Abstract:
A musical instrument connection and extension system that easily and quickly connects musical amplification, effects pedals, rack mounted effects systems and components, wireless connectivity and power distribution for use with musical instruments. Audio stage equipment multiplexing/demultiplexing system comprising: Front station ( 30 ), multi wire cable ( 101 ), back station ( 20 ). The invention concerns several options for the mechanical arrangements of plugs, connectors, aggregated cables, DC power, both in the front stage station and in the back station. On stage effect pedals, switches or foot-pedals are thus provided with DC power from the back stage station and can be connected more efficiently, reducing the number of external power supplies and cords.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/821,017, filed May 8, 2013, entitled Pedal Board and Connection System for Musical Instruments, and to Australian Patent Application No. 2013270633, filed Dec. 16, 2013, entitled Pedal Board &amp; Pedal Board Station Connection System, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Described herein are various embodiments relating to audio stage equipment, and more particularly to a device for connecting backstage equipment to front stage equipment through an aggregate connector. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    It is common for electric guitarists, bass players, keyboardists, drummers that use electronic drum equipment, and other musicians to enhance the sound of their instruments with effects units. Effects units are electronic devices that alter the sound of musical instruments or other audio sources and can consist of analog or digital circuitry. While effects units are more frequently used with electric or electronic instruments, such units can also be used with acoustic instruments, drums, and vocals (among other examples). During a live performance, an effects unit may be added to the electrical “signal” path between a preamplifier (“preamp”) and the instrument&#39;s amplifier; in the studio, the instrument or an auxiliary output of another sound-source (as examples) may be patched into the effect. Herein, the terms “stomp box”, “pedal”, “effects unit”, “effects pedal”, “foot-pedal”, “switch” and “footswitch” are used synonymously. 
         [0004]    Typically, these boxes contain only one or two effects and are controlled by one or more on-off foot switches (or sometimes by a foot-pedal). An “effects chain” or “signal chain” may be formed by connecting two or more stomp boxes. Musicians sometimes use a controller or effects management system, herein referred to as “effects controller”, that allows for multiple effect chains to be created so that one or several chains can be engaged or disengaged by tapping a single switch. 
         [0005]    To manage multiple pedals or foot controllers, musicians will often mount the pedals on a flat board or panel (referred to in the industry as a “pedalboard”) which may be included as part of the front stage equipment. By serving as a container, patch bay, and power supply distribution system, a pedalboard provides a means to connect, hold, and organize the pedals. 
         [0006]    Providing electrical power to multiple pedals may be problematic. Most musicians, especially in set ups that employ several pedals, often will require the use of several “wall-warts”, which are usually plugged into a power board and can be positioned on or close to the pedalboard. This can be problematic due to the main power source being located at the rear of most stages. Additionally, many other wires run between the back stage and the front stage are required due to the multiple connections need for instrument connection, digital communication, amplifier footswitches, effects loops, and the like. Not only does this present a dangerous trip hazard, but it becomes very time consuming for system setup and teardown. Thus, there is a need for a single, safe cable that quickly joins the back stage equipment to the front stage effects, while neatly grouping the various input and output sockets. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
         [0008]    An embodiment takes the form of a device for connecting musical instruments. The device includes: a housing for supporting (i) an aggregate wiring connector having a plurality of electrical conductors, (ii) a plurality of monophonic electrical signal connectors, and (iii) at least one output power connector. The device further includes a wiring harness interconnecting ones of the plurality of electrical conductors of the aggregate wiring connector to ones of the plurality of monophonic signal connectors. The device also includes and at least one supply voltage conditioning circuit connected to at least one conductor of the plurality of electrical conductors for receiving a supply voltage and having a regulated voltage output connected to the at least one output power connector. 
         [0009]    An embodiment takes the form of a device that includes: a housing for supporting (i) an aggregate wiring connector having a plurality of electrical conductors, (ii) a plurality of monophonic electrical signal connectors, and (iii) at least one output power connector. The device also includes a wiring harness interconnecting ones of the plurality of conductors of the aggregate wiring connector to ones of the plurality of monophonic signal connectors and a multiple wire cable having a front end and a back end. The front end terminates into a front cable connector adapted for mating with the aggregate wiring connector and the back end terminates into a plurality of electrical connectors, thereby extending the plurality of conductors of the aggregate wiring connector beyond the housing when the front cable connector is mated to the aggregate wiring connector. The device further includes at least one supply voltage conditioning circuit housed within one of the plurality of electrical connectors at the cable back end. The circuit is adapted for receiving a supply voltage and includes a regulated voltage output connected to at least one of the aggregate wiring connector conductors and connected to the at least one output power connector. 
