Hands On Review On MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

For a long time, the Carbon Copy analog delay has been the darling of many analog delay users. It wasn't until recently that I was able to sit down and fully review one of this pedal. I've been going through tons of delay pedals recently and I was looking forward to really get to know this pedal. So with that in mind, let's get into it.


Solid

This pedal is compact. Messing around with the new line of TC Electronic's economy line has gotten my used to a bit larger format. Even a BOSS pedal make this pedal seem slender. It also has a lot of heft. The enclosure is thick. In fact, I took the screws out of the bottom and fit of the bottom plate was so solid, I almost had to pry it off. When you hold this pedal next to something like the JOYO digital delay, the differences are huge. Quality is evident even before you plug it in. MXR did an awesome job at building a super solid pedal.


It Does What It Does

There isn't a lot of extras with this pedal. Mono in, mono out, but what is cool is that it includes a mod buttons, so that's fun. There are three controls, but you do have internal controls to control the mod. That is good, because when I first engaged the mod button it was too present. Other than Tap Tempo and longer delay times (both are almost always limited on analog delays. Also, the carbon copy has longer times than the Echobrain analog delay.) This isn't a feature pack pedal, but what it does it does quite well.


The Sounds

I did want to compare the Carbon Copy to the other delays that I had laying around. I was excited to compare the Carbon Copy to the Echobrain. The Carbon Copy blew the Echobrain away. Delay time (which is a big deal for me) was a lot of it. The Mod switch just made the Carbon Copy so much more of a pedal. I also put this up against the Behringer EM-600 Echo Machine. I set a good tone on the Carbon Copy and tried to copy it with Echo Machine. It got 90% there. The Carbon Copy just has a way of not coloring your dry signal. When making a big ambient swell, other pedals cover up higher frequencies, but the Carbon Copy is a champ. I could hear delicate note despite the huge amount of noise behind the playing. Impressive.


Conclusion

This pedal I lovely. There is a reason that this pedal is so popular. Yes, it was trendy, but there is something to be said for when I pedal is done well. There is very little to complain about with it as well. You might want stereo operation or tap tempo, but that is still rather uncommon is a small format, sub $200 pedal. The only thing that really detracts this pedal is the price tag. I'm not saying that this pedal isn't worth $150, but that price point puts it next to pedals like the EHX Canyon, BOSS DD-7 and TC Electronic Flashback II. Yes, they are all digital pedals, but I am Ok with running digital if it sounds good. So for the analog loyalist, this is awesome pedal, but those that play the field might want to check out their options.

Hands On Review Of Joyo Digital Delay

Those that shop thrifty pedal know the Joyo brand. It's been years since I've played my first Joyo pedal. It was an Ultimate Drive. I didn't like it very much despite the fact that it's supposed to be an OCD clone. I've tried other offerings of their to varying level of, "Meh". But I saw a Digital Delay sitting in my local music store's used bin and I bit. I've been on somewhat of a delay search, so I decided this would be the black horse. Oh boy...



Right Off The Bat

I wanted this pedal to be more. I wanted it to defy the expectations that pedal snob would have for it. I love to find a sleeper pedal. Too cheap to appeal to the cork-sniffers, but those willing to get it a shot would know it is indispensable. This pedal, well, it's not that. As soon as I power-up and plug in, there is a very audible, screeching noise (and it's not even on!). I turn it on and it's deafening. I quickly turn it back off and contemplate the mistake I made when purchasing this pedal. However, I realize that the delay is dimed and the signal bleeds through while in bypass. Not a good start.



Not Much Else

So, there are the standard features of a delay of this type. It has about 600ms of delay and standard Time, Repeats, and Level controls. The repeats are the rather standard digital type, nothing special there.



Conclusion

I know that there aren't as many points as I usually have, but there just isn't that much more to say about this pedal. That's about the worst thing you can say about this pedal. It is exactly what you might think. It's super cheap and you get what you pay for. Actually, you probably don't get what you pay for because if you have this pedal in your chain then you are going to get unwanted noise. You'd have to put it in a bypass loop. The only application I can see for this pedal is a practice rig, or a paperweight.

