Boss ES-5 Effects Switching System and MIDI Switcher

Introducing the Boss ES-5 Effects Switching System and MIDI Switcher

Based on the same concept and features as the Boss ES-8 Effect Switching System, the new ES-5 is pared down to offer more practical and essential use options for typical guitarists and bassists, and is drastically reduced in size to fit ready-made, standard-size boards. The innovation in creativity of pedalboard systems made possible by the ES-8 has become more available and affordable. Expand your board just by one size and incorporate the ES-5, then you are in for a whole new world of musical expression, not just another utility tool. From this day on, the use of stompboxes will never be the same.


The ES-5 is a powerful and versatile effects switching system that gives you complete control over a pedalboard. To start, you connect your pedals to the ES-5’s audio loops, and then activate the loops as needed to achieve various pedal combinations. The on/off state of each loop and many other parameters can be saved in a patch, allowing you to instantly change sounds without dancing around to press the switches on individual pedals. Your guitar tone is also maintained, because it only travels through an effect when it’s needed for a particular sound. Other loop switchers for pedals can accomplish the same thing. However, the ES-5 goes way beyond this core functionality, providing powerful routing flexibility, real-time control options, MIDI, and more in a space-saving unit. This gives you a great improvement for controlling effects that directly bring your creative ideas to life.

One of the ES-5’s key features is its innovative routing flexibility, which provides the ability to easily rearrange the order of a chain of stompbox effects. This gives pro-level capability to access a wide array of effect combinations, offering total creative freedom to achieve unique sounds. In addition, the ES-5’s parallel chain function increases the effect combination options further, thereby expanding the final sound variation capability exponentially. What’s more, all of these programmed configurations can be saved for instant access during a live performance.