         [0010]    An embodiment takes the form of a method that includes receiving one or more monophonic audio signals from respective monophonic-audio-signal connectors via respective monophonic-audio-signal conductors. The method further includes aggregating the one or more monophonic audio signals into respective wire groups of a multi-wire cable and providing the aggregated monophonic audio signals to a back station via the multi-wire cable. The method further includes receiving at least one supply voltage from the back station via the multi-wire cable and regulating the at least one supply voltage via a conditioning circuit. The method also includes outputting the regulated supply voltage to respective output power connectors. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a system diagram of an embodiment device for connecting musical instruments. 
           [0012]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are system diagrams of an embodiment device for connecting musical instruments. 
           [0013]      FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C  are perspective views of an embodiment device for connecting musical instruments. 
           [0014]      FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C  are perspective views of an embodiment device for connecting musical instruments. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a wiring diagram of an embodiment device without an interconnection. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a wiring diagram of still another embodiment device without an interconnection. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7A  is a wiring diagram of yet another embodiment device without an interconnection. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7B  is a wiring diagram of an embodiment device shown in  FIG. 3A . 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a wiring diagram of an embodiment device shown in  FIG. 3B . 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart of an embodiment method of aggregating audio signals. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    In the following detailed descriptions of various embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a system diagram of an embodiment device.  FIG. 1  illustrates the multitude of individual cable connections required to set up an individual musician&#39;s back-stage equipment to the front-stage electronics. A typical musicians&#39; setup is shown where an amplifier  104  (which can include one or more speaker cabinets  108 ), an effects rack  103 , and a wireless receiver  102  are located in the back-stage position. In addition, a configuration of a typical pedalboard  1  is shown being located at the front stage position. Numerous connections may be required between the pedalboard  1  and the back stage equipment in order for the musician&#39;s instrument to operate and function properly. 
         [0023]    Generally speaking, power is located on most performance stages in the back stage position, which is close to where most of the musical instrument amplifiers  104  and effects rack  103  equipment are located. An amplifier power lead  107  and an effects rack power lead  106  are plugged into a main power source  80 . Depending on the country, the main power source  80  can be either 120 VAC 60 Hz or 240 VAC 50 Hz, though different AC or DC voltages may be supplied. A wireless receiver power lead  105  may be connected to an AC/DC converter  90  which may plug into the main power source  80 . 
         [0024]    Normally, powering the effects pedals  93 ,  94 ,  96 , and  97  on a pedalboard  1  requires two or three AC/DC transformers  91 , which may also be referred to as “wall-warts”. These may be plugged into a power strip  10 , which is also connected to main power  80 . Sometimes if the wall-warts  91  are located back stage, the musician would need to run wall-wart leads  17 , 18 , 19  from the back stage to the front stage, thereby increasing the number of cables and connections. Alternatively, these wall-warts  91  and power strips  10  are instead positioned at the front stage position, as illustrated. In this situation, the wall-warts  91  require connection to the main power source  80  by using an AC power cord  109 , which may be used to connect the main power source  80  either to the power strip  10  or to the wall-warts  91  directly. If a musician&#39;s pedalboard  1  requires multiple wall-warts  91  and does not use the power strip  10 , multiple AC power cord leads  109  would be required. Running one or more AC power cord leads  109  is not only undesirable given the cost and complexity, but can also present a safety hazard such as from tripping, or electric shock. 
         [0025]    At the front stage position is the pedal board  1  which may contain various devices including volume pedal  92 , effects pedals  93 ,  94 ,  96 , and  97 , effects footswitch  98 , and a musical instrument digital interface (hereinafter referred to as MIDI) foot controller  95 , just to name a few. MIDI is a standard that is maintained by the MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA). To connect the pedal board  1  for use, the instrument in-signal lead  11  may be connected from the volume pedal  92  to the wireless receiver  102 . In the event the musician is not using a wireless receiver  102 , the instrument in-signal lead  11  may be supplied directly from the musician&#39;s instrument (not shown). From the effects rack  103 , the MIDI effects cable  12  may be connected to the MIDI foot controller  95 . The effects send-signal lead  14  and effects return-signal lead  13  may be used to connect the amplifier  104  to effects pedals  96  and  97 . The musician may use effects footswitch  98  to select between a distorted and clean sound. To accomplish this, amplifier  104  interfaces with the footswitch  98  by using the amplifier footswitch lead  15 . Signal lead  16  is the connection to the amplifier  104  which is typically connected to the first pedal in the effects chain, which may be effects pedal  94 . Power cables/wall-wart leads  17 , 18 , 19  may be connected to provide power to the effects pedal  92 ,  93 , 94 , effects loop pedals  96 ,  97 , MIDI foot controller  95 , footswitch  98 , and any other devices that may be located on the pedalboard that require power to operate. 
