Virtual Pedalboard

Fractal Audio puts its Axe-Fx III effects in a conveniently sized stage-ready floor unit

- Trevor Curwen

What You Need To Know

Fractal? Doesn’t it specialise in amp emulations? Well, yes, the Axe-Fx III is the company’s flagship unit, but it also has loads of effects onboard – and the VP4 provides those effects for use with your own amp.

What’s with the VP4 name? The VP stands for ‘virtual pedalboard and it has four footswitches and four simultaneous effects. Logical, huh?

Does it go in front of my amp? Yes, you can place it like a standard chain of pedals, but you can also connect it with the four-cable method so you can have some of its effects in front of your amp and some in its effect loop

The US brand Fractal Audio is known for its high-end modelling products, notably the Axe-Fx III, packed full of amps, cabs and effects, and its FM9 and FM3 floor processor spin-offs. Besides those, the company has historically provided effects-only units as a solution for players who don’t need the amp and cab modelling. Its FX8 eight-footswitch unit, which we took a look at back in 2015, was most recently available in the MKII guise but has since been discontinued. And now the effects-only tradition continues with the much more compact VP4.

This four-footswitch ‘Virtual Pedalboard’ offers four simultaneous effects chosen from 400 onboard effects derived from the Axe-Fx III. Fractal says the VP4 is designed to work seamlessly with a traditional amplifier but also excels at providing pre- and/or post-effects with any modeller, so it could easily slot into your rig whatever your working methods.