True Analog Sound — Antech Echoluxe Analog Delay | Gear Nebraska

by Brendan G-W

This week we review one of my favorite subjects to date, the Antech Echoluxe Analog Delay pedal. This boutique analog delay pedal is built in the Omaha area by Mike Saklar at Antech. The design idea behind the pedal was to build a unit that resembles a tape echo, without being a tape echo. The Echoluxe creates a natural depth of perception, where each following echo increasingly decays and distorts.

The Echoluxe has four basic controls: “Saturation” increases the volume of repeats and adds a thick and somewhat distorted sound with each additional repeat; “Echo Delay” controls the delay time; “Echo Mix” serves as a wet-to-dry blend, a nice feature to really dial in a specific effect; “Feedback” controls the audible number of repeats. The pedal offers the option of a true bypass switch and a “Mod” switch that, when enabled, increases the level of repeats and the saturation as well as creating a more broad soundscape where both overtones and underlying ambience become more present.

The pedal has both effected and dry output options and is powered by either a 9-volt battery or a wall wart.

I asked local engineer and musician Ben Brodin to come over and help demo the pedal. We ran through a few basic settings, but only scratched the surface of the capabilities of the Echoluxe. I’ve used the pedal to record vocals to nice effect. 

Check out Antech's blog and give a listen to some of Ben's tunes at Before the Toast and Tea ("The Ones That We Love" is one of my personal favorites!)

Brendan G-W is an Omaha native. Some of his fave things this week are turkey burgers and how it finally feels like summer is here. Hot damn! Like that pedal or think he got lost in an infinite loop on this review? Leave a comment here or send it along to brendan.gwalsh@gmail.com.