Designed to be a streamlined tone controller on your pedalboard, the Source Audio Programmable EQ is a Toolblox Series utility pedal intended for electric guitar and bass, though it’s also compatible with any instrument that has a 1/4" output jack. This is an EQ pedal with seven adjustable bands, four user-editable presets, a sturdy aluminum enclosure, and a whole host of secondary functions that can be accessed from the pedal itself.

With 56-bit DSP and industry-standard 24-bit AD/DA converters, the unit provides a ±18 dB range. You can dial in the perfect tonal profile for any given song or section, and then save that profile as a preset. Then, when you want to cycle to another preset, you can do so straight from the footswitch. If you’d like to use a MIDI controller to switch presets, you can do so through the pedal’s MIDI input. Secondary features (which Source Audio deems “Backpage parameters”) let you switch the footswitch into auto-scrolling mode. Now, when you press down on the footswitch, the pedal can cycle through all four onboard presets at a rate of your choosing. You can get creative with this, as you now have a frequency-based step sequencer or tremolo at your beck and call.

This is just one example of the pedal’s secondary features. Here’s another: In addition to its EQ capabilities, the pedal can be used to achieve volume boosts of up to 12 dB, doing so in a transparent way, or in a manner that pushes your amp into a pleasant, harmonically distorted breaking-up point. This stompbox, which can operate with the included 9V battery or with compatible power supplies, also boasts a switchable bypass. True or buffered? The decision is yours.

• +/- 18dB range over seven frequency bands.
• Four independent programmable user presets easily recalled via the Footswitch.
• Octave Extend Function: optimizes the EQ for bass with an additional freq band at 62Hz.
• Small Footprint: A compact, rugged, cast aluminum housing.
• 12dB of clean boost.
• Auto-scrolling function: automatically scrolls through all four presets to create unique and dramatic effects similar to sequencer or tremolo units.
• Universal Bypass: Choose between, Hardwire “True” Bypass, utilizing a small-signal relay for improved reliability and remote switching capabilities, or Buffered Bypass, utilizing analog switching for a consistent input impedance and buffered output.
• MIDI input: Recall presets, control parameters, engage/bypass remotely via MIDI.
• State-of-the-art DSP — our proprietary 56-bit Digital Signal Processor, the SA601 and crystal-clear 24-bit converters.
• Dimensions: 4.5 in/11.4cm (Length) x 2.5 in/6.4cm (width) x 2 in/5.1cm (height)
• Runs on a 9V battery (included) or power supply (not included).