In this video I do something a little different on the bench: I build my first pedal. I’ve fixed a few pedals over the years, but I’d never built one from scratch, so I kept it simple and practical—an XLR A/B switch “bypass” box that works like a hands-free talkback switch for live gigs with my band, the Rembros. The idea is one mic input comes in, one output is always on, and when I press a momentary footswitch it routes the mic to the second output until I let go. I walk through laying out the jacks so the wiring isn’t crammed, drilling the enclosure safely (secure your workpiece—metal can grab and spin), and wiring the XLRs pin-for-pin: pin 1 ground (I used green), pin 2 hot (red), pin 3 neutral (white). I also show how I identified the common lugs on the 9-lug momentary switch and which side is “always on” versus “bypass.” Finally, I test everything with an XLR cable tester to confirm that pressing the switch kills the main output and lights up the bypass output. It’s a straightforward build, costs me about $60 CAD in parts, and I’ll paint/engrave it later once I’ve proven it on a real show.