The TC Electronic PLETHORA X3 is a compact multi-effects pedalboard that puts three virtual recreations of TC's TonePrint pedals into one unit, with up to 127 savable mini boards you can switch between12. Each of its three footswitches can be assigned to any of 16 available effect pedals, arranged in any order you need on each board3. It launched in May 2022 at $3094, and Guitar World's review lists it at $369 / £299546.
The X3 takes its origin from the larger PLETHORA X5, slimming it down for an easier fit on your board2. Where the X5 lets you combine up to five TonePrint pedals per board7, the X3 gives you three slots, which Pedal of the Day found made it "a wonderful machine that can instantly be a staple on any board, in any situation"2.
Three TonePrint pedals on one board
The core idea of the PLETHORA X3 is that it is not a conventional multi-effects unit with amp modeling and a fixed chain. It is a TonePrint pedalboard: three slots where you insert virtual recreations of existing TC pedals, employing the original algorithms8. Delicious Audio describes it as a stereo multi-FX "with three slots where can be inserted a selection of virtual recreations of existing TC pedals employing the original algorithms"8.
The 16 effect pedals available to assign to each of the three footswitches, in any of the 127 onboard pedalboards, are3:
- Helix Phaser
- Viscous Vibe
- Tape Deck Looper
- Hall of Fame 2 Reverb
- Flashback 2 Delay
- Sub'n'Up Octaver
- Brainwaves Pitch Shifter
- Corona Chorus
- Hypergravity Compressor
- Mimiq Doubler
- Vortex Flanger
- Pipeline Tap Tremolo
- Quintessence Harmony
- Sentry NoiseGate
- Shaker Vibrato
- Alter Ego Vintage Echo
That lineup tells you what the X3 is and is not. Guitar.com's review notes that "it only covers time-based effects (plus a compressor and a gate)"9, and Gearnews put it plainly: "There are no analogue drive or distortion effects, it is all digital time based and modulation"10. If you need gain, the X3 sits alongside your overdrive or distortion pedals rather than replacing them.
Each board you build can be saved and recalled, so you can keep separate three-pedal combinations for different songs or setups, up to 127 of them12. The unit also carries a chromatic tuner, an optional cab sim at the end of the chain, and Mash performance options3.
The controls
The front panel keeps things simple. Guitar.com's review identifies the main controls9:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Three footswitches | Bypass switches, each assignable to any of the 16 effect pedals3 |
| Three universal control knobs | Adjust effect parameters, custom-assignable via Hot Knobz9 |
| Effect selector knob/switch | Chooses which effect occupies a slot9 |
| TonePrint selector knob/switch | Picks from the TonePrint library9 |
| Play/edit mode switch | Toggles between performing and editing9 |
| Board up/down switch | Steps through your saved boards9 |
The effects can be triggered via the separate footswitches and controlled through the three knobs, and everything is entirely configurable and mappable8. The maker's product page also cites 75 TonePrint slots per effect1, so each effect type can hold a large library of custom TonePrints, the artist-designed and user-created parameter sets TC distributes for its pedals.
Through the Mash function, each footswitch can also operate as a convenient expression pedal5: press it partway and it sweeps a parameter, which matters because, unlike the X5, the X3 has no expression pedal input of its own.
Power and connections
The X3 runs on the supplied 9V DC adapter rated at 600mA3, and Guitar.com's review confirms it is "powered by nine-volt mains supply only"9, so there is no battery option. Its power connector is miniUSB9.
The X3 has no expression pedal input and no effects loop. Gearnews notes these are the features dropped from the X5 when the unit was slimmed down10. Use the Mash function on the footswitches for expression-style control instead.
Connections are standard inputs (mono and stereo), standard outputs (mono and stereo), MIDI In, MIDI Thru, and USB3, so it fits into a larger MIDI-equipped rig or connects to a computer. It runs in stereo and mono3, and Guitar World notes that at 176.5mm in width it "will be a more practical proposition for many players" than the X53. The unit is made in China3.
What reviewers said
Guitar World's Trevor Curwen concluded that the X3 "is a great way to expand a 'board with a whole range of decent-sounding effects and could quite literally be all the modulation pedals you need in one place"3. Pedal of the Day loved the versatility, calling it a unit that can be a staple on any board in any situation2.
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Questions
Does the Plethora X3 have an expression pedal input?
No. The X3 drops the effects loop and expression pedal input that the larger X5 has. Instead, each of the three footswitches can act as an expression control through TC's Mash function, which lets you press a switch partway to sweep a parameter like you would with an expression pedal.
Is the Plethora X3 true bypass?
Yes. Guitar World's review lists true bypass among the unit's features, alongside the chromatic tuner, the optional cab sim at the end of the chain, the Mash performance options and the looper.
Does the Plethora X3 have overdrive or distortion?
No. There are no analog drive or distortion effects; the X3 is all digital, covering time-based effects, modulation, a compressor and a noise gate. Players who need gain stages have to pair it with separate overdrive or distortion pedals.
What is the difference between the Plethora X3 and X5?
The X3 is a slimmed-down version of the original X5. It offers three pedal slots instead of five, and it drops the X5's effects loop and expression pedal input. Both share the 127-board structure, the TonePrint library and the same 9V DC, 600mA power supply.
Does the Plethora X3 take a battery?
No. It is powered by a nine-volt mains supply only, using the supplied 9V DC adapter rated at 600mA. There is no battery option.
Does the Plethora X3 have a looper?
Yes. The Tape Deck Looper is one of the 16 effect pedals available, and Guitar World lists the looper among the unit's core features alongside the tuner and the optional cab sim.
Sources (10)
- PLETHORA X3, TC Electronic
- TC Electronic PLETHORA X3 TonePrint Pedalboard, Pedal of the Day, 2022-12-09
- TC Electronic Plethora X3 TonePrint Pedalboard review, Guitar World, 2022-12-12
- TC Electronic debuts the Plethora X3, a downsized version of its feature-packed multi-effects pedal, Guitar World, 2022-05-26
- NAMM 2022: TC Electronic’s Plethora X3 brings TonePrint pedals to a compact multi-effects, Guitar.com, 2022-05-27
- Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 review, Guitar World, 2026-09-03
- PLETHORA X5, TC Electronic
- TC Electronic Plethora X3 Stereo Multi-FX, Delicious Audio, 2023-10-24
- The Big Review: TC Electronic Plethora X3, Guitar.com, 2022-06-30
- TC Electronic PLETHORA X3 smaller, yet still feature packed, gearnews.com, 2022-05-26
