Mission Engineering VM-PRO Buffered Volume Pedal

If you think volume pedals are boring and you're considering skipping this review, think twice. Mission Engineering's new VM-Pro buffered volume pedal packs in several handy features that may pay real dividends for guitarists. especially those with expansive or constantly evolving pedal boards.With its all-metal chassis, high-quality red powdercoat finish, and an enclosure almost identical to that of a Dunlop Cry Baby wah pedal, the VM-Pro resembles other volume pedals on the market. Take a closer look, though, and you'll find features that set this pedal apart.Prevent Tone SuckThe VM-Pro is a buffered pedal. A signal buffer is a common feature on pedal switchers, where lots of pedals and/or cabling are expected in the downstream effects chain. The longer your signal has to go to reach its destination, the more signal you risk lose along the way. This is often referred to as 'tone suck' and the most common result is a loss of high-frequency content, which can make your instrument sound dull and dark. The buffer on the VM-Pro is also an amplifier that boosts the output from the pedal to give it the momentum it needs to reach your amp intact. In fact, the VM-Pro includes two of these buffer/boosters.Gotta Tune UpWhy the need for a second amplifier when there's only a single output jack? Actually, it's a stereo output jack when you plug in a TRS (stereo) Y-cable, one output can feed your amp while the other flows to your tuner. (This is another technique for avoiding signal loss, because not all tuners are designed with the health of your tone in mind.) Mission implemented this second output perfectly: Sweeping the expression pedal has no effect on the volume going to the tuner. The result is silent tuning directly from your volume pedal.