Walrus audio Bellwether

£329

ORIGIN: USA TYPE: Analogue delay pedal FEATURES: True bypass, tap tempo CONTROLS: Tap Division, Time, Repeats, Tone, Level, Depth, Rate, Time/Repeats switch, Mod Off/On, tap footswitch, bypass footswitch CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard outputs (1 and 2), FX loop, exp pedal input, tap input POWER: 9V DC adaptor (not supplied) 100mA DIMENSIONS: 143 (w) x 117 (d) x 40mm (h)

The Bellwether is an analogue delay that goes beyond what most of its kind can do, not least in that it has a maximum delay time of one second, set by either its Time knob, the built-in tap tempo footswitch or a footswitch connected to the tap input on the side of the pedal. The tap tempo has four selectable tap divisions (quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted eighth notes, triplets) allowing you plenty of possibilities to sync your delay to an accompanying rhythm. Besides delay time, you can set the level of the repeats in relation to the dry signal (they reach parity at about two o’clock, so you can then go on to have the repeats louder than the dry sound), EQ the repeats, and set the amount of repeats with a Repeats knob, which will take you off into selfoscillation from around the two o’clock mark.

Those who like to take their delay sound to the edge of selfoscillation and back for artistic effect will be pleased to know you can connect an expression pedal to do just that. Or you can use the expression pedal to ride the delay time for a more disconcerting effect.

Should you wish to add modulation, there’s a toggle that adds chorus to the repeats only, dialled in with Depth and Rate knobs that can take you from a light dusting, through the sort of wow and flutter type warble reminiscent of a tape echo to a more extreme detuning. If you want to further change the repeats, there’s an effects loop, so you can insert more pedals – maybe an overdrive to get the repeats to distort more.

As it stands, the Bellweather sound can be the typical warm and saturated analogue delay you’d get from a vintage BBD unit, but it can go much further courtesy of the Tone knob. At its fully clockwise position, the Tone knob offers a voice for the repeats that we found indistinguishable from our vintage Boss DM-2 – dark and fuzzy round the edges – but you can roll the knob backwards and dial in some brightness and a more cutting attack that works well if you’re going for a U2-style rhythmic delay. There’s loads to play with here, but being able to voice your repeats to suit your sonic requirements may be the Bellwether’s most musical asset. [TC] VERDICT If it has to be real analogue rather than digital emulation, then the Bellwether delivers with an excellent set of features