         [0026]    Most effects pedals and footswitches require very little power to operate, and on average, draw a current in the range approximately between 150 mA to 250 mA at approximately 9 Volts DC. Using a 9 Volt DC, 1.5 amp wall-wart and sequentially chaining the footswitch cables, one wall-wart may provide enough power for up to 5 pedals without presenting any power or noise issues. 
         [0027]    In an embodiment, the number of connections from the back stage to front stage requires six (6) for signal and effects, and either one (1) for power, if a power strip  10  is employed at the front stage, or more than one if the wall-warts  91  are located back-stage and multiple DC power wires are required to power the pedalboard  1 . Therefore, a minimum of at least seven (7) individual cables may be required. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are system diagrams of another embodiment device. Similar to  FIG. 1 , the connections between the various devices are shown. However,  FIGS. 2A and 2B  differ in that all of the middle stage position conductors have been replaced by a cable  101 . At the back stage position, a back station  20  may be positioned close to the amplifier  104 , effects rack  103 , and wireless receiver  102  so this equipment may be more easily connected to the back station  20 . As previously described in  FIG. 1 , the amplifier&#39;s power lead  107  and effects rack&#39;s power lead  106  may be plugged into the main power source  80 . The wireless receiver&#39;s lead  105  is connected to an AC/DC converter  90 , which may plug into the main power source  80 . Power may be supplied via an AC/DC transformer  99  that terminates on the power conditioning circuit board  60 , 61  (see  FIG. 6 ) located within the front station  30 . To connect the various components that comprise the back stage equipment to the back station  20 , the following connections may be used: instrument in-signal lead  11 , effects loop send signal lead  14 , effects loop return signal lead  13 , and the amplifier instrument in-signal lead  16 . Leads  11 , 13 , 14 , 16  may all require a standard 6.5 mm mono plug and cable (not shown) to mate with a corresponding standard 6.5 mm mono socket (not shown) mounted on the back station  20 . The amplifier footswitch signal lead  15  may require a stereo 6.5 mm plug and cable to mate with the equivalent 6.5 mm stereo socket mounted on the Back Station  20 . The MIDI effects cable  12  may require a standard MIDI plug and cable (not shown) to mate with a corresponding MIDI socket (not shown) mounted on the back station  20 . Various power transformers and wall-warts  17 , 18 , 19  may use standard 2.1 mm male plugs and cables (not shown) that typically are supplied with wall-warts, and mate with corresponding sockets (not shown) mounted on the back station  20 . 
         [0029]    The back station  20  may contain at least one polarity selector switch (not shown) for selecting the polarity of one or more amplifier footswitches such as  93 - 98  because various manufacturers terminate the active and ground signal wires into a connector, or audio plug, in different combinations. Switch selection may reverse the active and ground signals of the 6.5 mm mono or stereo plug to a configuration that is opposite. The switch may be set by the musician depending on the type of amplifier footswitch  93 - 98  used. 
         [0030]    In an embodiment, the front station  30  may be located at the front stage position and may be installed inside and an integral part of the pedalboard  1 . Although similar in design to the back station  20 , the front station  30  provides all of the same connections, except the difference being the connections are made to the front stage electronics as opposed to the back stage equipment. To connect the various components that comprise the front stage equipment to the front station  30 , the following connections are used: the instrument in-signal lead  11 , effects loop send signal lead  14 , effects loop return signal lead  13 , and the amplifier instrument in-signal lead  16 . Leads  11 , 13 , 14 , 16  may all require a standard 6.5 mm mono plug and cable (not shown) that mates with a corresponding 6.5 mm mono socket that is mounted on the front station  30 . The amplifier footswitch signal lead  15  may require a standard stereo 6.5 mm plug and cable (not shown) that mates with a corresponding 6.5 mm stereo socket (not shown) that is mounted on the Front Station  30 . The MIDI effects cable  12  may require a standard MIDI plug and cable (not shown) to mate with a corresponding standard MIDI socket (not shown) mounted on the front station  30 . Using standard 2.1 mm power plugs and cables (not shown) that are typically supplied with wall-warts, DC power leads  17 , 18 , 19  may connect to corresponding 2.1 mm power sockets (not shown) mounted in the front stage position or back stage position. In an embodiment, a single power lead with transformer  99  may be plugged into main power  80 . Advantageously, there is no requirement to have the DC Power Leads  17 , 18 , 19  coming from the various wall-warts when supplying power to the back station  20 . Power to the back station  20  may be an AC voltage such as 120 VAC/60 Hz, or a stepped-down AC voltage. 
