One Control Minimal Series Black Loop Deluxe with BJF Buffer

The One Control Minimal Series Black Loop Deluxe with BJF Buffer is a two-loop switcher: a compact pedal that lets you put groups of effects into two separate loops and switch each group in and out of your signal chain with its own footswitch. Between the loops sits a built-in BJF Buffer at the input, which can be switched on or off, so the pedal works as either a true bypass or buffered bypass loop switcher depending on your setup¹.

For a player with a growing board, that solves two problems at once. The loop switching takes always-on or hard-to-reach pedals out of the chain when you do not want them, and the buffer, when engaged, counters the high-frequency loss that long cable runs and many true bypass pedals in series can cause. One Control describes the pedal as giving you complete control over two independent effects loops in a compact, easy-to-use format¹.

Two-loop switching with a BJF Buffer

The core of the pedal is its pair of effects loops. Each loop is a send and return pair: pedals connected to a loop are bypassed entirely when that loop is off, and One Control states that the switching of each loop is standard true bypass style, usable the same way as buffer bypass². With the input BJF Buffer switched on, the pedal instead presents a buffered bypass, keeping a low-impedance signal flowing through the rest of the chain.

The buffer itself is a named circuit with a named designer. Björn Juhl of BJFe designed the BJF Buffer, and One Control says he built it "to help with the varied cable lengths and true bypass pedals in the signal chain"⁴. The same circuit appears across the company's utility range, including the standalone Minimal Series BJF Buffer pedal, the Pedal Board Junction Box with BJF Buffer, and the Tuner MKII with BJF Buffer⁴⁵⁶. One Control calls it "one of the most natural-sounding" buffers installed in its switchers⁵.

On the related Black Loop, One Control notes a useful detail about running without power: "If the BJF Buffer in the input part is set to OFF, it can also be operated without power (the LEDs do not light up.)"². That applies to the standard Black Loop; the Deluxe shares the same buffer architecture, but One Control's Deluxe listing gives no matching claim, and it lists battery operation as unsupported¹.

The footswitches and controls

The Black Loop Deluxe has three footswitches, which is what separates it from the two-footswitch Black Loop¹.

The TOGGLE is the Deluxe's addition. One press flips both loops at once: a board with both loops engaged drops to full bypass, and a bypassed board brings both loops in. For a player who switches between two complete sounds, say one clean loop and one high-gain loop, that is a one-stomp change rather than two¹.

The only other control is the BJF Buffer on/off switch at the input, which selects true bypass or buffered operation¹. There are no knobs to set and no menus to learn.

Versions in the Minimal Series: Black Loop, White Loop and TRI LOOP

One Control's Minimal Series includes several loop switchers built around the same buffer, at different price and feature points²³⁷.

The standard Black Loop is the simplest of the pair: two footswitches, one per loop, with the same switchable input buffer and the same true-bypass-style loop switching². The White Loop works differently, using a LOOP/OFF footswitch that switches the selected loop and bypass, and it can also supply power to two DC OUT jacks for connected pedals³. The TRI LOOP extends the idea to three loops and carries the BJF Buffer as well, with One Control's tagline for it reading "BLACK+WHITE+BJF Buffer+α=∞"⁷.

The standard Black Loop weighs 390 g². The White Loop and the standalone BJF Buffer are both listed as sold out³⁵.

For comparison with other loop switchers and buffers, see the Switching Pedals and Buffer Pedals pages, or One Control's larger Xenagama Tail Loop MKIII.

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