Empress Echo System

There are plenty of do-it-all delay pedals out there but with its dual engines to build complex sounds, does this Empress rule?

- Trevor Curwen

With the same form as the Empress reverb that debuted in 2016, the EchoSystem aims to provide all the delay and echo sounds you could possibly need without eating up too much of your valuable pedalboard space. Capable of various mono and stereo operation modes, the pedal features two separate delay engines which can be used singly or together, routed in parallel, in series or in mono out of separate outputs. Each delay engine has a choice 12 algorithm modes and a range of submodes; Tape, for example, has New Tape, Old Tape, Echoplex and Space Echo.

IN USE 

You scroll through the modes with the Rotary mode switch, although the lack of a display means you have to refer to the manual to see which does what. Once you’ve selected your mode(s) there are a range of tweaks to set up your sound using the knobs. Mix, Output, Feedback and Tone knobs are standard but there are also the Thing1 and Thing2 knobs that adjust a different function for each mode. Delay time can be set by knob or a tap tempo footswitch with a choice of timing ratios.