Pedalsnake G2

Where do you turn when you need a multicore that will handle two MIDI lines, a 9V DC power line and a voltage control line? Suddenly needing all of the above for my on-stage electric guitar rig, and finding the idea of four more separate cables running out to my already crowded footswitch position distinctly unappealing (to say nothing of the additional setup and breakdown time), I started to look at making up a custom multicore until I realised that the perfect solution was already available.

Pedalsnake is a multicore cabling system for guitar pedalboard users, with a patented internal shielding system that allows audio signals to share a snake with DC power and switching lines (not normally a good idea!). The multicore is terminated with the necessary variety of connectors for each end, with jacks for guitar and line signals, male and female 2.1mm barrel connectors for power and so on, allowing all your pedal power supplies to remain at the back of the stage with your amp.

In the Pedalsnake CS range, the connectors are all hard-wired, either in off-the-shelf or custom configurations, but the company's G2 range allows the user to attach a selection of tails to set the function of each multicore line. Each of the colour-coded lines of the G2 base snake terminates in a standard MIDI connector, whilst the tails all have a female 5-pin DIN with a short cable leading to the appropriate connector for your application. In my case, I terminated one line with a quarter-inch jack at each end for my voltage control pedal, another line with a male and female 2.1mm connector for power, and left two lines unterminated as my MIDI send and return.

If I were thinking of running sensitive, guitar-level audio down it, I would probably opt for the CS range, with hard-wiring and all-metal connectors, but the G2 range is the one that offers complete reconfigurability and a perfect solution to my particular problem and many others, both on stage and in the studio.