Compared to digital, analog delays cost more and do less, so why bother? “Because,” the inevitable answer goes, “they sound warmer.” Old-school analog bucket-brigade delay (BBD) chips create that warmth in two ways: high-end loss (the delays get darker as they repeat) and a unique type of distortion that makes fading echoes seem to dissolve into the ether. The first quality is easy to mimic in digital—just add a low-pass filter to the delay loop, which is how most faux-analog delays work. But I’ve never heard a digital delay faithfully reproduce that “crumbly” BBD distortion.
Thanks to clever programing (and a ready supply of new-production BBD chips), some nouveau-analog delays are closing in on the power of digital units while providing true BBD tone. And Walrus Audio’s Bellwether delay is a stellar example.
You Can Do That in Analog?
Bellwether comes in a standard BB-sized box. A peek inside reveals … holy crap! Look at all those parts! Twelve modern CoolAudio chips (eight dedicated to delay) and 27 trim pots! (They’re not for users to mess with, but necessary during laborious factory setup—and one reason Bellwether’s $349 price tag isn’t surprising.)
darkness and distortion.
All those chips provide uncommonly long delay times. Classic analog units usually max out around 300 ms., but Bellwether offers a full second of delay time—extraordinary for a BBD device. And that’s not the only advance over vintage BBD delays. There’s a dedicated tap-tempo switch, a feature unknown in the late ’70s/early ’80s, the golden age of analog delay. You can also connect a TRS expression pedal to control either the delay time or feedback amount. (A front-panel toggle selects the function.) That means you can generate the two classic noise-bomb tricks (runaway oscillation and the cataclysmic swoop of altering the delay time while you play) without having to stoop.
You can also modulate the delay signal via dedicated depth and rate knobs, mimicking tape-machine wow or adding a touch of chorus. Analog LFO delay modulation isn’t a new idea—the old EXH Memory Man Deluxe had this feature. But here, it’s more musical, with a focus on subtle settings rather than seasick wobbles. It’s great for animating delays without drawing too much attention to the process. The tone knob (a simple treble-cut filter) also boasts a suavely musical range.
Ratings
Pros:
Gorgeous true-analog delay tones. Tap tempo. Effect loop. Realtime expression control. Excellent LFO modulation. A whopping 1000 ms. of delay time.
Cons:
Justifiably pricy—but pricy nonetheless. No battery option.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$349
Walrus Audio Bellwether
walrusaudio.com
And there’s more: An effect loop jack lets you insert other pedals in the delay path via TRS plug. (Mmm—so many options!) There’s also a tap-division knob that lets Bellwether interpret taps as quarter notes, eighths, dotted eighths, or triplets. (A common digital delay feature, but rare in analog.) Bellwether runs on a standard 9V power supply (not included). There’s no battery option.
Dee-licious Delay
Bellwether’s core tone delivers everything players love about analog delay. It’s warm and immersive, with analog’s signature darkness and distortion. Just for fun, I listened to Bellwether alongside two classic vintage delays: the aforementioned Memory Man Deluxe and a first-generation Way Huge Aqua-Puss from the mid-’90s. (It’s essentially a clone of the Boss DM-2, another coveted classic).
It was easy to match the relative brightness of the Memory Man and the darker voice of the Aqua-Puss, or to go brighter or darker than either. The EHX modulation is more extreme in range and depth than Bellwether’s. (I generally dig extreme effects, but in this case, I far prefer the relatively delicate Bellwether pitch-shifts.) The Aqua-Puss/DM-2 has a uniquely punchy and compressed sound—the effect feels tight, almost as if it your signal had been mastered. Bellwether’s tones are looser, but no less attractive. I love that DM-2 edge, but the pretty and powerful Bellwether is the one I’d take to the gig.
The Verdict
Bellwether is a BBD bombshell. It sounds as warmly immersive as any vintage analog delay, while adding powerful features usually found only in digital: tap tempo, an effect loop, realtime modulation options, a killer LFO section, and extra-long delay times. If you don’t need the fancy stuff, you might be better off with a simpler, cheaper modern option, or maybe a vintage pedal. But frankly, you’d have to be sorely lacking in imagination not to find cool uses for Bellwether’s superpowers. I can’t imagine a happier marriage of analog color and modern functionality.
