Of course, that sort of approach proved to be hugely attractive to synthesizer users: and because of its thorough options for internal control and even external MIDI control, many people use ZOIA as a full synthesizer as well as an effect processor. Naturally, we wondered from the start what a modular iteration of the ZOIA might look like…and now it seems that it is on the way. Euroburo sports four CV inputs, and an equivalent amount of control voltage outputs (that alone is a significant upgrade from the pedal). There is also a pair of stereo audio I/O, and a dedicated headphone output. To top it off, the module is equipped with MIDI input and output.

With such an amount of connectivity across different formats, the power of ZOIA Euroburo is immediately apparent. It is easy to imagine this module in a variety of setups, though there is still more to be said about the richness, depth, and expandability of its own inner world. Though already hugely impressive, the collection of virtual modules that ZOIA and Euroburo come with is far from complete. There are plans for new modules to be added. There is a sampler module on the way, and who knows what else is in development already. Actually, Empress Effects use a voting system on their website to determine which modules or features will be added to the pedal/module next—so as a user, you get to participate in shaping the evolution of the product. Euroburo has two additional assignable buttons that can change in functionality depending on user preferences, ensuring that some controls will always be there even when you jump to the next patch.

Speaking of which, the module can host up to 64 patches simultaneously, and switching between them is super easy and fast. It only takes a button-press to transform Euroburo from synth to drum machine to effects processor. This makes it an uncommonly powerful performance tool—as pointed out in the video chat, presets in the Zoia are much more than just presets on a synthesizer: presets in the Zoia can make it an entirely different type of instrument or processor altogether. So you can imagine just how powerful a cleverly-programmed Euroburo or two could be: especially since the stereo I/O can be treated completely independently, you could wrench an awful lot of functionality out of a very small setup.

The controls are straightforward and intuitive. An 11-position Shift switch selects the maximum transposition interval ranging from D (Detune), a shift of 17 cents, through Minor 2nd, Major 2nd, Major 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Minor 7th, 1 Octave, 2 Octaves and 3 Octaves. A three-position toggle switch controls whether the pitch is transposed up, down or both. In Dual mode, two pitch-shifted signals are output. One follows the shift knob as if in the Up position while the other creates a harmony. Dual Mode settings include M3 up + P5 up, P5 up + 1 Oct down, 1 Oct up + 1 Oct down and many others. A Blend knob controls the mix of the dry signal and the effected signal, and an EXP jack enables the player to control pitch and glissando with an expression pedal.

The Latch button selects Latch or Momentary mode which affects how the footswitch and EXP input behave. In Latch mode, the footswitch toggles between effect on and buffered bypass each time it’s pressed and the EXP input continuously varies pitch. In Momentary mode the effect is only on while the footswitch is depressed and when it is released the Pitch Fork goes into bypass.

In Latch mode the EXP input controls pitch shift amount, ranging from unity to the interval set by the Shift knob, and pitch varies continuously throughout the expression pedal’s range. In Momentary mode the EXP input controls glissando rate for the Pitch Fork’s footswitch. When the bypass footswitch is pressed, the Pitch Fork jumps from bypass to the interval set by the Shift knob. The amount of time it takes to reach that new note is the glissando rate. When the footswitch is released the pitch will return to unity at the same rate. That glissando time can vary between four milliseconds to two seconds depending on the heel/toe position of the expression pedal. The default glissando rate is 60 milliseconds when nothing is plugged into the EXP input.

The Pitch Fork comes equipped with an EHX 9.6DC-200mA power supply and also runs on a 9-volt battery.