The FX Files… Boss Dimension-c

the most subtle yet complex classic chorus effect, the Dimension-c is a bona fide legend Where most chorus effects were in-your-face, the DC-2 was a versatile and subtle box of magic tricks that brought something radically different to the table

Originally produced between 1985 and 1989, the BOSS Dimension Chorus was set apart from other chorus effects by virtue of the rather unique way in which it achieves its sound. It uses two modulated delay lines, running out of phase with one another. The depth and rate are internally set, and tied to the mode controls. There’s also internal feedback and cross feedback, which deepens the effect further, giving it the ‘three-dimensional’ sound it’s famous for. It almost sounds like

there are more modulation processes at work, and the out-of-phase combination of the two lines means it’s dramatically different in timbre from more ‘standard’ chorus pedals. The control scheme – simply four buttons on the front plate – is borrowed from its rack ancestor, the SDD-320.

While the effect sounds good in mono, in stereo it sounds dramatically wider, on account of its two discrete delay lines. This was one of the primary uses of the SDD-320 in the studio, widening out guitar tones and fleshing out backing parts. Particularly in the more gentle mode 1, you can get away with having the effect on for a lot of the time before it becomes overbearing, doubly so if it’s being used on a rhythm or pad part.

Interestingly, and somewhat uniquely, the Dimension-c is all analogue for both delay lines, using a decadent double BBD setup. Because of the tech which was available at the time, the LFOS and the circuitry that acts as the ‘brains’ of the unit are also all analogue. For the more recent DC-2W reissue, however, these parts were replaced with digital control circuitry.

in stereo the effect sounds dramatically wider on account of its two discrete delay lines

Modeswitches: The front of the Dimension Chorus couldn’t be simpler – there are four buttons to control which mode is engaged, and that’s it. Although it can be hard to tell, the numbers represent the intensity of the effect, with 1 being the least dramatic, and 4 being the most extreme. Mode 4 has a greater depth than mode 1, that’s for sure, but although the rate is slightly different between the patches, again, it’s not a dramatic difference unless you jump straight from 1 to 4, or vice versa.