The Alexander Pedals Rewind is a digital delay pedal that Alexander Pedals describes as "a reimagining of our flagship delay platform." Introduced in September 2023, it replaced the History Lesson as the builder's flagship multi-mode delay and belongs to the Leap series1. Its core idea is breadth: ten delay engines, each with its own set of tweakable parameters, plus reverb trails that carry over when you bypass the pedal2.
It runs on an FXCore DSP with more than 8 times the processing power of the previous Neo Series pedals, and it carries a low-noise direct-coupled audio path with stereo input and output and phase correction21. An OLED display gives instant recall of every parameter2.
The delay engines
The ten engines are TAPE, ANALOG, DIGITAL, PITCH, DUAL, DIFFUSE, REVERSE, DYNAMIC, FILTER and LO=FI2. The maker's descriptions of the engines the product page details:
| Engine | What it does |
|---|---|
| ANALOG | Classic 1970s electronic solid-state echo, based on Alexander's collection of vintage delay pedals, with a multi-waveform modulation section21 |
| PITCH | Clean digital delay with a flexible pitch transposer, with PRE or POST pitch shifting modes and ARP arpeggio modes2 |
| DUAL | Two delay lines in parallel, TYPE selectable as MONO, STER or PONG; each delay has 625ms of echo time, and TIM2 set to LOCK synchronizes the delay times21 |
| REVERSE | Reverse echoes with a delay time of 2.5 seconds, which Alexander says comes "at the cost of a bit of high end and fidelity"2 |
| FILTER | Delay with a synth-style resonant low-pass filter; MOD selects the modulation source: SIN and SQU LFOs, ENV- and ENV+ envelope followers, RAND random sample and hold, or FIXD21 |
| LO=FI | A "filthy and gorgeous" dirty delay that stacks a digital distortion after the delay and includes triangle-wave modulation2 |
The remaining engines, TAPE, DIGITAL, DIFFUSE and DYNAMIC, are named in the engine list but not detailed further on the product page2.
A few engines are worth a closer look for what they offer a player. The REVERSE engine's 2.5 seconds of delay time is unusually long for reverse echo work, and Alexander is upfront that the trade-off is a bit of high end and fidelity2. The DUAL engine's three types cover the common stereo delay configurations: MONO runs both lines together, STER gives one line per output, and PONG bounces echoes between the outputs, with each line capped at 625ms21. The FILTER engine is the most synth-like of the set, with six modulation sources for the resonant low-pass filter that include envelope followers that track your picking21.
The controls, footswitches and presets
The Rewind keeps its control surface to two footswitches plus the knobs and OLED display2.
- CTL footswitch: tap tempo and ramp trigger2
- Bypass / Preset footswitch: hold it to select the next preset, or hold both footswitches for the previous one2
- OLED display: instant recall of every parameter2
The pedal holds 32 user presets arranged in 4 banks of 8, all accessible on the pedal itself without external controls2. That is a step up in onboard storage from earlier Alexander delays such as the History Lesson Vol 3, and it means a gigging player can move through a full set of sounds without a MIDI controller.
Expression, MIDI and external control
The MultiJack accepts an expression pedal, a footswitch, or a MIDI controller, and it is also compatible with Alexander's ALEXPANDER performance control switch21. The USB port handles firmware updates and USB MIDI2. The user manual and firmware are available on the maker's support page2.
Stereo operation and bypass behavior
The Rewind is fully stereo. The input is a TRS jack selectable as mono or stereo without opening the pedal, and the output can be TRS or dual outputs, with phase correction on the stereo path21.
Bypass is buffered, with selectable trails. The reverb and delay trails are configurable three ways: hard bypass, which cuts everything immediately; full trails, which let the repeats ring out; and auto trails, which ramp to zero volume for the lowest operating noise2. For players who switch delays mid-song, the auto trails mode is the middle ground, fading the echoes cleanly rather than chopping them or letting them run indefinitely.
Power and physical details
The Rewind requires an isolated DC power supply at 9V only, drawing 250mA or greater. There is no battery option, and the maker specifies isolated power, so a shared daisy chain is out2.
The enclosure measures 4.7" x 2.6" x 1.5" (H x W x D, not including knobs), which keeps it in standard compact-pedal territory despite the ten engines and display2.
Where it sits in the Alexander line
The Rewind replaced the History Lesson as the flagship multi-mode delay when it arrived in September 20231. Since then Alexander has also released the Forget Me Not, a stereo multi-tap tape-style delay that took a different direction for the brand, without an LED display1. Where the Forget Me Not narrows its focus, the Rewind spreads wide: ten engines, presets, MIDI and expression control in one box, at $249.992.
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Questions
Does the Alexander Rewind have MIDI?
Yes. The MultiJack on the pedal accepts a MIDI controller as well as an expression pedal or footswitch, and the USB port supports USB MIDI alongside firmware updates. The jack is also compatible with Alexander's ALEXPANDER performance control switch.
Is the Rewind stereo?
Yes. It has stereo audio input and output with phase correction. The input is a TRS jack selectable as mono or stereo without opening the pedal, and the output can be TRS or dual outputs.
How many presets does the Alexander Rewind hold?
It holds 32 user presets arranged in 4 banks of 8, all accessible on the pedal itself without external controls. You move through presets by holding the Bypass / Preset footswitch for the next one, or holding both footswitches for the previous one.
Does the Rewind keep delay trails when bypassed?
It can. The pedal uses buffered bypass with selectable trails, and the reverb and delay trails are configurable for hard bypass, full trails, or auto trails. Auto trails ramp to zero volume for the lowest operating noise.
What DSP chip does the Rewind use?
It runs on an FXCore DSP, which Alexander Pedals says has more than 8 times the processing power of their previous Neo Series pedals. The Rewind is part of the builder's Leap series.
Sources (2)
- Alexander Pedals Rewind Stereo Delay, Delicious Audio, 2023-09-18
- Rewind - Alexander, Alexander Pedals
