SIB Mr Echo (Review)

Greymire · Not So Newbie Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 8

SIB Mr Echo Effect : Echo/Delay

Purchased from : Tonefactor (new)

Uses : An analog sounding (opinions vary on whether it is truly analog or digital and the smfamps site is currently down) Delay/Echo Pedal. I would guess it to be digital, but it acts and responds like analog so who really knows? I suppose I could take it apart and look for ic chips.

Construction: Does the word "BRICK" mean anything to you? This is one heavy duty, with the emphasis on heavy, enclosure.

Features: A for knob, two button pedal that will run off of a 9 volt battery or a boss style adapter. The controls are as follows:

VOLUME - Controls the overall output

MIX - Controls the balance between Delayed (echo) signal and

Input (dry) signal

REPEAT - Controls the number of echoes present at the output. This will go from mild to wild.

DELAY - Controls the delay time

BYPASS - True Bypass

SLAM - The SLAM switch is a momentary, non latching switch that when depressed and held down will set the delay time to its shortest delay and repeats to maximum setting. The result is saturated, runaway echoes.

This new SLAM effect offers several useful / creative performance applications not limited to incredible lead line emphasis and lead beat punctuation. When the SLAM switch is released, the MR ECHO returns to normal operation.

Sound : This is a pretty cool pedal. It will go from a slight doubling effect to a wild repeating frenzy that will go into sustained feedback if set that way. This unit is super clean so all noise issues SIB had with the initial release of this have been taken care of as SIB promised. There is a bit of a learning curve on this. It takes some tweaking to come up with the sound you want. With a little patience though, there are some super nice attainable sounds. Like I said, Harmony reviews differ on whether it is analog or digital, but it does act and sound analog in either event so this is not of major importance to me. The delay time is 0 - 485 milliseconds which is about 1/2 a second. The slam feature is unique and almost can't be explained. The closest comparison I can think of is in the beginning of an old Pink Floyd tune the guitar/music sounds like an lp that is slowed almost to a stop than quickly sped back up to speed (Third Day uses a similar effect in the beginning of their song Your Everywhere). You can also hold it down and it will go into a wild organic and frantic feedback. Once released it seems to "warp" back into normal (you would have to hear it).

Reliability : If the inside components are the quality of the case, then there should be no problems.

Cons: The first con is that there is no manual of any kind. This is not a major problem since the knobs are simple and self explanatory, but a new player or someone not familiar with audio terms could have a problem. The only other con in my opinion is that it does take a bit of tweaking and playing to learn how to control this. The controls are a bit touchy as a little change can make a big difference in your sound.

Overall : This is a nice pedal and would be a welcome addition to many boards. This could function as your sole delay, but more than likely compliment your old Boss DD 5 and up series pedals. It is a fun toy and a useful musical tool.

SCORE : I would give this a 7 out of 10. It is a nice pedal and will definitely be a keeper for me, but the learning curve and lack of documentation knocks it down a bit. It is a unique pedal so if you want something different, do not be afraid to call up Tonefactor and place and order for one. Surprised