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  • Hardware
  • Firmware

Guitar effects switcher

A programmable switcher for guitarists' effect pedals. It turns each effect on or off, changes the order they are chained in and saves complete setups as presets, without ever digitising the guitar signal.

Client
Music equipment company
Scope
Hardware, firmware and app integration
Timeline
6 months
Delivered
Board design, complete firmware and manufacturing documentation

The challenge

Rearranging effects without touching the tone

Guitarists build their sound from a chain of effect pedals, and the order of that chain changes the sound. The client wanted one device that switches effects on and off, reorders them and recalls a full setup with a single press.

Players notice any loss of tone, so the signal had to stay analog all the way through. It is never converted to digital, and every switching and routing step had to keep noise and signal loss to a minimum.

What we built

An ESP32 controller around a fully analog signal path

Hardware

Switcher board

Analog switching and routing for the guitar signal, controlled by an ESP32 with its own display and controls.

  • Fully analog signal path, never digitized
  • Analog switching for effect loops and their order
  • MIDI control
  • LCD and rotary encoder interface
  • Bluetooth link to a mobile app

Firmware

Complete firmware

Firmware that runs the whole device, from the front panel to the presets and the app connection.

  • User interface on the LCD and encoder
  • Preset storage and recall
  • Effect switching and reordering
  • Communication with the client's mobile app

Delivery

Ready to manufacture

Everything needed to build the device and connect it to the client's app.

  • Schematic and PCB layout
  • Complete firmware
  • Integration with the client's mobile app
  • Manufacturing documentation

Result

Ready for launch

  • A finished, working device, now waiting for its market launch.
  • Any effect order, at the press of a button, with the guitar signal kept analog throughout.
  • Six months from the start of the project to a working device.

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