The FX Hackathon combines analog and digital effects tinkering with an effects showcase featuring various pedal makers and audio effects designers—it’s a public event whereby students work in small teams with coaches (musicians, faculty, and professionals from pedal/effects communities) in a noncompetetive way to create interesting audio effect devices alongisde a pedal showcase, a pedal repair station, and more! The event is sponsored by The Les Paul Foundation and run by the WPI's RATLab (the Electric Guitar Innovation Lab and the Interactive Music Systems Lab) and a growing community of friends and companies that like making unique sounds!

Saturday, April 4th 2026
10am - 3pm in Alden Hall

↳ For Attendees:

And it's not just hacking! All day long, FX Hackathon 2026 will feature a pedal and effect showcase with vendor discounts, hands-on electronics DIY/tinkering activities in our Soundgarden™ (powered by CopperSound Pedals), a Learn-to-Fix-Your-Broken-Pedal Station —, and many interesting individuals and companies who would love to talk with you about sounds! Our 2026 event will includ Electronic Audio Experiments, Aviate Audio, Cosmodio Instruments, Small Bear Electronics, Analog Devices, Synth Cube, Reflective and others! Demo unique pedalboard rigs designed by Stompbox Sonic, play with our new open-source patching environment, Puke Studio, and hear performances by guitarist Andy Pitcher in collaboration with robots from the Music, Perception, and Robotics Lab (MPR Lab), and electroacoustic harpist Emily Hopkins ! Come by, hang out, try stuff, make noise, and be fun—open to the public (feel free to bring an instrument and headphones)!