The Next Step was a series of pedals from Electro-Harmonix built around one idea: a rocking pedal chassis with no potentiometer, no optics and no magnetism sensing the sweep. Instead of a pot under the treadle, the whole series used a design with no moving parts to wear out or break, which Electro-Harmonix paired with what it called lightning-fast response, high sensitivity and silent bypassing with no clunky button to engage123.
The line covered a lot of ground: expression, volume and stereo pan duties, two wah pedals, a talkbox-style formant pedal and a foot-controlled pitch shifter. Every pedal in it is now discontinued, so this page is a reference for what each one was and how the design worked456.
How it works without a potentiometer
Conventional rocking pedals put a potentiometer under the treadle, and that pot is the part that wears out, gets scratchy and eventually fails. The Next Step pedals removed it entirely. Electro-Harmonix says the Expression Pedal "does not use a potentiometer, optics or magnetism to sweep expression-enabled controls," and the same wording appears for the Volume and Pan pedals7129. The result, in the maker's words, is "a responsive expression pedal that provides precise control over your expression or control-voltage capable effects and instruments"7.
Guitar World described the practical pitch at launch in 2012:
"These pedals feature no moving parts and offer a smooth, rocking chassis and silent bypass switching."3
For a player, the claimed benefits were durability and feel: no gears or racks to strip, no footswitch to break, and a sweep that responds the same way over years of use. Premier Guitar's expression pedal buying guide made the same point in 2021, noting that "control comes without worry about footswitches or gears breaking down"13. Each pedal was also built on what the maker calls an ultra-rugged enclosure7.
What the pedals cost
At launch in September 2012, No Treble reported that the Volume, Expression and Pan pedals were shipping with street prices of around $88.2011. MusicRadar gave the U.S. list prices at the same time: $117.60 for the Expression Pedal, $117.60 for the Volume Pedal and $116.00 for the Pan Pedal4. Later, Premier Guitar's 2021 buying guide listed the Next Step at $95 street13.
| Pedal | U.S. list price, Sept 2012 | Street price, Sept 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| Expression Pedal | $117.604 | around $88.2011 |
| Volume Pedal | $117.604 | around $88.2011 |
| Pan Pedal | $116.004 | around $88.2011 |
The Next Step line, pedal by pedal
The series began with a wah. In June 2012, Electro-Harmonix announced the Crying Tone, which Premier Guitar reported was "part of a new series for Electro-Harmonix dubbed The Next Step"5. Guitar Interactive Magazine carried the same announcement, describing the pedal as redefining the wah with the Next Step's no-pot rocking design6.
In September 2012 the line grew to three utility pedals: the Expression, Volume and Pan pedals114.
- Expression Pedal: an expression and control-voltage pedal for sweeping expression-enabled effects and instruments7.
- Volume Pedal: a volume pedal with direct and effect outputs and a bypass level control12.
- Pan Pedal: a stereo panning pedal that also works as a blend or mono/stereo volume pedal9.
The Talking Pedal followed, using the proprietary design shared by all of the Next Step Effects to deliver what the maker called "Talkbox-like vocal expression without the hassles," a vocal formant wah with fuzz and no footswitches, gears or racks to break1415. Premier Guitar's reviewer framed it as "EHX's attempt to reshape expression pedal effects with the new Talking Pedal formant filter (and the other pedals in the" Next Step line16.
The Crying Bass extended the wah design to bass, with the maker again listing no moving parts and no pots, foot switches or gears to break17. Guitar World's news piece on it repeated that the Next Step Effects series benefits from the lightning-fast response, high sensitivity and silent bypassing design2.
The last major entry was the Slammi, a foot-controlled pitch shifter. Electro-Harmonix described it as revolutionizing foot-controlled pitch shifting with a new algorithm providing glitch-free tracking, offering "Three-octave polyphonic dive bombs, smooth as silk pitch shifting, fixed interval harmonies and bends plus much more"8. Premier Guitar's announcement noted the whole series' design with no moving parts to wear out or break1.
Where the series stands now
Every pedal in the Next Step line is out of production. Electro-Harmonix lists the Expression, Volume and Talking pedals as discontinued in 2020, and the Pan Pedal and Slammi as discontinued in 20237121589.
Because the whole series is discontinued, Next Step pedals are found only on the used market. Electro-Harmonix's current expression options include the EHX Expression and Dual Expression pedals and the Cntl Knob static expression pedal, which use conventional designs.
Players looking for a rocking expression pedal today can compare the surviving options on the expression pedals page; the Next Step remains the line that tried the no-pot approach across the widest range of effects10313.
Videos
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Questions
How does the Electro-Harmonix Next Step work without a potentiometer?
Electro-Harmonix says the Next Step pedals do not use a potentiometer, optics or magnetism to sweep their controls. The whole series has no moving parts to wear out or break: you rock the chassis and the pedal senses the motion internally, with silent bypass switching and no button to engage.
Is the Electro-Harmonix Next Step discontinued?
Yes. Electro-Harmonix lists the Next Step Expression, Volume and Talking pedals as discontinued in 2020, and the Pan Pedal and Slammi pitch shifter as discontinued in 2023. The whole Next Step Effects series is out of production.
How much did the Next Step expression pedal cost?
At launch in September 2012, No Treble reported street prices of around $88.20 for the Volume, Expression and Pan pedals. MusicRadar gave the Expression Pedal a U.S. list price of $117.60, and Premier Guitar later listed it at $95 street in 2021.
What other pedals were in the Next Step line?
The Next Step Effects series included the Expression, Volume and Pan pedals, the Crying Tone and Crying Bass wahs, the Talking Pedal formant wah with fuzz, and the Slammi pitch shifter. All shared the same no-moving-parts rocking design.
Is the Next Step Slammi still made?
No. Electro-Harmonix lists the Next Step Slammi, a foot-controlled polyphonic pitch shifter, as discontinued in 2023. It offered three-octave dive bombs, fixed interval harmonies and bends with glitch-free tracking.
Sources (17)
- Electro-Harmonix Launches Slammi Pitch-Shifter Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2013-10-25
- Video: Electro-Harmonix Introduces Crying Bass Wah/Fuzz Pedal, Guitar World, 2013-10-18
- Electro-Harmonix Introduces Volume, Pan and Expression Pedals, Guitar World, 2012-09-20
- Electro-Harmonix expands Next Step Effects, MusicRadar, 2012-09-20
- New Crying Tone Wah Pedal by Electro-Harmonix, Premier Guitar, 2012-06-13
- Electro-Harmonix Redefine The Wah Pedal With The Crying Tone, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2012-06-13
- Next Step Expression Pedal, Electro-Harmonix, 2020
- Next Step Slammi, Electro-Harmonix, 2023
- Next Step Pan Pedal, Electro-Harmonix, 2023
- Electro-Harmonix Launches Next Step Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2012-09-25
- Electro-Harmonix Adds Utility Pedals to Next Step Series, No Treble, 2012-09-28
- Next Step Volume Pedal, Electro-Harmonix, 2020
- Tools for the Task: Expression Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2017-05-17
- Electro-Harmonix Introduces the Talking Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2012-09-11
- Next Step Talking Pedal, Electro-Harmonix, 2020
- Electro-Harmonix Next Step Talking Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2013-09-13
- Next Step Crying Bass, Electro-Harmonix