         [0031]    In an embodiment, connection may be made between the back station  20  and front station  30  using a multi-conductor cable  101 , which can be embodied in several ways. The multi-conductor cable  101  may be manufactured with a multi-pin connector  38  on one or both ends of the cable  101 . Alternatively, a cable gland connection  120  may be disposed on one end or on both ends of the cable  101 . The multi-conductor cable  101  may use a cable gland connection  120  that is permanently connected to the back station  20  and an aggregate connector  39  on the end that interfaces with the front station  30 . In an embodiment, the multi-pin connector may be comprised of a plug disposed on the cable  101  end which may connect or mate with the aggregate connector  39  on the front station  30  or the back station  20 . 
         [0032]    In an embodiment, the front station  30  may be enclosed within the pedalboard  1 , the aggregate connector  39  may protrude through a cut-out on the side of the pedalboard  1  that allows mating with the plug  38 . In addition, screw holes (not shown) may be provided on the same side of the pedalboard  1  to allow for insertion of mounting screws (not shown) that will fasten both the aggregate connector  39  and the front station  30  to the pedalboard  1 . The front station  30 , although it may be incorporated within and housed in the pedalboard  1 , may also be configured to be used on any existing pedal board, such as in a do-it-yourself modification. When the plug  38  is mated with the aggregate connector  39 , all the back stage equipment power and signal connections from the back station  20  may be correctly connected to the corresponding power and signal connections required by the effects units  93 - 98  on the pedalboard  1 . All of the effects  93 - 98  connections may remain permanently connected because they are plugged into the front station  30 , thus allowing the setup and tear-down of the front stage to be made quickly. 
         [0033]    The multi-conductor cable  101  may contain individually shielded wire pairs, wire-triplets, power wires, grounds, shielding, and so forth, and may also be configured to employ different quantities of power and signal combinations. The wires may be adapted for providing functions such as supply voltage, supply voltage return, monophonic sound, monophonic sound return, stereophonic sound, stereophonic sound return, digital receive, digital transmit, signal ground, and power ground. Additionally, the cable  101  may be terminable with multi-pin connectors with pin quantities of  19 ,  24 ,  36 , and so forth, as an example. In this manner, the back station  20  and front station  30  may accommodate a multitude of different power and signal requirements which may be custom tailored for addressing the specific needs of the musician and instruments requiring connections between the front stage and back stage. 
         [0034]      FIG. 3A  is perspective view of an embodiment device. An embodiment may comprise the back station  20  and the front station  30  with a cable  101  joining them. Depending on the number of wires within the multi-conductor cable  101 , the diameter may vary and the pin-count and dimensional size of a corresponding multi-pin connector may also vary accordingly. As depicted in  FIG. 4C  and in the inset of  FIG. 3A , the front stage end of the cable  101  may terminate into a multi-pin connector  38 . Cable connector  38  may be a bayonet, quick-disconnect, threaded, or the like and may terminate to a corresponding aggregate connector  39  mounted on the front station  30 . The aggregate connector  39  may have solder cups, wires, or leads  40  which may join to other equipment or connectors in the front station  30 . 
         [0035]    The back stage end of the cable  101  may or may not terminate into a connector. In an embodiment, the cable  101  end on the back stage end may have a cable gland  26  to guide and protect entry of the cable  101  into the back stage station  20 . In another embodiment, the back stage end of the cable  101  may terminate into a multi-pin connector similar to the front stage end of the cable  101 . 
