Radial Engineering have used the online NAMM Believe In Music show to announce a trio of handy routing devices, aimed mostly at guitarists and bassists but which should find favour recording engineers too.
The JX42 V2 is a 1U rackmounting guitar-amp switcher, with a choice of four guitar inputs and two amp outs. The guitar inputs are presented on both the front and rear panel, as are a pair of tuner outputs. All the inputs are buffered, and all can be used at the same time, in any combination, while all inactive inputs are sent to the tuner out (a sensible arrangement that lets your guitar tech tune any instruments you're not playing). Both instrument inputs and amp outs are said to be completely noise-free in operation, so no noise or popping when you switch guitars or amps.
For larger rigs, there's the new JX44 V2. This drops the front-panel tuner output, but adds a further two amp outputs, a master mute button, polarity switching and ground lifting on a per-amp basis, and a stereo effects loop. Slide switches on the front panel let you apply the left side or right side (or neither) of the effects to each amp individually, making the JX44 V2 ideal for the wet/dry/wet setups beloved of '80s guitarists.
Both new JX amp routers can be remotely controlled via MIDI, and are also compatible with Radial's own JR series footswitches.
Finally, the EXTC Stereo is a dual-channel version of Radial's EXTC re-amper and pedal interface, and is designed to take all the hassle out of incorporating effects pedals into a mix. Its stereo inputs and outputs are all available on either XLR or jack sockets, and there are separate gain controls for both inputs and outputs, allowing you to integrate a wide range of signal processors.
Check out the Radial website for more information.
