Boss SDE-3 Dual Digital Delay Effect Pedal

Dropping in to double down, the Boss SDE-3 Dual Digital Delay introduces a new delay pedal experience inspired by a vintage classic.

The SDE-3 marries a vintage effect experience with modern Boss pedal ingenuity. Inspired by the Roland SDE-3000, an '80s rackmount delay unit favored by some of guitar's greatest, the SDE-3 hosts a robust and thorough delay effect experience in a familiar, compact Boss casing. This convenient and intuitive setup is sure to get the ideas flowing alongside great tonality and modern functionality.

Originally debuting in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 became revered for its rich tone and distinct modulation. The original rackmount unit earned a coveted status from its complex digital and analog architectures, though through modern Boss magic, the sound of the '80s legend is ready, right under one footswitch. Three stacked dials divide the digital delay control by the usual suspects of Level, Feedback and Time. These three dials share space with the SDE-3's modulation effect controls by which modulation Depth, Rate and frequency Hi Cut are adjusted. Through this convenient and compact series of knobs, the SDE-3's voice is accurately handled for dialing in one's own precise digital repeat pattern. Matching a vintage, digital tonality with an aloof modulation melded into its DNA, the SDE-3 comes prepared for a colorful digital delay suited for a spectrum of sounds.

Roland's original rackmount effect would not be without one of its most key features, however. Joining this pedal's setup as its fourth dial is the SDE-3's Offset control. With this addition to the traditional digital delay formula, the SDE-3 doubles up to create two simultaneous delay trails. The Offset's scheme is split into two halves – in the first half, players can introduce a second delay trail that is offset by an interval set up to 100ms, meaning the SDE-3 can create dueling delay trails that can be offset in time by the slightest of margins. Past noon on the Offset knob, the SDE-3 will produce a shorter second delay that bases itself on the primary delay time. By utilizing the pedal's tap tempo function, players can determine the quarter note value for the primary delay while sweeping the second delay's time with the Offset knob between eighth note and dotted-eighth subdivisions. This use of the effect will introduce digital delays that blink in new, rhythmic patterns in relation to one another.

Further functionality that can be found with the SDE-3 manifests in ways to suit a modern workflow. Mono and stereo routing are both within reach for the SDE-3 for running the pedal in both basic mono and true stereo outputs. The pedal offers functionality for sending dry and direct feeds to two different amps for wet and dry setups as well as muting the direct sound entirely for parallel effect rigs. For more convenient operation, the pedal can be used with tap tempo by holding the pedal's footswitch. Alternatively, the SDE-3's TRS MIDI input can be used to receive clock signals from DAWs, drum machines and other pedals for creating intricate, synchronized compositions. An expression pedal output expands upon control even further to harness Level, Feedback and Time for outrageous pitch effects and wild self-oscillation.

Diving into the deep end of vintage delay tonality, the Boss SDE-3 harnesses true effect power for players of all stripes to unlock a suite of echoed voices to run free.