A surviving boxed example identifies this instrument as the “4 in the Floor Percussion Pedal Set,” Model 633, made in Japan. Its carton promises electronically reproduced bass drum, snare drum, tom tom and wood block, with tempo, rhythm, accent and volume controls. The original visible branding does not name a maker; later survivor accounts associate it with Shin-Ei / Companion. The individual example shown in a 2023 source carries a 1974 sticker, which dates that specimen rather than the model’s first sale.
A drum set you stood on
Bass drum, tom tom, claves and snare drum sit beneath four long foot pedals. A player can tap out the percussion while keeping both hands on another instrument. The 4 In The Floor makes the beat a physical part of the performance: each pedal brings in its own voice. The panel calls its third voice claves; the carton describes it as wood block.
Matrixsynth, “Shin-Ei ‘Four-in-the-floor’ drum synthesizer foot pedal” ↗ Matrixsynth, “Shin-Ei Univox 4 In The Floor Percussion Combo Companion” ↗
Surviving instrument
4 In The Floor Percussion Combo with original Model 633 carton
Boxed front view. Carton visibly reads “4 in the Floor Percussion Pedal Set,” Model 633 and Made in Japan; pedals and their Bassdrum, Tomtom, Claves and Snare Drum labels are visible.
The box says what the machine is
The surviving carton is the clearest period document. “Percussion Pedal Set” appears across its top; Model 633 and “Made in Japan” appear at the lower edge. The illustration names four electronically reproduced voices—bass drum, snare drum, tom tom and wood block—and presents tempo, rhythm, accent and volume as player controls. It is a compact commercial argument in cardboard: a drummer’s basic vocabulary, made portable for somebody who already had an instrument in their hands.
Matrixsynth, “Shin-Ei ‘Four-in-the-floor’ drum synthesizer foot pedal” ↗
Four pedals and a rolling snare
Four level sliders let the player balance the voices. A side-mounted Repeat control adjusts the speed of the repeating snare, adding a roll to the individual pedal strikes. These controls are described in the photographed survivor accounts, which show how a few direct triggers can supply both a beat and a fill.
Matrixsynth, “Shin-Ei Univox 4 In The Floor Percussion Combo Companion” ↗ Matrixsynth, “Shin-Ei ‘Four-in-the-floor’ drum synthesizer foot pedal” ↗
A name preserved by survivors
The carton identifies Model 633, made in Japan. The modern accounts name Shin-Ei, Companion and Univox; no maker name is visible on the photographed box. A sticker reported on one example dates that specimen to 1974, although the model’s first sale remains uncertain.
Matrixsynth, “Shin-Ei Univox 4 In The Floor Percussion Combo Companion” ↗ Matrixsynth, “Shin-Ei ‘Four-in-the-floor’ drum synthesizer foot pedal” ↗
From Moby’s collection
An example also passed through Moby’s official Reverb shop in 2018, according to the listing account preserved by Equipboard. Its later life in a musician’s collection adds a provenance story to a design whose basic appeal is still easy to understand: feet play the percussion while hands play the song.
Sources
The visual archive