Delay, Decay, Disarray: MXR Carbon Copy Review

[JanusZarate]

Technically, I've reviewed this pedal before, but I recently bought it as I wanted to really mess around with the modulation this time. Now I really like this pedal.

The Original Review

And now the revised one:



PRICE: Around $150.00 USD new.

SIZE: Same as the MXR Phase 90 - TINY!

POWER: 9VDC or 9V battery. Your typical Boss-standard plug will do fine. But why does MXR always have to stick the jack on the side?

INPUTS / OUTPUTS: Mono in, mono out. No stereo outputs or inputs on this particular pedal.

LED: Two bright, piercing, water-clear blue LEDs - one for the bypass switch, and one for the modulation button.

CONTROLS: Regen (for controlling repeats/feedback), Mix (for controlling the wet/dry mix), and Delay (for controlling delay time). There's also a small "Mod" button to engage delay modulation, and two trimpots inside to control Width and Rate for the modulation.

The Mix knob is interesting because it goes from 100% dry to an equal mix of wet and dry. With the EHX digital delay pedals I've used, you could get repeats that were louder than the dry signal, or even dial out the dry signal entirely. The Carbon Copy's Mix knob, however, is just like the Level knob on the DD-6.

DELAY TIME: 20ms minimum to 600ms maximum. Given that it's an analog delay, long delay times are not possible. But most people don't need an incredibly large amount of delay... so 600ms is reasonable, IMO. It covers the classic delay times used in countless recordings.

DELAY SOUND: It sounds really good - it's an analog enthusiast's dream. The delays are warm yet defined. Short delay times allow for surprisingly clean and clear repeats. However, it's easy for the Carbon Copy to go nuts - it doesn't have a lot of headroom, so as you crank the knobs, some muddiness is inevitable (it comes with the territory). I guess that's the appeal, though - it behaves like its ancestors. The feedback and oscillation possibilities on this pedal are pretty cool and fun to toy with.

By turning up the Regen, you open up Pandora's Box. At high delay times, it gets loaded and starts to sound "deteriorated". At low delay times... instant feedback and other insanity. If you've never worked with oscillation and feedback before... beware.

MODULATION: An easy way to get sounds akin to old deteriorating tape delays, or to get ambient and warbly delay tones. The stock modulation settings on the Carbon Copy are subtle - you can tell it's affecting your repeats, but it's most appreciable if your tone is on the brighter side of things. With bright tones, the stock modulation setting shines; it's an ambient but mild warping of your delay sound. If you stop notes a lot, you may not notice much, but let it sustain... and you'll hear why it's so cool.

I tweaked the trimpots and tried a few other settings, too. Increasing the Width trimpot setting will allow for some significantly pronounced, deep modulation. It's not so subtle anymore! And the Speed knob allows for gradual detuning or dramatic warbles.

I do wish they had the controls as knobs on the exterior, though. I know it'd be a bit of a challenge, but I'm sure people will be tweaking these frequently until they find the perfect modulation tone. Or, if they're like me, they may have a few they really like...

VOLUME: No drops! That's a relief. That has tended to be the issue with the Blend knobs on EHX pedals that I've used. With this pedal, however, your dry signal level never drops.

SUMMARY: If you're looking for a simple analog delay that can get crazy with feedback, this is the first one I'll direct you to. It's inexpensive and it's GOOD! Plus, the modulation is awesome and versatile. If you want stereo delay, tons of features, or brighter tones, look elsewhere.

OVERALL:

Soundclips coming soon!

[KarateKid25]

Good to see that theres Delay, Decay and Disarray, yet no Dismay

[Surprise Panda!]

can't wait for the sound clips

[Crabby]

Just got mine and am loving it so far. very warm and sweet sounding.

[rcubed]

I tweaked the trimpots but I don't think I was playing loud enough to hear the changes (and I probably didn't turn the pots enough). It sounds great stock. Right now I have it behind my SMMH for some crazy feedback if needed.

[5stringwonder]

Got mine not too long back too. It's a great pedal. Easy to use. Great sounding, warm delay.

[Valerus]

This is the only delay pedal that really made me go hmm..maybe I need a delay pedal






Nah

[Thunderscreech]

I want one. But i have to decide between an delay and being able to drive anywhere for the next six months...

[5stringwonder]

c'mon...you know you need one

[andvari7]

Have you ever dimed the regen and the mix, and slowly turned the delay knob to zero? Once you get there, forget about needing hearing protection - earplugs will do you no good when your fillings are rattling out, your house is collapsing in on itself (thanks to a cracking foundation, all because of this pedal)? I'm dead serious on this one. Rattling was coming from the pipes in my ceiling, and I felt the concrete floor shake. And, just so I'm not claiming superiority over anyone, I use a Peavey TKO 115 combo, which isn't horribly powerful. I shudder to think what would have happened if I were using a Thunderfunk TF-750A, Dr Bass 2410 and 115 cabs (which will be my setup in the next two years), and were in the sewers of Tokyo. I would literally rip Japan into pieces.

[Joe Gress]

What is the max delay time?

