The Ekko Delay is a digital delay pedal from Aalberg Audio, and its distinguishing feature is the Aero Wireless Controller: as Delicious Audio put it when the pedal was shown in 2014, "the world's first wirelessly remote-controlled delay pedal was born"1. The idea is that a player can change delay times and other settings from a unit attached to the guitar, rather than bending down to the pedalboard mid-song. MusicRadar's review describes the pedal as a "Basic digital delay with tap tempo, with an option to change delay times and more from your guitar"2. It sits in the wider family of delay pedals, and the related Aalberg Audio EKKO EK-1 page covers the pedal in the range.
What it does
The delay sound is clean, with a time range from very short to over a second, according to MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen2. The pedal has three main knobs:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Time | Sets the delay time, from very short to over a second2 |
| Feedback | Sets the number of repeats2 |
| Level | Sets the effect level2 |
Delicious Audio describes the sound as "completely hi-fi"1.
The Aero remote
The Aero remote is the pedal's main selling point. What the two sources report about it:
- It attaches to the guitar, so delay times and other settings can be changed without bending down to the pedalboard12
- MusicRadar found that "The Aero does offer advantages in that you can call up different delay times quickly"2
- Aalberg Audio has said that all of its future effects will be compatible with the controller unit1
"this may very well revolutionize the way pedals are used"
Stereo operation
All of the pedals in the Ekko range offer four different mono and stereo configurations, and the Ekko's stereo speciality is ping-pong delay, where repeats alternate between the two output channels2.
What reviewers made of it
Reviews were mixed on the feature set. MusicRadar's verdict was that "we feel that players want more from their delay pedals these days - either a range of delay types or a particular sound", suggesting the Ekko's straightforward digital approach may feel limited next to pedals offering analog-style or tape-style voicings2. The same review notes a specific limitation: "you'd be disappointed if you like to manipulate feedback for dub effects, because this one doesn't go off into self-oscillation like an analogue delay"2. On the other hand, the reviewer saw real value in the Aero system for calling up delay times quickly2.
As of September 2014 the Ekko was still at the prototype stage, shown at Musikmesse and NAMM, with its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign days old and already at 10% of its goal1. The $249 figure was the campaign's early-bird price at that time1.
Videos
Premier Guitar
Eirik Stordrange
Dennis Kayzer
Sources (2)
- Ekko Aero: A Pedal With Remote, By Aalberg Audio, Delicious Audio, 2014-09-05
- Aalberg Audio EKKO EK-1 review, MusicRadar, 2016-08-13
