Boss’ new SDE-3 Dual Delay pedal condenses the vintage digital personality of the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay into a stompbox primed for pedalboards.
With “comprehensive delay and modulation controls” available with mono and stereo outputs, and some new features, it looks set to be an interesting new addition to the firm’s compact pedal collection.
Entering the market in 1983, the original Roland SDE-3000 quickly became a staple effects unit for its blend of rich analog and digital sounds. Last year, to mark its 40th anniversary, Boss relaunched the unit as the SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH (the latter made in collaboration with EVH Gear), two wide-format, feature-laden pedals.
Here, its tonal character has been further condensed into the standard Boss housing, and bolstered with an Offset function that, its makers promise, “unlocks an array of colorful dual-delay textures.”
In this classic format, a streamlined control panel consists of dials for Level/Depth, Feedback/Rate, and Time/Hi Cut. These sit alongside the all-important Offset dial, “to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays.”
That means a second delay can be layered over the primary effect, differing the SDE-3 from other delay pedals. That leaves doubled, sounded, and timed dual delays to hand (or foot) via tap tempo that is activated with a press and hold of the pedal switch.
“A wide range of tones are available,” says Boss, “from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music.”
As the SDE-3000 proved invaluable on stage and in the studio, Boss is aiming for the same benefits here. Two stereo modes offer discrete left/right delays, and it also comes wielding a panning option for “ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field.”
As such, dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two different amps for wet/dry setups a la Steve Morse. Additionally, the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs.
A TRS MIDI input has been loaded in to sync with clock signals from DAWs, keeping its effects focused and freeing players to focus on their playing when performing live.
There’s also a hold function for on-the-fly-looping, and it can partner up with an expression pedal to allow for more dynamic control of its Level, Feedback, and Time knobs.
The Boss SDE-3 Dual Delay is available today for $219.
Head over to Boss to learn more.
