Effects used to be simple. Using a chorus, delay, flanger, or distortion was the norm. Today, effects are more digital than ever! Combining one effect with another by morphing the two sounds is the standard these days. Pedal boards took over in the 1980s and they haven't looked back. In fact, while some pedal boards have gotten bigger, others have gotten smaller but have more features. Go figure. Technology has taken over the guitar effects and pedal world.

Korg Pandora PX4

Expanding on the popular Pandora series, this multi-effects unit also has a built-in headphone amp. It is small and very portable. It has the standard classic guitar effects and simulated amplifier sounds. Also built in is a metronome. Another great feature in this box are the rhythm patterns with bass drums. It's excellent for practicing.

M-Audio Black Box

The Black Box, shown in FIGURE 17-6, features an array of unique effects that automatically beat-sync to your song tempo or the included drum patterns. Clearly, it's the next step in creating the future songwriter in you. The Black Box allows you to quickly access intricate delay lines, randomized filters, pulsing feedback effects, and countless other modern digital effects. The Black Box was developed by M-Audio and Roger Linn Design. The design is based on Roger Linn's Adrenelinn II effects box. The Black Box is also a USB audio interface for computer-based recording.

The Black Box features forty accurate amp models of many of the greatest guitar amps ever built. The unit also contains more than 120 unique effects, many of which beat-sync to the internal drum patterns or to an external sequencer (hardware or computer based). One hundred built-in drum patterns with tap tempo make it easy to try out different grooves and tempos. A built-in microphone preamp is also included for recording and processing vocals and acoustic instruments.