The El Garatge Tripl3X is a passive, TRS-connected 3-in-1 expression controller requiring no power supply, built by El Garatge designer Oriol Domingo. It is a tabletop, pocket-sized device, handmade in Barcelona with a 3D-printed casing, and it sits alongside the wider family of expression pedals as a way to control any pedal that takes a TRS expression connection1.
The three modes
The Tripl3X offers three ways to move an expression parameter, and Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described the control topology as very simple1.
- Manual: the central knob adjusts the expression wholly manually and directly, and is also used to calibrate the Heel and Toe sweep values1.
- Dragged/Drift: a mode with a drift of up to seven seconds1.
- Static Antenna: an antenna-style mode that needs suitable acrylic or nylon objects used as a wand, such as a Bic Biro or a Nomad Tool, and sufficient current from the connected pedal1.
Where it came from
The Tripl3X is part of the El Garatge line of miniature expression devices. In the years before it, Domingo released the Expression Knob, the Echo Knob, the Thermae Time Knob and Expander devices, and the WEX two-part Wireless Expression Controller1.
What reviewers found
Guitar Pedal X reviewed the Tripl3X in March 2024. On the CTC Cyclone Phaser, Karlsson reported mixed results across the modes1:
"The Dragged and Manual Modes worked immediately and perfectly, while I could not get the Static Mode to work on that"
So Manual and Dragged/Drift modes connected and behaved as expected on that pedal, while Static Antenna mode did not, which is consistent with the mode's stated need for sufficient current from the host pedal1.
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Questions
Does the El Garatge Tripl3X need a power supply?
No. The Tripl3X is a passive device and requires no power supply of its own. Guitar Pedal X notes that it does draw some minuscule current through a connected TRS cable, so it works from the expression circuit of the pedal it is plugged into. That makes it a simple tabletop add-on for any pedal that accepts a TRS expression connection.
Who designed the El Garatge Tripl3X?
The Tripl3X comes from Oriol Domingo, who builds the El Garatge line of miniature expression devices. Guitar Pedal X describes it as his 3-in-1 Tripl3X Experimental Expression Controller, and it follows earlier El Garatge releases including the Expression Knob, Echo Knob, Thermae Time Knob and Expander, and the WEX Wireless Expression Controller.
What is Static Antenna mode on the Tripl3X?
Static Antenna is one of the Tripl3X's three modes, alongside Manual and Dragged/Drift. In this mode the device works like an antenna, and it needs suitable acrylic or nylon objects used as a wand, such as a Bic Biro or a Nomad Tool, along with sufficient current from the connected pedal. Reviewer Stefan Karlsson of Guitar Pedal X found it did not work on every pedal he tried.
What do you use as a wand in the Tripl3X Static mode?
Static Mode needs suitable acrylic or nylon objects used as a wand. Guitar Pedal X names a Bic Biro and a Nomad Tool as examples. The mode also needs sufficient current from the pedal the Tripl3X is connected to, which is why it worked on some pedals and not others in testing.
How big is the El Garatge Tripl3X?
The Tripl3X is a tabletop, pocket-sized device. Guitar Pedal X describes it as handmade in Barcelona with a 3D-printed casing, so it sits on a desk or pedalboard surface rather than taking up a standard pedal footprint.
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-03-28