         [0036]    The back station  20  may have an enclosure that supports various connectors, switches, LEDs, dials, displays, and so forth. Power input sockets  29  (not shown), located on the reverse side, may be standard 2.1 mm DC connector sockets and may be any number to accommodate a mix and range of power from 9-24 VDC and up to 5 Amps. In addition, the back station  20  may also have mono audio signal input sockets  21 , 22 , 27 , 28  which may carry mono signals from the instrument that originate either at the instrument or a wireless receiver  102 . Mono signals may also originate from the amplifier instrument, from the effects send, and from the effects return. The sockets  21 , 22 , 27 , 28  may be standard 6.5 mm mono audio connectors. Furthermore, the back station  20  may also have stereo audio signal input sockets  23 , which may carry stereo signals from the amplifier footswitch  98 . The sockets  23  may be standard 6.5 mm stereo audio connectors. One or more polarity switches  24  may be provided for the audio signal sockets  21 , 22 , 23 , 27 , 28 , and may have one or more throws depending on the number of sockets. For example, a single-pull, quadruple throw (SPQT) switch may be used for four mono sockets to simultaneously switch the polarity for all sockets. Other switches such as rocker, push-button, toggle, momentary, or the like may be used. Also, the back station  20  may have at least one musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) connector  25  which may accept signals from the MIDI foot controller  95 . The MIDI connector may be a standard MIDI connector such as a 5-pin or 7-pin for example. In an embodiment, at least one LED indicator  41  may be used to show that power is on/off, the polarity of an audio socket, whether an instrument is plugged in, and so forth. 
         [0037]    The front station  30  may have an enclosure that supports various connectors, switches, LEDs, dials, displays, and so forth. Power output sockets  32  may be standard 2.1 mm DC connector sockets and may be any number to accommodate a mix and range of power from approximately 9-24 VDC and up to 5 Amps. In addition, the front station  30  may also have mono audio signal input sockets  33 , 34 , 35 , 37  which may carry mono signals from the instrument that originate either at the instrument or a wireless receiver  102 . Mono signals may also originate from the amplifier instrument, from the effects send, and from the effects return. The sockets  33 , 34 , 35 , 37  may be standard 6.5 mm mono audio connectors. Furthermore, the front station  30  may also have stereo audio signal input sockets  36 , which may carry stereo signals from the amplifier footswitch  98 . The sockets  33 , 34 , 35 , 37  may be standard 6.5 mm stereo audio connectors. One or more polarity switches (not shown) may be provided for the audio signal sockets  33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , and may have one or more throws depending on the number of sockets. For example, a single-pull, quadruple throw (SPQT) switch may be used for four mono sockets to simultaneously switch the polarity for all sockets. Other switches such as rocker, push-button, toggle, momentary, or the like may be used. Also, the front station  30  may have at least one musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) connector  31  which may accept signals from the MIDI foot controller  95 . The MIDI connector may be a standard 5-pin MIDI connector. In an embodiment, at least one LED indicator  42 , located on the reverse side, may be used to show that power is on/off, the polarity of an audio socket, whether an instrument is plugged in, and so forth. In another embodiment, the LED indicator  42  may be a low power input socket such as a universal serial bus (USB). 
         [0038]      FIG. 3B  is a perspective view of an embodiment device. As shown,  FIG. 3B  illustrates another embodiment of the cable  101  and different configuration which may be practiced without other previously disclosed components, such as the back station  20 . In an embodiment, the back station may be replaced by plugs  61 - 67 , which include individual signal plugs  61 - 65 , power plug  66 , and MIDI plug  67 . These plugs  61 - 67  may also correspond to the inputs contained in front station  30 . The plugs  61 - 65  may carry mono signals or stereo signals. Mono signals may originate from either an instrument or a wireless receiver  102 . Mono signals may also originate from an amplifier instrument, from an effects send, and from an effects return. Stereo signals may originate from the amplifier footswitch  98 . The plugs  61 - 65  may be standard 6.5 mm audio connectors. Additionally, the plugs  61 - 67  may comprise at least one musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) connector  67  which may accept signals from the MIDI foot controller  95 . The MIDI connector may be a standard 5-pin or 7-pin MIDI connector for example. 
         [0039]    In another embodiment, each plug  61 - 67  may be installed on an individual cable (herein referred to individually as a cable extension or collectively as cable extensions) of predetermined length, such as 2 feet: a length to easily allow inserted all of the plugs  61 - 67  into the back stage equipment and/or power source. Note, depending on the number of wires within the cable  101 , the quantity of cable extensions and accompanying plugs and/or sockets may vary accordingly. Power may be supplied from an external wall-wart (not shown) that connects to at least one power socket  66 . Alternatively, power may be supplied to a power socket  66  and then be conditioned and/or regulated within the power socket  66  prior to delivering to the front station  30 . In this manner, a voltage regulator or power conditioner may not be required within the front station  30 . Voltage supplied to the power socket  66  may be approximately 24 VDC and up to 5 Amps. Other voltages and current may be supplied through additional power sockets. 
