Bass effects are electronic evices used to modify the tone, pitch or sound of electric bass guitars or, more rarely, amplified double basses. Bass effects can be housed in small 3" or 4" square "stompbox" effects pedals, larger floor multi-effect units, bass amplifiers, bass amplifier simulation software, and rackmount preamplifiers or processors. While electric bass players do not use effects as often as electric guitar players, some bass effects such as preamplifiers, compressors, and equalizers are widely used, and effects such as distortion are commonly used in genres such as heavy metal and punk.