REVIEW > VisUal soUnd
delayed tone itself is pretty girthy. When I
cascaded a longer delay from delay 1 into
the modulated delay 2, the blend became
positively arena-sized.
The tone controls also make a huge difference in contributing an analog or digital
flavor to the sound. Fully counter-clockwise
gives you a darker tone. As you rotate the
knob, the repeats become crisper and more
defined, but not harsh or cold.
Good time for all
With the clearly labeled time division knob,
which visually displays the different possible
rhythmic subdivisions, I was quickly able to
get delays in time with specific rhythms with
the flick of a switch. Although it may seem
like a no-brainer to have the different rhythms
visually laid out on a knob, many delay units
that offer exact rhythmic subdivisions do not
clearly or conveniently label the beat division
options and many leading delays only illustrate
subdivisions in the manual, which isn’t much
use when you leave it behind at some bar gig.
The Dual Tap Delay offers four of the
most common rhythmic subdivisions,
although since Visual Sound went this
far, it would be nice to see some longer or
shorter patterns like half-notes, quarter-note
triplets, and 16th-notes. But the Dual Tap
Delay offers the subdivision most delay
users will reach for—the dotted-eighth
delay, which spawned many of the Edge’s
famous guitar parts, as well as Eddie Van
Halen’s jaw-dropping “Cathedral.” And
with the ability to cascade delays and
employ dual outputs, U2 fans might finally
find the delay pedal they’re looking for.
the Verdict
For all its capabilities, the Dual Tap Delay
provides a refreshing simplicity—and this
simplicity doesn’t come at the expense of
happening tones. The Dual Tap Delay
is incredibly lush and full sounding, and
enables dramatic delay effects that can
transform a bland passage in a big way.
Most impressively, the Dual Tap Delay
inspires playing rather than tweaking. In
the end, that’s what it’s all about. And the
elegance of Visual Sound’s engineering
should be praised on that count, along with
the sounds this fine delay will add to your
bag of tricks.
Rating:
Buy If...
you want a gorgeous sounding,
complex delay that doesn’t require a
manual to get up and running.
Skip If...
you absolutely need a bpm or delay
time display.
Visual Sound
Street $249
visualsound.net
or use a mobile device to hear
audio clips of the pedal at
CLICKHere…
premierguitar.com/feb2012
Red w o o d
Expect the lightweight champion
of the world to be like this:
a full-grown Huber, but lighter than
anything you‘ve ever seen before.
Tasteful the way it looks, elegant
in the way it sounds, this redwood
redefines the relationship between
weight and sound. Expect its pure
tone to take over your world.
Nik Huber Guitars
Borsigstr. 13
63110 Rodgau /Germany
Fon + 49 - (0) 61 06 - 77 21 66
Fax + 49 - (0) 61 06 - 77 21 67
www.nikhuber-guitars.com
144 PREMIER GUITAR FEBRUARY 2012
premierguitar.com
