The Albey Inventions Rapture Bit Crushing Delay is a delay pedal with bit crushing built in, reviewed by Pedal of the Day in December 2015. The reviewer described it as "a musical instrument all on its own", and suggested players "think of it as a really nice-sounding delay with a boatload of skeletons in its closet": a straightforward delay on the surface, with switches and knobs that push it into extreme territory.1
A one-of-a-kind pedal
According to the Pedal of the Day review, the Rapture was "currently the only one in existence (or so I was told)" at the time of writing, and the pedal was listed for sale on Reverb. The reviewer found it remarkable that it turned up at all, writing that "you come across a pedal that is so unique and so out-of-the-ordinary, you're impressed that you were even able to locate" it. They also hoped to see "more fantastic creations" from Albey Inventions.1
This appears to be a one-off build rather than a production pedal. If you are researching it, the Pedal of the Day review from 9 December 2015 is the main published account of it.1
Controls
The top row of knobs is conventional delay fare, while the second row is where the pedal's stranger functions live, and those second-row controls carry no labels at all1.
| Row | Control | What the review says |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Time | Sets the delay time, one of the "fairly basic" top knobs1 |
| Top | Mix | Sets the blend of dry and delayed signal1 |
| Top | Feedback | Sets the number and level of repeats1 |
| Second row | Dry Kill switch | Kills the dry signal1 |
| Second row | Frequency control | The standout extreme control1 |
| Second row | Double Time switch | A toggle following the Frequency control1 |
| Second row | Division switch | The final toggle in the row1 |
On the unlabeled second row, the reviewer wrote that "not having them labeled makes for both lots of experimentation and a bit of frustration". Of the Frequency control in particular, they said: "especially that Frequency one, it's a doozy".1
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Questions
What does the Dry Kill switch do on the Albey Inventions Rapture?
The Dry Kill switch is the first toggle in the pedal's second row of controls. It removes the dry, unprocessed signal from the output, leaving only the delayed and bit-crushed signal. That is useful for fully wet sounds, where you want nothing but the processed repeats coming through, and it is one of the unlabeled toggles that reward experimentation.
Is the Albey Inventions Rapture really the only one made?
According to the Pedal of the Day review, the Rapture was reportedly the only one in existence at the time of writing, as the reviewer was told. The reviewer also expressed hope that Albey Inventions would go on to create more products, which suggests the pedal came from a small-scale or one-off build rather than a production run.
What does the Frequency knob do on the Rapture?
The Frequency control sits in the pedal's second row, after the Dry Kill switch. The reviewer singled it out as the pedal's most extreme control, calling it a doozy, and described it as the knob that most transforms the pedal's sound from a nice-sounding delay into something far stranger.
Why are the second-row controls unlabeled?
The Rapture's second-row toggles and knobs carry no labels. The reviewer found that this makes for both lots of experimentation and a bit of frustration: you have to explore the pedal by ear to learn what each control does, which is part of its character as an instrument in its own right.
What does the Double Time switch do?
The Double Time switch is one of the toggles in the Rapture's second row, following the Frequency control. As its name suggests, it relates to the delay time, and it sits alongside the Division switch among the unlabeled second-row controls that shape the timing of the repeats.
Sources (1)
- Albey Inventions Rapture Bit Crushing Delay, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2015-12-09