The Little Labs PCP Instrument Distro 3.0 is an all-in-one triple transformer-isolated guitar splitter, triple output/input re-amping tool, active line-level direct box, and long guitar cable driver. Re-amp inputs and instrument inputs are selectable and sum together for each output. Each output has a selectable polarity, earth lift, and level control. The PCPs' functionality has not changed in the 26 years it has been in production, but the internal electronics have been revised and improved. The name PCP was a joke in 1997 at A&M Studios, where I developed the first "Professional to Cheesy Pedal" distro; the name does not tell the whole story.
 
Circuit Topology
The circuitry of the PCP has a positive and negative balanced audio path throughout and only becomes unbalanced in the PCP at the instrument out transformers. It's ambitious for a guitar product, but it does sound great. The transformers used on the instrument outs are vintage UTC (reverse engineered), which is used in all the Little Labs guitar-oriented products. The line-level direct out is transformerless. The instrument input has a 10-megohm input impedance.
 
Ideal Applications
For over twenty years, the PCP has been an essential tool for many of the best known engineers and producers recording and overdubbing rock guitars. It easily splits out to multiple amps with earth lift and polarity flip on the fly, and the flexibility of combining live guitars with pre-recorded guitars to the same amp or multiple amps and pedals makes it a super creative tool.
 
The PCP expansion input and output are designed to work seamlessly with other Little Labs products: The Pepper, which makes a super deluxe front end for the PCP, the Redeye 3D, which is perfect for having a matched extra satellite output of the PCP (for a combo amp placed far away), and with another PCP for a matched super deluxe satellite for the PCP (placing one PCP in the control room and one PCP in the live room).