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When it comes to effects pedals, guitarists want to give their sound as many different textures, colors, and shapes as possible, without taking up precious real estate on their pedalboard. Enter the MXR Mini ISO Brick and Ernie Ball VOLT. Both devices offer a compact, yet powerful package to help guitarists shape their tone and explore new sonic territory. Comparing the two, the MXR Mini ISO Brick is the more feature-rich offering. With up to 6 effects blocks (including reverb, delay, chorusing, compression, chorus + reverb, and delay + reverb), it has more tonal possibilities than the VOLT. It is also capable of creating some of the famous sounds from classic pedals like the MXR Dyna-Comp and Carbon Copy. On the other hand, the Ernie Ball VOLT offers a shorter, but still powerful signal chain featuring four effects blocks (Chorus, Filter, Drive, and Delay). The VOLT also has the advantage of re-ordering the blocks, giving the guitarist the chance to shape their own tone without needing any extra cabling. Both devices offer plenty of value while staying small and compact, giving them the advantage over traditional distortion and modulation stompboxes. In conclusion, the MXR Mini ISO Brick is the more powerful option, but the Ernie Ball VOLT offers unique tonal possibilities thanks to its rearrange-able circuit.