Empress Effects Echosystem

Almost every delay you will ever need in one top quality pedal

I wanted a pedal for tape delay effects on vocals. Tape phasing Automatic double tracking slapback echo, Echoplex tape echο, binson echorec drum delay, Stereo delay wet /dry panned. This pedal has almost all of them. It lacks more a slow setting on the time delay knob so its hard to dial short delays between 0-100 cause the knob goes 20ms-1.2sec clockwise. Would like 0-3ms for vintage tape phasing which is not an option now but maybe a firmware update makes a short-range like 0-30ms possible! Also the saturation of Echoplex could be more tube-y and the repeats sound thin as also in the binson echorec mode the repeats sound thin. But overall it has so many delays packed in one pedal and pristine audio quality in general, that has now become my main delay pedal and kicked all of the others out of the pedalboard!!! Great!

Amazing sounds!!

I recently had the pleasure of trying out the Empress Effects Ecosystem, and I have to say, it’s nothing short of amazing! This pedal is a true game-changer for any guitarist looking to elevate their sound with high-quality, versatile delay effects. First off, the build quality is outstanding. The pedal feels robust and durable, perfect for both studio use and live performances. The design is sleek and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate through its extensive features. What truly sets the Ecosystem apart is its versatility. With so many different delay modes, ranging from classic analog and tape delays to innovative reverse and ambient delays, this pedal covers all the bases. Each mode is meticulously crafted, providing rich, lush sounds that can inspire endless creativity. The user interface is intuitive, with a clear layout and easy-to-read display. Adjusting parameters is straightforward, and the ability to save presets is a fantastic feature for quickly recalling your favourite settings. The tap tempo function is highly responsive, ensuring your delays are perfectly timed to your playing. One of my favourite aspects of the Ecosystem is its pristine sound quality. The delays are clear and vibrant, without any unwanted noise or coloration. The pedal also offers stereo inputs and outputs, which is a huge plus for creating expansive, immersive soundscapes. Overall, the Empress Effects Ecosystem is a top-tier delay pedal that delivers exceptional sound quality, versatility, and ease of use i look forward to mastering it!

I use it for EVERYTHING

Whatever if it's live , with my guitar or any keyboard, or as an effect for studio mixing and or FOH, I love this pedal!

Fantastic delay - great sounds and versatile - built for playing

In the past I have owned Timeline, Timefactor, and other decent delays - this covers a lot of the same ground - one reason I sold the above is that i ended up spending time "programming" rather than playing - the Echosystem has no screen, no menus, just knobs and switches - it might lack some of the "fine tuning" of the above, but makes up for it in terms of playability - plus the two delays really are independent - you can have a glitch stutter feeding into a reverse, or run them in parallel - wild! It has an FX send/return loop (proper feedback loop, not just an FX mix) - don't be fooled by the small size - if all the many different delays (each delay type has sub-versions) were laid out it would be a huge desktop unit! If you want something where you can type in delays in ms, this is probably not it (you could do it via midi though) - this delay gets you playing - covers all the basic sounds you'd ever need plus all the wild sounds you might want too!

To many options, a bit messy

Well built. The presets menu is a complete mess. The algos are fine. I just thing is too expensive for an algo machine. Best thing is the 5 individual track looper

Is it for you?

It took me a few pedals to get here, but so glad I did. I was able to take 3 delays pedals off my board because of what the Echosystem can do.

Why did I buy this and not the Timeline? It had nothing to do with sound quality, but features. One of my favorites is the Dual delay. The ability to run two delays (any two you want) in parallel, series or split (one left one right).

The second feature I like is all the on board presets (35) that you can overwrite with your own. 35 too many for you? In the custom set up you can change the number of presets available so you're not having to tap dance for 30 seconds trying to go back or forward to your next preset. You can also set the unit up to bank or scroll through your presets.

Being able to assign multiple parameter changes via expression pedal is also a big plus.

My only Con (and it may not be) is updating the firmware via SD card. Yes, there's a lot of information on how to do it on their website but that information reads like I need to know the ins and outs of formatting SD cards and root menus.

Would I buy it again if stolen? YES!!!!

Not cheap, but you are getting two pedals!

