Free The Tone is a Japanese boutique effects pedal and audio systems manufacturer based in Yokohama, founded in November 2002 by Yukihiro Hayashi. Before starting Free The Tone, Hayashi served as a guitar technician for hide of X Japan and spent roughly a decade designing products for Providence Effects under parent company Pacifix, Ltd. In 2011, Free The Tone became fully independent to focus on its own product line. The company name was suggested by legendary pedalboard builder Pete Cornish, reflecting the brand's mission to liberate a musician's signal from noise and tonal degradation.

Free The Tone's product range spans effects pedals, programmable audio routing systems, solderless cables, and complete pedalboard solutions. The Overdriveland overdrive — inspired in part by Dumble amplifier characteristics — is one of the brand's flagship pedals, while the ARC-53M and ARC-3 audio routing controllers are widely regarded as some of the most sophisticated MIDI-capable loop switchers available. Other notable pedals include the Future Factory delay, the Ambi Space reverb, the Silky Comp compressor, and the Heat Blaster distortion. All products are designed and built in Yokohama using the company's proprietary HTS (Holistic Tonal Solution) circuit technology.

Free The Tone gear is used by a roster of professional guitarists and bassists spanning multiple genres, including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, SUGIZO (Luna Sea / X Japan), INORAN (Luna Sea), Ken and tetsuya (L'Arc~en~Ciel), Steve Rothery (Marillion), Scott Henderson, Oz Noy, Josh Smith, and members of Band-Maid. Hayashi maintains an in-house recording studio called Studio On-pa, where prototypes are tested in full band contexts before release.

Free The Tone has 38 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Overdrive Effects Pedals, Delay Effects Pedals, and MIDI Foot Controllers. Their gear is featured by 63 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Pop, and Stage & Screen. Notable users include Ken, Kanami Tono, and Jeffrey James Kollman. Most Free The Tone products sit firmly in the high-end, boutique range.