Poly Effects Releases the Beebo Multi-Modulation Pedal

July 24, 2020 · 5 sources

Poly Effects announced the Beebo, a multi-modulation pedal that also gives players the power of a Eurorack modular synth in an easy-to-use touchscreen format. The Australian maker, known for its full embrace of touchscreens, launched the pedal on July 24, 2020, priced at $399 and available directly through Poly Effects¹².

The Beebo is a digital device: a new piece of software focused on modulation and synthesis, running on the same touchscreen hardware that hosts the company's Digit pedal, which mainly offers delay and reverb algorithms³. Its modules cover a wide range of effects:

• Auto swell, delay, algorithmic reverb and chorus
• Looping delay, mono and stereo EQ, mono and stereo compressor
• Pan, phaser, reverse, rotary, saturator, warmth and a through-zero flanger⁴

The launch coverage also listed what the pedal covers: auto swell, delay, algorithmic reverb, chorus, looping delay, mono and stereo EQ, mono and stereo compressor, pan, phaser, reverse, rotary, saturator, warmth and through-zero flanger, with three footswitches that can change a value or connect parameters to a random source, an LFO or an envelope follower⁴.

Control comes through a 5 inch touch screen, with three footswitches below it that can change a value or connect parameters to a random source, an LFO or an envelope follower⁴. A MIDI-to-V/oct module lets players drive the synthesis modules from MIDI note input, and the pedal supports MIDI input and MIDI CC output³. Connectivity is generous for a pedal: four inputs and four outputs, with CV and audio signals processed at audio rate³.

Power comes from a 9V center-negative supply drawing 500 mA, which rules out a typical low-current daisy chain³.

Gearnews' reviewer summed up the launch:

The same coverage described the pedal as sounding like "a must-have for musicians and producers into sound design, no matter what's their primary instrument"³. In a best pedals of 2020 reader poll it finished in 26th position with one point⁵.