Build Your Own Clone Digital Delay

DIY pedal kit based using the PT2399 digital delay chip. The pedal I'm reviewing is the current (March 2011) model with ping pong.

Features:

-True bypass, so no tone coloration when the effect is not engaged

-800ms delay time when in echo mode

-400ms delay time when in ping/pong mode

-Five controls: Time 1, Time 2, Repeats, Level and the Echo/Ping pong mode toggle switch

-When in echo mode Time 1 and 2 work together and combine to set the delay time, in ping pong mode they work separately so you can adjust the time difference between the ping repeat and the pong repeat

UTILIZATION

This pedal is a DIY kit so I'll split this section into two, Building and Using.

Building: I have built this pedal for myself and it was the first pedal kit that I had built, before beginning I did a fair amount of research to make sure I was ready to build it. After building it didn't work but after checking the troubleshooting section of BYOC's excellent instructions I find that I'd made a simple mistake of crossing two wires over and after I put them right the pedal has been working great ever since.

The pre-drilled enclosure and board mounted pots and switches make this build very easy to do neatly because the only thing that needs to be wired are the jacks and footswitch.

Using: I find this pedal pretty simple to use, I just fiddle with the knobs until I get the sound I want out if it. I tend to only use the echo mode as I haven't really found a use for the ping pong mode that I really like.

SOUND QUALITY

I really like the sound of this delay unit. This is not the kind of digital delay with crystal clear repeats which I really like. The PT2399 chip is designed so the repeats degrade and become darker and more distorted as they go on. When the repeats are pushed to maximum the delay begins to self oscillate and makes a wonderful noise maker.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall I think it's a great delay for the price, nice analogue sound with 800ms of delay and true bypass. The only thing that I would like on this pedal which isn't there is a modulation feature, if you like the sound of this pedal but want modulated delay then an Echobase delay would be a better option.

The main downside of this pedal is that I can imagine some people are not interested in building pedals but there are lots of people (myself included) will build them for you for a small price.

There might have been a few revisions of the BYOC Digital Delay, but I personally don't remember them. The one I have is the latest model that includes the ping pong feature. This digital delay features an analog sound and 800ms of total delay in echo mode or 400ms of total delay in ping pong mode. It utilizes PT2399 chips which are the pinnacle of boutique digital delays. As with every BYOC pedal, this pedal is completely true bypass.

UTILIZATION

BYOC did a great job at laying everything out here. Although it's a bit cramped inside the 125B enclosure, they did a wonderful job with the instructions in terms of where every part goes and in what order. You won't have to worry about the PCB wobbling when trying to assemble this as there's a specific order as to where everything goes. The pedals are crazy reliable and should be able to withstand even the roughest abuse from musicians out there. If something were to go wrong, there's a helpful forum that you can go to. They should be able to sort out any problems that may arise.

SOUND QUALITY

The digital delay actually has two features. The main one that most people will be using is the echo mode. This is your regular digital delay but with some analog warmth. With the two PT2399 chips, it allows about 800ms of total delay. This is perfect for any long, 80s soaked delay runs. The other mode is the ping pong mode. This pedal allows you complete control over both the ping and pong aspects of the delay, so you can shape the delay in whichever way you want.

OVERALL OPINION

Those looking for a good digital delay pedal that sounds analog and is packed full of features, you should really check this out. It's not too hard to put together, so the build should be suited for the upper beginner. If something does happen to go wrong with this, the people on the BYOC forum would be more than willing to help you fix any issue that might occur.