The Mojo Hand FX SMPLoFi is a digital lo-fi pedal that pays homage to the S-SMP audio system of the Super Nintendo (SNES). It runs two different DSP programs, switched with a red button: the first is a raw bitcrusher with independent bit depth and sample rate controls, and the second adds reverb and a band-pass filter in the spirit of the console's simple onboard effects1. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called it "More than just a bit-crusher, the SmpLoFi is an instrument of nostalgia"2.
What it does to your sound
Mojo Hand FX describes the pedal as being all about dialing in experimental yet nostalgic sounds from the early days of console gaming, with lo-fi distortion and artifacts reminiscent of a retro video game1. The bitcrusher program reduces the resolution of your signal in two ways at once: bit depth, which coarsens the volume steps, and sample rate, which coarsens the time resolution. The reverb program leans on the SNES connection, where Mojo Hand FX says it honors "some of the simple DSP effects used on the SNES"1.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson placed it among the year's more unusual releases, describing "A fairly unique Multi-FX which combines a Bitcrusher with secondary Reverb and Band-Pass filter effects"3.
Controls
The three knobs do different jobs depending on which program the red button has selected1.
| Control | Red button up (bitcrusher) | Red button down (reverb and filter) |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow knob | Bit depth, from 24 bits fully counter-clockwise to 2 bits fully clockwise | 24 > 2 bit depth plus reverb gate time4 |
| Green knob | Sample rate | Band-pass filter frequency4 |
| Blue knob | Dry/wet mix: fully counter-clockwise is 100% dry, 12 o'clock is 50/50, fully clockwise is 100% wet | Same mix control as program 1 |
The mix knob matters more than it might on other pedals. Mojo Hand FX calls it "your best friend," noting that with how intense the bit and sample rate controls can be, it is important to be able to blend the crushed signal against the dry one1.
The two programs share the same three knobs, so the knob positions you set for the bitcrusher will read differently once you switch to the reverb and filter mode with the red button.
Where it came from
The pedal is a two-mode lofi design inspired by the S-SMP audio system of the Super Nintendo, and it "pays homage to the S-SMP audio system in a few ways," according to Mojo Hand FX1. It sits in a maker catalog that also includes the Mojo Hand FX RVT, a DSP pedal combining reverb with vibrato and tremolo, and the Mojo Hand FX Park Theater, a DSP space emulator.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X listed the SMPLoFi among its 2025 delay and reverb releases, with Stefan Karlsson describing it as somewhat adjacent to the recent Electro-Harmonix Atomic Cluster overall, and summarizing the bitcrusher mode's controls as "24 > 2 Bit Depth, Sample Rate Reduction, Dry > Wet Mix"31. In the same writer's earlier coverage, the reverb and filter mode was laid out as the "Red SMPL / Reverb Mode Button, 24 > 2 Bit Depth + Reverb Gate Time, Band Pass Filter Frequenc[y]"4.
For players exploring related territory, the pedal touches on effects covered elsewhere on the site, including Reverb Pedals, Filter Pedals and Multi-effects Pedals.
Videos
Mike Hermans
Signal Path
Duskmos
Questions
Is the Mojo Hand FX SMPLoFi analog or digital?
It is a digital pedal. Mojo Hand FX says it features two different DSP programs, switched between using the red button. The pedal is a deliberate homage to the S-SMP audio system of the Super Nintendo, so the digital character is the point: the lo-fi distortion and artifacts it produces are meant to recall a retro video game console.
What power does the SMPLoFi need?
Mojo Hand FX specifies 9V DC center pole negative, with a current draw of around 70mA. That is more than some simple pedals draw, so it is worth checking what your power supply can deliver on each output before adding it to a daisy chain.
What does the red button do on the SMPLoFi?
The red button switches between the pedal's two DSP programs. With the button up, you get the bitcrusher program with bit depth and sample rate controls. With the button down, you get the reverb and band-pass filter program, where the same knobs take on different functions.
How low can the SMPLoFi bit depth go?
In bitcrusher mode, the yellow knob sweeps the bit depth from 24 bits fully counter-clockwise down to 2 bits fully clockwise, according to Guitar Pedal X's review. At the low end of that range the resolution is crushed hard, which is where the retro console character comes from.
Does the SMPLoFi have reverb?
Yes. The second program, selected with the red button down, adds reverb and a band-pass filter. Mojo Hand FX says it honors the simple DSP effects used on the SNES, and Delicious Audio describes it as dynamic reverb paired with a band-pass filter.
Sources (4)
- SMPLoFi, Mojo Hand FX
- Mojo Hand FX SMPLoFi, Delicious Audio, 2025-11-26
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-12-10
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-11-26
