The Backwoods Music Mockingbird Delay is a three-knob delay pedal designed and hand crafted in the USA. It is a digital delay, and Pedal of the Day's 2015 review describes its voice as sweet and warm, with a wide range of delay tones, lengths and sounds across its settings1.
The controls
The Mockingbird keeps things simple with three knobs:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Delay | Controls delay time up to approximately 600ms1 |
| Feedback | Controls the amount of repeats, ranging from a single repeat to the edge of self oscillation1 |
| Mix | Controls the volume of the repeats1 |
Pedal of the Day's reviewer noted a quirk at the low end of the range: with the Delay knob all the way down, there is still some echo present, which the reviewer called another cool feature and described as producing unique and fun tones at low Delay settings with minimal Feedback1.
Tails after bypass
The bypass is the pedal's most distinctive trait. Backwoods Music calls it Soft Touch Tails bypass: when you switch the effect off, the repeats continue to echo until they taper off in relation to the Feedback control, and they can still be adjusted with that knob while they fade1.
"When you hit the soft switch (you gotta love that right off the bat) to turn the effects off, the trails continue."
The bypass is buffered as well, to avoid any signal loss caused by a plethora of effects in your chain, in the reviewer's words1. That matters if you run the Mockingbird on a larger board: a buffered bypass keeps the signal strong through long chains, unlike true bypass designs.
Sound and character
Pedal of the Day's reviewer found that at multiple settings the Mockingbird gives off the illusion of some modulated echoes, and that at higher Delay levels the delayed signals smoothly taper off and fade out1. The Feedback control stops at the edge of self oscillation, so you can push the repeats a long way without the circuit running away entirely1.
Size and power
The pedal has a minimal pedalboard footprint at 4.39" L x 2.34" W1. It runs on a 9V DC negative center supply1, the standard for most pedalboard power supplies.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Is the Backwoods Music Mockingbird Delay analog or digital?
It is a digital delay. Pedal of the Day's review describes its voice as warm and notes that the digital circuit can still echo back after the pedal is bypassed, because the Soft Touch Tails bypass lets the repeats continue until they taper off under the Feedback control.
Do the repeats continue after the pedal is bypassed?
Yes. The Mockingbird uses what Backwoods Music calls Soft Touch Tails bypass: when you switch the effect off, the repeats continue to echo until they taper off in relation to the Feedback control, and you can still adjust them with that knob while they fade. The bypass is buffered to avoid signal loss in a long effects chain.
What power supply does the Mockingbird Delay need?
The pedal runs on a 9V DC negative center power supply. The review does not list a current draw or battery option, so plan your supply around the standard 9V negative center requirement.
Can the Mockingbird Delay self-oscillate?
Not quite on its own: the Feedback control ranges from a single repeat up to the edge of self oscillation, so you can push the repeats to the point just before they run away, but the control stops short of full runaway oscillation.
How long is the maximum delay time?
The Delay control goes up to approximately 600ms. Pedal of the Day's reviewer felt that should be more than enough for most delay needs.
Where is the Mockingbird Delay made?
Backwoods Music designs and hand crafts the Mockingbird Delay in the USA.
Sources (1)
- Backwoods Music Mockingbird Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2015-09-06