Seymour Duncan Andromeda Delay Review

Seymour Duncan’s Andromeda delay is the latest salvo in the pickup giant’s push into guitar effects, and it may be its best yet. Whaever you imagine your ultimate delay pedal, the Andromeda has probably beaten you to it. Alongside the common time, feedback and mix controls you also get saturation, tone and modulation, plus tap tempo and dynamic expression, which lets you to control the saturation, modulation or mix by varying your pick attack.

A six-position selector allows you to choose either analogue or digital-sounding versions of many delay types, which can be further tweaked then saved as presets accessed via MIDI, or the unit’s tap footswitch. You can also back up your sounds and download firmware updates via USB.

In Use
Once you’ve got to grips with it, it’s clear the Andromeda can cover almost any delay eventuality. Though it has stereo outputs, the sound is very impressive in the mono mode that most of us will use live. Available delay time is 50ms to five seconds and you can set delay times on the fly with the tap control, with four selectable divisions of the beat to assist further if required.

Setting it to ‘analog/normal’ mode and a delay time of 400ms, we tweak the saturation for a crunchy lo-fi effect, then add a little modulation to give a subtle chorusing as the delays blend with the original signal. A twang on the low E string sounds as spacious as a distant church bell in a Tuscan valley, while the tone dials in the right amount of cut, from very muted to a bright analogue-style repeat.

Switching to the digital mode brightens things further, with high tone settings slicing through, but regaining a more analogue-style warmth at lower settings. Various other modes, including reverse and ping-pong are a useful addition, but to our ears, the unit’s primary strength is its sheer quality of sound. Once you like what you hear, simply save it using the buttons below the display or MIDI – all very easy and intuitive.

One of the smaller buttons is a trails on/off switch, giving you the option of allowing a natural decay when bypassing, or an abrupt cut off. The dynamic expression controls, meanwhile, are a way to make functions such as modulation, saturation and mix sensitive to your picking dynamics. Hard picking lowers the delay level, but allows it to come through in softer moments.

Want exactly the opposite? Want this function on the modulation? No problem. The rotary threshold control lights up in an appropriate colour to let you know exactly how much – and of what effect – you’re manipulating, too. There’s an awful lot going on in this little box…

Key Features Seymour Duncan Andromeda
• Price £365
• Description Programmable digital delay pedal
• Controls Delay type, feedback, delay time, tap value, saturation, tone, modulation, mix
• Features Trails on/off, dynamic expression (in various modes).
• Dimensions 142 x 130 x 54mm
• Contact Rosetti 01376 550033 www.seymourduncan.com