Today’s pedal is really a delay to end all delays, as long as you’re not running a stereo rig, that is. The Flight Time Delay (FT-1Y) from Free The Tone looks like the Flux Capacitor and the Millennium Falcon had a love child, with it’s vast control section and digital read-out parameters. Truth is, that’s not far from the truth, as it is just about as futuristic looking and sounding a delay that’s on the market today.
There’s no doubt that this pedal appears complicated, but that’s only because it is. There are a ton of buttons, options, presets and features to choose from, experiment with and revel in, and a read-through of the manual is highly recommended (it’s not THAT long, really). Featuring an implemented HTS circuit and analog mixer, high-pass and low-pass filters, delay modulation, sound hold, record and repeat functions, delay phase, MIDI support, trail, subdivision and boost functions and high-speed calculation by a 32-bit high-precision DSP, there’s a lot that goes into the Flight Time, but even more that you can get out of it.
The Flight Time also features the world’s first Realtime BPM Analyzer, which “adjusts the delay time by automatically trimming the BPM based on realtime tempo analysis of the current performance within the range of ±20% of the tempo (BPM) information tap-entered by using a footswitch.” Basically, this is one intuitive piece of equipment, and one that apparently even helps you correct mistakes while you play, which we could all use sometimes. Though a bit daunting at first, once you get a feel for how all the functionality works, and set up a couple presets to get the ball rolling, you’ll get lost in a beautiful world of delay wonderment.
All in all, the Flight Time is a complexly intelligent and awe-inspiring piece of musical equipment, hands down. I just can’t for the life of me figure out why they would exclude the Stereo option. Regardless, this is one rad delay, and while it’s a bit complicated, once you sit down with it, read through the manual and play around for a while, you’ll fall into delay love with the Flight Time. We’ve reviewed a couple of pedals now from Free The Tone, and they are really creating some inspiring musical gear – head on over to their website for more unique products, and make sure you bring your checkbook!
Specs:
Number of Presets: 99 (User Presets:90, Factory Presets: 9)
Tap Input Feature
Input Impedance: min. 500 kΩ
Output Load Impedance: min. 1 kΩ
Max. Input level: +4dBm
Terminals: Standard 1/4″ phone jack (IN, OUT, HOLD)
Power Supply: Dedicated AC adapter
For USA: FA-1220D-JA
For UK: FA-1220D-UK
For Europe: FA-1220D-EU
Power Consumption : 12 VDC, approx. 400mA(max).
Dimensions: 146 x 120.5 x 57 mm, 5.75 x 4.74 x 2.24 inches (incl. protuberances such as footswitches, jacks, etc.)
Weight (excl. AC adapter): approx. 570 g (1.26 lbs)
Submitted by Mike B, Website
Demo Rock pedalboard by West Coast Pedalboard
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