I
t seems like only yesterday that the
good folks at Princeton Technology
Corp rolled out the PT2399 chip. This
all-in-one digital delay device was so
simple that its datasheet contained
a crude digital delay circuit. This barebones diagram eventually became the DIY
Rebote delay, and digital delay pedals
were wrested from the hands of pedal
companies large enough to have entire
labs dedicated to developing digital
algorithms from the ground up. Soon,
pedal companies no larger than a garage
and workbench were cranking out digital
delays left and right. Simple digital delays
became a popular DIY project, while
interest in analog delays began to wane.
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TONE TALK //
Among garage upstarts, analog delay
pedals began to seem unfavorable for a
few reasons. For one, certain values in the
Rebote endoskeleton could be tweaked
just enough to sound close to analog or
“tape” delays. Secondly, parts sourcing for
such a build is either too time consuming
or not economically viable by a long shot.
The classic MN3005 delay chips—the
foundation on which most analog delays
were built—are impossible to source and
the market is flooded with counterfeits.
Thirdly, analog delay circuits are just plain
difficult to engineer. Even the smallest
examples—offerings by Malekko, Ibanez
and MXR—boast insanely complicated
circuit boards laden with a snowstorm of
Boutique Analog Power: 6 Boutique Delays that Got It Right