BOSS XS-1 and XS-100 Poly Shifter Pedals: New era of polyphonic pitch shifting

After years of development, BOSS has unveiled its new approach to polyphonic pitch shifting – the flagship model XS-100 and its more compact version, the XS-1. Let's take a look at what these new pedals have to offer to musicians in real-world use.

With a brand-new algorithm and ultra-fast attack, the new XS Series Poly Shifter pedals preserve clarity, playing technique, and the natural character of your instrument. Polyphonic pitch shifting delivers flawless glitch-free performance, whether you’re playing full chords or rapid melodic lines. Designed to sound natural, these pedals integrate seamlessly with other effects, while fully supporting bass frequencies.
 

BOSS XS-1 Poly Shifter

BOSS XS-1 Poly Shifter packs cutting-edge performance into a compact pedal. It offers natural pitch shifting across a wide six-octave range – from three octaves up to three octaves down. With the Shift knob, you can quickly select intervals from one to seven semitones or from one to three octaves. The Detune mode adds extra depth and richness, creating a doubling-style effect, while the Shift Up function provides convenient capo-like operation for changing key on the fly or for tapping-style performances. You can also emulate bass instruments on guitar by shifting down an octave, or craft harmonised solos and layered effects using semitone intervals.

For octave shifts, you can use the Balance knob to blend in the direct sound for 12-string effects, parallel guitar/bass sounds, and unexplored colours.

Foot controls can be extended with an FS-5U, FS-6, or FS-7 to configure specific pitch-shifting settings or connect an external expression pedal to continuously control the amount of pitch shifting. 

BOSS XS-100 Poly Shifter

BOSS XS-100 Poly Shifter sets a new benchmark in polyphonic pitch shifting. This groundbreaking flagship pedal provides ultimate flexibility and unmatched audio quality while maintaining the instrument’s natural feeling in tone. Leveraging state-of-the-art technology, this Poly Shifter enables musicians to perform with unparalleled fluidity and precision, from wild octave sweeps to subtle detuning. With boundless creative potential, the XS-100 provides seamless pitch gliding combined with instant drop/capo retune features, and much more.

The XS-100 allows you to tune and adjust the pitch from -4 to +4 octaves, including every semitone in between. This ensures incredible accuracy, transient transparency, and clarity across all strings. It features the most advanced algorithm for retuning and pitch-shifting your instrument.

Use the two footswitches to independently control both the overall tuning and the pitch shift effect. The pitch shift effect is linked to the expression pedal, enabling precise real-time adjustments. There is an additional toe switch that activates when the expression pedal is fully engaged in the toe position. It can be set to latch or unlatch and assigned to various parameters. Both the switches and the expression pedal are fully customisable to your preferences. 

All complex settings and assignments can be saved in 30 user memories, which can be browsed manually or recalled via MIDI, while the clear backlit LCD display makes parameter handling easier.

The Analog Dry Through output delivers the direct input signal, unaffected by any effects, enabling you to process and mix it separately. 

Both pedals are excellent professional devices. Interestingly, the brand first created the flagship XS-100 model, and only later decided to simultaneously release the more compact XS-1. Choosing between them largely depends on your requirements, budget, and space on your pedalboard – but if maximum pitch-shifting accuracy matters to you, the XS-100 is the clear choice.

Photo source: BOSS archive