Pedal

A small floor-mounted device placed in the signal path between instrument and amplifier, containing an effect that can be switched in and out with the foot.

Pedals fall into families by what they do: gain devices that shape or add distortion, filters and modulation that change the texture, time-based effects that repeat or extend the sound, and utility devices such as tuners, volume and buffers. Most run on nine volts from a battery or a supply and pass the signal through when bypassed. Because each one is a stage in a chain, the order and the loading matter as much as the effects themselves.

Example: a player with a tuner, an overdrive, a delay and a reverb can cover a whole set with four small boxes and one adapter.

Pedal

See also