Why The Benson Delay Stands Out (Analog / Digital / Tape Delay) 

Kinda been the story of pedals since day 1, no?

@@theseaward4613 True, but there are more manufacturers now turning out new products so quickly between them it seems to have reached a point of ridiculousness. I remember when the Timeline came out and it was seemingly years until another delay came along that people raved about. In this case Mr. Scott was absolutely raving about the Boss DM-101, joking as if he should close up shop and not bother making new pedals. That was just a few months ago, now this and I’m sure he’s being sincere. Let’s see a video with one pedal from each effect over the entire history of pedals that people would do well with. ….I have too many pedals admittedly so this is a commentary on myself as well.

Golden age of pedals!

@@madsenamplification😬😬😬i think we’re past the peak and in a steady decline imo

@theseaward4613, I think @madsenamplification has it right. I believe we're STILL in "peak-pedal," and @MidlifeSlices said, it can be really overwhelming. I'm not a pedal builder, but a guitarist since the mid-80s. T

I love it on my Strymon Deco!

The random vibrato on the EQD Aqueduct always does me right-set it mellow and subtle and it just does the darn thing

@@MilesTippett The Deco has without question become the most necessary pedal on my board, and I wasn't even sure I needed it, or what I needed it for. Especially in a w/d/w setup, my lord! It's without question the most essential pedal or all around tool to my tone now, and almost always on in some capacity

Thank you for a) hitting the nail on the head and b) introducing me to a new favorite!

Sounds like U2 in a box to me :D

I don’t think guitar folks get it. The PT2399 is this quirky cheap chip for cheap karaoke machines and junk like that. It was never made to sound good or be precise. It’s pre-DSP digital with very little proper flexibility. You can’t program it, you control it with analog circuitry and a clock signal (if I remember right), but it has memory. It’s survived the ages because it’s super cheap and still is great in toys with microphones and blinking lights… guitar and “real” audio are not and never will be a consideration or even a percentage point of its sales. The documentation on it is terrible. Any good use of it in a pedal came from a lot of experimentation. Usually doing completely undocumented and unintended things to it. I have no idea how Chris Benson is taking advantage of this much at once and with the kind of precision demonstrated. 🤯 His preamp pedal is my only pedal I’d risk bodily harm to fight to keep. I’d feel naked without that one. I could wait to replace anything else.

​@@mikesalmono clock signal. That's the dsp aspect of the chip. But yeah, "guitar folks" don't get it. 🤔

I know. I designed a delay around it like 20yrs ago, and it wasn’t bad…but what folks are doing with this chip now is quite impressive. I will say though with 1.2 seconds of delay, he’s likely using 2 chips not one like most.

@@constantk8780 Totally fair. I overstated. I’m also sorry. I’m not meaning to denigrate people who like guitars. That came out wrong based on your response. I obviously am one. Just folks that don’t read datasheets probably don’t understand the awe this provokes in people that do. I’m not nearly as smart on this topic as most pedal builders. I use microcontrollers for nonaudio work (sensors, displays, etc.) and goof around with analog guitar circuits as a hobby. I’m definitely worse at guitar than most guitarists watching. I’m a terrible “bedroom” (home office) guitarist who hasn’t played with a band in 25 years. So ignore that whole thing and I’ll just say I’m really impressed vs. projecting what others do or do not understand. It is digital signal processing, but it’s rudimentary. It’s not programmable, and most of the chip is in opamps and the ADC/DAC wrapping the bits of hardwired digital circuitry. You wouldn’t BYO clock signal to the stuff people associate with “DSP” since the 90s. It’s not like Spin with a low-code IDE or using a system on a chip that could run an OS. Electrosmash has a better doc than the doc sheet: www.electrosmash.com/pt2399-analysis He lists out most of the trial and error hacks folks have used. That is the sum total of any circuit variation I’ve seen people do around it. And the doc makes it sound more clear cut than my experience. If you’ve ever messed with it, it’s an odd, finicky device. I never kept anything I’ve built with it on my board. They’re in my pile of stuff I’ve made and can’t throw away. I use a Julia for chorus and the same TC delay as Josh’s board in the video. As @rebelcat420 noted, he has to be chaining them to get the delay times, but is still is hitting the low-end of 30ms. With the programmability, he must be using a microcontroller to do switching to essentially rewire the circuit, provide the user interface, etc. I’ve never seen someone do that around this, but I’m definitely not an expert in all of its usage. But that’s like the sophistication of bringing tap tempo to BBD or the switching in the JHS Packrat, Bonzai, etc. The idea of doing that around a PT2399 isn’t something I ever would have expected. It’s a weird thing between a retro cool BBD and what is expected out of a digital delay. It’s novel and really well engineered and I’m impressed.

@@mikesalmo there have been projects in the DIY world for a while like TapPrecise that make tap tempo available for the PT2399. Similarly, attaching an LFO to the delay time will produce modulation. I'm guessing that this is about what is happening here. Basically, add those two items to a pretty standard (probably dual) PT2399 and you're done. But I may be wrong, would have to see the inside.

The chips are cheap, around 50 cents each ,

It sounds good. I used to use it solely as an fx send on a mixer to send guitar and vocals thru.

That'd be the hot pink. Got one myself.

Ya it's like a carbon copy...I'd say it's closer to a rubberneck with the modulation control and longer delay time. The repeats a little cleaner than the carbon copy for sure. Would pair well with a clean digital delay like dd8.

You're*

@@doublebass nerd

@@ryanbodell458 na, I'm just not dumb, be better

Better than Rhett Shull’s? Lol

​@@thetribalist6923man of culture here

@@FelixHureau “SICK BURN”

Yes I thought that, I have a rubberneck and wondered is it really necessary I get one of these. 🤷‍♂️

​@@AnthonyEvans-wl5tsthe rubberneck is incredible and has more controls, keep it !

@@FelixHureau yesss good good 👍 shall stick with it

@@AnthonyEvans-wl5ts just the control over gain and EQ + FX loop makes it more interesting. Can't wait to get my hands on one

Ya I have a rubberneck, and they are extremely similar, it probably wouldn't be worth getting both...BUT I'd venture to guess the benson has a slightly better components and possibly better toan...if your into that.

Also first lol

The PT2399 chip is actually digital.

Check the rubberneck delay

Carbon Copy Deluxe

I can't recommend the Erica Zen Delay enough for synths.

I’m guessing it might be because of the frame rate of the camera that it looks like it’s not always coming on. Either that or it’s faulty. 😂

Never mind, he said it later in. The Korg Drumalogue... spelling probably isn't right lol.

isn't it awesome!

He's probably just got Nick in a box at home

Beat Buddy or something like that. You can see it on the board near the start.

Or korg drumlogue ha ha

Epoch, tc hall of fame, maxon analog delay ( the big kinda red one) not sure the model #

The Deluxe Memory Boy is all analog and has a similar feature set and includes wave form modulation in the delays. Also has an effects loop if you want to get even weirder with the repeats

@@cchavez248 Great suggestions, thanks alot :)

@@duncanmowatt3945 Sounds like a great shout, thanks

I agree with duncanmowatt3945. I have the Memory Boy Deluxe on my board…. Watching demos of this Benson (particularly the demo by Ambient Trash) has prompted me to re-explore my DBD in a creative way. I think the basic sonic character of both pedals is similar as is the feature set. Cheers!

hey now