I have been on the lookout for another good delay pedal both for "ordinary" guitar/keys/vocal, but also for ambient textures and washes. I already have the Strymon Timeline and had bought (and returned) the Red Panda Tensor for reason of its mono operation, the unpredictability of the results and the inability to store anything that turned out by chance to be worthwhile. All things considered I had a fairly strong case for sticking with the delay unit I already had. But I have overdrive pedals that have 2 gain stages in one pedal and saw the virtues of that arrangement for stacking and expanding the sounds I had available. The Empress Echosystem has a similar arrangement, and this more than doubles the sonic options I have to play around with. I can, given time, dial in something truly original and then I'm able to save it as a patch for instant recall.

I have old solid state echo devices as well and always liked the lo-fi sounds on straightforward guitar parts. The Timeline does a decent version of these, but the Echosystem just sounds a bit more convincing, and in fact seems if anything to be somewhat nicer in the mix than the Timeline. Neither unit really catches the Echoplex type of sounds, but the Echosystem gets closer and, with a bit of tweaking can sound spot on in the mix. Encouraged by video reviews we always listen critically in isolation, where it's easy to criticise the effect, but seldom really think about what's happening in a mix.

One nice discovery was that the Echosystem can, provided you are happy to accept mono operation, use one output and input as an effects loop. This allows us to process an input signal through the first stage of the Echosystem, then feed that signal through a row of other effects before returning the signal to the Echosystem to be processed by the second delay stage. I've not tried this yet, but intend to.

Updates are easy to do, and Empress have added new delay options since the initial version, such as granular and freeze delays. These require a V30 minimum spec SD card (or microSD with adapter) and the ability to download firmware updates and transfer them to the SD card. The Empress website has directions as to how the process works, as well as the updates, and the process is straightforward (if I can do it, anybody can).

Having a V30 memory card and the latest firmware also enables you to use the built-in looper, which uses the memory card for recording (although recordings will wipe any other data on that card, so bear this in mind). This is reasonably simple to use although, with 4 loopers available to me it can get confusing remembering which unit requires what sequence of operations to get the loops going!

Which brings me to the interface. It's intuitive once you get some practice with it, using controller knobs along with colour-coded LEDs to tell you what mode and submode you are in at any moment. A bit like the Timeline, though, it has a learning curve that you have to negotiate so as to get the best from it, and this can be offputting if you prefer your pedals straightforward and with the minimum of rocket science involved.

If you want to turn two or three knobs to zero in on a sound you fancy, this might be serious overkill, but if you're happy to invest a bit of time honing an effect to perfection and diving deeper to get the sound you're hearing in your head, then you're going to fine the Empress Echosystem extremely rewarding.

And if you'd still like to go off the deep end and do something that the Tensor would do, you can still get pretty close to that pedal as well, in stereo, with patch saving options. It's not even slightly cheap as pedals go, but after a while with it you come to realise that it does as much as any other two pedals, in one.

Great pedal with some fall backs

I've had this for a couple of weeks now, and use it as a traditional guitar pedal and as a fx unit for music production.

The sounds and fx are amazing with lots of ways to experiment.

I particularly like the tape and analogue section with can emulate Space Echo and Memory Boy for example.

Some cons:

- The signal can easily get distorted in a digital sounding way which isn't nice.

- The midi is very frustrating to implement, since it has a TRS jack and not a normal 5 pin. I'm still trying to work out to connect a midi cable successfully.

Pros:

- Many fx and possibilities

- has a great looper.

- can be updated with new sound engines with Empress up dates a few times a year.

A super fun and deep delay fantasy

I use this pedal in my home studio. it's my first , multi delay unit. I absolutely love this pedal. The sound engines are extremely good, they sound lush and warm. There are also some really experimental engines with pitch shifting and reverse which I really enjoy.

I don't have anything negative to say about this pedal. It's very musical, ideas just flow magically. The only minor downside is the lack of screen but everything is color coded and eventually you memorise what thing 1/thing 2 are.

I highly recommend this pedal, it's really something special.

Truly amazing box... Sound quality is stunning!

This is a really everything you may desire from a delay pedal and much more: a reverb, modulation, tremolo, stutter effect and now even a 5-track looper!!!

The sound quality is one of a kind, I don't think there is a match for it, even from other big names such as Strymon and Eventide... And the interface makes much sense once you get used to it, much more than if it had a screen. Check the Knobs' videos online and hear for yourselves.

Much recommended!