It’s a virtual pedal board that will allow you to play around with some tried-and-true effects chains right there in your browser. To use it, simply click on it with your mouse (or if that’s too slow, hit your computer keys). The interface mimics a 4-pedal rig set up in traditional order: from distortion to modulation, then to time based effects. That way, you can get an idea of exactly what each effect does to your tone without having to lug out all the hardware.
Begin by feeding in the audio source. You can either hit the Play riff button to loop a clean guitar line played on the active pedals, or press the Chord stab button to play just an A minor chord. The stab option is nice as it lets you focus on the delay repeats and reverb tails ringing out rather than having a melodic phrase playing all the time.
How to Use the Virtual Pedal Board
With some sound happening you can start to turn each pedal on and off to sculpt your tone. The box contain the four pedals, each with a corresponding footswitch at the bottom. Click the round button to activate a pedal. The indicator light on that pedal will turn amber and the box will appear in full color. If the pedal is bypassed, the light will dim and the box will grey out. You can do this during the riff. This lets you hear how much each effect is contributing. You can easily see where something like an overdrive brings grit to the sound or the chorus thicken it up.
The two knobs on top let you tweak the parameters for each pedal as well. Simply move your mouse up or down across one of these knobs to adjust its parameter. For example, Drive and Level affect how much distortion you get and how loud it is. This is handled by the Overdrive pedal. The Chorus pedal adjust the Rate and Depth which changes the speed and intensity of the modulation. The Delay pedal handles the Time and Feedback which determines the spacing between echoes and number of repeats. Reverb controls Decay and Mix. Decay controls the length of the tail, and Mix balances the wet and dry signals. Everything is updated in real time so you can listen and dial things in as you go.
And if you like to use your keyboard instead of the mouse, no problem. To engage the four pedals, simply press the number keys (1-4). Not only does this speed things up but it also help you develop a bit of muscle memory. To launch the chord stab and riff loop, press C and R respectively. To view the controls once more, hit the question mark key to toggle the help panel.
Below the pedals are three preset buttons that will give you some quick inspiration. The first one is called the Clean sparkle preset which brings in a touch of reverb and chorus for a bright and shimmering tone. The next preset button is the Rock lead preset which brings on the overdrive and also slaps in a slapback delay for a punchy lead sound. The third preset button is called the Ambient wash preset. It puts everything into high setting with reverb, delay, and chorus turned on for a lush and atmospheric pad. Once you select these presets hit the chord stab and listen to the full effect.
At the lower-right, there’s the Master Output Level, controlled by the volume slider. If it’s too loud/quiet on your speakers, adjust accordingly. The fullscreen button, meanwhile, lets you expand the widget. This clears away any distracting stuff around it and provides extra space to read the readouts and move the knobs with greater clarity. It is useful when you’re mixing a lot of virtual instruments, or just need a more concentrated mixing experience.
Turn on all of the pedals and begin working your way back, turning them off one at a time. Notice the effects of each pedal on the signal as it enters and exits each effect. Play around with the delay feedback until you get an echo cascading. With the chorus, turn it down slightly for more of a subtle shimmer, or crank it up for a more pronounced warble. Mixing these sounds is subjective. It’s about finding something inspiring that brings out your own musical ideas. Spend some time experimenting with the interaction of the pedals. Listen to how the delay takes its input from the overdrive for a more distorted echo. Hear how the reverb pushes everything else back into space. Start with the presets but don’t stop there. Twist the knobs until you have made the tone your own.
When you feel confident give yourself an easy melody or rhythm to play through the effects you’ve discovered along the way. It was designed to be immediate and hands on. You should of had fun creating sound in real time.