There are some rack mount delay units from the 1980s that are considered to be in the upper echelon of all-time delays, and one of them has now been shrunk down to fit onto your pedalboard. The original SDD-3000 from Korg had a sound and tone all its own, separating it from other delays in the same category, and helped to make its way into the signal chains of many guitarists, including Daniel Lanois, Johnny Marr and most famously The Edge from U2, who still collects and uses them today. Korg decided it was time to bring back this classic delay, but put into a more user-friendly casing, and that’s what we’re going to check out today, the new and improved SDD-3000.
Now, there’s a LOT going on in this pedal, let’s not kid ourselves. However, as daunting as it looks after first opening the box, a quick run through of the manual will have your tone dripping with exquisite delay echoes in no time flat. Input Level and Delay Time are fairly self-explanatory, with an enormous range for the latter, going all the way up to 4,000 milliseconds. If you need more delay than that, you may have a bit of delay addiction, and should seek help immediately. The Input Level also works with an Input Attenuator switch, letting you adjust the input according to the output signal strength of whatever is connected to the SDD-3000. A section called Regeneration is up next, and starts off with the Feedback knob, which controls the number of repeats the delay effect will produce. You can invert the phase of the delay by pressing the Inv switch, and Filter lets you select from 6 different feedback filters which change the sound quality of the input signal.
The Modulation section is a ton of fun, as it always is, but the SDD-3000 offers a lot of choices for sending your delay into outer space. Select from 5 different waveform options with the Waveform knob, get slight or go deep with the Intensity knob, and Frequency controls the oscillating frequency of the modulation LFO. The Balance knob works as a blend control between your instrument’s dry signal and the delayed effect, for complete control of how much of how little you want in the mix. Up top, there’s a Program LED display, indicating which bank number and channel you’re currently on, as well as including a Write button to save your adjustments, and an Exit button just in case you screw something up. Time/Value displays the delay time, as well as values of different parameters throughout the pedal. RTime lets you have control over just the right channel of the pedal, both for Feedback and Delay Time, while the Fine effect lets you adjust delay levels within a small range of -50ms to +50ms.
You can set the pedal to work with an optional foot controller using the PEDAL button, and use the MIDI/SYS button for specific MIDI settings as well. The footswitches on the bottom part of the pedal let you dial in Tap Tempo, bank up of down through the different program banks, and select the A or B channel for each one, too. Stereo Ins and Outs open up the sonic possibilities even more for the SDD-3000, with gorgeous stereo delay being one of the key features. This pedal sounds awesome in mono, but a stereo setup is really a must to squeeze all of the potential out of this beast. The video below will provide a slight insight as to what the SDD-3000 is capable of, but it’s so much fun to sit down with and get lost for hours, we highly recommend that course of action (after you watch the video, of course). For more sweet Korg gear, check out their site, and check back here for more reviews of their gear as well!
Specs:
Input (0dBm=775mV)
Input Level: -30dBm, -10dBm, +4dBm
Max (Clip) Level (VR at 5): -13dBm, +7dBm, +21dBm
Output (0dBm=775mV)
Output Level: -20dBm, -10dBm, +7dBm
Max (Clip) Level: -3dBm, +7dBm, +21dBm
Waveform (SINE, TRIANGLE, SQUARE, RANDOM, ENVELOPE)
Delay type: KOSMIC, PITCH : -12 ~ 0 ~ +12, Others: 0.0 ~ 10.0
Delay Time: 1 ~ 4,000 milliseconds 1 millisecond step (With full bandwidth)
Dimensions (W x D x H): 260 × 170 × 77 mm / 10.24″ x 6.69″ x 3.03″
Weight: 1.5 kg/3.31 lbs
Power Supply: AC Adapter (DC 9V)
Current Consumption: DC 9V 600mA
Submitted by Mike B, Website
Demo Rock pedalboard by West Coast Pedalboard
