Gearank

Gearank Recommendation

The Belle Epoch EP-3 appeared on our recommended list for Digital Delay Pedals from November 2020 until October 2021 when it was out-ranked by other pedals.

Overview

The Echoplex was known for its lush repeats from a saturated preamp feeding into the tape with just a little modulation provided by the tape speed and component condition.

Older tapes will sound more lo-fi, aging motors will fluctuate in speed.

Whatever the quirk of those original units, Catalinbread sought to replicate as much of them as possible in a small-format Delay pedal.

Enter the Belle Epoch: A recreation of all the things that made the original Maestro Echoplex well-loved, without the maintenance.

Many Echoplex recreations tend to just use a vibrato circuit for modulation but the Belle Epoch recreates the random wow and flutter effects of a real tape machine.

The Belle Epoch is possibly the closest "tapeless" recreation of a well-loved classic. For those looking to make spacey soundscapes and noise oscillations, the Bell Epoch checks all the right boxes.

Specifications

• Controls: Echo Sustain, Mod, Rec Level, Mix, Echo Delay, Internal Trimpot for preamp level.
• Delay Time: Up to 800ms
• Switching: True Bypass
• Power: DC Adapter and 9-Volt Battery

Demo