Have you been searching for a delay that has a ton of sonic options, but a small pedalboard footprint? One that has a switchable boost section for you to power through those killer solos with? One that has optional Vibrato and Flanger modes, for thick and tasty delays across the board? One that has tap tempo AND switchable note subdivisions? Well, if you thought something this fantastic couldn’t possibly exist, you’ve never played the Clockwork Delay from GFI System.
The top row of controls on this incredibly small but extremely versatile delay starts off with a Boost/Modulation toggle switch. This can be set to either mode, and is controlled by a secondary footswitch in the bottom right corner of the pedal, by holding it down for a second and then releasing it. The Boost section offers up to +10db to add to your signal, great for solo work or playing over an overly-loud drummer. You can use the Modulate feature to add another effect to the delay in two ways, Vibrato or Flange, which are selectable via a push-button located on the back of the pedal. These 2 modes add incredible depth and presence to the delay, and is a feature that more delay pedal ought to come equipped with, I think.
The Time knob lets you control the, well, delay time, with a huge range available, from 20ms to 1000, or a full second, plenty for most delay needs. Repeats controls your feedback levels, and Blend is your mix knob, for swirling together your wet and dry signals. Another sweet option on the Clockwork is the Contour knob, which controls the voicing or tone of the delay. With this knob, you can easily go from digital delay to tape echo to analog delay in less than a second, opening up the tonal floodgates and having numerous sounds right at your fingertips.
On the back of the Clockwork is your second section of controls. Input, Output and the 9V/90mA power jack aren’t too interesting, but pretty important regardless. There’s the Vibrato/Flange push button we discussed earlier, as well as a second push button that lets you make the modulation Light or Deep, giving you even more control still over the tones this thing produces. There’s a small dial as well, Boost Level, which you set and activate with the second footswitch on the main deck.
So….there you have it. The Clockwork Delay is just a ball to sit down with and experiment, and with so many options, tones and new sounds waiting to be discovered, it would be pretty difficult to find anyone who couldn’t use this in their rig in some form or fashion. Working with a powerful 24-bit DSP chip, built around a network of analog building blocks (filters and gain structures), this happens to be the first version of this pedal, as GFI System have now released V2, which looks different and has some different options. Perhaps we’ll see a review of that one here in the near future, guess you’ll just have to come back and check.
Specs:
Foot-switchable clean volume boost (adjustable up to +10 dB).
Foot-switchable modulations (Vibrato and Flange).
20 ms to 1000 ms (1 second) delay time range.
Tone shaping control over the repeats achieve versatile delay voicings.
Tap Tempo with 3 tap subdivision (1/4-note, 1/8-note, and Dotted-8th).
24-bits signal processing.
100% analog unprocessed (dry) signal path.
Delay tail spillover.
Submitted by Mike B, Website
Demo Rock pedalboard by West Coast Pedalboard
GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES, CONTEST INFO, SEE OUR LATEST DEMO VIDEOS AND MORE:
Trackbacks/Pingbacks