The Beam Splitter is a distortion pedal from Old Blood Noise Endeavors that takes one signal and makes three copies of it, each with a different overdrive voice and delay time1. Instead of stacking gains in series like a conventional drive pedal, it runs three drive channels in parallel and lets their slightly different timings smear the layers into one big sound. Old Blood Noise describes it as "our way of creating a huge sound out of a regular one," with classic drives, flangers, lofi vibratos and trailing slapback echoes all reachable from the same controls2.
The original Beam Splitter launched in October 2023 at $2293. An updated Beam Splitter V2 followed in August 2026 at $379, adding digital control, MIDI, presets and a three-footswitch layout24. This page covers both, and the differences between them.
One signal split into three drives with delays
The core idea is parallel layering. The Beam Splitter takes one signal and makes three copies of it, each with differing overdrive voices and delay times, creating up to 3 copies of the original signal, each with its own overdrive. Those small timing offsets are what make the combined output feel wide and animated rather than just louder16.
The three channels on the original are color-coded, and each has a distinct clipping character6:
| Channel | Clipping character |
|---|---|
| Purple | Hard-clipping distortion |
| Green | Soft-clipping overdrive |
| Blue | Transistor overdrive |
Guitar World described Green as a versatile overdrive with both light and bright sounds, governed by Gain and Volume knobs plus Time and Decay parameters7. The onboard delay reaches up to 125ms37, and MusicRadar noted that the Decay knob interacts with the Time control to add "intense filtering or trailing delays" to the drive3.
The V2 keeps the three-voice structure but revoices the third drive and lowers the noise floor, with two delay lines feeding the copies25. Guitar Pedal X breaks the V2 drives down as: Drive I, a hard clipping distortion and the core gain sound; Drive II, both soft and hard clipping overdrive with a light and bright tone; and Drive III, a transistor overdrive that is the most dynamically reactive, with a fuzz-like gain quality4.
The controls
The original Beam Splitter carries 13 knobs on the enclosure8, with only one footswitch7. Each of the three channels has its own Gain, Volume and Tone controls, and the first two voices add delay and decay time controls, which gearnews found lets you create modulation effects like chorus and flanging and shape the tails of each layer6.
The Deviate control is the wildcard: it varies the delay times at random, giving the layers a more organic feel or generating deliberately wonky effects, and its amount can be externally controlled with an expression pedal6. On the V2, Old Blood Noise describes it as randomly varying the delay time for "a more natural feel and chorus effect"2.
The V2 control set, from the maker's page4:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain, Volume, Tone | Shape distortion amount, level and brightness of each drive section |
| Time and Feedback | Set each delay's timing (up to 211mS) and its resonance or decay |
| Spread | Sets the amount of stereo spread |
| Deviate | Randomly varies delay time |
| Delay Select | Chooses which drives are delayed |
| Preset 1-3 | Three onboard presets, expandable to 127 via MIDI |
The V2 also gives expression control over every knob, not just Deviate, and replaces the original's single footswitch with three user-assignable ones24.
Power
Both versions run on a 9V DC center negative supply through a 2.1mm jack, not included with either pedal26. The original draws 150mA1; the V2 needs a supply capable of 350mA2.
The V2's 350mA draw is more than double the original's 150mA. If you are upgrading, check that your pedalboard power supply can deliver 350mA on a single 9V output before plugging in.
Mono, stereo and trereo outputs
The output routing is where the Beam Splitter separates itself from ordinary drive pedals. The original can sum everything to a parallel mono signal from one output, or split the three channels individually to three destinations16. The V2 formalizes this into three formats: parallel mono, stereo, or a further split into three outputs, which Old Blood Noise calls "trereo"2.
Input on the V2 is mono or stereo, with the caveat that a stereo input is collapsed to mono while the pedal is engaged2. The original's top-mounted jacks save pedalboard room and are also necessary to accommodate the routing options3.
Original versus V2
The V2 shipped in Shadow, Cool and Warm color editions, which Guitar Pedal X reported should be widely in distribution already as of August 2026; the maker's page also lists an Ikey Likey option, with artwork by Dustin Charles42.
What reviewers said
gearnews reviewed the original at launch and found a lot to like in its flexibility6:
"Overall, the Beam Splitter looks extremely versatile, as you can get a summed parallel mono signal from one output or three separate splits"6
Stefan Wyeth, gearnews, who added that the idea of layering sounds should appeal not only to guitarists but to synth players, instrumentalists and vocalists too6.
Of the V2, Guitar Pedal X's take was more mixed on practicality:
"It's a really cool capable pedal, but large with it too! So not the most pedalboard-friendly in that respect"4
Guitar Pedal X, August 20264
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Questions
Is the Beam Splitter V2 true bypass?
Yes, selectable. The V2 offers buffered trails or true bypass switching, so you can choose whether the delayed layers ring out after you disengage the pedal or cut immediately. The original Beam Splitter used a soft-touch bypass footswitch for true bypass with minimal switch noise.
Does the Beam Splitter V2 have MIDI?
Yes. Old Blood Noise Endeavors gives the V2 MIDI control over everything in the pedal, with three presets expandable to 127 via MIDI. The original 2023 Beam Splitter had no MIDI.
What is the difference between the Beam Splitter and the Beam Splitter V2?
The V2, released in August 2026, adds digital control, MIDI over every function, presets, expression assignment to any knob, a Spread parameter, a revoiced third drive, a lower noise floor, and three user-assignable footswitches instead of the original's one. It also draws more current: 350mA against the original's 150mA.
What color editions does the Beam Splitter V2 come in?
The V2 comes in four color options: Cool, Warm, Shadow, and Ikey Likey. Guitar Pedal X reported the Shadow, Cool and Warm editions as widely in distribution as of August 2026. The pedal's artwork is by Dustin Charles.
Can I use an expression pedal with the Beam Splitter?
Yes. On the original, the expression jack controls the Deviate knob, which randomly varies the delay times. On the V2, expression control extends to every knob, and the expression jack assignment is configurable.
What is trereo output?
Trereo is Old Blood Noise Endeavors' name for splitting the output three ways, one per drive channel, instead of summing to mono or spreading to stereo. The V2 supports mono, stereo, or trereo output; the original offered a summed parallel mono signal from one output or three separate splits.
Sources (8)
- Beam Splitter by Old Blood Noise Endeavors, RockBoard (www.rockboard.de), 2026
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors, Old Blood Noise Endeavors
- A distortion pedal with 13 knobs? Old Blood Noise Endeavors' Beam Splitter makes three copies of your signal then adds weird delays to taste, MusicRadar, 2023-10-20
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-08-11
- Updated Pedal: Old Blood Noise Beam Splitter V2 Stereo Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2026-08-11
- Open a portal with the Old Blood Noise Endeavors Beam Splitter, gearnews.com, 2023-10-19
- “Why record your guitar thrice when Beam Splitter exists?” Old Blood Noise Endeavors' new Triple Tracker Distortion is a stacked stompbox that has only one goal: “create a massive sound”, Guitar World, 2023-10-19
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors launches the BL-52 Phase Repeater, a pedal that “lives between phaser and reverb”, MusicRadar, 2023-11-28
