The FTelettronica Envelope Follower/Triggered Filter is an analog filter pedal that recreates the Lovetone Meatball, the British big-box envelope filter. It covers three jobs in one box: envelope-controlled filtering that tracks your picking, a triggered filter mode, and a wide range of static filter options for set-and-forget tones1. RockBoard's PedalPedia also notes that it can be used as a normal wah, but with more tonal options than a standard wah pedal1.
Where it comes from
The Meatball was the first of Lovetone's big-box modulation effects, and Aion FX describes it as a heavily tweaked version of the Mu-Tron III, the very first commercial envelope filter pedal3. On top of that core circuit, the Meatball added a clean blend, attack and decay controls, two extra range modes between Hi and Lo, two expression controls, and an effects loop3. GuitarPlayer's roundup of the top 50 stompboxes of all time describes its feature set as four frequency ranges, multiple filter types with depth and resonance controls, attack and decay knobs, a trigger section, and an effects loop4. The filter itself is a resonant low-pass design with selectable bandpass and high-pass options5.
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called the FTelettronica version "a faithful, affordable, made in Italy recreation of the Lovetone Meatball," priced at $310 at the time of his January 2022 coverage2.
"a faithful, affordable, made in Italy recreation of the Lovetone Meatball"
What that means on a board
Because the circuit is analog and draws only 20mA at 9V, it fits a standard pedalboard power setup without special provisions1. Players who want the Meatball's envelope, trigger and static filter sounds without hunting down an original big-box Lovetone have in this pedal a direct recreation of that circuit, made in Italy12.
For comparison, other envelope followers take different routes: the Lectric-fx Flyleaf is based instead on the vintage Electro-Harmonix Zipper envelope follower from 1977, with an onboard clean boost based on the LPB-16.
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FTelettronica Handmade Pedals
FTelettronica Handmade Pedals
FTelettronica Handmade Pedals
Questions
Is the FTelettronica Envelope Follower/Triggered Filter analog or digital?
It is an analog pedal. RockBoard's PedalPedia lists its circuit type as analog, and it runs on a standard 9V DC center-negative supply drawing 20mA, which is light enough for most pedalboard power supplies.
What power supply does it need?
The pedal needs 9V DC, center negative, and draws 20mA according to RockBoard's PedalPedia listing. That is a modest draw, so a standard isolated supply output will run it.
Is it based on the Lovetone Meatball?
Yes. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as a recreation of the Lovetone Meatball, and Delicious Audio called it a faithful, affordable, made in Italy recreation of the Meatball. The Meatball itself is a heavily tweaked version of the Mu-Tron III, the first commercial envelope filter pedal.
Can it be used like a normal wah?
Yes. RockBoard's PedalPedia says the pedal allows the player to use it as a normal wah, but with more tonal options than a standard wah pedal.
Where is it made?
The pedal is made in Italy. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as a faithful, affordable, made in Italy recreation of the Lovetone Meatball.
Sources (6)
- Envelope Follower/ Triggered Filter by FTelettronica, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- FTelettronica Envelope Follower/Triggered Filter, Delicious Audio, 2022-01-13
- Spectron Dynamic Filter / Lovetone Meatball, Aion FX, 2021-07-02
- The Best Guitar Effects Pedals of All Time, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2021-06-25
- Behringer Meatball: Budget Take on a '90s Classic, gearnews.com, 2026-01-19
- Flyleaf Envelope Follower, Lectric-fx
