NAMM 2026: Electro-Harmonix has unveiled the Effects Interface Hardware Plugin – a “first-of-its-kind” tool that turns plugins into pedals, and pedals into plugins.
The premise is simple. With the Effects Interface, EHX has sought to provide a unique new solution to two very real problems for guitarists. Namely, running an audio track from a DAW through your favorite pedal, and conversely having your favorite digital plugin as part of your physical pedalboard.
It intends to do that with minimum fuss, using a no-nonsense hardware approach that requires an impressively small amount of kit. It negates the need for converters, direct boxes, complex cabling methods and other supplementary gear that existing re-amp boxes all require, and does it all with USB-C. Plus, it operates as a fully functioning pedal, live and in the studio.
In practice, there are three modes to unpick. Audio mode operates by sending any audio track through your chosen pedals through the Effects Interface’s smart I/O layout. This works for everything from drives, fuzz pedals, and delays to reverbs, modulations and beyond.
Pedal mode, meanwhile, does the opposite. It lets you take software plugins from a computer and use them as physical pedals. Any standalone or group of plugins can be sent to the Effects Hardware, and engaged in real time like a regular ol’ stompbox.
That’s a very enticing prospect indeed. That means you can now put, say, Neural DSP plugins right on your pedalboard. In the EHX demo, three Neural amp models are used in conjunction with the Effects Interface for seamless amp-switching while playing.
Of course, that means you’ll need your laptop handy if you intend on using it live this way, but that seems like a minor consideration relative to the doors the Effects Interface could potentially open for your rig.
And, what’s more, there’s also an additional Audio Interface mode for using it as a two-in, two-out interface for recording.
The frills-free operation is reflected in the topography. There are sliders for input and output levels, a Wet/Dry control for balancing signals, and a sole footswitch. There’s also stereo I/Os on the panel, and a headphone jack for monitoring.
“The Electro-Harmonix Effects Interface Hardware Plugin knocks down the walls between physical and plugin effects,” EHX sums up, “effortlessly turning your pedals into outboard gear and your plugins into pedals mounted to your pedalboard, all with a simple USB connection.”
The Effects Interface Hardware Plugin is available now for $359.
Head over to Electro-Harmonix to find out more.
It's not the first time EHX has attempted to bridge the gap between the physical gear and plugin spaces. Last year, it unveiled the Big Muff Pi Hardware plugin.
