empreSS Echo SyStEm Dual engine Delay £459

Some pedals earn kudos for their stunning simplicity – others for their apparently bottomless sonic potential. No prizes for guessing which camp the Echosystem II falls into: the front panel sports a lot of controls… It’s surprisingly intuitive to use however, with a simple dial to select which mode of delay, from the essential to the obscure, to engage. Even with just a single delay voice in play – such as the delirious pitch, glitch and swirl of the ‘Whisky’ setting – the Echosystem is impressive, its core timbres compelling and of a very high quality.

But a new universe of sound was opened up to us when we used it in dual mode, that is to say with two delay engines running at once – either in parallel or running one into the other. The results were so diverse, unexpected and interesting that they’re almost impossible to describe in a few words. Suffice to say that there are unexplored planets of sound trapped inside this silver solar system. Any sonic innovator who dives headlong into its depths won’t be coming up for air for a long time: this is a pedal that will take a while to come to know fully but will richly reward the effort. Happily, favourite sounds can be stored and recalled with ease to avoid being lost forever among the myriad possible settings. Though not cheap, it could be the only delay your studio will ever need – while on a ’board some truly staggering soundscapes are at your foot’s beck and call. Impressive.