RJM Mini Effect Gizmo X

The RJM Mini Effect Gizmo X is a compact, MIDI controlled switcher that can switch up to 6 effects¹. Instead of tapping individual pedals on and off, you recall presets from a MIDI foot controller and the unit engages or bypasses each loop for you. Its six true bypass audio loops can switch either mono or stereo effects, and it stores up to 1024 presets¹.

Its small size allows it to be placed on or under a pedalboard, or in a rack drawer with your pedals¹, which is the main thing that separates it from RJM's rack-mount Effect Gizmo. It is a member of the same family of switching hardware that RJM has built around MIDI control.

What it does and how it is controlled

The core job is loop switching: each of your pedals sits in its own audio loop, and the Mini Effect Gizmo X's relays pull each loop in or out of the signal path as a preset dictates. RJM describes the loops as true bypass, and the maker's broader claim for its relay-based switching is that it "offers the most transparent sounding audio switching available"². Because the switching is programmable, one press on a MIDI controller can reconfigure several pedals at once.

The unit is compatible with any MIDI controller, and RJM says it works especially well with its own products, including the Mastermind series and the full size Effect Gizmo¹. Beyond the audio loops, it features two function switches for controlling compatible analog pedals or guitar amps¹, so channel switching on an amp can be folded into the same presets.

A built-in audio buffer is available at the input, preventing treble loss from long cable runs and certain effects. The buffer is switchable, and "Fuzz Mode" allows you to configure which loops have fuzz pedals or other pedals that are adversely affected by buffers: when such a pedal is on and in the first active position, the buffer turns off¹. That matters for players running vintage-style fuzz or wah circuits that change character in front of a buffer.

Power

The Mini Effect Gizmo X runs on 9VDC or 9VAC at 200mA, and it accepts either polarity¹. The either-polarity spec means it will take power supplies that would be unsafe for a typical center-negative-only pedal. The earlier Mini Effect Gizmo drew the same current: 9V DC at 200mA³.

How it relates to the full-size Effect Gizmo

The full-size Effect Gizmo is a rack mountable, MIDI controllable 12 loop audio switcher², twice the loop count of the Mini Effect Gizmo X, in a single rack space⁴. Its loops are wired in groups: loops 1 to 4 internally in series, loops 5 to 8 internally in series, and loops 9 to 12 independent, with loops 9 to 12 accepting stereo (TRS) connections⁴. It can be special ordered with all stereo loops, which takes additional build time⁴.

The rack unit also provides phantom power to compatible MIDI controllers when using a 7-pin MIDI cable⁴, and its XLR MIDI input connector provides bidirectional MIDI communication and phantom power to a MIDI controller². Both units were sold out and available for pre-order as of late October 2026¹⁴.

The earlier Mini Effect Gizmo

The Mini Effect Gizmo X follows an earlier Mini Effect Gizmo, reviewed by MusicPlayers.com in August 2011. Scott Kahn described it as "a specialized product of great use to guitar and bass players who want to isolate a bunch of effect pedals in audio loop"³. That unit had five isolated audio loops wired in series, so no jumper cables were required between loops, a choice of buffered or non-buffered input, and two outputs, both of which remained active³.

The first output featured RJM's click-stopper technology, designed to reduce audible clicks when disengaging audio loops by muting the output while relays switch a pedal out of the signal path; the second output bypassed the click-stopper circuit³. The reviewer noted a practical trick: "you can use the unused output for a constant connection to a tuner pedal without having to waste an audio loop"³. Programming was simple: hold the write button for a second or two until the lights blinked to save a loop combination³.

Kahn also found the documentation detailed, fully explaining the looper, with multiple rig diagrams covering series, front-of-amp/loop, and series/parallel setups³. His evaluation short-list for comparison included the Axess Electronics GRX-4³. Click Stopper technology was first introduced in the Effect Gizmo product line before appearing in the later Rack Gizmo⁵.

Pedalboard wiring notes

A wiring guide from West Coast Pedalboard lists jack and plug compatibility for the RJM PBC10 and Mini Effect Gizmo side by side, confirming fit for the SP500, SP550-S, SPS5, Switchcraft 226, and Switchcraft 236 plugs⁶. That kind of fit check matters when you are wiring a switcher into a tight pedalboard, since right-angle plug bodies can collide on closely spaced jacks.

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