We pretty much know the score by now - the same exercise of innovations and improvements that was applied to the BigSky MX - has now been applied to its Delay sibling. We get all the goodness of the original - with vastly enhanced abilities - including 2 simultaneous Stereo Algorithms - much like the Empress EchoSystem has done for a quite some years now.

The number of core surface Models / Algorithms is still 12, and some of the older ones are concealed within options of those 12 updated ...

Pictured above are the early-bird arrivals for the event, of course main man Doug, American adventurer Nolen, Doug’s friend Yas (pub liaison), and the pub’s lawyer Jason - who’s early riffing was so impressive - that no one wanted to go after him! All of us were in there by around noon!

This was my first time in Hanwell - thank the powers above for the Elizabeth Line - otherwise it would have been tricky to get to! Hanwell is the western-most town in the borough of Ealing I believe. The ...

May has been a little bit of strange month - lots of delays really, and waiting for pedals to land.

As inevitably happens most months - much was delayed this month, and I was unable to complete some of the larger articles - they will need to wait until next month, there’s certainly lots of projects in progress. Where new and imminent arrivals kind of scuppered several intended projects - hopefully they can be completed in June.

The first event I’m attending this month is tomorrow - as a micropub ...

These 3 new pedals bring the JHS 3 Series roster to a very versatile 19 units. These 3 are a little more left-field and adventurous than the rest - and largely an acquired taste. I have a lot of time for Bitcrushers and Glitch Delays - and own a few of those varieties, while I’m a little less au-fait with Ring Modulators. Ringmods for me are often tremolos or vibratos gone wrong - but there are some handy examples of those which blend in gain and other complementary sounds to make more musical ...

In many ways this is the most straightforward category with singular award nominees - GOLD, SILVER and BRONZE.

It’s the second smallest category after Distortions - and the one where I own the least number of pedals in proportion to the whole - just 10 out of these 26.

The order pretty much set itself - with the Cornerstone Nucleo being the clear winner from the start. I’m so impressed with every aspect of that pedal - it’s a perfect Trifecta of Design, Feaures and Playability - pretty ...

Set up by 2 former Gamechanger Audio alumni - Toms Lazdovskis and Matiss Tazans - with a Team steeped in Darkglass Electronics / Neural DSP and Marshall.

The pedigree and provenance is pretty clear here, and Menha.Works have understandably come up with an ulra modern killer aesthetic for heir very unique new Monk Echo + Reverb. The Monk Echo is inspired by  Baltic Choirs and Mystical Spiritual Spaces.

Apart from the gorgeous design here, the Monk Echo has a unique Human Formant Voicing ...

At its core this is a PT2399 modulated delay - which is operating well beyond its core abilities - and thus delivering those cool quirky flavours at the edges of its normal output. Empty Head’s Nic has really pushed the envelope here to create a unique character delay with a deformed downward pitch effect - which sounds like you’ve been gripped by gravity - for that falling feeling.

Nic has described tis pedal as "A study in using the dynamics of your input / pick attack to self modulate ...

A number of Analog and Analog style Delays have recently crossed my path - so there’s evidently a trend happening! I featured the HSE SeaWolf back in March, the Colortone ZeroSum in August, and then the Black Mountain Roto Echo, Anasounds Utopia MK2, Tru-Fi Aqua Echo, PastFX Echo 600, and now this Beetronics Bee Bee Dee all in September!

Beetronics’ Filipe always does things slightly differently, and his Bee Bee Dee Delay is very distinct - with a little bit of Chase Bliss style magic ...

I’ve seen these Empty Head pedals doing the rounds quite bit of late - and it was these pedals’ style of knobs - in particular on the ’Big Talker’ - which first drew my attention. Empty Head Effects’ Nik would seem to be a Brit abroad, being based in Mainz, Germany - he certainly sounds like a Brit!

He’s carved out a very unique slightly quirky brand identity which would seem to occupy a philosophically adjacent plane to David Rainger’s Rainger FX. Mixing up a unique aesthetic with very ...