Boss Effects Pedal Guide: Modulation Effects
What exactly is a modulation effect?
With a modulation effect you can influence your guitar signal according to your own wishes and give your guitar sound a special touch. Depending on the effect type, your sound becomes more spatial and spherical. Most modulation effects copy the input from your guitar and create a time or phase shift in the signal, which is then mixed back into your guitar's original, "dry" signal.
Modulation and pitch shifter in the Olli test
There are countless modulation effects, we have summarized the most important ones for you below and of course subjected them to comprehensive tests. Olli went to great lengths again and grabbed as many Boss effects as he could carry and presents you the most famous pedals in this video. Alternatively, you can find an overview of the most important Boss modulation effects below.


What modulation effects are there?
The most common modulation effects are phaser, flanger, chorus, tremolo and vibrato. Of course, Boss also has many other modulation effects, these five effect types are the most popular among guitarists. Below we will explain what the individual effects can do and what kind of sounds you can create with them.
chorus
The chorus is probably the most well-known modulation effect. It adds several, heavily modified sub-signals to the guitar signal. This creates the impression that several guitars are hitting the same note at the same time. The chorus effect is great for giving your signal a fuller, more spacious sound .
Phasers
The phaser is an effect based on time delays. The special sound is created by a filter with multiple cancellations and increases in the frequency spectrum. The minimally delayed edition of the signal creates an effect called phase cancellation. Part of the signal is swallowed and replaced by the following signal. The sound created is constantly evolving and changes periodically.
Flanger
A flanger works similarly to a phaser, but the phase cancellation and the resulting effect are much more extreme. The fact that the signal is additionally modulated creates a sound like a constantly moving wah-wah. The resulting sound is very striking and cutting and is usually used sparingly as a stylistic device.
tremolo
The tremolo is one of the dynamic effects. This means that it manipulates the volume of your signal. This effect causes the volume to constantly rise and fall, creating the feeling of a wave movement in the sound . The tremolo is particularly popular in (alternative) rock music.
Vibrato
The vibrato effect creates a sound similar to vibrato with your fretting hand and manipulates the pitch of your signal to then match it back to the original signal. A vibrato effect can be used to create very organic, floating sounds .


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Boss 's most important modulation effects
Here we introduce you to the best-known and most popular modulation effects from Boss . Clicking on the product image will take you to the product detail page with even more images and all information about the respective pedal.
Boss BF-3
Effect Type : Flanger
Heir to the legendary Boss BF-2, the BF-3 pedal offers a flanger version with the fattest flanging sounds ever. Two new modes create flanging with incredible depth - even slicer-like effects are possible - and sounds that seem to buzz around the listener.
For fans of Green Day, Steve Vai, Tool, blink-182
Boss CE-2w
Effect Type : chorus
The CE-2W's standard mode produces the authentic chorus sound of the CE-2, but expands it to include stereo edition. The CE-1 mode, on the other hand, produces the stereo chorus and vibrato sound of the legendary CE-1, the intensity of which can be adjusted as desired for the first time.
For fans of John Mayer, Led Zeppelin, Dream Theater
Boss CE-5
Effect Type : chorus
The CE-5 is Boss' first compact chorus pedal to feature both high and low pass filters, allowing the creation of a variety of premium chorus effects . The sound is floating, warm and brilliant. The CE-5 is the Boss luxury chorus.
For fans of Tool, Van Halen, Steve Vai, Alice In Chains
Boss CH-1
Effect Type : chorus
This pedal features the classic chorus sound that Roland has been known for since the introduction of the famous Roland Jazz chorus amplifier. This makes the CH-1 the worldwide standard and the ideal pedal for the typical warm chorus sound that creates a wide stereo image.
For fans of Joe Satriani, Megadeth, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam
Boss DC-2w
Effect Type : chorus
The DC-2W was developed in the tried and tested Waza Craft analog tradition and not only offers a perfect sonic replica of the original DC-2 Dimension C, but also includes the legendary SDD-320 Dimension D 19'' effects device, which serves as a template of the DC-2.
For fans of Dream Theater, Noel Gallagher, The Smashing Pumpkins, Paramore
Boss PH-3
Effect type : Phaser
Like the Boss AW-3 Dynamic Wah, the PH-3 Phaser does not have an analog circuit, but works on a digital basis: This means that an extremely large number of classic and modern phaser sounds are possible in the very best studio quality. It also has a tap tempo function.
For fans of The Black Keys, Steve Vai, blink-182, The Cult
Boss PS-6
Effect Type : pitch Shifter
The Boss PS-5 has sold in impressive numbers worldwide. Here comes the successor PS-6: The main difference to the PS-5 is the ability to generate two additional tones, for three-part solos, fat chords or for extreme beats, stronger than with any chorus.
For fans of Royal Blood, Megadeth, Green Day
Boss SY-1
Effect Type : Synthesizer
The SY-1 is an exceptionally expressive tool with 121 particularly responsive sounds in the enclosure of a BOSS compact pedal that can be easily integrated into any setup. Best of all, it's as easy to use as a traditional stompbox, so you don't need to be an experienced synth programmer.
For fans of Marilyn Manson, Meshuggah
Boss TR-2
Effect type : tremolo
Perfect replica of the tremolo effect of a classic and popular Vintage amplifier from the sixties. By continuously changing the shape from triangle to square, light to extremely choppy tremolo sounds are easy to set and invite you to experiment.
For fans of Eric Clapton, Rage Against the Machine, Oasis, Foo Fighters, Coldplay
Haven't found the right sound yet?
The effects we have presented to you here do not yet offer the right sound for you or would you like to discover more? Here you can find an overview of all Boss modulation pedals: