Electro-Harmonix Delays/Echos/Phrase Samplers for Guitar

The Electro-Harmonix Freeze pedal is one of the coolest I’ve tried in a long time. There aren’t too many of these types of pedals out there, that is that will give you endless sustain of notes and chords with the push of a button. The only reason I don’t own this pedal is because this feature is found on Electro-Harmonix’s Cathedral Reverb pedal, which I do own. The pedal has basic characteristics for pedal, with ¼” jacks for input and output and a power supply jack for a nine volt supply. I’m not sure if there’s a battery compartment as when I used it it was with an external power supply. UTILIZATION Using the Electro-Harmonix Freeze pedal couldn’t be much simpler. It just has a mode switch with three different settings – fast, slow, and latch, and a knob for setting the effect level. Fast and slow modes related to the decay while latch mode is the main mode you’ll use for infinite sustain. I haven’t seen a manual for this pedal, nor is one really necessary since it’s so simple. SOUND QUALITY The possibilities with the Electro-Harmonix Freeze pedal are really awesome. Having a chord or note sustained under your playing can be infinitely beneficial as it’s like having someone else holding a chord under you. It’s a ton of fun to play around with as you can play leads over a drone or chord without needing anyone else in the room. It’s also cool for getting effects with the level up all the way and in fast and slow decay modes for getting other types of sustained sounds. OVERALL OPINION The Electro-Harmonix Freeze pedal is really a must have! I’ve been thinking about getting one even though I’ve already got a Cathedral Reverb which has a similar type of effect available. This gives you a little bit control over the infinite sustain and is a pedal that can be used either in a very practical manner or just to mess around with. Once you try Freeze I know you’ll want to pick one up for yourself!

This is a new find for me, a great analog delay pedal! It has a 1/4" and two outputs, one with a wet signal and one dry. It has no midi connections, can't be edited on a Mac or PC, and is not rackable as it's a pedal. I've used in on guitar but it could definitely be used on vocals or bass or keys if connected right. UTILIZATION This pedal is really easy to use, and has a number of knobs to help control and shape the sound. There is a blend knob which helps blend or separate the dry signal that enters the pedal from the processed signal. The level knob controls the volume of the delay that comes in the mix. The feedback knob controls how long the delay will repeat, or feed back. The chorus/vibrato pedal controls the amount of those effects in the mix, and the depth knob controls the rate of modulation. The delay knob controls the delay time, or speed of the delay. I bought it used and didn't get a manual, so I don't know how effective the manual is. SOUND QUALITY I mainly use this pedal with electric guitar, but I've tried it on keys as well, and it works great in either context. The amp does color the sound pretty well, but I don't think it's too drastic. A delay unit, in my opinion, is supposed to color the sound pretty heavily. I really like the sounds that you can get out of this amp. The tones range from a beefy slapback delay to a cavernous wall of noise. Heavy manipulation of the knobs can allow for some really exotic and crazy sounds as well. The range of this thing is pretty great, and unlike a lot of digital delays it doesn't end up swallowing your whole signal. One thing I will mention is the fact that the pedal does have a preamp that colors the sound, but I generally haven't had an issue where this has been a bad thing. I OVERALL OPINION I love the purity of the delay on this thing. Almost any analog delay is preferable to digital in my book, but this pedal really steps above and beyond. I think that it's a bit pricey for a delay, usually around $300, so it's definitely an investment. If you absolutely need a delay pedal and don't have that kind of money, look elsewhere, but if you're willing to save up for the best, go for this.