ALM S.B.G. - Bonus features

I was recently asked in a forum (not this one) why I had the ALM S.B.G. or Stompbox Gateway in my rack when I could just put an FX module in instead. This got me thinking about the S.B.G., which I often use to plumb in external guitar pedals I have, such as the MXR Carbon Copy analog delay.

But with so few modules in my rack, I have also found myself using the S.B.G. for other things, besides routing audio to stomp boxes. In this video I go through some of the bonus uses I've discovered for the S.B.G., which make it, for me, a surprisingly useful little box to have in my Nifty Case.

Yeah, the uses for the send/return modules go deeper than just an insert point for stompboxes. For one thing, it's basically an "unfixed" effects processor, as the actual processing done depends on what you choose to drop into the insert, and this can be as simple as a fuzzbox or as complex as an entire pedalboard. And then there's their uses as extra mono-outs or external signal inputs.

One thing I need to try is using something like this to admit a no-input system's signal into a modular for final manipulation. My AE system has a couple of their 4I/O modules (like these, but with four "soft" I/Os instead of the dedicated input and output), so it should be a good candidate for this.

Very cool. I have two S.B.G.s in my minimal system.

Yeah, the uses for the send/return modules go deeper than just an insert point for stompboxes. For one thing, it's basically an "unfixed" effects processor, as the actual processing done depends on what you choose to drop into the insert, and this can be as simple as a fuzzbox or as complex as an entire pedalboard. And then there's their uses as extra mono-outs or external signal inputs.

One thing I need to try is using something like this to admit a no-input system's signal into a modular for final manipulation. My AE system has a couple of their 4I/O modules (like these, but with four "soft" I/Os instead of the dedicated input and output), so it should be a good candidate for this.
-- Lugia

Cool. As I forgot to say, it's also a great way to bring in an external synth or even a guitar, say, where the level is too low otherwise for modular. All in all, a useful little gizmo!

Very cool. I have two S.B.G.s in my minimal system.
-- baltergeist

Do you! For FX boxes I'm guessing?

Yep! Sometimes I'll have two different signal paths, but I usually chain them together. The one thing I haven't explored is the expression outputs, though I will at some point. My Fairfield Circuitry Randy's Revenge and Long Life pedals are good candidates for that.