Syncopy analogue delay by Stone Deaf FX - The new King of analogue delays?

jamesguitar

Before writing this I did a quick forum search and found a few brief mentions, but no dedicated post. This pedal is coming out any week now so I'd love to know what you all think of it and see people share their experiences here upon first use. 

     I'm fairly new to the forum and have so far just been buying gear from the classified section, so here's my first real contribution. These are my initial thoughts on the soon-to-be released Syncopy delay by Stone Dead FX, written from the perspective of a full-time freelance musician. 

     I've been looking to add an Analogue delay to one of my boards for a while now and was close to getting either the Chase Bliss Tonal Recall or the Analogman ARDX20. Both sound great but the Analogman has two switchable presets and the Chase Bliss has more tonal flexibility (plus switchable presets if you add the additional controller). The Syncopy appears to have more in common with the Tonal Recall, being a digitally controlled analogue delay with the option of in-built modulation.

http://www.guitar-bass.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Syncopy-Upright-Angled-PR.jpg

Size - Like most full time musicians one of my first considerations is always pedalboard real estate. I'm taking a pedalboard to gigs and recording sessions etc most days, so am at the point where if I can't fit everything I need on to a Pedaltrain Jr then it's just not working for me (although I have a larger board with the bigger Strymons etc for larger/pre-programmed shows). With that in mind the Syncopy is massively ticking this box, being smaller than the Analogman. Adding much more tonal flexibility and inbuilt presets to that design edge is a huge win. 

Presets - 4 switchable on-board presets with no additional switching device required. This is what I've always wanted in a pedalboard-friendly delay. Now I can switch between a general rhythm guitar delay (fairly subtle, just adding a bit of life), a lead guitar delay (a few repeat trails with mix not too high), a slapback setting (for any Rockabilly/Setzer tracks that may come up on a gig) and a more pronounced ambient delay (multiple longer repeats and for volume swells and textures). Being a truly analogue chip we're limited to a maximum of 500 milliseconds per repeat, but this is far more than most players will ever need and can also have many more presets when controlling the pedal externally through midi etc. 

Modulation - whilst modulated delay is not a priority for me, having a lot of options here is welcome and I will be interesting to hear how they sound. I have a number of gain-related pedals on my general board (overdrives, fuzz, distortion, compression and boost), so don't have much space left for modulation after my tuner, wah, octave, delay and reverb. This means I'm often swapping out between chorus and phaser etc, depending on what job I have that day. With that in mind, the option for some subtle chorus should be just the ticket for making my parts sit more comfortably in a mix and should save me needing to switch my board up as often. More exaggerated modulation on the other hand should be perfect for more esoteric moments. 

     Whilst considering the Analogman delay I felt the best sounds were the modulation options added by the additional Amaze0 controller, so it lost a lot of favour for me once that option was discontinued (plus having space for both on your board was a huge commitment). The Chase Bliss Tonal Recall does also add some fine modulation options, but the extra space required for their favourite switch gives the Syncopy the edge. 

Tap Tempo/Divisions - I'm in the camp of players that isn't too fussed about tap tempo; for most uses I'm quite happy when my delay is a little off from the drum tempo. Having said that the option is always impressive on an analogue delay and I'd certainly use the divisions for some more U2-inspired lines. Dotted eighth notes, triplets and sixteenth note divisions cover a lot of rhythmic ground.

MIDI control - as much as I love my smaller board for general gigs, I'm looking for much more control on larger pop and rock gigs, so invariably take out the bigger board (with pedal switching etc) for these occasions. A tour with an artist often requires creating presets per song, often either recreating sounds from the pre-recorded versions of songs, or live arrangements created by the band MD. Whilst it may not be necessary for your typical pub rock/blues playing, having midi control is both an essential addition for these more demanding applications and another impressive feature for an analog delay.

Appearance - whilst sound and features are the priority for any working freelance musician, we do spend a good amount of time on any gig looking down at our pedals. From this perspective I love the striking retro orange finish which I find aesthetically pleasing and feel makes it stand out from other delays (I was actually looking for an orange delay pedal when I came across this, which is a whole other story). I'm sure the cartoon imagery of the busty Manga girls will also serve to make this pedal very popular with the Japanese market. Aside from these superficial points, the pedal layout looks to be very intuitive with text being far clearer than on rival pedals, and multiple bright LED's indicating control levels and presets making this pedal ideal for dimly lit stages.

Expression - one of the coolest features with this delay is the expression input, allowing you to control Feedback, Time and Mix/Modulation remotely from any compatible expression foot pedal. I would use this to increase/reduce delay times on the fly during a performance (without having to crouch down and adjust knobs mid-gig), but there is creative potential here to use this as an instrument within itself, much like Jeff Beck or Steve Vai achieve with a tremolo arm/whammy bar.

