Radial Engineering Radial Mix-Blender

The Radial Mix-Blender is a parallel effects blender pedal from Radial Engineering, a stompbox that splits your signal so effects can run alongside a clean dry path instead of replacing it¹. Its core job is the wet-dry blend: a Blend control lets you mix in as much of the effects as you like into the signal path². For a bass player, that means adding distortion or fuzz while keeping the original low end intact, which Radial describes as mixing in the desired amount of distortion while maintaining the original bass tone³.

MusicRadar reported the pedal as the latest in Radial's Tonebone line when it launched, available for $169.99⁴. Radial positions it for guitarists, bassists and keyboard players, and states the circuit is designed to work with electric guitars, basses and acoustics⁵.

What it does: blending effects in parallel with the dry signal

Most pedalboards run in series: every pedal sits in one line, so a heavy distortion pedal eats your clean tone along with everything else. The Mix-Blender takes a different route. Your instrument feeds the pedal, a Send jack carries your signal out to an effects chain, and a Return jack brings the pedals back in². The Blend control then mixes the wet, processed signal with the dry, unprocessed one, so you set the balance yourself rather than choosing all or nothing².

A heavy-duty footswitch activates and bypasses the effects loop, and a super bright full-size LED indicator shows its status on dark stages². A cable clamp retains the power supply cable and eliminates accidental disconnects².

The controls at a glance:

Why the polarity switch matters

When you run effects in parallel, the wet and dry signals get summed back together. Some pedals invert the phase of whatever passes through them, so the wet path can arrive at the summing point flipped relative to the dry path. When that happens, the two signals partially cancel, thinning or hollowing out the sound.

The Mix-Blender's answer is a 180 degree polarity reverse switch on the effects loop. Radial says it lets you compensate for pedals that are out of phase with the dry signal path⁵. If a parallel blend sounds weak or hollow, flipping the switch is the first thing to try.

Two inputs, and how to use them

The two standard ¼" guitar inputs accept two instruments or effects², with Level 1 and Level 2 controls adjusting the relative levels between them². That makes the pedal usable as a small two-input mixer, for example blending two instruments into one amp, or feeding a second source alongside your main one.

The Send jack can also feed a tuner instead of an effects chain², which lets you tune silently without interrupting your signal.

Buffers and signal quality

Both inputs feature 100% discrete Class A buffers⁴. The main audio path is a discrete Class A circuit, with an audio grade IC handling the send-return loop¹. Radial's published measurements for the pedal:

Power and practical details

The Mix-Blender runs on a typical 9V power supply connection, powered from an optional supply or power brick, and the power supply is not included². There is no battery option in the specifications.

The enclosure is a 14-gauge steel chassis and outer shell, measuring 4.62" x 3.5" x 2" (117.3 x 88.9 x 50.8mm) and weighing 1.35 lbs (0.61kg)¹. Radial rates it for use in dry locations only, between 5°C and 40°C¹, and covers it with a 3-year transferable warranty¹.

Keyboards and hot signals

The pedal is not limited to guitar. Radial notes it can be used with keyboards, and that some keyboards, like digital pianos, can have very hot output signals, so distortion can occur; if it is heard, the keyboard's output is turned down⁵.

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