I just picked up an NOS Next Step Pan pedal, which is really four pedals in one. My Stereo and Super Pulsars obviously have some panning capabilities, and the Echo setting on my Cathedral allows for a stereo ping pong effect on the delay, but I wanted something that gives more direct panning control. The NS Pan pedal offers a way to swirl one input signal across the stereo field on the fly – left, right, and any point in between. The Pan doesn’t stop there. It also functions as a mono (left in – left out) or stereo (left/right in – left/right out) volume pedal. Where the Pan really shines is in its ability to blend/morph two input signals into one output signal, e.g. the Deluxe Electric Mistress is one of many pedals that has both effect and dry outputs. Plug each of these signals into the inputs on the Pan, and you can now blend/morph between your dry and flanged signals. Now place a Big Muff Pi pedal between the DEM and the Pan and you can blend/morph from a clean flanged signal into a non-modulated fuzz or vice-versa. The possibilities are virtually endless. For a real-world example listen to “Yours Is No Disgrace” by Yes. At around 5:55 Steve Howe’s acoustic guitar sound morphs into a nice overdriven electric guitar. Mr. Howe probably relied on the studio engineer to accomplish this with two different guitars, but the Pan makes the concept simple to achieve. The NS Pan is a discontinued product, but they are still available from authorized dealers with a little searching. I paid $69 for mine, and while it won’t be used a lot it is a great addition to the audio toolbox. Also, the Next Step pedals are “built like a tank,” with no moving parts.

Regards.