         [0040]      FIG. 3C  is a top view of an embodiment device. The back station  88  may be a rack mount enclosure. Connection between the front station  30  and the back station  88  may be a cable  101  with multi-pin cable connectors  38 , 78 . The front cable connector  38  may be identical to the back cable connector  78  in order to simplify installation of the cable  101 . The back station  88  may have an aggregate connector  79  which may be similar to the aggregate connector  39  on the front station  30 . In an embodiment, power input socket  55  and all signal input sockets  71 - 77  may be positioned at the rear of the back station  88  for easier connection with other rack mounted equipment. Back stage connections, with the exception of the amplifier cable  16  (see  FIG. 2 ), may remain permanently connected to the back station  88 . The front panel of the back station  88  may comprise a power switch  81  and a power status LED indicator  82 . Located elsewhere on the back station  88  front panel may be various LED indicator lamps  83 , 84  that illuminate upon mating the aggregate connector  79  to the amplifier signal input  71 , which may have connectivity from the amplifier cable  16  (not shown). Power may be supplied directly from the main power source  80  to power input socket  55 . Adjacent to, or incorporated within, the power input socket  55  may be a fuse  56  to prevent power surges from damaging equipment connected to the back station  88 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of an embodiment device. The device is illustrated with transparent walls to simplify viewing internals of a pedalboard  1 . The front station  30  may be mounted inside the pedalboard  1  with the aggregate connector  39  protruding through the pedalboard  1  wall. In another embodiment, the front station  30  may be attached to the outside of the pedalboard  1 . The pedalboard  1  may be constructed out of a single piece of metal, which may be aluminum sheeting 2.5 mm thick. The sheeting may be cut by laser, shears, water jet, saw, and so forth. Once cut to size, the sheet may be bent at 6 places (identified by the dashed line) using a brake, hydraulic press, or the like. Each bend adds strength to the overall forming of the pedalboard  1  as well as providing attachment locations for the top surface  44  and handles  51 . The front base return edge  46  and the side top edges  48  are each formed from the single piece of metal. In an embodiment, the top surface  44  may comprise a carpet underlay, similar to that used for vehicle sound absorption, which may be fixed using staples along the outer edge to a 12 mm plywood base  45 . This underlay acts the same as a hook and loop fastener (i.e. Velcro™ so effects pedals  52  can have the corresponding hook and loop fastener fixed to the top surface  45  thereby providing a strong, yet removable coupling means to affix the effects pedals  52  to the pedalboard  1 . Covering the base  45  with top surface  44  provides the musician freedom to configure the effects pedals  52  best suited to their individual needs. 
         [0042]    In another embodiment, the top surface  44  may be removably mounted to the underside of the pedalboard  1  with screws, rivets, or the like so that the top edges  48  are situated on top. To make it simpler to carry and transport the pedalboard  1 , handles  51  may be included and may also function as fastening points for the top surface  44  to the base  45 . Along the back edge (i.e., the side facing the musician) a 20 mm right angle bracket  46  may be affixed to the base  45  using a single mounting screw  49 . Attached to and distributed evenly across the bottom of the front base edge  46  and back edge  47 , may be mounting feet (not shown), which can be made of rubber or equivalent material. Located in the upper left hand corner of the top surface  44  may be at least one input socket  43  for use with a USB device such as a light (not shown). The socket  43  may be a USB connector. Power for the USB device may be drawn from a power socket  42  (which may be a 3.5 mm mini-connector) located on the front station  30 . The pedalboard  1  may include a mini-to-standard USB cable  50  between the front station  30  and the input socket  43 . In another embodiment, an instrument in-lead  87  may be connected using an instrument in-socket  89 , which may be a standard 6.5 mm audio socket. The socket  89  may be used in pedalboard  1  embodiments in which there is no wireless receiver  102  or in instances where all effects pedals  52  are exclusively used through the effects send and return loop. 