Watch the Review Demo:
DL4 MkII Delay Stompbox Modeler Special Edition 25th Anniversary Silver
Delivering legendary delays, the green DL4TM modeler has been ubiquitous on pedalboards worldwide since launching in 1999. Designed to continue inspiring creativity, the limited and collectable 25th Anniversary DL4 MkII, in a special edition silver, boasts all the same powerful features as the DL4 MkII, but also comes with a hand-numbered label, a keychain, and a DL4 MkII product sticker.
Not only is it more compact than the original DL4, it offers 15 legacy and 15 new delay effects drawn from the HX® family of amp and effects processors, plus bonus reverbs, all derived from the latest Line 6 sound design labs. Looping, SD card expansion and a host of I/O options aim to carry the DL4 legacy forward.
For over five decades, audiences worldwide have marveled at Baxter’s inimitable and instantly recognizable guitar playing and generational songcraft. His output spans classic records as a founding member of Steely Dan and member of the Doobie Brothers in addition to hundreds of recordings with the likes of Donna Summer, Cher, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, and many more. During 2022, he initially unveiled Speed of Heat, showcasing yet another side of his creative identity and introducing himself as a solo artist.
On the Storytellers Edition, his fascinating commentary pulls the curtain back on both the process and the message of the music. This version traces the journey to Speed of Heat and its core inspirations as shared directly by Baxter in the form of detailed anecdotes, candid stories, and insightful commentary on every track.
The 12-songalbum, co-produced by Baxter and CJ Vanston, is a riveting and rewarding musical experience that features a host of brilliantly crafted originals co-written by the guitarist and Vanston, as well as inspired versions of some of the great classics. Along the way, Baxter is joined by guest vocalists and songwriters Michael McDonald, Clint Black, Jonny Lang and Rick Livingstone. Baxter notably handled lead vocals on his rendition of Steely Dan’s “My Old School.” Other standouts include "Bad Move" co-written by Baxter, Clint Black, and CJ Vanston, and “My Place In The Sun”, sung by Michael McDonald and co-authored by McDonald, Baxter and Vanston.
As one of the most recorded guitarists of his generation, Baxter’s creative and versatile playing has been heard on some of the most iconic songs in music history, including “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton and “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer.
The stunningly diverse collection of material on Speed of Heat presents a 360-degree view of the uniquely gifted musician.
STREAM / SHARE / PURCHASE HERE.
If 3 Were 6
With six times the controls found on the 1 and 2 versions (if you discount the original’s on/off slider switch,) the LPB-3’s control complement offers pre-gain, boost, mid freq, bass, treble, and mid knobs, with a center detent on the latter three so you can find the midpoint easily. A mini-toggle labeled “max” selects between 20 dB and 33 dB of maximum gain, and another labeled “Q” flips the resonance of the mid EQ between high and low. Obviously, this represents a significant expansion of the LPB’s capabilities.
More than just a booster with a passive tone, the LPB-3 boasts a genuine active EQ stage plus parametric midrange section, comprising the two knobs with shaded legends, mid freq and mid level. The gain stages have also been reimagined to include a pre-gain stage before the EQ, which enables up to 20 dB of input gain. The boost stage that follows the EQ is essentially a level control with gain to allow for up to 33 dB of gain through the LPB-3 when the “max” mini toggle is set to 33dB
A slider switch accessible inside the pedal selects between buffered or true bypass for the hard-latch footswitch. An AC adapter is included, which supplies 200mA of DC at 9.6 volts to the center-negative power input, and EHX specifies that nothing supplying less than 120mA or more than 12 volts should be used. There’s no space for an internal battery.
Power-Boosted
The LPB-3 reveals boatloads of range that betters many linear boosts on the market. There’s lots of tone-shaping power here. Uncolored boost is available when you want it, and the preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.
“The preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.”
I found the two mid controls work best when used judiciously, and my guitars and amps preferred subtle changes pretty close to the midpoint on each. However, there are still tremendous variations in your mid boost (or scoop, for that matter) within just 15 or 20 percent range in either direction from the center detent. Pushing the boost and pre-gain too far, particularly with the 33 dB setting engaged, can lead to some harsh sounds, but they are easy to avoid and might even be desirable for some users that like to work at more creative extremes.
The Verdict
The new LPB-3 has much, much more range than its predecessors, providing flexible preamp, boost, and overdrive sounds that can be reshaped in significant ways via the powerful EQ. It gives precise tone-tuning flexibility to sticklers that like to match a guitar and amp to a song in a very precise way, but also opens up more radical paths for experimentalists. That it does all this at a $129 price is beyond reasonable.
Electro-Harmonix Lpb-3 Linear Power Booster & Eq Effect Pedal Silver And Blue
