Pedals are fun tools that can allow musicians to play with all kinds of effects during live performances. By using your feet to trigger these effects, you can keep your hands free to play an instrument or hold a microphone.
But just what types of pedals are there? And what do these pedals actually do? This post explains more.
Loop pedals
Loop pedals allow you to record a riff or phrase and then play it back. You can then continue to play over the top of this loop or even add extra looped layers of instrumentation. Using a loop pedal, musicians can perform layered compositions that would usually require a whole band.
Some of the highest quality loop pedals such as Aeros Gold Edition pedal allow you to record multiple loop tracks and even add effects such as reverse or fade-out. Cheaper options may meanwhile only allow a basic single track loop.
Distortion Pedals
Distortion pedals allow you to play around with gain. While most amps typically allow you to do this, pedals can allow you to experiment more greatly with the tone. For example, there are boost pedals that can add a subtle distortion (popular in blues music) and fuzz pedals that can provide a more heavily saturated and compressed distortion (more popular in psych rock and hard rock).
While distortion pedals are mostly used with guitars, you can also use them with other instruments ranging from synthesisers to electric violins, allowing you to experiment with harsher and ‘heavier’ sounds.
Reverb/delay Pedals
Reverb and delay are two different effects that can help to add atmosphere to your playing. Delay pedals can allow you to add a repeated echo effect, while reverb pedals add more of an extended trail to each sound. You can buy separate pedals for each effect, or pedals that allow you to play with both.
Wah-Wah Pedals
One of the most sought out pedals among guitarists, these pedals allow you to play around with the EQ to create a distinctive ‘wah’ sound used heavily by guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Kirk Hammett. Unlike other pedals that consist of single buttons, wah-wah pedals use a movable see-saw pedal that allow you greater control over the EQ.
Such pedals can also be used with other instruments – including vocals. This guide at MusicRadar compares some of the top wah pedals.
Multi-effects Pedals
Multi-effects pedals give you access to multiple effects in one device (which could include all the effects listed above as well as other effects not mentioned like chorus, phasers and auto-harmonisers). They often take the form of a pedalboard with multiple pedals that you can load different presets onto.
They’re ideal for musicians that want to play around with lots of different effects. However, each effect may not be as finely tuneable as pedals that specialise in individual effects, unless you’re buying a top-end multi-effects pedal, which is something to bear in mind if you want top quality effects.