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Double Delays, Less Dough

Double Delays, Less Dough

A mind-warping, feature-packed delay that doubles up on classic tones. The PG Nu-X Duotime review.

Ratings

Pros:
Wide range of delay tones. Modulation sound is especially sweet.

Cons:
Can't control individual mix levels easily. Confusing interface.

Street:
$150

Nu-X Duo Time Delay
nuxefx.com


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Nu-X's double-headed delay machine is a throwback to those rackmount units of the '80s, but mixed with modern technology. At its core, the Duotime Dual Delay Engine is a handy pair of delays that feature five different flavors: analog, digital, tape echo, modulation, and reverb. Each delay has time and repeat controls, and they share an overall level knob. A small screen gives you info on what mode you're in, and either the millisecond or BPM count—depending on your preference. Bonus: A simple looper is also tucked in under the hood.

By far the most impressive of the modes is the tape echo.

Firing it up, I immediately thought of all those ping-pong, off-kilter delay tones from my youth. The Duotime nails the tape echo sounds, but it did take a fair amount of experimentation to really dial in the specific bouncing sound that was in my head. However, that process did lead to a handful of happy accidents, as you can hear in the demo clips online. According to the manual, the analog setting only goes up to 402 ms, but if you move into tap-tempo mode you can break through the roof with 1,800 ms, which isn't possible without the help of digital trickery. By far the most impressive of the modes is the tape echo, which isn't surprising considering how great Nu-X's Tape Core Deluxe is. It gave just the right amount of warble and spaciness that one would look for to explore the outer reaches. The interface can be a bit confusing and the lack of individual mix controls is troublesome, but at $150 the Duotime is an affordable ticket back to the day when delay was king.

Test Gear: Fender Jason Isbell Telecaster, Revv D20, Avatar cab