Designing the Parallelarator: What We Refused to Compromise On

Most guitar pedals are designed to be used. The Parallelarator was designed to be relied on.

That distinction guided every decision during its development — not in pursuit of novelty, but to solve a specific class of problems that appear once pedalboards move beyond simple series chains.

Routing infrastructure doesn’t get the luxury of being “mostly right.” If it fails, everything downstream fails with it.

Short version:

Routing pedals in parallel introduces real design challenges around signal integrity, usability, and flexibility. The Parallelarator was built to solve those problems without adding unnecessary complexity. This article explains the design priorities that shaped how it works.

The Problem With Most Routing Solutions

Many routing tools fall into one of two categories:

1. Generic audio tools adapted for guitar

2. Feature-heavy guitar devices that prioritise flexibility over clarity

   
   

Both approaches introduce compromises.

Generic tools often:

• Ignore impedance-sensitive guitar signals

• Assume line-level operation

• Require workarounds to behave musically

  
  

Overly complex guitar tools often:

• Encourage unnecessary routing

• Obscure signal flow

• Create new failure points in the name of flexibility

  
  

The Parallelarator was designed to sit deliberately between those extremes.

Design Priority 1: Signal Integrity First

Parallel routing only works if the dry signal remains intact.

That means:

• Proper buffering at the right points

• Predictable impedance behaviour

• No unnecessary gain staging

• No passive summing shortcuts

  
  

The Parallelarator treats the dry path as the reference — not something to be “mixed back in” after the fact.

Every parallel path exists to support that reference, not replace it.

Design Priority 2: Predictable Behaviour Over Maximum Features

More routing options are not automatically better.

In practice, too many choices:

• Increase setup time

• Make troubleshooting harder

• Encourage unstable configurations

  
  

The Parallelarator limits routing options intentionally. Each path exists because it solves a real-world problem, not because it was technically possible to add.

This keeps:

• Signal flow understandable

• Adjustments repeatable

• The board stable over time

  
  

Design Priority 3: Infrastructure Should Be Always On

Routing is not an effect.

It shouldn’t:

• Be switched in and out

• Change gain unexpectedly

• Alter behaviour mid-performance

  
  

The Parallelarator is designed as always-on infrastructure. Once set, it becomes part of the board’s foundation — not something you interact with constantly.

This is what allows complexity in routing without complexity in use.

Design Priority 4: Real-World Flexibility, Not Hypothetical Use Cases

Many players move between:

• Practice rigs

• Rehearsal setups

• Live stages

• Recording environments

  
  

The Parallelarator was designed to adapt to these changes without rewiring or rethinking the board.

Mono, stereo, and multi-amp setups are treated as variations of the same system — not separate modes that require reconfiguration.

The goal is continuity, not optimisation for a single scenario.

Design Priority 5: Solving Phase and Balance Deliberately

Parallel routing introduces challenges that series chains avoid entirely:

• Phase relationships

• Level matching between paths

• Summing behaviour

  
  

Ignoring these issues doesn’t make them disappear — it just makes the results unpredictable.

The Parallelarator addresses these problems explicitly, so the user doesn’t have to compensate by ear every time something changes.

What Was Intentionally Left Out

Just as important as what’s included is what isn’t.

The Parallelarator avoids:

• Menu-driven configuration

• Preset systems

• Digital control layers

• Features that encourage constant tweaking

  
  

Not because those ideas are bad — but because they work against the goal of stable, transparent routing.

This pedal isn’t meant to be explored endlessly. It’s meant to disappear into the board.

The Resulting Philosophy

The Parallelarator doesn’t promise:

• Infinite routing

• Endless experimentation

• A replacement for careful pedal choice

  
  

What it offers instead is:

• A predictable foundation

• Effects that behave consistently

• A pedalboard that scales without collapsing

  
  

It exists to remove structural friction — not to add another layer of interaction.

Who This Is Actually For

The Parallelarator makes the most sense for players who:

• Value clarity over spectacle

• Build boards meant to evolve

• Want infrastructure that keeps up with their ideas

• Are tired of compensating for routing limitations

  
  

It isn’t a shortcut. It’s a long-term decision.

Next step

The Parallelarator exists to solve a specific set of routing problems without introducing new ones.

If you’d like to see how those design decisions translate into real-world use, the full details are here.

→ See the Parallelarator in Detail