Sound - this is the big question waiting to be answered as this pedal is still unreleased, meaning no one has heard it so far (and I've yet to find any beta demos online). On paper it looks pretty special; digitally controlled with an all analogue signal path, built around a classic bucket brigade chip design. 

     Tonal and modulation controls should help players sculpt the tone they're after, as well as a level control to ensure that you're not experience a volume drop and allow you to use the pedal as an additional signal boost. It's also true bypass which now seems pretty standard on most modern boutique pedals and the marketing boasts of "quality burr brown op amps", which presumably added to the manufacturing cost and ideally makes a positive affect on the end result (presumably a lower noise floor and additional warmth or tonal quality). 

    Despite the information we have to work from already, we really need to hear it so hopefully there will be some good quality demo videos appearing online soon. Certainly Stone Deaf FX have an impressive track record for sound quality as well as innovation, with players like Josh Homme using their Parametric Distortion Filter extensively on QOTSA recordings, as well as their recently released Tremotron being favoured by critics as the new King of technical tremolo pedals. Should the sound of this delay pedal live up to specs and expectations then I can see it taking the crown for best Analogue delay too and knocking a lot of the big competitor's pedals off many a pedal board. 

jamesguitar

P.S. Important to stress that I'm in no way affiliated with this company, although I would love to test/review this product for them (as well as playing guitar professionally for both well known and upcoming artists I have a video/recording studio setup with excellent cameras, mics and film lights etc so would be happy to do a beta video review if any one has a direct contact. I'm also based in London which I believe they are). 

     Anyway I digress - please post your initial speculative thoughts of this pedal here as well as any early reviews and opinions once it's released and you've tried it out. 

James

Teetonetal

The chase bliss tonal recall was massively disappointing with a lack of headroom creating distored/clipped repeats.

Not really heard much about the syncopy but hoping it delivers.

jamesguitar

Teetonetal said:

The chase bliss tonal recall was massively disappointing with a lack of headroom creating distored/clipped repeats.

Not really heard much about the syncopy but hoping it delivers.

I've only heard clips online for the Tonal Recall, but believe the original design was more of a Lo-Fi sound and they tried to change it at the last minute for a wider market appeal.

Here's a link with info and pictures of the Syncopy - http://www.stonedeaffx.com/syncopy

Wazmeister

Teetonetal said:

The chase bliss tonal recall was massively disappointing with a lack of headroom creating distored/clipped repeats.

Not really heard much about the syncopy but hoping it delivers.

x2

i much preferred the Analogman - in fact, one of the best Analog delays ive played 

jamesguitar

Wazmeister said:

Teetonetal said:

The chase bliss tonal recall was massively disappointing with a lack of headroom creating distored/clipped repeats.

Not really heard much about the syncopy but hoping it delivers.

x2

i much preferred the Analogman - in fact, one of the best Analog delays ive played 

The recordings of the music always sound great, so am still tempted. Interesting to hear the unconvinced opinions regarding the Tonal Recall too, shame as I really like the Gravitas!

Am running an El Capistan on my more general gigging board and am very happy with it, but find myself on the floor tweaking the settings a lot mid-gig and fancy trying something more analogue. 

Wazmeister

Another recommendation James is the Seymour Duncan Vapour Trials - a VERY good analogue style delay.

jamesguitar

Wazmeister said:

Another recommendation James is the Seymour Duncan Vapour Trials - a VERY good analogue style delay.

Nice, top-mounted jack inputs too. Presets are the main selling point for me though, which limits my options for analogue...

gibsongretschfan

That has to be the longest most detailed first time post about a pretty obscure delay pedal that I've ever seen on any forum. You sure you aren't related?

EricTheWeary

It's been a long time coming - and still not here. Can't remember what the potential price was but it was fairly big.
There was this and two other digitally controlled analogue delays announced at NAMM. The Sinvertek Fluid Time MK II looks like it's in the shops in May, the smallest and cheapest of the three. No presets as such but tap tempo and some expression options. There are a couple of demos on YouTube, one for the wacky noise makers. The DOD Rubberneck seems to have disappeared, if it does emerge again no presets but tap tempo and some noise making capabilities.

jamesguitar

gibsongretschfan said:

That has to be the longest most detailed first time post about a pretty obscure delay pedal that I've ever seen on any forum. You sure you aren't related?

I wouldn't say no to an endorsement 

Obscure pedal though? - it's the new release from one of the biggest U.K. pedal companies, one of the biggest brands in the Boutique pedal market.

And... it's orange  (I've been posting in the classifieds FX section about my orange-themed pedal board for weeks and have accumulated quite a few from forum members)

jamesguitar

EricTheWeary said:

It's been a long time coming - and still not here. Can't remember what the potential price was but it was fairly big.
There was this and two other digitally controlled analogue delays announced at NAMM. The Sinvertek Fluid Time MK II looks like it's in the shops in May, the smallest and cheapest of the three. No presets as such but tap tempo and some expression options. There are a couple of demos on YouTube, one for the wacky noise makers. The DOD Rubberneck seems to have disappeared, if it does emerge again no presets but tap tempo and some noise making capabilities.

