Using Strymon Zuma with Mess and Step

Our digital pedal platform doesn’t play well with multi-effect power supplies that “ramp up” voltage when connected. These include products like the Strymon Zuma or Walrus Canvas. They don’t provide enough power to boot up the pedal when connected to the power supply, so the pedal behaves unpredictably.

The solution, if you are using one of these products, is to plug the pedal into the power supply BEFORE turning on the power supply, then everything works perfectly. I personally use a pedalboard with an added power switch and have no problem with either the Zuma or Canvas. But you could unplug it from the wall before plugging in the pedal, too.

If the pedal boots without enough power it can seem buggy, but it is just a power issue. Both pedals are extremely stable with proper power.

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I would say don’t plug into Zuma at all. I just got the Mess and had it already plugged into a Zuma prior to turning it on, but it started emitting an awful hum/buzz that wouldn’t go away no matter what I did (including unplugging and plugging back in). Once I used a 500 mA adapter into the wall, no problem :slight_smile: