Chicago-based maker Thomas McDonagh built Console Pedals around a simple but unusual idea. Guitar effects live inside cartridges shaped like N64 game paks. A compact 3D-printed base unit accepts up to two of those cartridges at once, handles power and audio routing, and lets players swap sounds without touching cables. Battery operation removes one more thing to plug in during a session. The Synth Controller Cartridge sits in that same lineup yet does something different. It reads button presses and stick movements from a connected N64 controller, then turns those actions into real synthesized notes that exit through the base unit’s audio jack. No Nintendo console ever enters the picture. The cartridge supplies the sound engine and controller interface while the base supplies power, mixing options if desired, and a standard quarter-inch output ready for an amp or recording gear.
