For some reason, the “Power Series” of pedals made by Ibanez/Maxon in the mid-to-late 80’s don’t get the respect they truly deserve, and we’re bringing you another one of those pedals today to prove it. The DL10 Digital Delay is a simply-controlled, excellent-sounding and now extremely affordable delay effect, one that should definitely be popping up on more boards across the globe. Famed for its crystal clear yet warm repeats, this baby blue beauty will one day earn its right as a delay to be enjoyed and appreciated like so many others in its class…
It’s not rocket surgery figuring out how to use the DL10, which is a nice attribute in today’s complex, textbook-sized manual-filled pedal world. D-Time starts things off, and features not a huge range, but a decent one, from about 70ms to 400 ms or thereabouts. Repeat sets your number of echoes, and when you crank it all the way up, you get an almost a loooong hold sort of thing going on, without any crazy runaway oscillation. Not that we don’t appreciated some good self-oscillation around here, mind you, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be on every delay pedal out there.
D-Level mixes the delay effect with your clean dry signal, letting you add in just the right amount of echo. This control doesn’t take over you signal, either, as the maxed out setting here seems to just produce a 50/50 wet/dry signal mix, and adds in just that right amount of flavor to make your sound stand out. Using the classic Mitsubishi M50195P chip in its circuitry, there’s a warmth present that’s hard to describe, a clean digital sound that somehow isn’t as harsh or piercing as some other delay pedals from that decade.
Yet another impressive pedal from the 10/Power Series, the DL10 is one of 7 digital delay pedal from this series, and although simple, one that explodes with warmth and depth without overpowering your whole rig. As you’ll hear in the demo below, the range of both the delay time and the effect level play nicely with the dry signal, and the repeats just add an extra sparkle to the mix. We’ve reviewed a number of these 10 Series pedals now, and are really impressed every time another one makes it into our office – if you happen to stumble upon any of them, don’t hesitate to pick ’em up, you’ll thank us later!
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