I'm really in to analogue pedals but do miss the control I've had with some of the digital gear in the past. Chase Bliss Audio and Stone Deaf FX are coming out with some great pedals combining the best of both. I really liked the Empress tremolo when it first came out; similar idea and definitely the way forward.

Both Andertons and Gear4Music already selling the Syncopy as pre-order. Gear4Music have listed it as delivery on 22nd April, so am wondering if that's accurate or an error -

http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Stone-Deaf-FX-Syncopy-Analog-Delay-Guitar-Pedal/1CLI?origin=product-ads&utm_campaign=*PLA+Shop+-+All+Products&utm_medium=vertical_search&network=google&adgroup=**All+Products&merchant_id=1279443&product_id=62982d1&product_country=GB&product_partition_id=41477300408&gclid=CNPL8K2Bp9MCFUUW0wodY48M9g

GavRichList

Whilst I have no interest in a new delay having already defeated the end boss, I do like the artwork

GavRichList

Also worth noting that all their other pedals only work with their own expression pedals. Major downer, that. 

EricTheWeary

jamesguitar said:

EricTheWeary said:

It's been a long time coming - and still not here. Can't remember what the potential price was but it was fairly big.
There was this and two other digitally controlled analogue delays announced at NAMM. The Sinvertek Fluid Time MK II looks like it's in the shops in May, the smallest and cheapest of the three. No presets as such but tap tempo and some expression options. There are a couple of demos on YouTube, one for the wacky noise makers. The DOD Rubberneck seems to have disappeared, if it does emerge again no presets but tap tempo and some noise making capabilities.

I'm really in to analogue pedals but do miss the control I've had with some of the digital gear in the past. Chase Bliss Audio and Stone Deaf FX are coming out with some great pedals combining the best of both. I really liked the Empress tremolo when it first came out; similar idea and definitely the way forward.

Both Andertons and Gear4Music already selling the Syncopy as pre-order. Gear4Music have listed it as delivery on 22nd April, so am wondering if that's accurate or an error -

http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Stone-Deaf-FX-Syncopy-Analog-Delay-Guitar-Pedal/1CLI?origin=product-ads&utm_campaign=*PLA+Shop+-+All+Products&utm_medium=vertical_search&network=google&adgroup=**All+Products&merchant_id=1279443&product_id=62982d1&product_country=GB&product_partition_id=41477300408&gclid=CNPL8K2Bp9MCFUUW0wodY48M9g

Actually that's less money than I thought (not that I have any money at all but nonetheless). Their tremolo had a sudden splurge of YouTube demos so maybe we are about to have some for this, 22nd April isn't far off (if it's right). 

ThePrettyDamned

Feature wise, I must admit, I don't mind bending over to twiddle a couple of knobs between songs on analogue delays as there is only half a second delay time in the whole range and a fairly limited set of sounds... Basically making presets unnecessary for most players (how often do you need two or more distinctly different delay settings in one song that both are, tonally, the same?).

I suspect it's for a small market. Digital kit is far more flexible and suited for preset switching and more varied tones, are often expression morphable to entirely new sounds and some can even run multiple signal paths, and most people who want an analogue delay won't need the switching options, especially as there is less "stuff" to switch (modulation, delay time, repeats... Tone maybe?). 

Also, it's not a Moog. Sounds daft, but if I was going to go for a crazy expensive analogue delay, it'd have to do stuff no other could, which limits you to the Moogs and...Er... I think that's about it. They're probably going up in price by now, mind, and they were already mad expensive. 

GavRichList said:

Also worth noting that all their other pedals only work with their own expression pedals. Major downer, that. 

Indeed. Didn't know this.

GavRichList

Moog MF104M discontinued... fetch silly cash now - approaching a grand 

ThePrettyDamned

GavRichList said:

Moog MF104M discontinued... fetch silly cash now - approaching a grand 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

why the fuck didn't I buy one?!?!?!

GavRichList

ThePrettyDamned said:

GavRichList said:

Moog MF104M discontinued... fetch silly cash now - approaching a grand 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

why the fuck didn't I buy one?!?!?!

God knows, but I'm sure glad I did! 

ThePrettyDamned

GavRichList said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

GavRichList said:

Moog MF104M discontinued... fetch silly cash now - approaching a grand 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

why the fuck didn't I buy one?!?!?!

God knows, but I'm sure glad I did! 

I have a fiver and a chokablok easter egg. Deal?

GavRichList

I genuinely don't think I'd sell for a thousand. It's just my favourite pedal of all time. Fairfield Circuitry Meet Maude got closest in terms of sheer sound, but there's still a chasm between them even before you get to the midi functionality.