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.