Voodoo Lab PX-8 PLUS

The Voodoo Lab PX-8 PLUS is a programmable true-bypass pedal switcher: a floor unit that puts your effects inside eight audio loops and lets you recall any combination of them with a single button press¹². Instead of tapping three footswitches in a row to go from a clean sound to a fuzz-plus-delay sound, you store that combination once as a preset and bring it back with one press. Voodoo Lab describes its basic function as an exceptional quality true-bypass loop strip that removes all unused cabling and connections from the signal path, so pedals that are switched out are completely out of the chain rather than loading down your tone³.

In Voodoo Lab's own switching system guide, the company positions the PX-8 PLUS as "the choice for players who want the loops and the footswitches on their board," an all-in-one floor unit rather than a rack controller paired with a separate loop unit². It sits alongside products like the Voodoo Lab Control Switcher in the company's switching range.

What the PX-8 PLUS does

The core job is loop switching. Each of your pedals connects to one of the eight send/return loops on the back of the unit, and the PX-8 PLUS's relays route your guitar signal only through the loops that are active. Because the loops are true bypass, a pedal that is switched off is taken out of the chain entirely, along with the cables that feed it³.

On top of that basic loop strip, the unit is programmable. Voodoo Lab describes the programming as simple and intuitive, giving instant access to 36 user-created preset loop combinations at the touch of a single button¹. A preset is a stored snapshot of which loops are on and which are off, so one press can turn several pedals on or off together.

Noise-free switching between effects and presets is handled by Voodoo Lab Quiet Switching technology and nitrogen-sealed gold-contact relays, according to the company's retailer listing⁴.

The unit also includes an additional audio loop insert point between loops 6 and 7, which Voodoo Lab calls ideal for placing a volume pedal or other audio device into the signal path³. That means a volume pedal can sit after the first six loops and before the last two, a common placement for players who want effects like delay and reverb to keep ringing after the volume pedal pulls the level down. For more on that kind of placement, see volume pedals.

The controls and footswitches

The PX-8 PLUS is an all-in-one floor unit with the loops and the footswitches together on the board². Its playing surface is eight silent switching buttons, which Voodoo Lab describes as premium quality, silent-operation footswitches used for setting and accessing programs and individual loops¹³.

How the switches divide their work:

Power and connections

The PX-8 PLUS runs on 9V DC at 100mA through a standard 5.5 x 2.1mm center-negative barrel connector¹. Voodoo Lab's product page also lists the power requirement as 9 to 12V DC at 100mA³; both figures come from the maker, and the two pages state the range differently. At 100mA it is a modest draw for a switching unit, comparable to a single analog pedal rather than a digital multi-effects unit.

Audio connections are a 1/4" mono main audio input, a 1/4" mono main audio output, and the eight send/return loops³. MIDI in and out let it exchange program change messages with other MIDI-capable devices, and its MIDI Out passes MIDI commands to other MIDI devices¹³. That means a preset change on the PX-8 PLUS can also tell a MIDI effects unit to change its own patch at the same time. For players running larger rigs, a dedicated MIDI foot controller such as the Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro is the kind of unit that pairs with switching hardware like this.

The output buffer

While the loops are true bypass, the output side is not. Voodoo Lab states that the audiophile-quality output buffer of the PX-8 PLUS ensures your tone will be preserved even with long cable runs to the amplifier³. In practice this means the switcher can drive a long cable from the board to the amp without the high-frequency loss that a long unbuffered run can cause. Players who want to dig into that concept can read more on buffer pedals.

Using it without presets

The PX-8 PLUS is not limited to preset workflows. If preset combinations are not needed, it can also function as a simple strip to turn on and off individual loops⁴¹. Used this way, it behaves like a straightforward true-bypass loop strip: each button toggles one loop, and there is no programming step at all. That makes it usable for a player who just wants to clean up their signal path today and grow into presets later.

Build, warranty and availability

Voodoo Lab states the PX-8 PLUS is hand-built in the USA and housed in a rugged aluminum chassis using what the company calls the highest quality components possible³. It carries a 5-year warranty in North America, with warranty details in other regions handled by each country's distributor³.

The unit measures 21.5" x 3" x 2" (546 x 76 x 51 mm) and weighs 2.25 lbs. (1 kg) per Voodoo Lab's product page³. Voodoo Lab lists the PX-8 PLUS at $399.99 USD³, and it carries a 5-year warranty in North America, with other regions directed to their country's distributor for warranty details³.

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