Back in the day, if one wanted a particular guitar effect one would purchase an effects pedal or “stomp box”, and even a modest collection of them could be an eye-watering investment. A guitar amp chosen for a specific sound could be another huge purchase (and who stops at one?) But if you’ve got a Raspberry Pi kicking around and a bit of free time, PiPedal provides configurable effects, guitar amp emulation, and more.

Things have come a long way in terms of audio processing, and PiPedal is no straightforward application of simple digital filters. We indirectly learned about it from a fellow who used it to experiment with a range of equipment he could in no reality actually afford. He shared his experience in a blog post that left him thinking he might as well sell all his pedals and build the stomp box of his dreams around PiPedal.

PiPedal’s impressive audio engine runs on a Raspberry Pi (or comparable single-board Linux computer) with control and configuration accessed from a mobile device or web browser. It’s expressly designed to seamlessly work whether one is at home, on stage, or in a studio.

The GitHub repository has code and documentation, so check it out. And if you use it as the basis of a project of your own, don’t keep it to yourself! Drop us a note on the tips line because we absolutely want to know all about it.