot of the noise introduced by pedals can be removed.Individual pedals, especially distortions and digital delays, are likely to have some kind of power-line filtering, but without an isolated power supply - that is, one where each output powers one pedal only, and the power lines do not cross - it's possible to pick up noise from other pedals sharing the same power source.Another benefit of isolated outputs is knowing that the current delivered to a pedal will be consistent - particularly important with digital pedals. For a non-isolated, parallel or daisy-chain power supply, the supply will be a single mA (milliamp) or A (amp) rating divided between the outputs, whereas an isolated supply will be able to deliver up to the maximum specified on each of its outputs.Current draw is a major issue.
Rechargeable Pedal Board Power Supply
Digital pedals, especially multi-effects or power-hungry DSP platforms like the Boss DD-500 or Strymon line, require a lot of power to operate. On a smaller power supply or a daisy chain, these pedals might not have enough current to operate properly.In addition, some older pedals like the now-discontinued DigiTech Whammy IV not only require a whopping 1.3A, where most pedals are rated in mA, but also require AC rather than DC, like most pedals. Luckily, some higher-end power supplies have your back even in this unusual case.Common to almost all power supplies is a general assumption that most pedals will draw around 9V of DC, and that they will accept a centre-negative tip on the power lead.With that in mind, let's take a whistle-stop tour through the best power supplies available. Hard to fault!Surprisingly affordable given the performance on offer, the One Spot Pro range, which consists of the CS7 and CS12, are fully isolated power supplies with a number of nifty features.
The CS7 has six 9VDC outputs, including two high-output 500mA outs for high-draw digital pedals, as well as a seventh output that delivers 18V. On the CS12 there are six 9V outputs from 100mA - 250mA, one 4-9V variable output, 2 high-draw 9V outputs, and 2 18V outputs that can be used for distortions or overdrives that can take 18V for higher headroom. Uniquely to the CS12, there's also a 9V AC output, which can drive older Whammy and DigiTech pedals.
Although the rated output is too low for a Whammy, the reality is that a Truetone Pro can deliver up to its maximum current draw, which is the sum of all its outputs, meaning it can flex up if you're not at the maximum for all the other outs.2. Voodoo Lab Pedal Power Digital. Not all outputs will be useful to all playersThe MXR DC brick has a lot of outputs for its size - 8 9V and 2 18V outputs, as well as short and overload protection, although it's obviously not isolated. That's where the somewhat dearer Iso-Brick comes in. The Iso-Brick's ten outputs are fully isolated, and there's a variety of different current draws on offer to drive even the most hungry digital pedals, as well as two 18V outs for higher-headroom distortions and two variable outputs, which can be used to emulate starved-battery sounds on fuzzes.
If you don't need all 10 outputs, it's also available in five-output form as the even more compact. Cheaper supplies are availableBased in Denmark, Cioks has several power supplies in its own range, and also makes the PowerFactor for Eventide. The DC10 is the sort of supply that would be well suited to a medium-sized pedalboard. It has no fewer than 10 outlets in eight isolated sections - outlets seven and eight share the same ground, as do nine and 10. We like the Swiss army knife approach of the DC10, in that it seems to be designed to take on any pedal (including 15V Radial Tonebones), and comes with all the cables you need - so it's ready for action straight out of the box.
ExpensiveThe Pedaltrain Volto was revolutionary when it first appeared, being a decent power supply that was both truly portable and rechargeable. It featured heavily in the excellent Coffee & Riffs location-filmed YouTube series by the pedalmakers behind Old Blood Noise Endeavours, and facilitated a number of their sessions.
The Spark, meanwhile, is a more straightforward power supply with a super-thin form factor that means it can be mounted under smaller boards like the new Pedaltrain Nano series. It features short circuit protection, output regulation and filtering - as you'd expect at this price point - and worldwide switching. Separate laptop-style power supplyStrymon isn't messing around when it comes to its power supplies. Designed to supply the Strymon line, their default current delivery is a whopping 500mA on every output. The Ojai in particular has a really interesting USP - a growing pedalboard can be accommodated using the 24V through connector to connect additional Ojai units, without the need for extra plugs to the wall.
In addition, it comes in an R30 variant which is essentially a low-profile version to fit under tighter or smaller boards like the Pedaltrain Nano series. The Zuma is basically a larger, more powerful version of the Ojai. Although it can't daisy-chain to itself, it can supply out to an Ojai, which can then connect to multiple Ojais in a modular fashion. The Zuma also comes in an ultra-low profile version, the R300.
Not all outputs will be useful to all playersThe Mondo's little brother, the 4x4, is a useful supply for the guitarist running a number of power-hungry digital effects, as it has 4 standard outputs, rated at 100mA, as well as 4 400mA outputs, with 2 switchable up to 12V. Both the 4x4 and the Mondo also have a temperature controlled fan to stop the unit overheating in difficult conditions, like a hot festival show or basement gig. No module named setuptools. The Mondo is essentially just the bigger brother, with more outputs, features and two additional 'sag' outputs that emulate the reduced headroom and voltage supply of a dying battery. Bigger digital-heavy 'boards will require more powerIt’s taken a long time for effects pedal power supplies to catch up, but finally, you can power your pedalboard via USB, courtesy of Mission Engineering’s new 529 USB power converter.
The supply functions from any USB power cable, as well as a portable USB battery pack, laptop or a car’s USB charging port. Mission sells its own USB battery pack, designed to fit under a Pedaltrain Nano and offering over eight hours of use. Four isolated 150mA 9V outputs are onboard the 529, as well as a high-current 500mA 9V offering. For smaller ’boards, or setups with only one or two high-current devices, it could prove a convenient solution indeed. Quite large and heavyAt a relatively competitive price point, the Mooer Macro Power offers a combination of isolated and non-isolated outputs in a compact package. It has over-current protection, and although there's no specific high-draw output, if you box clever you can simulate one.
The non-isolated outs share 400mA combined, so if you connect 4 pedals to the isolated outs, and then a single high-draw pedal to one of the daisy-chained outputs, it should have more than enough power in the 400mA chain to operate.