[JanusZarate]

Originally Posted by andvari7

Have you ever dimed the regen and the mix, and slowly turned the delay knob to zero? Once you get there, forget about needing hearing protection - earplugs will do you no good when your fillings are rattling out, your house is collapsing in on itself (thanks to a cracking foundation, all because of this pedal)? I'm dead serious on this one. Rattling was coming from the pipes in my ceiling, and I felt the concrete floor shake. And, just so I'm not claiming superiority over anyone, I use a Peavey TKO 115 combo, which isn't horribly powerful. I shudder to think what would have happened if I were using a Thunderfunk TF-750A, Dr Bass 2410 and 115 cabs, and were in the sewers of Tokyo. I would literally rip Japan into pieces.

+1...

This thing gets INSANE under such circumstances. I did it only once... I had to turn off the pedal immediately. The brief burst of insanity freaked out our housemates' dog, not to mention, our cats and my girlfriend (who gave me the "***?" look ).

Originally Posted by joeinsprings

What is the max delay time?

600ms. Minimum is 20ms. I'll add the delay time info to my review...

Analog delay pedals rarely go above 600ms, from what I've seen. Usually, anything past 1s is digital delay territory.

[Joe Gress]

Originally Posted by MysticBoo

Analog delay pedals rarely go above 600ms, from what I've seen. Usually, anything past 1s is digital delay territory.

Definitely. I've never used anything above 600ms (except looping), so this may be my answer to my self oscillation want.

[rustynuts]

Sorry to sidetrack the thread but all the talk of houses collapsing and fillings vibrating reminded me of something I endured about twelve hours ago....

I don't know if anyone else here works around airplanes or not but this morning I was finalizing paperwork and preparing to block out an Airbus A-300F that needed an air start. (An air start force feeds air into a jet engine to get it spinning fast enough to turn over.)

I'd already discarded my earplugs and had returned to my van when the maintenance crew called me back over. All I can say is if you ever find yourself in this situation, don't go without hearing protection. I got back to the plane just as engine number one rumbled to life and between the extremely high pitched (and LOUD) air start and the earth vibrating rumble of the engine, I was physically ill. Seriously, I nearly doubled over right there it hurt so bad.

[andvari7]

Originally Posted by rustynuts

Sorry to sidetrack the thread but all the talk of houses collapsing and fillings vibrating reminded me of something I endured about twelve hours ago....

I don't know if anyone else here works around airplanes or not but this morning I was finalizing paperwork and preparing to block out an Airbus A-300F that needed an air start. (An air start force feeds air into a jet engine to get it spinning fast enough to turn over.)

I'd already discarded my earplugs and had returned to my van when the maintenance crew called me back over. All I can say is if you ever find yourself in this situation, don't go without hearing protection. I got back to the plane just as engine number one rumbled to life and between the extremely high pitched (and LOUD) air start and the earth vibrating rumble of the engine, I was physically ill. Seriously, I nearly doubled over right there it hurt so bad.

Jeez, I'm so sorry to hear that. Though I can't say I've ever experienced such an event, I do know what it's like to work in a similar environment.

I float between two companies (though, for all intents and purposes, I work for one), whose buildings are on opposite sides of an airport. For those that don't know, the Dane County Regional Airport is also home to an Air Force unit. My primary office is situated closer to the military wing (no pun intended) of this airfield. The unit in which my office is located offers surprisingly good insulation from the sound of commuter traffic - you hear it, but it's not horribly loud - but nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING can block the sound of not one, not two, but three F-16s taking off, running their rounds, and landing. Twice in a day. You get used to it (sort of), but it's not a fun ride by any stretch of the imagination.

At any rate, back to the Carbon Copy. The only drawback I see is this: it is nigh impossible to find. In some places, there were three-month waiting lists, just to be allowed to get one. And that still didn't guarantee a pedal. I know this, because I had to submit my name and phone number to such a list (which went nowhere, and is now a moot point, obviously). I don't know how I managed to be as lucky as I was that day (July 10, for the record - I remember this, specifically because the 11th was my birthday, and I purchased my DEM on the 9th), but it was a one-in-a-million find for sure.

[Chronicle]

Oh man, didn't know the Carbon Copy had inside trimpots for the modulation. If i have room on the board, maybe we can have a 2 delay board

[JanusZarate]

Screwdrivers are your friend, Jovi.

And andvari... they're a bit easier to find now, but still a challenge to track down in person. I was quite surprised that my local shop in San Jose had it. But then again, the Starving Musician in Berkeley has an amazing stock of odd pedals... so why should their Santa Clara location be any different?

[Joe Gress]

Originally Posted by Chronicle

If i have room on the board, maybe we can have a 2 delay board

+1 The digital delay for those clean delays, and the analog for those dirty modulated ambiance delays. And for earthquakes.

[Brad Barker]

the carbon copy is great--very likely my next delay, especially after hearing about the modulation trimpots.

[theunknowndude]

Hey boo,

I know you have compared lots of pedals,... have u compared it to the Boss DD7?

I want to get into looping territory somewhere along the line along the way but want to hit delay first,... all the reviews ive seen and heard of the carbon copy seem awesome, but the dd7 can do oscillation with feedback on full as well (+ looping)... would be good to know your thoughts on if getting specific looper late would be better,... cos im loving everything I hear on the carbon copy!