It’s interesting how times change and how trends shift with them. Back in the early ’80s, digital was “in” – whether it was a delay pedal, or rackmount system, digital was new, sophisticated and very hot. Also in the ’80s the cost of digital effects had finally moved down to the point where they were becoming affordable to the mass market of musicians. this point, analog technology and especially analog delay units themselves were “out”. While many pedal makers such as Boss still manufactured their analog delay units, these were relegated as being the bottom of the line and were priced accordingly. Afterall, who’d really want analog delay when you can get more delay time with crystal clear fidelity from a new digital unit?

Now as we sit comfortably within the digital age in the year 2002, there is a new-found resurgence and interest in all things analog. Analog, with its imperfections, coloring, and resulting warmth just seems more human and more natural. These days, the word digital invokes the thoughts of being “stiff”, “sterile sounding”, or just fill in the blank with your favorite similar adjectives and nouns.
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