         [0043]      FIG. 4B  is a rear perspective view of  FIG. 4A  with the top surface  44  and base  45  removed. Sockets  21 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 27 , 28 , 32  are more clearly illustrated and comprise power sockets  32 , audio signal sockets  21 , 22 , 23 , 27 , 28 , MIDI signal socket  25 , the power socket  42 , the mini-to-standard USB connection cable  50 , and the input socket  43 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 5  is a wiring diagram of an embodiment device without an interconnection. In an embodiment, the front station  30  and back station  20  are similar in most respects except that sometimes a footswitch polarity selector switch  24  may only be located on the front station  30  and a cable gland  26  may comprise the back station connector. In another embodiment, there are eight (8) wire-pairs or “cores” within the cable  101 , wherein each core may be comprised of two individually jacketed conductors and a drain wire encased in a shield, thus providing a total of twenty four (24) connections resulting in sixteen (16) individual conductors and eight (8) drain conductors, where each core is individually shielded. The group of entire eight (8) cores may also be further wrapped in an outer shield for further shielding from outside interference. The eight (8) cores, whether or not an outer shield is present, may be all wrapped with an outer jacket such as PVC. Some conductors may carry stereo signals (balanced), some mono signals (unbalanced), and some power. Mono connections may include the effects loop send sockets  27 , 37 , effects loop return sockets  28 , 33 , instrument in-socket  21 , 34 , and instrument out sockets  22 , 35 . Power connections may include all of the back station DC power sockets  29 , and the front station power sockets  32 . The amplifier footswitch sockets  23 , 36  may be a stereo connection located on the front station  30  and the back station, and the MIDI sockets  25 , 31  may be located on the front station  30  and back station  20 . The back station  20  may have a ground point  54  for reducing noise (signal ground), increasing safety (power ground), and so forth. The ground point  54  may be connected to earth ground. Located at the top of the front station  30  may be the 3.5 mm mini-connector low power and digital signal output socket  42 . Power may be available from the front station  30  to the USB device (not shown) but only when power is supplied to the back station  20  through any of the power input sockets  29 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 6  is a wiring diagram of still another embodiment device without an interconnection. In an embodiment, the back station  20  may include an internal power supply comprising a toroidal-type multi-tap transformer  57  and a universal power regulator  110 . The transformer  57  may receive 220 VAC/50 Hz or 120 VAC/60 Hz power from main power source  80  through the input socket  55  located on the back station  20 . A transformer may provide two individual AC power output leads (or “taps”) that supply low voltage AC power (in this example each tap provides 24 VAC at 1.5 amps). These leads are connected to the Universal power regulator  110 , which converts the low voltage AC power to low voltage DC power that is further regulated to provide DC voltage on power output leads  58 , 59 . DC voltage level supplied on the output leads  58 , 59  may be any level at or greater than the needs of the front station  30  effects. For example, each output may be 18 VDC because the front station  30  effects may require 9 VDC or 12 VDC. The universal power regulator  110  may also contain an LED indicator  41 . The power output leads  58 , 59  are provided to the front station  30  via the cable  101  which may be connected to the back station  20  via the cable gland  26 . 
         [0046]    In an embodiment, the output lead  58  may be split from the aggregate connector  39  and then connected to one or more power conditioning circuits  60 , 61  located within the front station  30 . Similarly, power output lead  59  may be connected directly to a power output socket  118  in order to provide auxiliary power. In an embodiment, with a regulated output at 18 VDC, the front station  30  can provide enough power to provide a variable number of output sockets  118  with each output socket  118  capable of powering multiple pedals  52 . The power conditioning circuits  60 , 61  may lower the voltage from a higher voltage received from the universal power regulator  110 , such as 18 VDC, to a lower voltage level. The conditioning circuits  60 ,  61  may also convert AC to DC and regulate the output power. The conditioning circuits  60 ,  61  may provide a selectable voltage output whereby the user can further modify, via a switch or through a programmable interface such as FPGA, the voltage supplied to the effects sockets  71 - 76 . For example, circuit  60  may provide 9 VDC and circuit  61  may provide 12 VDC, but other combinations may be embodied such as both circuits  60 ,  61  provide the same voltage such as 9 VDC. 
         [0047]    The front station  30  may accommodate various types of power regulators. For outputting regulated power at a more typical DC voltage of 9 VDC, the front station  30  may use a fixed voltage regulator. Alternately, to accommodate other not-so-typical DC voltages, such as 12 VDC or 18 VDC, the front station  30  may use a variable voltage regulator. From any of the one or more conditioning circuits  60 , 61 , the front station  30  can provide enough power to connect up multiple power output sockets  32  with each output socket  32  capable of powering multiple pedals. 
