Boss DD-3T

The Boss DD-3T is a compact digital delay pedal from Boss, released in 2019 to replace the long-running DD-3¹²³. It keeps the DD-3's sound circuitry and controls exactly as they were, and adds one thing the DD-3 never had: tap tempo⁴. For players who liked the DD-3's straightforward four-knob delay but wanted to sync repeats to a tempo, the DD-3T is that pedal.

The DD-3T is a mono pedal in the familiar Boss compact enclosure, with a delay time of 12.5 to 800 ms divided into three ranges for quick setup, and up to 800 ms available when the pedal receives tap input⁴. It carries the Boss five-year warranty⁴.

A DD-3 with tap tempo added

The DD-3T's reason for existing is tap tempo, which Boss's own history of its delay pedals calls "an essential for contemporary rhythmic delay effects"³. The function is engaged by holding the pedal's on/off switch down momentarily, or by connecting an optional external footswitch to the Tempo jack to set delay time hands-free⁷⁹. In delay mode, holding the pedal switch for two seconds toggles between bypass and tap operation⁴.

When tap info is received, up to 800 ms of delay time is available, and the Mode knob sets the tap subdivision: quarter-note triplet, dotted-eighth note, or quarter note³. That subdivision control is what makes the pedal useful for rhythmic parts, since a dotted-eighth tap against a quarter-note beat gives you the repeating figure heard all over modern guitar records.

Producer Bob Mackenzie, whose credits include James Blake, explained how he uses it:

The controls: Mode, Time, Feedback and Effect

Controls-wise it is the same setup as its predecessor, with Mode, Time, Feedback and Effect knobs controlling the effect¹¹. The Mode control is a rotary switch for selecting maximum delay times of 50 ms, 200 ms and 800 ms, plus the Short Loop function⁷.

The DD-3T has one primary delay mode with many time signatures, rather than the multiple delay types found on larger pedals like the DD-8¹²⁴. Sockets are In, Out, Tempo and Direct out⁸.

The direct output is a feature carried over from the DD-3, and on the DD-3T it has been moved next to the main output jack on the pedal's left side to make pedalboard connections easier⁶³. Plugging a cable into the direct out converts the main out to delay-only signal, allowing wet and dry signals to be sent to separate destinations⁴.

What is Short Loop?

Short Loop is simply a renaming of the Hold mode on the DD-3⁹. It captures a sound up to 800 ms long, plays it continuously, and lets you jam over the top⁴. MusicRadar described it as saving up to 800 ms of audio and effectively looping it¹¹. The shortest delay mode is also suited to rapid, machine-gun style stutter sounds¹³.

From the DD-2 and DD-3 to the DD-3T

The DD-3T sits at the end of a long line. The DD-3 was released in 1986¹⁴¹⁵, itself replacing the earlier DD-2¹⁶, and Premier Guitar's State of the Stomp column traces the line "eventually evolving into the DD-3T in 2019 because tap tempo became the yin / yang counterpart that every delay pedal ultimately needed"².

Members of the DD series have been used on records by The Cult, Melt Banana, Tool and Radiohead¹⁸. Guitar World's beginner's guide to pedals describes the DD-3's character in a way that carries over to the DD-3T, since the circuitry is unchanged:

What reviewers and players say

Guitar World's review of the DD-3T found the controls and specs the same as the DD-3, and concluded that "the DD-3T is a worthy replacement for the DD-3 that will keep its legacy going strong for decades to come"⁷. The same review also states the pedal provides the exact same sound quality that made the DD-2/DD-3 perennial favorites⁷.

Players using it include Ed O'Brien of Radiohead, whose current pedalboard, built by That Pedal Show's Dan Steinhardt, features the tap tempo-equipped DD-3T¹⁵. Alessandro "Asso" Stefana, the Italian guitarist and producer, told Boss:

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