Hands On Review Of TC Electronic's Echobrain Analog Delay

I have neglected a realm of effects. So I apologize to fans of analog delays, I haven't really delved too far into analog delays. People die on the hill of which analog delay is the best. EHX is known for their Memory Man series, MXR has the Carbon Copy, BOSS has DM-2, Ibanez has their Analog Delay. These are all beloved for their own reasons. I've used many of these pedals at one time or another, but I've never really connected with any of them. That probably explains why I settled on the DD-20. Then there is the Echobrain.

It's Chewy

The first thing I noticed about this delay is that the filter on these repeats is dark and gritty. This is an analog delay that stands up against the classic delays that we all know. The benefits of the Echobrain is that it is housed in a box that is more geared toward the trends of today. Top Jacks, True Bypass, Clickless Footswitch, Unique and attractive design. All these things make it a solid option for today's guitarists.

Money Grab?

If you love TC Electronic, you may know that they were recently acquired by Music Group (the parent company of Behringer and others). This happened only a few months before the unveiling of the Smorgasbord of affordable, simple effects. The two may be unrelated, or it could have been Behringer trying to legitimise their second phase of effects. It was smart to imitate BOSS and other industry-leading pedals of fifteen years ago, but now people are focused on form as well as function.

Season To Taste

So analog delay is a little bit of a strange subject. There are many different options for an analog delay, but they are basically the same. I don't really understand the basic differences between most of the basic analog delays. Obviously, there are some pedals that have interesting and novel features, but the basic features are the same. Their max delay time is typically very limited compared to digital delays, but there is a special character that analog delays have. Analog delays degrade with each repeat, and they all do it differently. It depends on a person's taste, but you won't know till you try.

Conclusion

I dig it. Playing this pedal is just fun. Playing with the repeats and time controls is rewarding. This pedal is done correctly. True analog delay with noiseless operation at this price point is crazy. If you are a fan of analog delay, then this is worth a try. However, it suffers in the same way that all classic analogs do. It's limited. This whole line is an update of simple effects into a format that many players are looking for. However, analog delays are now being expanded into much more sophisticated effects with tap and other controls. Even though it fits within its own line of effects, it is a little underwhelming compared to most other analog delays released lately. Lastly, you get what you pay for, but you may be left wanting more.

Hands on Review Of TC Electronic's Prophet Digital Delay

A few months ago TC Electronic released an entire line of compact effects that seem targeted toward the economically minded (cheap) customer. While I enjoy affordable effects. I found the timing slightly dubious. Right on the heels of TC Electronic being acquired by Music Group (Behringer's parent company), we have a massive unveiling. I've already spoken about the possibility that this is the Behringer effects line 2.0. I no longer think that is the case, but it's not much better.



I Want To Love This Pedal

Out of the box, this pedal is pretty impressive. The Prophet is built like a tank. It also looks kind of like a tank. Larger than a BOSS pedal in every dimension, these pedals are a little deceiving. The large knobs give you the sense that the pedal is smaller than it is. It's like the Duplo version of the tiny micro pedals. Imagen Mooer pedals on steroids. This should be good news. One of my main complaints of the micro pedal trend is the size. I have large feet and can easily cover the entire pedal. These pedals take care of that issue easily. It also puts the jacks on top of the pedal. That lets you put those bulky boxes right next to one another. You can line all these pedals up and make a pretty little pedal board.



They Are Unique

Unlike the Behringer line of effects, these pedal have no direct 'inspiration'. Other than the regular delay controls (Time, Mix, Repeats), this pedal has a switch to control the subdivides. The soft click bypass switch is also a feature that makes this pedal stand out. Noiseless-operation is something not seen much on a budget, true-bypass pedal. In addition, the way the pedal chops up the self-oscillating noises without bending the pitch of the repeats is different to say the least.