         [0048]    In an embodiment, the back station  20  may have a fuse  56  to protect the transformer  57  from potential power spikes. The back station  20  may be earth grounded at the ground terminal  54 . In the front station  30 , the output power socket  42  for an external LED is provided from the power conditioning circuit board  60 , 61 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 7A  is a wiring diagram of yet another embodiment device without an interconnection. In an embodiment, the back station  20  may comprise an input socket  63  to accept DC voltage instead of AC voltage. DC input voltage may be supplied by a single external transformer (not shown) that comprises an AC/DC converter. The transformer (not shown) may supply a single DC voltage, such as 24 Volt at 5 Amps, to the back station  20  via the power input socket  63 , which may be a standard 2.1 mm socket. Input power may then be split using a two-in-four-out terminal block. Power output lead  58 , 59  may then carry the DC voltage to the front station  30 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 7B  is a wiring diagram of an embodiment device shown in  FIG. 3A . In an embodiment, the back station  20  may not be used. Individual plugs  61 - 67  connect the front station  30  to the back stage equipment via the cable  101 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 8  is a wiring diagram of an embodiment device shown in  FIG. 3B . The wiring diagram depicts on the back station  88 . In an embodiment, power input to the back station  88  may be 220 VAC/50 Hz or 120 VAC/60 Hz as previously described herein. Power may be received through the power input  55 . Input AC power may be converted to DC power for use at the front station  30  using an AC/DC power supply  111 , which may use a transformer  57 . The signal inputs  71 - 77  may be positioned on the rear panel, which may leave the front panel with a power switch  81 , a power indicator LED  82 , and other status indicator LEDs  83 , 84  for verifying connectivity of the cable  101  and the amplifier signal input  71 . Upon connecting the cable  101  to the back station  20  and front station  30 , the power input socket  55  and all signal input sockets  71 - 77  become immediately operational. 
         [0052]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart of a method, in accordance with various embodiments. Though the method is described as being carried out by pedalboard  1 , those having skill in the art will appreciate that other devices or components may be used to carry out the method. 
         [0053]    As shown, method  900  begins at step  902  with pedalboard  1  receiving one or more monophonic audio signals from respective monophonic-audio-signal connectors via respective monophonic-audio-signal conductors. The monophonic-audio-signal connectors could take the form of (or include) monophonic audio signal input sockets  33 ,  34 ,  35 , and/or  37 , and the monophonic-audio-signal conductors could take the form of (or include) one or more signal leads  11  through  16 . The monophonic-audio-signal connectors and the monophonic-audio-signal conductors could take other forms as well. 
         [0054]    At step  904 , pedalboard  1  aggregates the one or more monophonic audio signals into respective wire groups of a multi-wire cable, and at step  906 , pedalboard  1  provides the aggregated monophonic audio signals to a back station via the multi-wire cable. The multi-wire cable could take the form of (or include) multi-conductor cable  101 , and the back station could take the form of (or include) back station  88 . Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the multi-wire cable and the back station could take other forms without departing from the scope of the claims. 
         [0055]    In an embodiment, pedalboard  1  additionally (i) receives one or more stereophonic audio signals from respective stereophonic-audio-signal connectors via respective stereophonic-audio-signal conductors, (ii) aggregates the one or more stereophonic audio signals into respective wire groups of the multi-wire cable, and (iii) provides the aggregated stereophonic audio signals to the back station via the multi-wire cable. The stereophonic-audio-signal connectors could take the form of (or include) stereo audio signal input sockets  36 , among other possibilities. 
         [0056]    At step  908 , pedalboard  1  receives at least one supply voltage from the back station via the multi-wire cable, and at step  910 , pedalboard  1  regulates the received at least one supply voltage. The supply voltage could take the form of (or include), for example, a direct-current supply voltage and/or an alternating-current supply voltage. The received supply voltage is regulated via a conditioning circuit. The conditioning circuit could take the form of (or include) one or more of power-conditioning circuits  60 , 61 , among other examples. 
         [0057]    At step  912 , pedalboard  1  outputs the regulated supply voltage to respective output power connectors. The output power connectors may take the form of (or include) power output sockets  32 ,  112 , and/or  118 . The output power connectors could take other forms as well. 
         [0058]    What has been described above includes examples of one or more embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the aforementioned embodiments, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of various embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the described embodiments are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.