STRYMON TIMELINE
The TimeLine is pretty much universally hailed as one of the greatest delay pedals of all time. Why? There are plenty of reasons: ease of use, quality of sound, depth of available editable settings (if you want to get into that)… It does everything, and it’s ready to integrate with your rig whether you’re a set-and-forgetter or a full-on MIDIphile. There are twelve different delay ‘machines’ - Digital, Dual, Pattern, Reverse, Ice, Duck, Swell, Trem, Filter, Lo-Fi, dTape and dBucket. There are three footswitches - A, B and Tap - which also have multiple functions: the A and B switches allow you to select between two presets per bank. Press A and B at the same time to bank down, and B and Tap to bank up. In 30-second stereo looper mode, the A button becomes the Record/Dub switch, B becomes Play, and Tap becomes Stop or Hold.
The sounds are all exceptional, and you can edit the heck out of them. Even the regular Digital Delay mode includes Grit and Filter knobs and an additional Smear parameter to get otherwise unattainable sounds. Dual mode gives you the option to set up two totally independent delays at once for cool rhythmic effects or that classic ‘80s “slapback plus long delay” sound. Pattern mode gives you the ultimate in multi-tap repeats, plus the ability to process them for clearer or dirtier quality. Ice mode chops up the repeats and plays them back at any selectable interval pitch shift amount between an octave down and two octaves up. Duck mode fades the repeat up when you stop playing, and comes equipped with both Sensitivity and Release Time settings. Swell mode can operate like an automatic volume pedal, and is great for ethereal fades and sustained chords. Trem mode is another really fun one which gives you access to vintage or modern tremolo sounds. Filter mode gets really out there, and Lo-Fi has a Vinyl control which provides you with simulated crackle, just like you’d get from a needle on a record. dTape mode simulates a vintage tape echo with a whole range of appropriate controls including Tape Age, Tape Speed, Tape Bias, Wow & Flutter and even Tape Crinkle, and dBucket simulates an analog bucket brigade (BBD)-based pedal.