There are limits

The biggest flaw that this pedal has is its limits. Why does a pedal with  the TC Electronic name on it have such limited features. TC is known for nearly limitless options, and yet these are extremely basic pedals. They do cost less than half of their full blooded counterparts. However they are a strong contrast to the line of sleek, features rich products.


Conclusion


This pedal delivers on everything it promises. It's very simple but it works very well. If you already have several top-jack pedals this one will fit in. Inexpensive delays can be noisy, or have signal bleed. This pedal has none of that, which leads me to believe that TC Electronic might have had something to do with the development of this pedal. The closest thing I can compare this pedal to is the JOYO Digital Delay, and man is that thing a piece of junk. That pedal barley works, but it is a large format three knob digital delay. That pedal goes for something around $30, but it barley functional. So The Prophet is like that pedal but better, actually it's everything that pedal should be. Should you buy it? Do you want a basic digital delay? This is pretty much the best one.

Hands-On-Review: Boss Katana Amplifier

The Boss Katana amplifier has been a thing of interest for many guitarist since it's announcement at the end of 2016. The ever growing threat of solid-state technology catching up with our beloved tubes is once again made evident by Boss' latest offering. Would I consider trading in my tube combos for a Katana? No. But, with the feature set and price range of these little combos, many people are asking themselves if this amp is the right choice. I'll tell you what I think...

Punching Above It's Weight


Those of us accustom to 1X12 tube combos will notice that the Katana is a petite package. I found myself questioning whether or not it actually had a 12 inch speaker. It is also light-weight. I have seen the specs for the amp and told myself that I know what to expect, but the size and weight are actually surprising. So, naturally when you approach an amp like this you have certain expectations. Small, light-weight amps sound small and light-weight (thin). Perhaps this is a psychological tactic by Boss to precondition you, so that when you actually do play through this amp it sounds big and heavy. Because this amp sounds big and not light-weight. The cab and speaker reverberate harmoniously by providing bass and presence in equal measure.


Well Balanced


I've spoke about the initial shock of playing trough the amp, and how the low and high end are lovingly coupled in a homogeneous blend of frequencies. That is balanced indeed. However, the vast array of knobs would seem to tip the scales of form and function in an unfavorable direction. Again, at first glance, our impression is not congruent with our experience. Anyone who has fiddled with knobs on an amplifier can sit down with the Katana and produces varying tones of blissful harmony. With a neutral EQ and bypassed FX you can dial up four different Amp Types. The problem that has plagued many amp like this one has been the fact that they either have settings that all sound the same or so different that they couldn't possibly come from the same amplifier. This would make changing channels in a live setting unpleasant at least. But Boss has Balanced the amp types so that they sound related but not redundant. Probably the most impressive part of this amp, and that's before we talk about the effects.


The Effects


Undoubtedly the most anticipated aspect of this amp is the effects. obviously Boss wants to promote the 55 available effects, but the fine-print to that is that you can only store 15 and the fine print to that is that you can only use 3 at a time. To be fair, this is not limited in a way that makes the effects trivial, but you are bound to use a PC to do any great deal of editing to the stock effects. Given the recent focus on android and iOS connectivity, this seem like an oversight. This actually seems like area that Marshall got right with the CODE series. The CODE series features mobile connectivity and a on-board editing menu screen. The Katana would do well with one of those options. Instead, it has none. Not that this takes away with the impressive sounds that the amp is capable of. Plus, serious users have a great editing tool in the Tone Studio software. Having said that, this is Boss and the effect that were available during the review were solid. Boss really did their homework and provided quality effects that 100% usable.

Conclusion

I still really like these amps. They have a lot going for them. Would I use this as my everyday/gigging amp? No. It just can't replace a tube combo and pedal board. But, for the bedroom player or recording artist on a budget, this amp can really fit the bill. The amp really need a PC to be all that it can be. I've had gear with similar functionality and I doubt that I ever used it. All in all, this is an impressive unit. It shines most where you don't expect it. The effects are usable, but might be a little cumbersome to edit in depth. Boss nailed so tone of feature on this one, but at the same time, I'd like to see some improvements.